Top 48 Ranked

The Best 2017 Action Movies Ranked

Epic Warfare and High Speed Heists Reimagined

Discover the best action cinema from a landmark year. From superhero showdowns to gritty sci-fi, explore our ranked list of top-rated action hits.

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About 2017 Action Movies

The year 2017 felt like a massive bridge between two eras of action cinema. On one side, we had the towering dominance of the established superhero machine, but on the other, a gritty, neon-soaked rebellion was taking place. It was a year where the genre finally decided to grow up, get messy, and embrace the kind of stylistic flair that had been missing from the multiplex for over a decade.

If you want to understand the shift that occurred that year, you have to start with Logan. For nearly twenty years, Hugh Jackman had played Wolverine as a conventional hero, but James Mangold’s 2017 swan song stripped away the spandex and the safety nets. It was a sun-bleached western disguised as a comic book movie, tradeshowing the scars of a lifetime of violence. By leaning into an R-rating, the film allowed the action to feel heavy and consequential. It was no longer about saving the world; it was about the quiet, desperate struggle to protect one person.

While Logan was breaking hearts, John Wick: Chapter 2 was perfecting the art of the gun-ballet. The first film was a surprise hit, but the sequel solidified the franchise as the gold standard for modern choreography. Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski doubled down on the long takes and wide shots, trusting the audience to actually see the stunts rather than hiding them behind shaky cameras and rapid-fire editing. It turned the action movie into a literal art gallery, where every muzzle flash was a brushstroke and every hallway was a stage.

The stylistic experimentation did not stop there. This was also the year we got Atomic Blonde, a cold war thriller that featured a ten-minute stairwell fight so exhausting and visceral it left the audience feeling bruised. David Leitch proved that a female-led actioner could be every bit as brutal and technically demanding as its male counterparts. Simultaneously, Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver brought a musicality to the genre that felt entirely fresh. By syncing every gear shift and gunshot to a curated soundtrack, Wright turned the car chase into a high-speed rhythmic performance.

Even the Marvel Cinematic Universe felt the need to pivot toward the eccentric. Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok threw out the Shakespearean self-importance of previous installments and replaced it with a candy-colored, improvisational energy that felt more like a psychedelic 1980s fever dream than a standard blockbuster. It was a sign that even the biggest franchises realized they could no longer rely on the same old formulas.

Looking back, 2017 was the moment the action genre remembered that personality is just as important as production value. Whether it was the raw emotion of Logan, the neon precision of John Wick, or the kinetic rhythm of Baby Driver, the films that defined the year were the ones that took risks. They moved away from the sanitized, digital clutter of the early 2010s and moved back toward something tactile, imaginative, and deeply human. It was a vintage year for the adrenaline junkie, proving that even in a world of endless sequels, there is always room for a filmmaker with a distinct vision and a very sharp stunt coordinator.

The Complete Rankings

Based on the top picks in drafts on SnakeDrafts

See Top Ten
48
2017 Action in Mazinger Z: Infinity (2017)
Mazinger Z: Infinity
2017

When the evil Dr. Hell attacks the Earth, the mighty giant mecha Mazinger Z is formed to stop him.

Action
Science Fiction
1h 35m
Junji Shimizu
Showtaro Morikubo, Ai Kayano, Sumire Uesaka, Toshihiko Seki
47
2017 Action in Chasing the Dragon (2017)
Chasing the Dragon
2017

An illegal immigrant from Mainland China sneaks into the corrupt British-colonized Hong Kong in 1963, transforming himself into a ruthless drug lord.

Action
Crime
2h 8m
Wong Jing
Donnie Yen, Andy Lau, Kent Cheng Jak-Si, Wilfred Lau Ho-Lung
46

When an attack on the Kingsman headquarters takes place and a new villain rises, Eggsy and Merlin are forced to work together with the American agency known as the Statesman to save the world.

Action
Adventure
2h 21m
Matthew Vaughn

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45
2017 Action in Reset (2017)
Reset
2017

In 2025, a scientist on the verge of making a major discovery related to time travel is suddenly put in peril when a rival kidnaps her young son and demands a hefty ransom: her entire research.

Action
Science Fiction
1h 46m
Chang
Yang Mi, Wallace Huo, King Shih-Chieh, Liu Chang
44
2017 Action in Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)
Brawl in Cell Block 99
2017

After working as a drug courier and getting into a brutal shootout with police, a former boxer finds himself at the mercy of his enemies as they force him to instigate violent acts that turn the prison he resides in into a battleground.

Action
Crime
2h 12m
S. Craig Zahler
Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Udo Kier
43
2017 Action in The Foreigner (2017)
The Foreigner
2017

Quan is a humble London businessman whose long-buried past erupts in a revenge-fueled vendetta when the only person left for him to love – his teenage daughter – dies in an Irish Republican Army car bombing. His relentless search to find the terrorists leads to a cat-and-mouse conflict with a British government official whose own past may hold the clues to the identities of the elusive killers.

Action
Thriller
1h 53m
Martin Campbell
Pierce Brosnan, Jackie Chan, Rory Fleck-Byrne, Ray Fearon
42
2017 Action in The Prison (2017)
The Prison
2017

An imprisoned ex-police inspector discovers that the entire penitentiary is controlled by an inmate running a crime syndicate and becomes part of the crime empire.

Crime
Action
2h 5m
Na Hyun
Han Suk-kyu, Kim Rae-won, Jung Woong-in, Jo Jae-yun
41
2017 Action in Rakka (2017)
Rakka
2017

A story of broken humanity following the invasion of a technologically superior alien species. Bleak, harrowing, and unrelenting, the humans must find enough courage to go on fighting.

Action
Science Fiction
22m
Neill Blomkamp
Sigourney Weaver, Eugene Khumbanyiwa, Robert Hobbs, Carly Pope
40
2017 Action in Operation Carwash: A Worldwide Corruption Scandal Made in Brazil (2017)
Operation Carwash: A Worldwide Corruption Scandal Made in Brazil
2017

2013. During Operation Bidone, the Federal Police seized a truck loaded with palm heart, which contained 697 kg of cocaine. The investigation falls on the team assembled by Ivan Romano, based in Curitiba and composed by Beatriz, Júlio and Ítalo. The traffic connections lead them to the dower Alberto Youssef and later to the former Petrobras director Paulo Roberto Costa, who reveals an immense structure involving builders and the government, in order to divert public money. As the investigation progresses, the group led by Ivan is increasingly approaching some of the country's most influential politicians.

Action
Thriller
1h 47m
Marcelo Antunez
Antonio Calloni, Flávia Alessandra, Bruce Gomlevsky, Marcelo Serrado
39
2017 Action in Tokyo Ghoul (2017)
Tokyo Ghoul
2017

A Tokyo college student is attacked by a ghoul, a super-powered human who feeds on human flesh. He survives, but has become part ghoul and becomes a fugitive on the run.

Action
Drama
1h 59m
Kentaro Hagiwara
Masataka Kubota, Yoshiko Sengen, Nobuyuki Suzuki, Yo Oizumi
38
2017 Action in Salyut-7 (2017)
Salyut-7
2017

USSR, June 1985. After contact with the Salyut 7 space station is lost, cosmonauts Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Viktor Savinykh dock with the empty, frozen craft, and bring her back to life. Based on actual events.

Action
Drama
1h 46m
Klim Shipenko
Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Pavel Derevyanko, Aleksandr Samoylenko, Vitaliy Khaev
37
2017 Action in Steel Rain (2017)
Steel Rain
2017

Amid a coup, a North Korean agent escapes south with the country's injured leader in an attempt to keep him alive and prevent a Korean war.

Action
Thriller
2h 19m
Yang Woo-seok
Jung Woo-sung, Kwak Do-won, Kim Kap-soo, Kim Eui-sung
36
2017 Action in Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 (2017)
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022
2017

This animated short revolves around the events causing an electrical systems failure on the west coast of the US. According to Blade Runner 2049’s official timeline, this failure leads to cities shutting down, financial and trade markets being thrown into chaos, and food supplies dwindling. There’s no proof as to what caused the blackouts, but Replicants — the bio-engineered robots featured in the original Blade Runner, are blamed.

Action
Animation
16m
Shinichiro Watanabe
Jovan Jackson, Luci Christian, Edward James Olmos, David Anthony Matranga
35
2017 Action in What Happened to Monday (2017)
What Happened to Monday
2017

In a world where families are limited to one child due to overpopulation, a set of identical septuplets must avoid being put to a long sleep by the government and dangerous infighting while investigating the disappearance of one of their own.

Science Fiction
Thriller
2h 3m
Tommy Wirkola
Noomi Rapace, Glenn Close, Willem Dafoe, Marwan Kenzari
34
2017 Action in The Battleship Island (2017)
The Battleship Island
2017

During the Japanese colonial era, roughly 400 Korean people, who were forced onto Battleship Island 'Hashima Island' to mine for coal, attempt to escape.

Action
History
2h 12m
Ryoo Seung-wan
Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-sub, Song Joong-ki, Lee Jung-hyun
33
2017 Action in The Merciless (2017)
The Merciless
2017

Jae-ho, who aims to become the number one in a crime organization, gets to build up trust with Hyun-su, an ambitious newbie in the prison. While they try to take over the organization after the prison release, their ulterior motives starts to emerge.

Action
Crime
2h 0m
Byun Sung-hyun
Sul Kyung-gu, Yim Si-wan, Kim Hie-won, Jeon Hye-jin
32
2017 Action in Deadpool: No Good Deed (2017)
Deadpool: No Good Deed
2017

Deadpool sees an opportunity to save the day, but it doesn't go entirely as planned.

Action
Comedy
4m
David Leitch
Ryan Reynolds, Stan Lee
31
2017 Action in The Stronghold (2017)
The Stronghold
2017

A solar eclipse activates a magic time portal, and a regular schoolboy Vit'ko from the 21st century goes a thousand years back in time. It doesn’t take Vitya long to recognize the legendary bogatyrs in young Oleshko, powerful Ilya and severe Dobrynya. Their life passes in fighting cumans who try to destroy Rusichi at any cost, using both weapons and black magic. Vitya finds himself in the very midst of incredible events, battles with mythical creatures and acquires real courage.

Action
Adventure
1h 50m
Yuriy Kovalyov
Danyil Kamenskyi, Nataliia Sumska, Yeva Kosheva, Roman Lutskyi
30
2017 Action in Mersal (2017)
Mersal
2017

A few individuals in the medical profession are murdered or kidnapped, and the cop investigating the case suspects a doctor and arrests him. But is he the one who is behind these crimes? And why are they being committed?

Thriller
Action
2h 41m
Atlee
Vijay, S. J. Suryah, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Nithya Menen
29
2017 Action in The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
The Lego Batman Movie
2017

A cooler-than-ever Bruce Wayne must deal with the usual suspects as they plan to rule Gotham City, while discovering that he has accidentally adopted a teenage orphan who wishes to become his sidekick.

Animation
Action
1h 44m
Chris McKay
28
2017 Action in Vikram Vedha (2017)
Vikram Vedha
2017

A notorious gangster Vedha surrenders himself to encounter specialist Vikram whom he challenges every step of the way by narrating his life events in the form of riddles that needs to be solved in order to capture him.

Action
Thriller
2h 27m
Pushkar
R. Madhavan, Vijay Sethupathi, Shraddha Srinath, Kathir
27
2017 Action in Justice League Dark (2017)
Justice League Dark
2017

When innocent civilians begin committing unthinkable crimes across Metropolis, Gotham City and beyond, Batman must call upon mystical counterparts to eradicate this demonic threat to the planet; enter Justice League Dark. This team of Dark Arts specialists must unravel the mystery of Earth's supernatural plague and contend with the rising, powerful villainous forces behind the siege—before it's too late for all of mankind.

Animation
Action
1h 16m
Jay Oliva
Matt Ryan, Jason O'Mara, Camilla Luddington, Nicholas Turturro
26
2017 Action in Ajin: Demi-Human (2017)
Ajin: Demi-Human
2017

Kei Nagai dies in a car accident, but realises he is a type of immortal known as Ajin. Hunted by humans, Ajin is eventually found by the government and used as a subject in cruel experiments. He finds fellow demi-humans along the way as he escapes and goes on the run.

Action
Horror
1h 49m
Katsuyuki Motohiro
Takeru Satoh, Go Ayano, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada
25
2017 Action in I Can Quit Whenever I Want 3: Ad Honorem (2017)
I Can Quit Whenever I Want 3: Ad Honorem
2017

Has been an year since Pietro Zinni's gang got caught in the Sopox production laboratory and each of them locked up in different jails. From Regina Coeli jail, Pietro keep warning the authorities a fool syntetized nerve gas and he is ready to make a killing, but no one takes him seriously.

Action
Comedy
1h 37m
Sydney Sibilia
Edoardo Leo, Valerio Aprea, Paolo Calabresi, Libero De Rienzo
24
2017 Action in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)
Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
2017

Tara Markov is a girl who has power over earth and stone; she is also more than she seems. Is the newest Teen Titan an ally or a threat? And what are the mercenary Deathstroke's plans for the Titans?

Science Fiction
Animation
1h 24m
Sam Liu
Stuart Allan, Jake T. Austin, Taissa Farmiga, Christina Ricci
23
2017 Action in I Can Quit Whenever I Want 2: Masterclass (2017)
I Can Quit Whenever I Want 2: Masterclass
2017

Pietro Zinni is asked by the police to revive the old gang to create a task force that will stop the spread of smart drugs.

Action
Comedy
1h 53m
Sydney Sibilia
Edoardo Leo, Valerio Aprea, Stefano Fresi, Paolo Calabresi
22
2017 Action in Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. Presage Flower (2017)
Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. Presage Flower
2017

Ten years after the Fourth Holy Grail War, a devastating clash between Masters and Servants, another war erupts. Shirou Emiya, whose father fought in the first battle, was leading a peaceful life with the warmhearted Sakura Matou. But when hidden forces begin to stir, Shirou resolves to fulfill his father’s dying wish, protect Sakura, and fight for the Holy Grail.

Action
Animation
2h 0m
Tomonori Sudo
Noriaki Sugiyama, Noriko Shitaya, Hiroshi Kamiya, Ayako Kawasumi
21
2017 Action in Bāhubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)
Bāhubali 2: The Conclusion
2017

When Mahendra, the son of Bāhubali, learns about his heritage, he begins to look for answers. His story is juxtaposed with past events that unfolded in the Mahishmati Kingdom.

Action
Adventure
2h 47m
S. S. Rajamouli
Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Sathyaraj
20
2017 Action in Only the Brave (2017)
Only the Brave
2017

Members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots battle deadly wildfires to save an Arizona town.

Drama
Action
2h 13m
Joseph Kosinski
19
2017 Action in Midnight Runners (2017)
Midnight Runners
2017

Two apathetic police academy recruits who become best buddies through the tough training together witness a woman being abducted right before their very eyes. As they were taught in the academy, they quickly report the incident to the police, but the police are in no hurry to jump on the case. So the duo decide to take the matter into their own hands and rescue the woman.

Comedy
Action
1h 49m
Jason Kim
Park Seo-jun, Kang Ha-neul, Sung Dong-il, Park Ha-seon
18
2017 Action in Immortal Demon Slayer (2017)
Immortal Demon Slayer
2017

A giant rebelled against the heavens. It was declared a devil and defeated. The immortal heart evolved into Sun Wukong. The heavens found him, and ravaged his home. He enters the heavenly kingdom, disguised as a human, seeking retribution.

Fantasy
Action
2h 10m
Derek Kwok Chi-Kin
Eddie Peng Yu-Yan, Ni Ni, Shawn Yue, Ou Hao
17
2017 Action in The Outlaws (The Roundup) (2017)
The Outlaws (The Roundup)
2017

In Chinatown, law and order is turned upside down when a trio of feral Chinese gangsters arrive, start terrorizing civilians, and usurping territory. The beleaguered local gangsters team up with the police, lead by the badass loose cannon Ma Seok-do, to bring them down. Based on a true story.

Action
Crime
2h 1m
Kang Yun-sung
Don Lee, Yoon Kye-sang, Jo Jae-yun, Choi Gwi-hwa
16
2017 Action in Fabricated City (2017)
Fabricated City
2017

In real life, Kwon Yoo is unemployed, but in the virtual game world he is the best leader. Kwon Yoo is then framed for a murder. With the help of hacker Yeo-wool, he tries to uncover the truth behind the murder case.

Action
Thriller
2h 6m
Bae Jong
Ji Chang-wook, Shim Eun-kyung, Oh Jung-se, Ahn Jae-hong
15
2017 Action in Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale (2017)
Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale
2017

In 2026, a new machine called the Augma is developed to compete against the NerveGear and its successor, the Amusphere. A next-gen wearable device, the Augma doesn't have a full-dive function like its predecessors. Instead, it uses Augmented Reality to get players into the game. It is safe, user-friendly and lets users play while they are conscious, making it an instant hit on the market. The most popular game on the system is “Ordinal Scale” an ARMMORPG developed exclusively for the Augma. Asuna and the gang have already been playing OS for a while, by the time Kirito decides to join them. They’re about to find out that Ordinal Scale isn’t all fun and games…

Animation
Action
1h 59m
Tomohiko Ito
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Haruka Tomatsu, Kanae Itou, Ayana Taketatsu
14
2017 Action in V.I.P. (2017)
V.I.P.
2017

A son to a high-ranked official in North Korea commits a series of murders going across the countries around the world. The movie depicts the following events as South Korea, North Korea and Interpol start chasing down after him.

Crime
Thriller
2h 8m
Park Hoon-jung
Jang Dong-gun, Kim Myung-min, Park Hee-soon, Lee Jong-suk
13
2017 Action in Lupin the 3rd: Goemon's Blood Spray (2017)
Lupin the 3rd: Goemon's Blood Spray
2017

A yakuza boss hires Goemon Ishikawa, a modern day samurai, to protect him aboard his cruise ship casino. Everything goes sideways when the famous thief, Lupin the Third, tries to rob the vessel. Lupin's being hunted by a powerful and mysterious man: the so called “Ghost of Bermuda.” With Goemon's employer dead in the ensuing chaos, his honor is at stake, and the only way to preserve it is with blood. But this opponent is like no other, and to make things right, Goemon may need to sharpen not only his sword, but himself as well!

Animation
Action
54m
Takeshi Koike
Kanichi Kurita, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Miyuki Sawashiro, Daisuke Namikawa
12
2017 Action in A Taxi Driver (2017)
A Taxi Driver
2017

May, 1980. Man-seob is a taxi driver in Seoul who lives from hand to mouth, raising his young daughter alone. One day, he hears that there is a foreigner who will pay big money for a drive down to Gwangju city. Not knowing that he’s a German journalist with a hidden agenda, Man-seob takes the job.

Action
Drama
2h 18m
Jang Hoon
Song Kang-ho, Thomas Kretschmann, Yoo Hai-jin, Ryu Jun-yeol
11
2017 Action in Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017)
Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds
2017

Having died unexpectedly, firefighter Ja-hong is taken to the afterlife by 3 afterlife guardians. Only when he passes 7 trials over 49 days and proves he was innocent in human life, he’s able to reincarnate, and his 3 afterlife guardians are by his side to defend him in trial.

Action
Adventure
2h 19m
Kim Yong-hwa
Ha Jung-woo, Cha Tae-hyun, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi
10

The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill's true parentage.

Science Fiction
Adventure
2h 17m
James Gunn
Why it ranks

James Gunn deepens the emotional stakes with a story about found family and fatherhood, wrapping its surprisingly poignant character work in dazzling cosmic set pieces and another killer soundtrack.

9
2017 Action in Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Kong: Skull Island
2017

Explore the mysterious and dangerous home of the king of the apes as a team of explorers ventures deep inside the treacherous, primordial island.

Action
Adventure
1h 58m
Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Why it ranks

A vivid, monster-filled fever dream that swaps generic tropes for a stylized 1970s aesthetic and sheer creature-feature carnage. Its inventiveness lies in the sheer scale of the encounters, utilizing the jungle environment for creative and brutal monster-on-monster confrontations.

8
2017 Action in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
John Wick: Chapter 2
2017

John Wick is forced out of retirement by a former associate looking to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild. Bound by a blood oath to aid him, Wick travels to Rome and does battle against some of the world’s most dangerous killers.

Action
Thriller
2h 2m
Chad Stahelski
Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio
Why it ranks

Expanding its mythic underworld with surgical precision, this sequel refines the 'gun-fu' aesthetic into a mesmerizing ballet of neon and lead. The stunt work is unparalleled, favoring long takes that showcase the blistering, unrelenting athleticism of its titular assassin.

7

Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker, with the help of his mentor Tony Stark, tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens, New York City, with fighting crime as his superhero alter ego Spider-Man as a new threat, the Vulture, emerges.

Action
Adventure
2h 13m
Jon Watts
Why it ranks

Refreshing the web-crawler with a nimble, John Hughes inflected charm, this outing finds its adrenaline in grounded, high-stakes mishaps rather than cosmic threats. It succeeds by keeping the scale human while maintaining a frantic, acrobatic agility during its most inventive encounters.

6
2017 Action in The Fate of the Furious (2017)
The Fate of the Furious
2017

When a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.

Why it ranks

This franchise continues its evolution into physics-defying maximalism, weaponizing vehicular mayhem on a global scale. The sheer audacity of its set pieces, particularly the ice-bound pursuit, proves that its commitment to tactical absurdity remains peerless.

5
2017 Action in Wonder Woman (2017)
Wonder Woman
2017

An Amazon princess comes to the world of Man in the grips of the First World War to confront the forces of evil and bring an end to human conflict.

Action
Adventure
2h 21m
Patty Jenkins
Why it ranks

Patty Jenkins delivers a definitive cinematic icon through sequences defined by soaring heroism and a distinct, graceful power. The No Man’s Land sequence remains a landmark moment of staging, blending thematic resonance with pure, pulse-pounding bravado.

4

Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.

Action
Adventure
2h 11m
Taika Waititi
Why it ranks

By leaning into vibrant psychedelia and improvisational wit, Taika Waititi revitalizes the god of thunder with a refreshing sense of cosmic anarchy. The action is doused in Jack Kirby inspired palettes, prioritizing flamboyant energy over typical blockbuster gloom.

3
2017 Action in Logan (2017)
Logan
2017

In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hideout on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are upended when a young mutant arrives, pursued by dark forces.

Action
Drama
2h 17m
James Mangold
Hugh Jackman, Dafne Keen, Patrick Stewart, Elizabeth Rodriguez
Why it ranks

Distilling decades of comic lore into a gritty, neo-Western eulogy, this entry abandons spectacle for a bruising, tactile intimacy. It stands as a soulful anomaly in the genre, trading world-ending stakes for the raw weight of every punch and scar.

2

After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

Action
Crime
1h 53m
Edgar Wright
Why it ranks

Edgar Wright transforms the getaway chase into a high-octane symphony where ogni gear shift and gunshot hits with rhythmic perfection. It is a masterclass in kinetic editing that functions as much like a choreographed musical as a traditional crime caper.

1

The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.

War
Action
Why it ranks

Christopher Nolan reimagines the war epic as a relentless clockwork thriller, stripping away sentiment to focus on the visceral mechanics of survival. Its triptych structure creates an unrelenting pressure cooker of practical pyrotechnics and aerial precision.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts

Logan revolutionized the action genre in 2017 by blending gritty superhero elements with intense drama and deep character development, marking a mature evolution of the genre. Its raw storytelling and emotional depth set it apart from typical superhero fare.

Movies like Thor: Ragnarok combined action with adventure, science fiction, and comedy, offering a fresh, humorous take on superhero stories. Meanwhile, Dunkirk fused war, action, and drama to create a gripping and emotional historical narrative, showcasing the genre’s diversity in 2017.

The year 2017 featured notable superhero action movies such as Logan, Thor: Ragnarok, Wonder Woman, and Spider-Man: Homecoming. These films balanced thrilling action with iconic characters, contributing to the superhero genre's dominance during that period.

Baby Driver innovated with its stylish integration of music and high-octane car chases, redefining the crime-action film experience. John Wick: Chapter 2 continued to deliver sleek, choreographed combat and a deepening underworld narrative, elevating the intensity and style of crime thrillers.

International action films such as Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, A Taxi Driver, and V.I.P. brought unique cultural perspectives and storytelling styles to the genre in 2017. These movies combined action with elements of drama, history, and fantasy, enriching the global action film landscape.

Animated action movies like Lupin the 3rd: Goemon's Blood Spray and Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale showcased dynamic storytelling with a blend of fantasy, adventure, and science fiction. These films expanded the genre's reach by appealing to both anime fans and action enthusiasts.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 combined science fiction, adventure, and action with humor and vibrant visual effects. Its character-driven plot and cosmic scale helped push the boundaries of traditional action films in 2017.
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