Action movies aren’t typically viewed as “realistic” films. After all, they’re about near-indestructible people surviving absurd odds and blowing up bad guys. However, a handful of films in the genre are remarkable for their attention to detail and realism. Here are fifteen such movies.
Drive
The excellent Ryan Gosling film Drive sees a stuntman driver join a heist that goes very, very wrong. The movie is noteworthy for its exceptional chase scenes. While they’re somewhat embellished, they’re genuinely excellent depictions of what real-world high-speed chases look like.
The Way of the Gun
Benicio del Toro and Ryan Phillippe star in this gritty action movie where a pair of knucklehead criminals run afoul of a group of mobsters. They kidnap a woman who is pregnant with a mafioso’s kid, and the ensuing vengeful violence is one of the most realistic depictions of this kind of crime ever seen from Hollywood.
The Bourne Identity
Matt Damon is gripping in the Bourne film series. Interestingly, the first entry is remarkable for its accuracy to real-world espionage. The taut, political nature of the movie speaks to the actual perils of being a spy in the complex world of international intrigue.
John Wick
No one is saying that any human being could realistically do what John Wick does in any of his movies. However, the films have a notable dedication to making the action on screen look believable, including real-world martial arts and an insistence on getting all the ballistics of the on-screen weapons just right.
Black Hawk Down
Black Hawk Down is a harrowing recounting of the Battle of Mogadishu and is considered one of the most historically accurate war films ever made. As such, that naturally means that it’s also a terrifyingly realistic action movie. You can sense the intensity of ever scene, which makes sense, given that everything seen on screen really happened.
Sicario
Sicario is a very accurate adaptation of the US’s ongoing war on drugs. The film’s depiction of drug cartels is chilling, but, according to experts, it’s also very accurate to their actual behavior. This one isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s a great movie.
Ronin
Robert de Niro starts in this ground-level action movie in which a team of former espionage operatives work together to steal an asset of great importance. The movie keeps the focus on realistic action, such as breathtaking car chases in Nice and Paris and shootouts that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Heat
Another Robert de Niro outing, Heat is renowned for its realism. This thrilling movie pits a longtime LAPD detective against a savvy criminal in one of the most gripping games of cat and mouse ever put on the silver screen. If you love cerebral action movies, you should absolutely check out Heat.
Three Kings
Ice Cube, Mark Wahlberg, and George Clooney star in this black comedy. Don’t let the word “comedy” fool you, though—this is a surprisingly grounded war movie. The protagonists are hunting down a stash of gold in Iraq, and their numerous run-ins with adversaries and even a harrowing minefield are enough to make your hair stand on end.
The Raid
Like John Wick, The Raid isn’t so much “plausible” as it is “realistic.” All of the martial arts and tactical action seen on-screen is quite doable, but it’s hard to imagine anyone with enough mental fortitude and physical ability to pull all of these stunts off in the real world. Still, it’s an action movie lover’s dream and you need to check it out.
Saving Private Ryan
If you’re looking for the most realistic on-screen depiction of World War II combat, watch the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. The scene’s recreation of the storming of Normandy is so realistic that it might make you actually duck when you hear German anti-personnel rounds whizzing overhead.
Blue Ruin
Macon Blair stars in this underrated revenge flick. To say too much would spoil the plot, but the gist of it is that our heroic protagonist is looking for vengeance on the people who killed his parents. This is a mean, rage-filled movie that functions as a meditation on retribution and will leave you with a lot of thoughts after the credits roll.
The Hurt Locker
This war movie is essentially anxiety in a can. If you’ve somehow managed to not see it after it won basically every Academy Award, it’s about a team of explosives experts working in Iraq during the war. The threat of explosions and enemy combatants is pervasive and all-consuming. Notably, combat veterans say that’s extremely realistic.
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End of Watch
Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star in this dynamic, almost documentary-like police film. Several handheld cameras make the action feel almost nauseatingly real, and the movie examines everything from the ins and outs of police work to the way that such a stressful job weighs on a person’s personal life.
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Hot Fuzz
Hear me out: Hot Fuzz is the most realistic police movie ever made. Its humorous tone notwithstanding, it points out how little actual action police officers see. The vast majority of police don’t have to use their sidearms for months or even years at a time, so the movie spending most of its runtime focusing on investigation and non-violent police work is actually the most accurate representation of reality you could ask for.
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