The early 2000s were the golden age of the big, dumb action movie. Sure, nowadays audience can enjoy silver screen spectacles like Fast & Furious 9 and Marvel’s never-ending slate of superhero flicks, but back in the early 2000s, action movies seemed to have more fun, in a way that films like Thor: Ragnarok are just now starting to return to.
To put things in perspective, some of the top-grossing action films of the year 2000 were Mission: Impossible II, X-Men, and Charlie’s Angels (all, notably, franchises that survived the ensuing two decades). But the film industry has come a long way since Y2K, so here’s a refresher course of ten early 2000s action movies you forgot existed.
Shanghai Noon (2000)
This martial arts western comedy was such a hit with audiences that it garnered a sequel, Shanghai Knights (2003). Starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, this film is a buddy-cop style narrative set in the wild west in the year 1881. Chan’s Chong Wang, a Chinese Imperial Guard, and Wilson’s Roy O’Bannon, an outlaw, must team up to rescue a kidnapped princess.
As they punched, kicked, and shot their way through the bad guys, Wilson and Chan charmed fans to the tune of a cool $100.5 million worldwide. With a threequel, Shanghai Dawn, allegedly in the works, it’s time to give Shanghai Noon a rewatch.
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
Don’t worry, these aren’t all Owen Wilson movies. But Behind Enemy Lines, the 2001 war film set during the Bosnian War, deserves a spot on this list. It sparked three direct-to-video sequels, and was even turned into a pilot at FOX for the 2017-2018 season, though it was never ordered to series. Perhaps, if they read this list, the FOX execs will reconsider.
Behind Enemy Lines also features a minor performance by Suits star Gabriel Macht, in one of his earlier film roles. It was directed by John Moore. It’s true he went on to direct the most hated installment in the Die Hard franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard, but don’t hold that against this 2001 diamond in the rough.
Equilibrium (2002)
Before he was Batman, Christian Bale was headlining this sci-fi action film set in a society in which emotion is illegal. Bale’s character, John Preston, is a law enforcement officer who misses a dose of his emotional-repression drug and begins to see the world through new eyes.
Featuring a particularly memorable scene involving a puppy, this film bombed at the box office, even though critical response wasn’t too bad. It seems that its strange emotionless style wasn’t for everyone, though its martial arts “gun kata” scenes make it worth a rewatch.
Reign of Fire (2002)
Christian Bale is back again (to this list) with his role in the 2002 post-apocalyptic dragon movie Reign of Fire. Since the film is set in the year 2020, a rewatch right now would be particularly timely, especially for action fans wondering what the world would look like if construction on the London Underground had accidentally awoken a nest of dragons.
Bale is joined by Matthew McConaughey, Gerard Butler, and Game of Thrones’ Jack Gleeson in one of his uncredited early roles. Perhaps Gleeson was always destined to act with giant CGI dragons. Perhaps they’re as drawn to him as he is to them.
Timeline (2003)
Though there are no dragons in Timeline, there are certainly enough swords and time travel to make up for it. The late Paul Walker starred alongside Gerard Butler, and the film was shot from a script based on the Michael Crichton novel of the same name. It bombed at the box office, and was panned by critics, but it’s a great way to kill two hours if you come across it on cable.
It’s rare among early 2000s action in that the role of CGI in the film is extremely limited, with most of the medieval battles featuring historical re-enactors. However, its treatment of female characters leaves something to be desired, as many characters who were female in the book were cast as male.
The Rundown (2003)
This is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s first appearance on this list, but not to worry, it won’t be the last. Billed internationally as Welcome to the Jungle, The Rundown also stars Seann William Scott (Lethal Weapon) and Rosario Dawson (Daredevil).
The film has been described as Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Romancing the Stone meets Midnight Run, but what that descriptor doesn’t account for is the Rock’s pure unbridled charm. Under the direction of Peter Berg, before Berg’s partnership with Mark Wahlberg, the Rock took on his first starring role after the The Scorpion King.
Paycheck (2003)
Ben Affleck (Justice League) and Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) Star in this sci-fi film adapted from a short story by Philip K. Dick. Though it was a modest box office success, grossing $96 million on a $61 million budget, the film was panned by critics. Ben Affleck won a Razzie for Worst Actor for his performance in this film, along with Gigli and Daredevil.
Paycheck, however, really isn’t that bad. It’s directed by John Woo, and features all the usual Woo hallmarks, including doves. It may be mindless action, but it’s still fun to watch, and doesn’t deserve the bad rap it got on release.
Walking Tall (2004)
The Rock returns to the list in this remake of the 1973 film of the same name, about an ex-wrestler who becomes a small town sheriff. Perhaps a role that Johnson was particularly fit for, given his origins in the WWE.
Though it wasn’t a box office success on the scale that movies starring the Rock are nowadays, it did well enough to earn two direct-to-video sequels starring Kevin Sorbo. Audiences might want to give those films as wide a berth as possible, but Walking Tall isn’t so bad, especially for a slow night on cable.
Into the Blue (2005)
This aquatic-themed action thriller stars Paul Walker and Jessica Alba as skilled scuba divers who find themselves in possession of a lost shipment of cocaine after discovering a crashed drug plane. Many of the aquatic action scenes were filmed in the Bahamas with live sharks, and the actors performed unprotected in the water.
It didn’t recoup its budget, and it was panned by critics, but fans of shark movies, scuba diving movies, Paul Walker movies, or all three, will want to give Into the Blue a rewatch. Maybe don’t bother with its direct-to-video sequel, Into the Blue 2: The Reef, though.
Sahara (2005)
In the world of fun, dumb action movies, Sahara is king. Based on a Clive Cussler novel and starring Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz, this action flick features a mysterious plague, a lost Civil War-era ironclad ship, and quite a few camels.
McConaughey and co-star Steve Zahn turn a crashed plane into a land yacht. They uncover a conspiracy. They blow up a very expensive boat. It’s been called one of the most expensive box office flops of all time, and caused Clive Cussler to sue the producer, but it’s a hell of a good time, so does any of that really matter?
