Greatest action film ever?
 

WHat are your opinions of the greatest action film of all time? Not simply your favorite, but the absolute greatest?
Discuss!

Its hard to name one that is not your favorite. Two that come to mind are:

The Matrix (of course): As we all know, it was sheer genius for the Wachowski's and Yen Wo Ping to train the actors to actually do the fighting. Bullet time will go down into filmmaking history, and the lobby shootout scene broke new ground for a gunfighting sequence.

Face Off: I have always loved the action in this movie. Particularly the scene where there is a large gun battle set to "Somewhere over the Rainbow". Amazing. Something about it sets it apart in my mind. Of course these are "American" movies. I am sure there are plenty in eastern cinema too.

Die Hard. It has a really tight script. Anyone who wants to write an action script has to look at Die Hard for pacing, for complications and payoffs.

If action-adventures count, throw in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Raiders of the Lost Ark as mentioned as well as Die Hard; two of the greatest (and favorites!).

Hard to decide what is an ACTION flick. IMDB has films I never would have thought would be considered ACTION per se. Here are some I love and consider the greatest:

Aliens
Saving Private Ryan
Braveheart
The Terminator (1 and 2)

Oh, heck yeah, T2. How could that one have slipped our minds. Action par excellance.

60's:
The Wild Bunch
Comment: It just came to mind for the 60's...a great film ahead of its time. I recently read an interview with the writer, and it has a very interesting history.

70's
Star Wars
Comment: Yes, I consider it action as well as every other type of genre! This film is amazingly perfect for any kid that was 5 years old in 1977.

80's
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Comment: Probably one of the best films ever made, and makes an incredible follow up to Star Wars for a 9 year old in 1981!

90's
JFK
Comment: It's not known as an action film, but it does have lots of action. It's an amazingly overlooked film in all aspects of filmmaking. Do yourself a favor and get the Special Edition, and watch it again.

00's
Gladiator
Comment: It set the tone for action films, not my favorite though. It just has all the elements needed to set a course for others to follow.

Murph

Hard Boiled- starring Chow Yun Fat, directed by John Woo. Tons of unbelievable gunplay, very little reloading. Simply put, this is the most kick ass action movie I've ever seen. Also love A Bridge Too Far, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Zulu, and Zulu Dawn and about a million other flicks I can't think of right now!

Have to agree wholeheartedly with Keith regarding Die Hard, the first. It really is one of the most well-rounded action stories.

Also, Matrix, the first, took everyone on a wild ride that cannot be ignored. It's not often that you watch a film for the first time and wonder "where are they taking me?" I still remember the excitement I felt when Keanu took the pill and we fly into his mouth and he wakes up in the sludge. A complete mystery as to what will happen next. THAT is action filmmaking at its finest.

One word:

ALIENS

Mad Max

I decided to wait to post my choices:
They are


Terminator 2

Star Wars



I thought for a while about Indiana Jones. IMHO it's the greatest adventure movie of all time, but as a pure action film, it doesn't measure up, which is OK since it isn't.

Hmmm Star Wars has action elements but it is mostly adventure fantasy.

Oh god!

THE ROAD WARRIOR. How can we forget that one? Brilliant. And C. Murph I was about 13 when this came out and I was trippin!

I haven't seen Predator listed here anywhere.

Also, in the action-adventure vein - The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn. Future directors, pay close attention to the way Curtis moves his camera.