Five Underrated Action Films (+1)

Including a Denzel Washington gem, crime sprees in Johannesburg, and a cop thriller with "holy sh*t" car chases

Since it’s summer, and since I went to NYU film school as an undergrad, I’ve decided to occasionally recommend movies and books to pass the time in these hotter months. So here they are, in no particular order. (It’s good to finally put my film degree to use!)

Stander.  A 2003 hidden gem from South Africa, starring the underrated Thomas Jane, who plays Andre Stander in the era of apartheid. Stander is a decorated police officer rising in the ranks, for whom all is bright until he joins a riot squad suppressing protests.  One such protest is peaceful until the police provoke chaos, and Stander shoots dead a possible attacker.  His conscience crumbles as the system which he reinforces is revealed in its violence and cruel indifference. The obvious solution is of course to become the most prolific bank robber in South African history.  Stander’s amusingly sleazy accomplices are played by David O’Hara and Dexter Fletcher.  The robbing sprees are great fun (no one gets hurt), as Stander takes on a Robin Hood role, stealing from the rich and giving to the oppressed poor at the wrong end of the baton. There is one very funny sequence where the gang, having just fled a with a disappointing haul, hears on the radio about a secret safe concealed from them by the bank manager—and brazenly returns to the scene to empty said safe. Jane is charismatic, funny, and compassionate, and I’d love to more of him.  He is supported by two other memorable performances: Deborah Kara Unger as Stander’s beleaguered wife and Marius Weyers as Stander’s father, a decorated and tormented ex-officer.  On Tubi (free with ads)

Lost Bullet (2020).  A fast moving French movie that has a stripped down Fast and Furious vibe, lean and brisk with edgy existential desperation, intelligently assembled on the whole.  Lino (Alban Lenoir) is a thief, ex-con and getaway driver who engineers cars for crime in southern France. We meet him in the midst of his driving a souped-up Renault Clio, which plows through four concrete walls in Lino’s attempt to rob a jewelry store (hate when that happens.)  Lino is jailed, then lucks out on day release thanks to wily detective Charas (Ramzy Bedia).  Charas puts him to work for the drug squad, engineering police cars to catch drug runners at speed.  Lino plays ball, Charas gets him a pardon and a garage to work in. But the story swerves unexpectedly when condescendingly crooked cop Areski (the suavely sleazy Nicolas Duvauchelle), who detests Lino, frames him for a high-profile killing, putting our protagonist in quite the jam.  What follows is lots of fast-action violence, speed and mayhem in excellent chase scenes, with some of the most thrillingly gritty, non-CGI stunt work I’ve seen in a while. Excellent late-night, “can’t think but not tired yet” viewing; hard to stop once it gets going.  Netflix.   

Sleepless Night (2011).  Also perfect for mindless but engaging and intelligently arranged non-stop action.  This is one of those compressed films that takes place over one evening, in one location (mostly), lending the film a kind of immediacy. Vincent (a tightly wound, dynamic Tomer Sisley) plays a crooked cop who tries to rob a powerful dealer/mob boss Jose (Serge Riaboukine, suitably sinister); it goes sideways and Vincent ends up with the mobster’s bag of coke.  Jose then kidnaps Vincent's son in hopes to reclaim his stash. Vincent has until the end of the night to return the yago and save his son—except someone has hidden the stash for their own self-interested reasons, somewhere in the club, and the clock is ticking.  The fight scenes are hand to hand, brutal and bonkers yet somehow belieavable; you can’t believe the actors aren’t breaking their bones.   Peacock and Freevee.

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995).  Okay, this isn’t actually an action film but I had to include it because it features Denzel, quietly mesmerizing as usual.  (The film is set to leave Netflix in ten days, which is why I’m including it.)  The script is adapted from the great Walter Moseley’s first novel of the Easy Rawlins series, the film written and directed by the underrated Carl Franklin (who also helmed the must-see thrillers One False Move with Bill Paxton, and Out of Time, also with Denzel.)  Rawlins is a guy who just wants to make a few bucks to pay his mortgage, but ends up in over his head due to the weird shenanigans (mostly) white people. The racism is painful to witness but is handled adroitly, woven into the plot. Denzel gets great support from Don Cheadle as Easy’s possibly sociopathic sidekick, Mouse, giving the film an electric boost.  It all starts in a local watering hole, when Easy meets DeWitt Albright (Tom Sizemore), an enigmatic white guy looking for a missing woman named Daphne Monet (the sultry Jennifer Beals), possibly hiding out in one of the city's black jazz clubs. Easy reluctantly takes the job, and we find ourselves in the mythic world of Central Avenue’s jazz paradise. Executive produced by Jonathan Demme, this is a film ahead of its time. Netflix (but leaving soon.)

Bell Bottom (2021).  What action movie is complete without a Bollywood-style musical number?  Fortunately, this one delivers!  The title refers to the code name of a secret government agent fighting hijackers, the unusual (for westerners) musical number and soft-focus close ups are employed during a wedding sequence, introducing the title character as a romantic at heart. I un-ironically love the naivete and sweetness of Bollywood numbers appearing even in an action flick.  Our dashing hero is played by the actually dashing, action stalwart Akshay Kumar, who is suave enough to be both clever and badass in fighting the SOB hijackers.  The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, though the final action sequence is grimly effective and well-choreographed. I’m not sure why I love Indian films so much, perhaps because you sense how much the filmmakers love what they’re doing. On Amazon Prime.

Rust Creek (2018.)  Hermione Corfield plays Sawyer Scott, who gets lost in the Appalachian forest on the way to a job interview. Without cell coverage she seeks help from two of the locals, and seems to catch them in the act of something criminal. She escapes with her life, and the chase is on. There are echoes of Deliverance here as director Jen McGowan keeps things moving at a brisk pace but pauses just enough for some character-based narrative.  The story and action are engaging throughout and it’s nice to see a female at the center. Sawyer is quick and resourceful but vulnerable in being swarmed by male thugs.  Jay Paulson plays an unexpectedly warm character, Lowell, who is a cousin of the villains and also a meth dealer living in the woods (much nicer than Walter White.)  And now that I’ve described the film, I want to see it again.  Netflix and AMC.