The Best Action Films of 2022

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Action is a tricky genre. While a lot of people think that it is an empty exercise in showcasing stunts and spilling out violence, the smarter filmmakers do take a step ahead and create a multitude of situations and human drama to give the empty entertainment the kind of physical space that it more than deserves. 

This year was filled with gems of surprising action-packed movies which did not compromise on their storytelling for the sake of fan-service/crowd-pleasing. These are five of my favourite action films of the year. 

But before we get on with their appreciation, special mention to Robert Eggers for his sincere and ambitious attempt with the genre in The Northman, a disappointing yet stunning adaptation of the ancient Nordic fable that inspired Shakespeare for Hamlet. 

Kantara and RRR, two of the best Indian films of the year, redefined the mass masala capers with genuine conviction, and must be applauded for the same.

5. Vikram 


Lokesh Kanagraj is a really smart filmmaker. While he often stumbles when he doesn't quite know where to draw a line between fan-service and cinephilia, he knows how to tap into the consistencies of an otherwise familiar plot and construct situations that are gripping.

He does exactly that with Vikram, and the results are very entertaining because the film stars three of the finest Indian actors who do their best to make the film a grandstanding and savage commercial success that it clearly is. 

4. Top Gun: Maverick 


One of the most unexpectedly popular and compelling films of the year, Joseph Kosinski's sequel to 1986's summer blockbuster is a tribute to its wonderful star, probably the last and still the most enigmatic in the job today. 

The film uses Tom Cruise's persona to the maximum, meanwhile humanizing the fact that like everything, he too is bound to wither. It is precisely this that makes the spectacle a lot more grand and investing- the writing is powerful and alive towards its stakes and reaches towards something that is clearly beyond the box-office currency of it all. 

3. Ponniyin Selvan-1 


Adapted from Kalki's twentieth century Tamil bestselling fictional novel, Ponniyin Selvan finds Mani Ratnam deconstructing and eventually reconstructing the worn-out historical period piece for the contemporary and thinking audience.

While the film does condense the dense and sophisticated novels so that it fits into a duology, it is a rather strongly conceived epic of proportions. A great cast and fantastic visuals ensure that the film is great fun, and an unapologetic and daring spotlight on the conspiracies in the Deccan of the tenth century ensures that it is one of the best films of the year. 

2. Everything Everywhere All at Once


Is there anything about this massively satisfying multiverse comedy that hasn't been articulated yet? I highly doubt so. Rarely has a film spun its accessible yarn so well that it gets away with becoming everything and transforming into anything that it wants to. 

As an action movie, it is comfortable in its specifically Asian dressing. Also, the extravagant action set pieces take on as many avatars as the heroine Evelyn, and hence, you can't take your eyes off the screen. Even at their most colourless, they have this colourful context that is beyond belief. 

1. All Quiet on the Western Front 


Germany truly reclaims the anti-war classic that inspired English-language cornerstones of the genre with this latest adaptation directed by Edward Berger, a muscularly directed and acted plea against relentless masculine violence that becomes an eptiome of shame rather than pride. 

Not one film that I've seen this year matches its visceral action choreography, which make the battlefield gripping despite the bloodshed. Its cinematography is intimate and photographic, the beautiful stretches never overbearing on the tragedy of the situation. However, most of all, it feels like a horror film on the death of enthusiasm and about the yearning to return to home.

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