Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of The Equalizer 3, we’re counting down our favorite movies where an action star comes out of retirement! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
How do you explain to your family that you were a CIA assassin in your previous life, but don’t recall it? In one of my favorite preadolescent movies, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Geena Davis is unique as the amnesiac schoolteacher and mother, Samantha Caine, a.k.a. Charly Baltimore, who tries to remember who she is with the help of the funny and stylish Samuel L. Jackson as a down-on-his-luck PI, Mitch Henessey. An accident causes Samantha to realize she is an assassin before finding the people from her past who still want her dead, taking them, and bringing Henessey along for the run. The Long Kiss Goodnight is full of shoot-em-up, bang-bang with over-the-top action sequences and a good ensemble, including Brian Cox, David Morse, and Craig Bierko. You can never go wrong where you have a badass female lead taking out the bad guys. (Chantal Ashford)
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as former Special Agent John Matrix — an incredible name, by the way — whose daughter is kidnapped by mercenaries targeting members of his former commando strike force. Blackmailed into carrying out a political assassination, Matrix agrees to the mercenaries’ demands… Or so they think! With cheesy one-liners, ridiculous action scenes, and a groovy James Horner score, Commando is the perfect ‘80s action movie. The stakes are high, and the plot is certainly engaging enough. But make no mistake: You’re watching this movie for Arnold. Name one other actor who can pull off lines like, “I eat Green Berets for breakfast… And right now, I’m very hungry!” His run in the ‘80s and early ‘90s is one of the greatest hot streaks for an action star ever. While not as groundbreaking a film as The Terminator or Predator, Arnold’s performance in Commando remains committed as ever, making it a must-watch. (Foster Harlfinger)
To what lengths would you go to recover your daughter’s kitty cat bracelet? Nobody doesn’t hide its influences at all, especially considering the era we’re in, but it does lampoon them very effectively every now and then. Bob Odenkirk is not the kind of actor you would expect in an action movie about a man with a mysterious past, like we’ve seen so many of over the decades, and the fact that it’s mostly played straight while clearly including some ridiculous situations and plot points makes it all the better. It absolutely works as a crunchy action movie in the trend of John Wick and Taken, though its cinematic quality is definitely closer to the former than the latter. But its real shine comes from the fact that it knows what kind of movie it is. Including RZA and Christopher Lloyd in the cast is the icing on the cake for a mostly-serious parody of the genre, and even if you think you’ve seen everything the genre has to offer, Nobody might be able to eek out just that little bit of newness you’re hoping for. (Chris Bakker)
If you only know Michael Caine from A Muppet Christmas Carol or various Christopher Nolan movies, then boy are you in for a shock watching Harry Brown. Recently widowed, retired marine, Harry (Caine) loses his best friend Leo (David Bradley) to the escalating gang violence in their neighborhood. Frustrated with law enforcement’s inability to suppress the local gang of addicts and murders, Harry takes it upon himself to do what the police cannot. Using skills from his time in the service, Harry seeks justice for his fallen friend, and attempts to restore order to the neighborhood. Not an easy watch by any means, you can feel Harry’s growing angst and sorrow for all that he’s lost at the hands of the thugs wreaking havoc in the streets. Thrilling, depressing, infuriating… Caine pushes all the most uncomfortable buttons in this gritty performance of fantasy vengeance. Thank God it’s not based on a true story, or I’m not sure I could ever smile again. (Patrice Downing)
I’m a newcomer to the Mission: Impossible franchise, having watched all of the films for the first time earlier this year in anticipation of Dead Reckoning Part One.In what may perhaps be an unpopular opinion, the third entry into the series is my second favorite, behind only Fallout. Still one film away from the franchise leaning into the stunt-based action formula, Mission: Impossible III is easily the strongest of the earlier, more spycraft-focused era. Opening with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) settling down into domestic life with his fiancée Julia (Michelle Monaghan), he’s quickly pulled out of retirement when an agent he once trained is captured while investigating arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman). From there on out, it is pure spy thriller bliss, complete with gadgets, masks, subterfuge, and double crossings. Hoffman’s screen presence is incredible, achieving a charismatic sense of intimidation that makes for the best villain in the entire franchise. The involvement of Julia and Ethan’s private life adds a level of personal stakes and emotional investment not present in many of the other films in the series. Although the action set pieces may not be able to compare with the more recent ones that the franchise is now known for, Mission: Impossible III still has a lot to offer, and is worth revisiting. (Jake Hjort)
When the original Equalizer came out, the comparison with Man on Fire was easy to make — particularly given the marketing. In the latter, Denzel Washington plays John Creasy, a down-on-his-luck former CIA agent hired as a bodyguard for a wealthy family in Mexico City. His ward, Dakota Fanning’s Pita, gradually brings Creasy out of his malaise, before tragedy strikes. In his quest for vengeance, Creasy is a man on a mission — extracting information and exacting revenge in a visceral, brutal, and creative fashion. His methods may be savage, but, like Creasy, we’ve fallen in love with Pita, and the villains are irredeemable. So we cheer as he paints his masterpiece. Aside from the great central relationship and awesome action, Tony Scott’s direction adds some stylistic flair, and a supporting appearance by Christopher Walken — who utters the line of the movie — is always welcome. With Fanning returning for the third leg of the Equalizer trilogy, it’s just a nice case of Hollywood coming full circle with the franchise paying homage to what the initial marketing from the original promised. (Jake Bourgeois)
The plot of Taken is quite direct, with not a second of its runtime wasted. Liam Neeson is retired government agent and self-described “preventer” turned domestic bodyguard, Bryan Mills, struggling to reconnect with his teenage daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), after being absent most of her life due to the demands of his former line of work. Kim convinces her reluctant father to allow her to travel to France with her friend, Amanda (Katie Cassidy), and in keeping with the film’s commitment to plot expedience, the pair are immediately marked for kidnapping by the very first Parisian person they encounter, and are handed over to Albanian sex traffickers. In the aftermath of the struggle and subsequent abduction, one of Kim’s captors finds her discarded phone, on the other end of which Bryan promises to find and kill anyone associated with this evil enterprise with his “particular set of skills.” The bulk of the somewhat scant runtime that follows is satisfyingly devoted to a bone-crunching, bullet-riddled, throat-punching journey that sees Bryan come out of retirement to harnesses his martial arts prowess, intelligence gathering skills, and outright torture to recover his only child. The fight scenes are as visceral as they are brutal, and they’re entertainingly noteworthy because Neeson — almost 60 years old at the time — makes you believe he’s more than capable. He is a character that emanates heart and a father’s desire to protect his daughter at any cost, even if that means leaving a wake of destruction behind him. (Jonathan Fedee)
After the events of Fast & Furious 6, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian (Paul Walker), and the rest of the crew have retired from the DVD player-stealing— er, airplane-hijacking and bank vault-seizing game. But when Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw decides it’s time to “kill” Han (Sung Kang) at the end of the fourth film of the franchise and get revenge for what the gang did to his brother in the sixth film, it’s time for them to drive cars out of airplanes, and from one skyscraper to another. It’s awesome. Marking the last movie of the franchise before Walker’s tragic passing, Furious 7 does right by him and the out-of-retirement subgenre. It would’ve been a perfect end cap on the franchise, but I guess once you come out of DVD player-stealing retirement, you’re out of it for good, and are required to drive your Dodge Charger on an exploding dam or whatever. (Robert Bouffard)
We were in for a big surprise when No Time to Die was finally released, weren’t we? For decades, James Bond followed a strong and consistent formula. Outside of a few select entries, he has always been game for his missions and ready to bounce from one woman to the next. But the Daniel Craig era of Bond changed that all. We were treated to a retired Bond who had settled down with Lea Seydoux’s Madeleine. But the surprises don’t stop there, with real consequences, a new 007, and a pair of shocking twists on the Bond story making this the most unique film in the franchise. But let’s not forget, this still boasts an enigmatic and strange Bond supervillain, globe-trotting excitement, and plenty of thrilling action sequences. One of the best directed films in the franchise, No Time to Die will leave a lasting impression, with its retired Bond coming back for one last ride. (Shane Conto)
Honestly, is there a more noble reason to come out of retirement than avenging the puppy your wife gave you upon her passing? John Wick is the quintessential action saga that film lovers didn’t deserve when it released back in 2014. Wick (Keanu Reeves) is the stone-cold killer brought back into an underworld rich with rules and backstory. Reeves is simply amazing as Wick, as each film builds off one another to add masterful ways to showcase his talent. John Wick is an amazing introduction into this world, and its sets the foundation for one of the best action series ever. From the jump, we saw John move with such force and speed that it looked like he’d never retire. John is the only person that could singlehandedly go toe-to-toe with ANYONE on this list. (Mike Hilty)
Triple Frontier
Triple Frontier doesn’t push any boundaries regarding writing or originality, but you could do much worse if you are looking for a fun, action-filled romp. It’s a very well-made movie with a stacked cast, a well-paced plot that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and many visually stunning scenes. Five friends set out on a mission with good intentions to steal dirty money and only kill one person who is a drug overlord. It’s a similar set-up to Oceans Eleven, but it focuses more on the mission than any elaborate plan they have to pull it off. However, once the group uncover the money and is awestruck by just how much of it there is, the very human instinct of greed starts to set in. No longer are they thinking about how they will escape, how much time they have, or even how to escape with the extra cargo of millions, possibly even billions of dollars in cash. All they are thinking about is taking as much of it as possible. This greed ends up being their downfall, as the extra weight is too much for the helicopter used to escape, and they have to offload most of the money to survive. This movie has a stacked cast with awe-inspiring performances by Pedro Pascal and Oscar Isaac. It is pretty appropriate that the story follows a group of friends, because this is the perfect movie to watch with friends. (John Tillyard)
Rambo
He was done fighting, but the world needed him. After the success Sylvester Stallone had with Rocky Balboa (aka Rocky VI), he decided to give the character of Rambo one more try, and… Well, now we know it’s not the last Rambo film, but knowing how Rambo: Last Blood went, I wished it was. Because this fourth movie of this bloody franchise gets to the point quickly and is as brutal as ever, possibly even more. Pieces of what used to be humans fly around, and you find yourself rooting for this old man who didn’t want to fight anymore, but was forced to. Stallone understands this character, and, as the director, knows how to shoot action effectively, so this movie won’t bore you; it might just surprise you. For my money, this is the end for John Rambo. (Luke Burian)
Gone in Sixty Seconds
When retired car thief Memphis Raines’ (Nicolas Cage) younger brother Kip (Giovanni Ribisi) is hired to steal 50 cars and fails to do so, Memphis must come out of retirement to save his brother. Gone in Sixty Seconds may be a remake of a 1974 film, but it still is good in its own right. Of the various Cage movies that I have seen over the years, this one is still in my top 10. It made me fall in love with the ’67 Shelby GT500, a car I wish to own but probably won’t. This movie is still very 2000s, but it has some of the best actors involved. Raines’ ragtag crew are played by Angelina Jolie, Will Patton, Chi McBride, Robert Duvall, and others. The villain who hires the crew is played wonderfully by Christopher Eccleston, who is just a menace. All good heist movies have someone trying to stop our thieves, and this movie spares no expense, bringing in Delroy Lindo and Timothy Olyphant to play the detectives trying to stop Raines’ crew. Raines sets out to do the impossible, and tries to steal all 50 cars in one night. The only question left is, can he pull it off? (Austen Terry)