After years in malaise, action cinema was elevated by Keanu Reeves’ comeback in John Wick, a film packed full of brilliant fight scenes. Drawing on aspects of neo-noir, video game-inspired gun battles, and world-building, Chad Stahelski’s success helped get audiences invested in the genre. However, some movies manage to outshine even the best moments from the 2014 icon.
As action continues to be a dominant force in Hollywood, even transforming the careers of stars like Bob Odenkirk, remembering the best it has to offer is crucial. After years of poor choreography and questionable technique, these movies continuously raised the bar for their genre. Everyone loves John Wick, but these are must-see masterpieces that show Reeves’ hitman how it’s done.
The Transporter Is the Prototypical John Wick
In 2002, Jason Statham officially became an action star when he headlined The Transporter. Here, he plays the eponymous elite courier, Frank Martin, who gets roped into a human trafficking operation when he releases one of his “packages.” Drawing on his past as a special forces operative, he fights and shoots his way through a veritable army of henchmen, with the actor’s own martial arts training shining each time.
The Transporter’s fight scenes can best be described as the prototype for the John Wick style of action, merging gritty close combat with improvised martial arts. Between the fight on the bus and the greased-up battle against a team of goons, Statham managed to make Frank Martin feel invincible, taking even less damage than Reeves’ antihero. When the elite driving scenes are included, it comes across as a more versatile flick than Stahelski’s breakout.
The Raid: Redemption Still Influences Hollywood Action Today
In 2011, Gareth Evans started the action movie comeback when he created his Indonesian classic, The Raid. It centers around an elite SWAT unit sent into a Jakarta apartment building to capture the ruthless gang leader who lives there. Separated from his team, Sgt Rama is forced to battle his way to safety, soon having to ditch his weapon and fight hand-to-hand with the veritable army of henchmen in the tower.
Moving from level to level with the dynamism and excitement of a video game, The Raid instantly raised the bar for intensity in its genre. As he turns a new corner, Rama must adapt his style, from close-up hand-to-hand to elaborate martial arts, to take on numerous opponents. Though it flew under the radar of mainstream audiences when it was released, it’s since been recognized as the cult classic masterpiece that helped influence a decade of Hollywood action flicks.
Kill Bill Elevated Action Into Something More Cinematic
In 2004, Quentin Tarantino translated decades of masterful Japanese and Chinese martial arts cinema for American audiences when he made Kill Bill. His official foray into action, it focuses on a former elite assassin dubbed “the Bride” as she wakes from a coma her old flame Bill put her in. Grieving the loss of her unborn daughter, she arms herself with a new sword and begins battling her way through those who wronged her.
Tarantino’s love of kung-fu action shines through in Kill Bill’s choreography, with even the training sequences feeling intense. Scenes like the House of Blue Leaves showdown are so cinematic in their scope and style that they remind John Wick fans it was an indie project. The writer-director’s full vision is, after all, a sprawling four-hour saga replete with katanas and gravity-defying combat. Stahelski’s gem is fantastic, but it was never going to hold a candle to the Whole Bloody Affair.
Ip Man Pays Homage to A Martial Arts Legend
Ip Man brings audiences back to 1930s-era China, to the city of Foshan, where a Wing Chun master lives in peace as the greatest fighter around. His life is shattered by the enemy invasion that sparks the Second Sino-Japanese War. When a brutal officer forces the local martial artists to compete against his men, the Ip Man steps up as the champion of his people.
Ip Man and its sequels are basically the pinnacle of modern-day Chinese martial arts cinema, showing Donnie Yen doing what he does best. Between its initial friendly matches and the stunning finale, the movie shows audiences the exploits of a real fighting legend, the man who trained Bruce Lee. For anyone looking for a film whose sequences command their full attention, the fast-paced execution of Wing Chun beats out almost everything from Hollywood.
The Matrix Ushered In A New Millennium of Sci-Fi Action
Everything changed for sci-fi and action alike in 1999 when the Wachowskis made The Matrix, giving Keanu Reeves his greatest project. The movie focuses on Neo, a hacker who learns that his existence is a lie contained within an artificial reality. Joining Morpheus, he begins his quest to save as much of humanity as possible from the rule of AI machines, battling its agents along the way.
Made fifteen years before his thrilling hitman, Reeves’ role as Neo gave audiences a stylish, anime-like superhero origin story here. Using a combination of martial arts, close-quarter combat, and epic shooting sequences, this masterpiece uses slow-motion to deliver a captivating experience. 27 years later, The Matrix is still the gold standard of action movies, and shows Keanu Reeves at his absolute best long before his John Wick comeback.
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