James Gunn is always up for sharing his opinions (for better or for worse) as well as interacting with fans on Twitter. Just the other day, in fact, he shared a list of 27 sequels better than the original and before that, he recommended 10 movies to watch during quarantine. But now, The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy director has revealed a new list of films to watch during self-isolation and has come up with 54 action movies that he believes are an A+.
Studios have been releasing some of their new efforts on digital early like Bloodshot and The Hunt in an attempt to capitalize on any extra revenue they can in these difficult times. But forget about new movies for a second. Gunn’s list below begins a proper action film education and all of his suggestions are well worth checking out.
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1251191862280491008
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1251191864075653123
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1251191865648570369
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1251191867091255297
This is an eclectic mix of classic action flicks (Die Hard, The Matrix, Speed), terrific samurai films (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Seven Samurai, Hero), some underrated gems (Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, The Villainess, Revenge) and movies I didn’t really consider to be action films like North By Northwest and Captain Phillips. He also wasn’t afraid to throw in a little sci-fi with RoboCop, Edge of Tomorrow and Equilibrium. And, of course, he had to include the two best action movies of this century: Mad Max: Fury Road and Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
My favorite pick by far though is him including the underseen Payback and specifying the theatrical cut, which is far better than the director’s cut that came out a few years later.
Surprisingly, there are no superhero movies here, which I guess fall into their own category. He also only has one John McTiernan film on the list with Die Hard. Where’s Predator? Or The Hunt for Red October or Die Hard with a Vengeance?
Wait…. there’s not a single Schwarzenegger movie, either. Oh well. It’s his list and it’s certainly a creative one. James Gunn knows what he’s talking about. Now get to work cinephiles.