When it comes to action movies, many of the most high-profile ones released today have PG-13 ratings. That American rating (and its equivalents in other territories) tends to allow action movies to have some intense violence and minimal bloodshed, but never to the point where things become too much for younger/teenage audiences. If one looks at the superhero genre, for example, it's plain to see that many of those action-packed blockbusters (particularly from Marvel) keep things PG-13.
But older viewers who are after something a little less family/teen-friendly might be better off exploring those action movies that carry an R-rating. In America, this rating is given to movies seen as suitable for viewers 17 and older, with the level of violence allowed in such movies being considerably bloodier and more intense. The following are some of the absolute best R-rated action movies of all time, ranked below, beginning with the great and ending with the all-time greatest.
10 'Predator' (1987)
The 1980s was a time when very muscular and hyper-masculine action heroes reigned supreme, at least until a certain 1988 movie came along (more on that later). Of these action movie icons, few were beefier or more popular than Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose imposing physical presence and distinctive voice made him an actor action fans couldn't get enough of during the '80s.
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Of his various films from this decade, Predator is undoubtedly one of the best. It combines action with sci-fi/horror elements to remarkable effect, about an elite team of commandos getting targeted by a fearsome hunter from another planet. It's explosive and tense in equal measure and holds up remarkably well to this day, considering its age.
9 'John Wick' (2014)
Beginning in a fairly humble fashion before becoming more explosive and large-scale with its sequels, the John Wick series represents modern-day action movies at their best. The first film was the simplest, hinting at an underground world explored throughout future movies, though narratively, was more of a personal story for its titular character: an ex-assassin out for revenge at any cost.
If you're looking for something tense, fun, and sometimes quite bloody, action-wise, you can't go wrong with any John Wick movie. But the first one does have an undeniable purity and charm to it, showing that simplicity can be key, with its story ultimately being the most resonant of the four movies, even if it's the sequels where the action sequences become more over-the-top and spectacular.
8 'Kill Bill Vol. 1' (2003)
While the revenge story at the center of Kill Bill is a mostly dramatic one, it's the second volume of Quentin Tarantino's two-part epic that's less about the action and more about the emotional side of things. This allows Kill Bill Vol. 1 to let loose with some incredibly graphic and sometimes darkly funny fight sequences, especially near the end, when Uma Thurman's character takes on a small army of Japanese gangsters.
Though the violence is stylized, it's still blood-drenched and relatively brutal, meaning that this movie earns its R-rating and then some. It almost got a dreaded NC-17 rating in America. It avoided this by having its most violent scene — that aforementioned climactic fight sequence — play out in black-and-white rather than red-heavy color.
7 'Gladiator' (2000)
Easily ranking among director Ridley Scott's very best movies, Gladiator stunningly updated the old-fashioned Hollywood epic just in time for the start of the 21st century. It's about a general in the Roman army who gets betrayed and sold into becoming a slave, fighting in a series of gladiatorial battles while he plots revenge against the man who ruined his life.
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It works as both a compelling drama and a very entertaining action movie, with all the various sequences of combat feeling visceral and authentic. It's a hard-edged and sometimes quite grisly action/epic movie that feels uncompromising while also being easy to get sucked into, with it deservedly being regarded as a classic to this day.
6 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1991)
1984's The Terminator had its action scenes, sure, but it told its time travel story about a cyborg from the future hunting down a young woman in a way that often felt more horror-focused. Its 1991 sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, on the other hand, is all about the action and is even more explosive and exciting, thanks to this new focus and a higher budget than before.
Both movies were made by James Cameron, both were rated R, and both are great for their own reasons. But those looking for pure action entertainment will probably get the most out of Terminator 2, with it having lost very little of its impact when it comes to special effects and convincing action in the 30-odd years since its release.
5 'The Matrix' (1999)
Combining science-fiction, action, and even some romance to expert effect, The Matrix is up there with the greatest movies of the 1990s. It follows a man who learns that machines have enslaved humanity, his whole life is a lie, and he might be the only one who has the potential to free the entire human race.
It's an ambitious and extremely original movie and redefined what the action genre was capable of, largely thanks to its epic shootouts that often played out using plenty of slow-motion. It's not as graphically violent as most R-rated action movies but still has enough of a kick to likely satisfy most action fans who like their films to have more edge than PG-13 fare.
4 'Heat' (1995)
Heat is primarily a crime film, but it features more than enough when it comes to action for it to also be considered a great action movie. It's about a detective (Al Pacino) who'll stop at nothing to take down a thief (Robert De Niro) and his crew, all of whom are in the process of planning a very ambitious (and potentially lucrative) bank robbery.
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There are some decently long stretches of the movie that go by without much in the way of action, but the shootouts, chase sequences, and other more intense scenes leave a serious impact. It's worth considering Heat as a masterful action movie for its main set piece alone. It sees a heist morph into a huge shootout on the streets, with the entire sequence feeling shockingly real and unbelievably tense.
3 'Aliens' (1986)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day isn't the only great R-rated action sequel that James Cameron made, seeing as he was also the director of Aliens. Even more so than going from The Terminator to its sequel, Aliens truly shakes things up compared to 1979's Alien, which was a slow-paced sci-fi/horror movie without any real action (it's still gripping, though).
Ripley returns and finds herself facing numerous aliens this time instead of the single one that tormented her and her crew during the first movie. Thankfully, her allies here are well-equipped marines, meaning they can put up something of a fight against the alien forces, leading to tons of suspenseful and bombastic action sequences that are timelessly exciting.
2 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015)
Mad Max is another action franchise that had humble beginnings before sequels increased the scope of things significantly. The series reached its (for the moment) peak in 2015, as the fourth movie, Mad Max: Fury Road, isn't just the most impressive entry in the franchise but also can be considered one of the 21st century's greatest action movies so far.
The plot's very simple, seeing its titular character get roped into being involved in a desperate mission undertaken by a group of women trying to escape the villainous Immortan Joe and his forces. It's an unrelenting and visually dazzling movie, playing out like one extended car chase across the desert and truly engrossing for just about every minute of its runtime.
1 'Die Hard' (1988)
Action movies were never the same after the first Die Hard, which still represents the genre at its best approximately 35 years on from its initial release. It placed a vulnerable/everyman hero at the center of a dangerous situation, with protagonist John McClane (Bruce Willis) confined in a building and forced to take out a terrorist group who've stormed in and taken those inside hostage.
It's a perfectly paced movie and even the knowledge that it has sequels ensuring McClane's survival does little to undermine the idea that he is properly out of his depths and might not survive his hellish night. With grounded and compelling action, plus an unbelievably good villainous performance by Alan Rickman, Die Hard is undoubtedly a classic and perhaps the greatest R-rated action movie of all time.
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