People say they love the Fast & Furious movies because they’re big, dumb and full of crazy action. But a lot of movies are big and dumb and full of crazy action. If that’s all it took to be a blockbuster then everyone would still be talking about how awesome White House Down was, and nobody would have found any fault with Terminator Salvation. No, the reason why the Fast & Furious films are now considered some of the great action movies is that, in addition to the corny dialogue and incredible stunts, audiences have actually come to care about the characters.
“It’s about family,” after all. And like most makeshift families, it took some time to get used to the cast of these films. It wasn’t until Fast Five that this merely popular franchise became a bona fide worldwide phenomenon. That was the film that brought the whole cast together from all of the films in the series, showed them bonding, protecting each other and joining forces to fight a common enemy. That was the film that proved that all those movies we’d seen before had been preparing us to accept this dopey world, and sneakily getting us invested in the lives and foibles of the characters. And the movies have been operating at full speed ever since.
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But the Fast & Furious films aren’t an aberration. Some audience members like to pretend that they watch action movies just for the violence and escapism, but the best action movies – the ones that stand the test of time – engage our hearts as well as our guts. They introduce characters we care about, who end up in one life-threatening situation after another only because they care about something enough that they’re willing to risk their lives to defend it.
What follows are our picks for 13 Great Action Movies With a Sensitive Side. They are 13 of many, and we intentionally left some of our favorites off the list to highlight some solid flicks that aren’t talked about enough. Besides, telling us what we left off of a list is what the comments section is for. We’re sure you can all think of some great action movies that touched your heart. Let us know what they are, and why they made you really care.
13 Great Action Movies with a Sensitive Side:
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
13 Great Action Movies With a Sensitive Side
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American Sniper (2014)
When Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated war drama isn't jumping across rooftops and sniping the enemy from impossible distances, American Sniper is actually a solemn tale of a man programmed by his father into prioritizing the defense of his country over his domestic responsibilities to his own family. The scene where Taya Kyle listens powerlessly on the phone while her husband gets caught in a surprise firefight is an emotional powerhouse.
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Big Hero 6 (2014)
A superhero film about young geniuses who don sci-fi technology and fight a bad guy? Yes, but at heart, Big Hero 6 is really a film about grief and loss. Hiro mourns the death of his brother by distracting himself with revenge, almost missing the most important thing: that his friends were there for him the whole time, ready to help, and always ready to hug.
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The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
Jason Bourne gets roped back into the world of deadly espionage when his girlfriend is murdered at the start of The Bourne Supremacy, the sequel to the already pretty emotional blockbuster The Bourne Identity. But Paul Greengrass's sequel ups the ante by placing our hero in a position to risk life and limb not to save the world, but to atone for his past crimes as a government assassin. The Bourne Supremacy concludes with a high-speed chase, and the hero is only racing against time to apologize.
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Die Hard (1988)
The action film that changed everything, Die Hard flew directly in the face of flamboyant "badass" cinema in the late 1980s by casting then-comedian Bruce Willis as an action hero who is outclassed, outgunned and only even involved in the film's kidnapping plot because he's trying to reconnect with his estranged wife. Add in a soulful subplot in which John McClane bonds with a fellow officer over the devastating responsibilities of using deadly force, and you've got a recipe for one of the great sensitive action movies. And one to the great action movies, period.
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First Blood (1982)
Although John Rambo would later become one of the poster children for broad action cinema, he began his movie career as a mentally scarred soldier, trained to kill and desperately trying to rewrite that programming. It's only after his persecution at the hands of corrupt police officers that Rambo snaps and resumes his war. But it's never "cool," it's just tragic, and by the end it becomes clear that our hero is the one who needs to be stopped.
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Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
James Gunn's witty space opera Guardians of the Galaxy is so spry, so silly, that you might almost miss just how heartfelt it really is. At the center of the action are a group of outsiders who learn, against their own better judgment, to treat each other as a family, yes, but also take another look at the rockin' 1970s soundtrack. It's a gift from Star-Lord's late mother, and as a result, she's also along for the ride, many years after she passed away. At one point he risks everything to preserve his last memory of his mom. How sweet is that?
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Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
The rugged pulp hero Indiana Jones returns with a lot of his old schtick in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but now he's got his father along with him. Nobody's cool in front of their dad, and Jones is no exception, but their history of mutual unappreciation is put through the ringer by the end of Steven Spielberg's film, which culminates with both of them learning a valuable lesson about how to love each other for who they are.
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The Killer (1989)
Most of action legend John Woo's films are rife with emotional turmoil (see also: Bullet in the Head, A Better Tomorrow, Face/Off, etc.), but none did it more beautifully than his seminal work, The Killer. Chow Yun-fat plays an assassin who accidentally blinds a nightclub singer in the middle of a job, then continues working to pay for her surgery. Along the way they fall in love, and fall into a strange understanding with a detective who wants our hero caught, but who can't deny their macho bond.
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King Kong (1933)
One of the greatest fantasies ever filmed, King Kong is only partly the story of a giant gorilla who goes ape in New York City, and has to be taken down by a squadron of biplanes. It's also the story of an outcast, hunted and imprisoned by heartless entrepreneurs, who's only connection to a living soul becomes his undoing. Peter Jackson's remake ups the emotional ante (and everything else for that matter), but nothing beats the original.
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Safe (2012)
He's arguably the world's leading tough guy actor, but Jason Statham has a soul too. Want proof? Check out the underseen Safe, in which he plays a boxer cursed by the Russian mob. Everyone he talks to for more than a few moments will be murdered, sending him spiraling into suicidal despair until a young girl - completely by chance - gives him a reason to live. And to kick ass, since she herself is the target of even more mobsters. Safe is an unusual and extremely exciting action movie that packs a huge emotional punch.
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Spider-Man (2002)
Before Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, superhero movies - even the good ones - were mostly just action movies with a twist. But the story of Peter Parker, steeped in tragedy and unspoken romance, bridged the gap between comic book movies and mainstream audiences. Spider-Man had a sweet love story, a powerful hook and a villain who rips the hero's life apart in every possible way. And although it may seem hokey now, its influence on contemporary superhero cinema is undeniable and all-encompassing.
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Taken (2008)
Bryan Mills was a secret agent whose missions cost him his wife and daughter's love. But when his daughter is kidnapped, those very skills that tore the family apart are the only thing that can bring them back together. And watching Liam Neeson bring the fury of Hell down upon anyone who stands in the way of his daughter's safety is both thrilling and terrifying. A father's love drives the action, and it's action-packed.
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Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The first Terminator was practically a horror movie, about a young woman hunted by an unstoppable killing machine. But the sequel, in which a Terminator goes back in time to protect her son and ends up becoming a surrogate father, is even more potent. John Connor's relationship with a robot, and his deeply troubled mother, forms the emotional core of one of the great blockbuster spectacles, with an ending that can make even the toughest members of the audience cry. That thumbs up is a killer.
