TheFast & Furiousfranchise has been around for more than 20 years and has been one of the most successful franchises today, rivaling Marvel. While making about $1 billion per movie, clearly there is an audience for these over-the-top action movies and no one should be ashamed for loving these self-serious action masterpieces. With so much goofy genuineness, these movies are about so much more than just racing.
They are about finding your family and supporting them through thick and thin. However, there are other action movie franchises out there that are lesser known but are just as fun and action-packed. These movies have just as much action as our beloved Fast & Furious franchise while maintaining that same cheesy sincerity that will satisfy any Dom Toretto fan.
High & Low: The Movie (2016)
If you are looking for a movie where everyone in it is Vin Diesel, in that everyone in the movie believes that they are in a Shakespeare adaptation while having some of the most spectacular fight choreography ever, this is the movie for you. Currently streaming on Netflix, Shigeaki Kubo’sHigh & Low: The Moviekicks offa wild franchiseof five factions fighting to have full control of their city of Chiku, but they eventually have to unite to defeat a common enemy.
The factions realize that they are stronger together than when they are fighting each other. Boasting some of the most intricate stunts, fight choreography, and camera work ever put to film (mostly done in single shots),High & Low: The Movieis great to watch if you want some great action with a little less Dom Toretto.
Lost Bullet (2020)
With car chases that would make George Miller blush, Guillaume Pierret’sLost Bulletis about a man who has taken the fall for a crime he didn’t commit, and he is on a one-man revenge mission to clear his name. It is never explained why Lino (Alban Lenoir), the man on the one-man mission, knows how to single-handedly fight his way out of a police station, but it doesn’t matter because he is the star of some awesome fight sequences.
Everyone in the movie is also the world’s best driver, and it has severalRonin-esque car chases that would give a lot of theFast & Furiousmovies a run for their money.Lost Bulletis a high-octane thrill ride with an engaging plot that is the perfect movie for any lover of theFast & Furiousfranchise.
Rurouni Kenshin (2012)
A former assassin who has vowed never to kill again carries a sword with a dull blade that can only block, and is suddenly put to the test of how strong that vow really is. Based on an anime, Keishi Otomo’sRurouni Kenshinhas some of the most impressive, beautifully shot action and stunt work ever put to film. It has some perfect over-the-top acting to basically be a live-action anime.
Although the acting is over-the-top, this movie still does a great job of investing you in the characters as well as showing the struggle with maintaining tradition and adjusting to a changing world. Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) is a relic of the old world because he is a samurai in a Japan that is rapidly industrializing, and he is trying to figure out how he fits into this new world. This is the first of a series of movies (most of them being on Netflix), so if you need another franchise to watch before the nextFast & Furious,this is the series to watch.
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The Fable (2019)
The world’s most perfect assassin, known as the titular “Fable”, is a combination of John Wick and James Bond, bred from birth to be completely merciless, and is suddenly tasked with living a normal life. As this premise does provide a lot of comedy, this stone-faced assassin trying to think on his feet as to how people act, his “normal life” doesn’t last long.
Although, there is still a lot of comedy in how good of an assassin he is, in that he almost seems to be able to see the future he is so good. Kan Eguchi’sThe Fableis a great movie for anyFast & Furiousfan that loves inventive action with a dash of comedy in there to make them smile.
One Shot (2021)
Starring Scott Adkins, the king of direct-to-video action movies (which is a compliment), as the leader of an elite squad of Navy SEALs to escort a prisoner back to the U.S. is suddenly attacked by insurgents to liberate the prisoner. Adkins has to fight through hoards of gun-wielding insurgents in order to get the prisoner to safety and stop a terrorist attack in which the prisoner is integral.
Differentiated by the fact that it is made to look likeone continuous take(hence the title), James Nunn’sOne Shotis an hour and a half of non-stop action that will get your adrenaline pumping. While also having a big scary bald man, this movie features incredible fight choreography, camera work, and acting skills in line with theFast & Furiousfranchise. Hyper-violent and hyper-choreographed,One Shotis perfect for any action movie lover who just wants to watch people who are superb at their job.
Universal Soldier (1992)
Quintessential ’90s schlock, Roland Emmerich’sUniversal Soldieris about two soldiers killed in Vietnam who are preserved to be brought back to life and are forced to be a part of a program that breeds the perfect soldiers. After having their memories and minds wiped to be remorseless killers, Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren) remember that they had unfinished business with one another in Vietnam. They settle it the only way they know how: through high kicks from JCVD and big, strong punches from Lundgren.
The movie ends in a brutal fight scene between the two of them because they now have enhanced healing abilities, so they have to go to great lengths to try to kill one another. Also, one of the early Emmerich movies and before he would go on to directIndependence Dayand have a lifelong career in making big budget disaster movies like2012. If you enjoy theFast & Furiousfranchise for watching men punch each other and vague homoeroticism, then this is the movie for you.
Related:Universal Soldier: A Look At One of the Best Action Films of the ’90s
Accident Man (2018)
The second Scott Adkins movie on this list and one of the many Adkins movies where he plays a hitman, except in this one he kills people in a way that makes their death look like an accident, hence the title of the movie. When his ex-girlfriend, whom he still loved, is killed in front of him, he goes after the people who put out the hit. He then has to face aSuicide Squadamount of characters in order to get his revenge.
This movie does have creative action sequences and a fight scene between Ray Stevenson and Scott Adkins if you’ve ever wanted to see that. (Who among us hasn’t?)Accident Manfeels a lot more like a comic book than a movie, which isn’t a bad thing because it has enough energy and hyper-violence to keep you entertained for its 105-minute run time.
Hard Boiled (1992)
Arguably one of the most over-the-top action movies ever made. Directed bythe great John Woo,Hard Boiledstars Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu-wai as two cops trying to take down a gun-smuggling operation. Chow Yun-Fat is a legendary action star who worked with John Woo a lot throughout the ’80s and ’90s and would eventually star in Ang Lee’sCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
This is a very simple premise, which is important in order to make room for the action scenes in which Chow Yun-Fat repeatedly dives through the air, dual-wielding Berrettas in order to save a hospital room full of newborn babies. The stakes couldn’t be higher. If there is a person that thought that theFast & Furiousmovies didn’t have enough men diving out of the way of multiple explosions while still looking cool, then this is the movie for you.
Dredd (2012)
Set in a post-apocalyptic, futuristic America that has been irradiated, criminals have taken over one of the last cities remaining, and the cops are now judge, jury, and executioners. Karl Urban stars as the titularDreddin Pete Travis’The Raid-esque movie, where he has to go floor by floor in an apartment complex to take down a drug operation.
In typical fashion, the drug dealers are not happy that he is trying to stop them. In addition to having hyper-violent and visceral action sequences, Dredd also develops a strong relationship with his rookie partner Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) who is sent alongside him on what we eventually find out was a setup to get them killed. There is no better example of anaction/comic book moviethat is more “rated R” than theFast & Furiousfranchise while still being cheesy at times that will make any action movie fan happy.
Den of Thieves (2018)
Starring Gerard Butler, who is also quickly becoming the king of direct-to-video action movies, as a cop who is trying to stop a massive bank robbery of almost $30 million. Butler is giving an Al Pacino inHeat-level performance in this movie, which is apropos since the movie is essentially Heat just slightly less character work, but a bit more action.
Every actor in the movie is giving performances worthy of a Michael Mann script that the movie does not deserve, which is why this movie is so much fun. In fact, there isa sequel in the worksthat is set to come out next year due to its rabid cult of fans. Surprisingly well shot,Den of Thievesis a very goofy popcorn crime drama that will fit perfectly into anyFast & Furiouslover’s collection of action cinema.
