BoD: Action flicks

Oh, action movies. You’ve had a rough decade. Things looked so good coming into 2000 thanks to “The Matrix”’s success in 1999. Well, we know how that turned out.

Now 10 years later, we are sitting here wondering why these days movies with no discernible plot or likable characters or practical effects pass for “great” action. Screw you, Michael Bay (even if you do appear on this list).

However, there were some good action flicks in the aughts. Here are great ones and others that we all probably love but refuse to admit it.

The Real Deal:

“The Bourne Trilogy” (2002, 2005, 2007) – We were even fans before Paul Greengrass took the helm in “Supremacy” and “Ultimatum,” so as a whole, The Bourne Trilogy is a no brainer. They are brilliantly shot, choreographed and acted with a riveting narrative stringing it together. Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne is the single iconic action hero of our generation, unless of course you count Jack Bauer.

“The Dark Knight” (2008) – The best of the superhero movies is held in such high esteem for its depth and performances, we forget “The Dark Knight” is a thrilling action movie with some of the best stunts and non-special-effect work done in a long time.

“Casino Royale” (2006) – Daniel Craig made James Bond cool again in this gritty addition to the franchise that is not so much a return to form as a new entity altogether. Craig is easily the best Bond since Sean Connery, and his rich background brought a realm of depth and emotion to the ultimate action hero that we forgot the man’s actually blonde.

“The Hurt Locker” (2009) – “The Hurt Locker” is an absolute thrill ride. But instead of huge explosions, we tense up waiting to find out if something will explode. Instead of large-scale shoot outs, we get a riveting look as these Iraqi Marines patiently stake out a building housing an enemy sniper.

“Black Hawk Down” (2001) – Ridley Scott’s two-and-a-half hour war epic has very few slow moments. Bullets are whizzing through the air constantly and explosions are frequent. The editing is rapid and so with so many characters and names, it’s difficult to keep track of everyone. But amidst the bloodshed is some remarkable human emotion.

“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000) –“Crouching Tiger” is the best kung-fu movie of the decade with vivid and fight scenes and acrobatics that are remarkably real. It’s got few stuntmen, no special effects or green screen trickery, and there’s a charming narrative to boot. This is the film you would get if Gene Kelly made an action movie.

“300” (2007) – So the characters are nothing more than one-dimensional, testosterone fueled meatheads, but “300” is awesome, and a lot of fun. I had a hard time rationalizing these excessively brutal murders as artistic, so a guilty pleasure will have to do.

“Kill Bill” (2003, 2004) – “Inglourious Basterds” was too much talking! “Kill Bill” lets us get right to the violence and revenge. What’s better than killing 99 guys with a samurai sword? Having a woman in tight yellow spandex kill 99 guys with a samurai sword.

“Spider-Man 2” (2004) – The focus on Peter Parker over Spiderman is what made this sequel great, but no can forget Alfred Molina’s absolutely awesome Dr. Octopus. “Spider-Man 2” had better action, better acting and better suspense than the original. It’s the perfect superhero movie. It’s only fault: getting us excited for “Spiderman 3.”

“Minority Report” (2002) – Steven Spielberg’s underrated sci-fi thriller is jam-packed with action of all sorts, be it jumping from futuristic cars, conducting a giant touch screen computer, hiding from miniature spider robots or fighting with one of those cool rotating pulse guns.

Guilty Pleasures:

“The Fast and The Furious” (2001) – Yeah, it’s self-important and features a “who can top who” in the horrible acting department, but for whatever reason, it seems pretty difficult to not enjoy this movie. Well, maybe only if you’re a person who lives their life a quarter-mile at time – but we do.

 “The Italian Job” (2003) – Another goofy movie feature cars, “Italian Job” is also an unnecessary remake – but it’s damn fun to watch. Mark Wahlberg is probably at his best when having to deliver cheesy lines with a straight face and when he’s punching people – thankfully this one has both.

“Bad Boys II” (2003) – Call it excessive, stupidly violent and generally nutty, but this is still one hell of a fun thrill ride, if only for two great chase sequences and Martin Lawrence’s last above-terrible performance.

“Mission: Impossible III” (2006) – JJ Abrams’ film directorial debut breathed new life into a series that was always popular but never really that good. Even amid Tom Cruise’s public image meltdown, this movie finally gave his Ethan Hunt some much needed humility and depth.

“National Treasure” (2004)/”National Treasure: Book of Secrets” (2007) – Two fun, light and absolutely entertaining movies featuring a goofy role Nic Cage encompassed well. Better than the decade's "Indiana Jones" installment.