10 Underrated Action Movies From the 2010s

At the turn of the century, Hollywood was mostly focused on horror remakes, building superhero franchises, and focusing on television as a worthy medium. Special effects were getting better by the minute, and old-school genres had to adapt to the new techniques in filmmaking. Action films were also joining the party.

Nevertheless, the 2000s gave way to the 2010s, and not much changed in the genre, except for new action stars who were trying to get their names on the marquees. But the set pieces, the fancy stunts, and the thin storylines were still part of the format. Directors like Christopher Nolan entered the picture and suddenly action films were fancier. Streaming platforms opened their wallets to contribute with their own action films that eventually became franchises.

And then there were also the action films that didn’t exactly rise to prominence. Per the public’s fascination with the genre, we compiled some of the most criminally underrated action films from the decade. Let’s populate those watchlists.

10 ‘Overlord’ (2018)

Overlord follows American paratroopers flying above a French, Nazi-ridden village. The plane is shot down, and only a handful survive the crash, Private First Class Edward Boyce among them. Boyce tries his best to relocate and call for help, but as it turns out, the village is one of the epicenters where the Nazis are experimenting with the locals, and the experiments have caused some subjects to “go rogue.”

War + Horror + Action = One of the Most Original Movies of the 2010s

It starts as a well-shot war movie, but in a single second it turns into a full-blown action horror movie with what can only be categorized as gnarly zombies, and lots of ammo being wasted on subjects that don’t die when you shoot them. The film was very well-received, but it was simply too expensive and its lukewarm reception at the box office put it behind some other prominent movies that didn’t dare to mix so many genres.

You can stream Overlord on Kanopy.

9 ’13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi’ (2016)

Michael Bay’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is loosely inspired by what took place in Libya in 2012, when Americans insisted on maintaining a diplomatic mission in the country that had just lost a leader and was still on its way to restoring order. A group of soldiers in a CIA outpost get viciously attacked by the local militants, and they must do what’s necessary to leave the premises alive.

One of Michael Bay’s Truly Underrated Features

Most people criticized the movie back then because it took too many liberties and wasn’t a realistic film. But realism perhaps wasn’t the goal. Bay tries his best to make a more serious film with his usual filmmaking style, with fewer robots and CGI and more focus on the human characters trying to survive terrorism. It’s nowhere near as bad as people said it was, and it actually got an Academy Award nod for Best Sound in 2017.

8 ‘Safe House’ (2012)

Safe House is the story of Officer Matt Weston, a CIA agent who’s stationed in Cape Town to oversee a “safe house” for the agency. A retired officer named Tobin Frost has gone rogue and is now a criminal. He acquires a very important device, but mercenaries start hunting him down in order to retrieve it. He has nowhere else to go, and Frost decides to surrender. The criminal is put in Weston’s safe house, but the mercenaries find out, and the junior officer decides to help the criminal escape.

Two of the Best-Written Characters in the Genre

Before he dedicated himself to more comedic endeavors, Ryan Reynolds made films like Safe House. Pairing with Denzel Washington proved to be very effective for the MCU star because they achieve two of the best characters in modern action films. Safe House is much better than you remember, and it has one of the best ensemble casts on this list: Reynolds and Washington are joined by Sam Shepard, Rubén Blades, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, and Robert Patrick, among others.

7 ‘Premium Rush’ (2012)

Directed by David Koepp, Premium Rush follows the adventures of bicycle messenger Wilee, who has decided to pursue a career delivering packages in the city and leave law school. The plot is very simple: Wilee gets his hand on a package that has something very valuable for a corrupt police officer, and the messenger decides to go on the run, using his bike, of course.

The White Knuckle Thriller You Never Saw

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a challenging physical performance, Premium Rush was not seen by many people when it was released in 2012. It didn’t even make back its production budget with its short theatrical run, but critics loved this underrated action adventure that doesn’t go heavily on the violence. Famed critic Roger Ebert gave it 3.5 stars out of 4.

6 ‘Sucker Punch’ (2011)

Sucker Punch follows a teenager named Babydoll who’s sent to a mental institution by her stepfather, who believes she may be a threat to others. As a way to cope, she enters a fantasy world where she and other inmates become warriors, and start devising a plan to escape from the institution.

Zack Snyder’s Unrecognized Gem

Zack Snyder’s underrated action film is based on his own original concept. Sucker Punch is not anywhere as bad as people said it was back in 2011; it’s just a misunderstood story with incredible visuals, a good villain, and a great female ensemble cast. Its ambitious nature is unmatched, but many looked down on this underrated action fantasy film because of its reportedly misogynistic nature.

5 ‘Lucy’ (2014)

Lucy is studying abroad in Taiwan. Her boyfriend convinces her to deliver a briefcase, but Lucy is unexpectedly turned into a drug mule, and the substance she’s forced to transport enters her bloodstream and turns her into a superhuman. When Lucy realizes she has powers, she becomes uncontrollable.

Ridiculous But Extremely Entertaining

Luc Besson’s film of 2014 was a “love it or hate it” movie that most people seemed to love, as it made $469 million at the box office. Lucy stars Scarlett Johansson during her initiation years into the MCU, but this underrated action film put her on the other side of the law: a monster with an acquired ability to exterminate the human species. Pay no attention to detractors who call it absurd because that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be.

4 ‘No Escape’ (2015)

In No Escape, Jack Dwyer is an important player in the company that has gone into business with the government of an Asian nation. His family arrive at their new home, and hours later, there’s a coup and the government is overthrown. Dwyer and his family instantly become targets as the rebels have decided that everyone who’s from a foreign country must be executed.

A Weirdly Realistic Action Thriller

The reception to No Escape was strangely varied. Here’s a good action film, starring Owen Wilson who was attempting to do anything other than comedy, and based on a fast-paced plot that never lets you take a break. It wasn’t nearly as absurd as some claimed it was, but they were probably just following the trend of Asian countries that started banning the film for obvious reasons.

3 ‘Unstoppable’ (2010)

Tony Scott’s Unstoppable follows an engineer and a conductor who try their best to stop a disaster from happening. Frank and Will are forced to come up with a solution for an unmanned runaway train that’s going full speed and straight into derailing. The other problem is that the freight cars are carrying a highly flammable substance which adds more tension to the story.

Among Tony Scott’s Best Films

Based on the true story of the Crazy Eights incident, Unstoppable is one of the best disaster action films there is. Starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, the movie feels like a modern disaster film that doesn’t go out of its boundaries when suggesting this could actually happen in real life. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing, but it lost to 2010’s action behemoth, Inception.

You can stream Unstoppable on Max.

2 ‘Kick-Ass 2’ (2013)

In Kick-Ass 2, the titular superhero is trying to get back into action. He retired after killing Frank D’Amico in the first film, and he’s now trying to form a team of superheroes. His only partner, Hit-Girl, is a small girl who will beat you while she spews out profanity as if there were no tomorrow. D’Amico’s son, Chris, decides to become a supervillain after his father’s empire falls into his hands. His name? The Motherf**ker.

A Notable Sequel That Often Gets Disregarded as Lousy

When it comes to underrated action sequels, Kick-Ass 2 is a solid contribution to the genre. It doesn’t merely try to repeat what it did so well in the first entry, and it makes good use of the satirical spirit of the superhero franchise. Jim Carrey is great in the film, and while critics didn’t exactly love it, it has aged very well.

1 ‘Jack Reacher’ (2012)

In Jack Reacher, an Army investigator is summoned by a sniper accused of murder. James Barr is sure that Reacher can come up with the truth about the people who have framed him. However, when Reacher digs deeper into the supposed conspiracy, he finds out two things: Barr isn’t exactly an innocent dude and the murder is a coverup for something far more sinister.

Tom Cruise’s Underseen Action Franchise

Starring Hollywood action star Tom Cruise, the film is based on Lee Child’s literary franchise, which has since been expanded into quite a successful TV show. Still, Cruise’s original film feels like an authentic action thriller that’s not afraid to push the limits of graphic violence, and at the same time, shows its main character as a bit vulnerable, something quite rare for a Tom Cruise film.