The 2010s saw some of the greatest action movies ever made. While the action genre has been enhanced by the evolution of special effects and CGI, the 2010s saw many filmmakers utilize practical effects to create amazing action sequences. There were plenty of directors, old and new, who brought a great eye for action scenes to their films.
Even superhero movies were given some more flare from talented directors who provided something new to that subgenre. Great directors lent their talents to innovative, new action films such as John Wick and The Avengers.
Justin Lin
Lin is largely responsible for the box-office behemoth that the Fast & Furious franchise has become. Fast & Furious (2009) gave hints of what Lin was capable of bringing to this franchise. However, it was Fast Five (2011) that reinvigorated the franchise with physics-defying stunts and high-adrenaline car chases that audiences learned to love. Fast & Furious 6 continued the franchise's success as Lin upped the ante with even crazier action.
Lin then took his talents to Star Trek with Star Trek Beyond, giving the franchise an action-fueled romp through space. Lin isn't subtle about his action, but he sure knows how to make it entertaining. Lin is bringing his talents back to Fast & Furious when Fast & Furious 9 drops in 2021.
Chad Stahelski
Chad Stahelski is an American stuntman turned director. He co-directed John Wick (2014) with David Leitch, then went on to direct both of the sequels. With the John Wick franchise, Stahelski has proven he has a tremendous eye for making amazing action scenes.
The John Wick movies continue to improve with amazing hand-to-hand combat and gun action. As a stuntman himself, Stahelski has directed amazing practical stunts in these movies. The John Wick movies have some of the greatest action sequences ever put to film and that is largely due to Stahelski's incredible talent behind the camera.
David Leitch
David Leitch is another stuntman turned director who began his directorial career alongside Stahelski with John Wick. His first solo directorial film, Atomic Blonde (2017), wasn't quite as good as John Wick, but it did have a jaw-dropping staircase fight. Leitch then took his talents to both Marvel and the Fast & Furious franchise with Deadpool 2 (2018) and Hobbs & Shaw (2019).
Deadpool 2 continued the Deadpool films successfully with Leitch improving upon the action from the first film. Hobbs & Shaw had plenty of the same energy as the main Fast & Furious movies, with Leitch crafting crazy action scenes that defy physics and logic.
Christopher McQuarrie
Christopher McQuarrie began the decade well with Jack Reacher, a fun action romp with Tom Cruise starring as the titular hero. However, McQuarrie's knack for directing action truly shined in both Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Mission Impossible: Fallout. In both of these movies, McQuarrie created gritty and raw scenes, keeping viewers in suspense in every sequence.
It does help that Cruise is willing to do incredibly dangerous stunts for his movies, but it takes a directing talent to make those stunts seem so dangerous. Scenes like the helicopter chase at the end of Fallout and the motorcycle chase in Rogue Nation were so captivating because they felt so authentic. Let's hope the Mission Impossible movies never end as long as Mcquarrie is at the helm.
Gareth Evans
Gareth Evans reinvigorated martial arts in action movies. The Raid and The Raid 2 had some of the best martial arts sequences ever put to film. Evans never uses shaky cam, allowing audiences to see every aspect of the action sequences, never missing a single punch.
They are bloody and brutal and everything action movie fans could want. Similar to John Wick, the sequences just continue to expand upon one another with additions of various weapons and new settings. Fans of great hand-to-hand combat have a lot to love with The Raid movies.
Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright has proven himself to be one of the most unique action directors working today. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a quirky but insanely fun movie that has fight scenes straight out of a Street Fighter game as the movie feels like one big video game. The World's End is a cool, sci-fi action comedy that ends the Cornetto trilogy on a high note.
His most recent effort, Baby Driver, is an incredibly original film that blends an amazing soundtrack with incredibly directed car chases. The way the action is edited to match the music is epic every time. Wright brings something new to every movie he makes and one can only imagine what Ant-Man would have looked like if he remained the director.
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan is one of the best and most innovative filmmakers in the industry today. Inception is a crazy sci-fi action film that ties in great action sequences with an intriguing sci-fi narrative. Nolan loves to stick with practical effects which led to the amazing hallway fight where the hall is flipping on itself.
The Dark Knight Rises capped off Nolan's Batman trilogy nicely with great fight scenes between Batman and Bane. Interstellar didn't have much action but had amazing visuals. Dunkirk proved Nolan could create an epic war movie with some of the best gritty, war violence ever put to film. Nolan continued his trend of awe-inspiring action in the 2020s with Tenet.
Matthew Vaughn
Matthew Vaughn began the decade with a gory, brutal, and hilarious spin on the superhero genre with Kick-Ass. He then toned it down a bit when he helmed X-Men: First Class, still giving the X-Men franchise a new jolt of life with a fresh and fun film that is considered to be one of the best X-Men films.
However, Vaughn's highlight of the decade may be Kingsman: The Secret Service, a high-adrenaline, colorful new spy franchise. The church scene was one of the best scenes of the decade with Colin Firth's character singlehandedly taking on a slew of religious extremists with various weapons. Kingsman: The Golden Circle wasn't quite as good, but it still had Vaughn's slick action style all over it.
George Miller
George Miller only directed one movie in the 2010s, but it happened to be the best action movie of the decade. Miller returned to the Mad Max franchise with Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth entry with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. Not only does the movie look amazing, but the action is raw and jaw-dropping.
Most of it is practical, with cars flipping over and people jumping from one car to another with ease. It is a non-stop action thrill ride with some of the most epic stunts ever put to film. It even garnered a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, a rare honor for action movies.
The Russo Brothers
The Russo Brothers were the absolute kings of the box-office in the 2010s. Before directing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Russo Brothers were mostly known for their work in comedy television. However, The Russo Brothers turned out to have one of the best eyes in the action genre, reinvigorating the Marvel Cinematic Universe with amazing action scenes in the Captain America films.
After The Winter Soldier, The Russo Brothers helmed Captain America: Civil War, delivering the epic airport scene. Soon after, Marvel gave the duo the task of directing the climactic films in the Infinity saga, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The incredible comic book moments delivered in those films can all be attributed to The Russo Brothers.