Best 1999 Action Movies Ranked
Essential High Octane Hits From A Golden Era
Discover top rated blockbusters and cult classics in our definitive guide to the greatest action cinema released during the final year of the millennium.
About 1999 Action Movies
As the final seconds ticked down on the twentieth century, the action genre was undergoing a visible and violent mutation. If you look back at the cinematic landscape of 1999, it becomes clear that we were witnessing the death of the traditional eighties muscle man and the birth of a sophisticated, digital, and deeply existential new breed of hero. It was a year where the popcorn remained buttery, but the stories started to taste like copper and static.
At the center of this hurricane was The Matrix. While it is easy to focus on the leather overcoats and the bullet time effects that would be parodied for the next decade, its real impact was in how it married high-concept philosophy with Hong Kong inspired choreography. Before 1999, American action stars typically punched their way out of problems. After Keanu Reeves plugged into the simulation, audiences demanded grace, agility, and a sense that the laws of physics were merely suggestions. It turned the action movie into a thinking man's playground, suggesting that the reality we inhabit might just be a comfortable lie.
But 1999 was not just about digital dystopias. It was the year that the genre decided to get weird and messy. Take David Fincher's Fight Club for example. Though it subverted the very idea of an action film, its visceral, bone-crunching sequences redefined how we viewed cinematic violence. It was grungy, sweaty, and nihilistic, reflecting a pre-millennial boredom that resonated with a generation tired of the status quo.
Even the more traditional blockbusters of that year felt like they were pushing toward something different. Stephen Sommers gave us The Mummy, a film that successfully traded the cynical grit of the nineties for a swashbuckling, Indiana Jones style sense of adventure. It proved that CGI could be used to create a sense of wonder rather than just destruction. Meanwhile, James Bond was struggling to find his footing in The World Is Not Enough, caught between the old world of gadgets and a new world that demanded more emotional complexity from its icons.
We also saw the emergence of the heist film as a high-stakes adrenaline delivery system. Payback and The Thomas Crown Affair showed two very different sides of the criminal coin, one being a brutal, blue-tinted revenge tale and the other a sophisticated, erotic game of cat and mouse. Both films moved away from the mindless explosions of the previous decade, focusing instead on cleverness and professional competence.
Looking back, 1999 feels like the ultimate bridge. It held onto the practical stunts and star power of the past while sprinting headlong into a future defined by visual effects and psychological depth. It was a time when filmmakers were allowed to take massive risks with studio money, resulting in a library of films that still feel modern today. As the clock struck midnight on the new millennium, the action genre had been completely rebuilt. It was sleeker, smarter, and much more dangerous than it had ever been before.
Gorgeous
1999When Ah Bu, a girl from a small fishing town in Taiwan, finds a glass bottle with a romantic message, she travels to Hong Kong to find her prince charming. As it turns out, her prince charming, Albert, happens to be gay. But all is not lost when Ah Bu meets the dashing Chi Wu. Meanwhile, Ah Bu's boyfriend from Taiwan comes looking for her, as the action and romance follow Ah Bu back to Taiwan.
Shiri
1999North Korea's 8th Special Forces hijack a shipment of CTX, a potent new liquid explosive, and threatens South Korea as part of a plot to re-unify the two countries. Ryu and Lee, special agents of O.P., South Korea's secret intelligence service, attempt to track down the terrorists and find the CTX. Meanwhile Hee, the 8th's ultra-bad female sniper, resurfaces to wreak havoc and haunt Ryu.
Baadshah
1999A small time detective is mistaken as a CBI agent and gets embroiled in a deadly mission to save the Chief Minister from an assassination attempt.
Attack the Gas Station!
1999A quartet of disaffected Korean youths have robbed a Seoul gas station. After taking the gas station over, their wacky antics ensue; forcing the manager to sing, kidnapping customers that complain about the service, and staging fist-fights between street gang members and gas station employees; all of these reflect their own gripes against society.
Three Kings
1999A group of American soldiers stationed in Iraq at the end of the Gulf War find a map they believe will take them to a huge cache of stolen Kuwaiti gold hidden near their base, and they embark on a secret mission that's destined to change everything.
Sarfarosh
1999When terrorists kill a cop's brother and disable his father, he fights back against the smuggling of guns and drugs which plagues his country.
eXistenZ
1999A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.
Babylon 5: A Call to Arms
1999Allies of the Shadows seek revenge against humanity. This movie sets up the series, "Crusade," the sequel to "Babylon 5."
Godzilla 2000: Millennium
1999An independent group of researchers called the Godzilla Prediction Network (GPN) actively track Godzilla as he makes landfall in Nemuro. Matters are further complicated when a giant meteor is discovered in the Ibaragi Prefecture. The mysterious rock begins to levitate as it's true intentions for the world and Godzilla are revealed.
The Rifleman of the Voroshilov Regiment
1999A very typical post-Soviet era storyline. A bunch of vagabonds lured an innocent teenage girl to their apartment, offered her a drink, intimidated, then gang raped her. Local cops are incapable to undertake an adequate actions against the scoundrels - prevented by the superior chief of the local police, who is the dad of one of the scumbags. The case is closed. The girl's granddad tired of an endless circumlocution decides to take revenge in his own hands.
Killer 2
1999Jurek Kiler has become a VIP - sponsoring the Polish government, playing tennis with the President, meeting world leaders. He must oversee a transfer of a substantial amount of gold. However, in his past activities, he has made enemies. Mighty ones. And thus Jurek Kiler's next adventure begins as he has to face attempts at kidnapping, assassinations and problems in his love life...
Batman Beyond: The Movie
1999Fuelled by remorse and vengeance, a high schooler named Terry McGinnis becomes the new Batman as he fights crime in the futuristic Neo-Gotham City.
Running Out of Time
1999Police inspector and excellent hostage negotiator Ho Sheung-Sang finds himself in over his head when he is pulled into a 72 hour game by a cancer suffering criminal out for vengeance on Hong Kong's organized crime syndicates.
In China They Eat Dogs
1999Arvid is an ordinary bank clerk who lives a rather unassuming life with his dear girlfriend. But his life is turned completely upside down when he bravely manages to avert a robbery against the bank where he works.
Tarzan
1999Tarzan was a small orphan who was raised by an ape named Kala since he was a child. He believed that this was his family, but on an expedition Jane Porter is rescued by Tarzan. He then finds out that he's human. Now Tarzan must make the decision as to which family he should belong to...
The Mission
1999Triad boss Lung, who has just escaped being killed in an assassination attempt hires the killers Curtis, James, Mike, Roy and Shin for his protection.
Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip
1999After Dexter is confronted with robots who wish to "destroy the one who saved the future," he uses his time machine to see how he saved it. They declare that they are here to destroy the one who saved the future, and make ready to attack Dexter. Dexter easily destroys them with the use of various tools and gadgets from his lab. However, news that he is "The One Who Saved the Future" intrigues him, and he decides to travel through time to discover how cool he is. In the first time period he visits, Dexter finds a tall, skinny, weak version of himself working in office-designing cubicles, with Mandark as his rich, successful boss. The child Dexter unwittingly reveals the existence of blueprints regarding the "Neurotomic Protocore", and Mandark steals it after the two Dexters move forward in time.
Bang, Boom, Bang
1999Bank robber Kalle Grabowski escapes from prison while his unemployed smalltime crook buddy is sitting around doing nothing after he just lost all their money. A fast paced comedy from German director Peter Thorwarth.
Payback
1999With friends like these, who needs enemies? That's the question bad guy Porter is left asking after his wife and partner steal his heist money and leave him for dead -- or so they think. Five months and an endless reservoir of bitterness later, Porter's partners and the crooked cops on his tail learn how bad payback can be.
Virus
1999When the crew of an American tugboat boards an abandoned Russian research vessel, the alien life form aboard regards them as a virus which must be destroyed.
End of Days
1999Cynical bodyguard Jericho is hired by a man possessed by Satan, who is in search of his bride. When Jericho realizes what is happening, he must do everything he can to save the woman and the world.
Arnold Schwarzenegger faces down the literal apocalypse in a dark, supernatural pivot that infuses the action genre with gothic horror elements. Its pyrotechnic-heavy finale and dour, millennial anxiety provide a fascinatingly grim spectacle consistent with the looming turn of the century.
The 13th Warrior
1999A Muslim ambassador exiled from his homeland joins a group of Vikings, initially offended by their behavior but growing to respect them. As they travel together, they learn of a legendary evil closing in and must unite to confront this formidable force.
John McTiernan brings a gritty, tactile realism to this historical epic, eschewing glossy finishes for mud, blood, and atmospheric dread. The result is a hauntingly shot warrior tale that prioritizes sweeping, visceral combat and ancient mythology over traditional genre tropes.
Blue Streak
1999Miles Logan is a jewel thief who just hit the big time by stealing a huge diamond. However, after two years in jail, he comes to find out that he hid the diamond in a police building that was being built at the time of the robbery. In an attempt to regain his diamond, he poses as an LAPD detective.
Martin Lawrence successfully fuses high-energy slapstick with high-stakes heist dynamics to create a uniquely charismatic action-comedy. The film relies on frantic pacing and the leading man's manic timing to bridge the gap between suburban levity and explosive police-raid spectacle.
Universal Soldier: The Return
1999Luc Deveraux, the heroic former Universal Soldier, is about to be thrown into action once again. When SETH, the supercomputer-controlled ultra-warrior, decides to take revenge and destroy its creators, only Luc can stop it. All hell breaks loose as Luc battles SETH and a deadly team of perfect soldiers in a struggle that pits man against machine and good against evil.
Van Damme returns for a stripped-down, heavy-hitting sequel that leans into the sheer physicality of its cyborg premise. It is a loud, unapologetic celebration of brawn and pyrotechnics that satisfies the era's hunger for uncomplicated, industrial-strength mayhem.
In Too Deep
1999Drug lord Dwayne Gittens rules Cincinnati with an iron fist. No wonder he's known as "God" on the streets. Determined to break Gittens' stranglehold on the city is undercover cop Jeffrey Cole. But as Cole takes on an assumed identity to penetrate Gittens' criminal empire, he makes a disturbing discovery -- he kind of likes being a gangster.
This undercover thriller pulses with a palpable, claustrophobic tension that elevates it above standard police procedurals. The raw performances drive the conflict, grounding the explosive confrontations in a believable, high-stakes psychological war.
The World Is Not Enough
1999Greed, revenge, world dominance and high-tech terrorism – it's all in a day's work for Bond, who's on a mission to protect a beautiful oil heiress from a notorious terrorist. In a race against time that culminates in a dramatic submarine showdown, Bond works to defuse the international power struggle that has the world's oil supply hanging in the balance.
Pierce Brosnan delivers a more rugged edge to the 007 persona in an entry characterized by its ambitious, stunt-heavy set pieces. From the thrilling Thames river chase to the high-stakes nuclear tension, it remains a robust example of large-scale practical effects work.
The Boondock Saints
1999Tired of the crime overrunning the streets of Boston, Irish Catholic twin brothers Conner and Murphy are inspired by their faith to cleanse their hometown of evil with their own brand of zealous vigilante justice. As they hunt down and kill one notorious gangster after another, they become controversial folk heroes in the community. But Paul Smecker, an eccentric FBI agent, is fast closing in on their blood-soaked trail.
Defined by its stylized violence and gritty urban aesthetic, this cult sensation brought a frantic, operatic energy to the vigilante subgenre. Its rhythmic gunplay and unapologetic bravado channeled the frantic spirit of the late nineties indie scene into a high-octane bullet ballet.
The Mummy
1999Dashing legionnaire Rick O'Connell stumbles upon the hidden ruins of Hamunaptra while in the midst of a battle to claim the area in 1920s Egypt. It has been over three thousand years since former High Priest Imhotep suffered a fate worse than death as a punishment for a forbidden love—along with a curse that guarantees eternal doom upon the world if he is ever awoken.
This swashbuckling revival perfectly captures the spirit of old-school serials while utilizing cutting-edge digital effects to create a relentless sense of momentum. It stands as a rare triumph of tone, balancing genuine terror with a charismatic, muscular sense of adventure.
Anakin Skywalker, a young slave strong with the Force, is discovered on Tatooine. Meanwhile, the evil Sith have returned, enacting their plot for revenge against the Jedi.
While polarizing in its politics, the film delivers a masterclass in scale through its breakneck podracing sequences and the most sophisticated lightsaber duel of the original era. The introduction of a more kinetic, acrobatic combat style rejuvenated the franchise's stunt profile for a new generation.
The Matrix
1999Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
A tectonic shift in the cinematic landscape, this cyberpunk masterpiece married high-concept philosophy with groundbreaking bullet-time aesthetics. It redefined the vocabulary of the modern blockbuster, proving that intellectual depth could coexist with visceral, gravity-defying choreography.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts
- 1999 action movies marked a shift from the traditional muscle-bound heroes of the '80s to more complex characters influenced by digital effects and existential themes. This evolution is evident in films like The Matrix, which blend innovative visuals with deep philosophical questions.
- The Matrix revolutionized the action genre in 1999 by introducing groundbreaking special effects like 'bullet time' and a cyberpunk aesthetic. Its blend of science fiction and martial arts redefined visual storytelling and inspired a new wave of high-concept action films.
- Science fiction was a dominant theme in many top 1999 action movies, including The Matrix and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, merging futuristic technology with traditional action elements. This fusion expanded the genre's appeal by offering complex narratives alongside thrilling sequences.
- Films like The Mummy and The 13th Warrior integrate historical and fantasy aspects with action, providing audiences with adventurous stories set against rich period backdrops. These movies combine mythological themes and intense combat, creating immersive cinematic experiences.
- Yes, 1999 featured action comedies such as Blue Streak and Bang, Boom, Bang, which mix humor and crime elements to deliver entertaining and lighthearted narratives. These films balance action-packed scenes with comedic timing, appealing to diverse audiences.
- 1999 action thrillers like The Boondock Saints and Payback often explore darker themes of crime and justice with gritty realism. Their narratives focus on moral ambiguity and complex characters, setting them apart from more straightforward action fare.
- The World Is Not Enough continued the legacy of the James Bond franchise by blending espionage, adventure, and thrilling stunts. It represents the era's penchant for high-production values and sophisticated storytelling in action cinema.
- Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip showcases how action elements can successfully merge with animation and family-friendly content. Its inclusion illustrates the genre's versatility, appealing to both younger audiences and action aficionados with its dynamic storytelling.
