Highlights
- Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, and Fatman are recommended action Christmas movies for fans to enjoy during the holiday season.
- Die Hard is a holiday classic praised for its action and unique take on the genre.
- Ronin and Enemy of the State are thrilling action films with intriguing plots that explore relevant issues.
Christmas has returned once again, and now is the time for movie buffs to get into the spirit of the season by watching their favorite festive flicks, preferably those with enough action to keep them entertained. Thrillers and action flicks are the norm for these kinds of films. In the film industry, Christmas action films are known as seasonal releases, and they fall around the holidays, especially around December.
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Every December for decades, a plethora of exciting action films have been released. Therefore, these films that make up this list are the best action Christmas movies for fans so that they can enjoy the holiday in style. Please note that they are also showcased according to how well they did at the box office.
10 Die Hard
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
- Release Year: 1988
- Director: John McTiernan
- Cast: Bruce Willis, Alexander Godunov, Alan Rickman, and Bonnie Bedelia
- Genre: Action, Holiday
The movie Die Hard is about John McClane, an NYPD cop who gets trapped in a high-rise workplace during a Christmas party when terrorists take over the building. The story goes on as John McClane tries to figure out how to beat the terrorists who have taken the building and its people hostage.
At first, McClane doesn't have many tools or people to help him fight the terrorists, but he uses his wit, creativity, and drive to save the captives, including his divorced spouse Holly, who is at the party. The original movie is still a favorite among both viewers and critics. It's praised for taking a new look at the action genre, and it's still a holiday classic set at a Christmas party that goes wrong.
9 Lethal Weapon
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
- Release Year: 1987
- Director: Richard Donner
- Cast: Mel Gibson, Gary Busy, and Dabby Glover
- Genre: Action, Holiday, Comedy
Lethal Weapon is a well-known series of action movies that began in 1987. The film series follows two Los Angeles police officers, Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh, who, despite having very different personalities, end up working together.
As they worked on different cases, often involving drug lords, dishonest government officials, and other dangerous enemies, these two agents became close friends and learned to respect each other. The humor, action-packed fight scenes, and times when they get along are the movie's defining features. It also shows the character growth of these two characters.
8 Fatman
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 44%
- Release Year: 2020
- Director: Ian Nelms, Eshom Nelms
- Cast: Mel Gibson, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Walton Goggins
- Genre: Action, Fantasy, Holiday
The alcoholic legend of Santa Claus is the subject of Fatman, a Hollywood fantasy film that was released in 2020. One of the films on the list that gets into the Christmas spirit, with an emphasis on Santa, is this one. Chris Cringle, portrayed by Mel Gibson, is compelled to labor as a contractor for the United States military to ensure his survival.
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An action-packed film about a spoiled child who orders assassins to target Santa sets the stage for scenes that viewers won't forget anytime soon. This is the meat and potatoes of the plot that held the film together.
7 I Come In Peace, Aka. Dark Angel
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 38%
- Release Year: 1990
- Director: Craig R. Baxley
- Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Brian Benben, Betsy Brantley
- Genre: Action, Thriller, Sci-Fi,
I Come in Peace is an exciting sci-fi thriller about a Houston police officer named Jack Caine who gets into a dangerous fight with an alien drug dealer. Jack and his new partner, FBI agent Arwood "Larry" Smith, are in a race against time to stop the alien criminal, Talec, and prevent more damage from happening.
As Caine and Smith dig deeper into the case, they find out the alien's evil scheme. They must use all of their knowledge, skills, and resources to stop his dangerous plan. The movie has a lot of committed fans because it has exciting action, sci-fi elements, and remarkable performances. It is still a notable piece in the genre.
6 Die Hard 2
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%
- Release Year: 1990
- Director: Renny Harlin
- Cast: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, Reginald VelJohnson, Franco Nero, William Sadler, and John Amos
- Genre: Action, Holiday, Fantasy
The events of Die Hard 2 take place on Christmas Eve, mirroring those of the first film. Terrorists hijack aviation traffic while McClane is waiting for his wife to land at Washington International Airport. Before his wife's plane and additional planes can land, McClane must figure out how to stop the enemy.
If things don't work out, the planes in the sky could crash due to a lack of fuel. Airport security was another obstacle McClane had to overcome, since they were uncooperative with his pleas for their help. Die Hard 2was a huge success following the smash-hit first movie, with earnings in excess of $240 million.
5 Batman Returns
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
- Release Year: 1992
- Director: Tim Burton
- Cast: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, and Michael Murphy
- Genre: Superhero, Action, Holiday, Sci-Fi
The superhero movie Batman Returns came out in 1992 and is a follow-up to the movie 1989 Batman. Batman Returns takes us deeper into Tim Burton's dark, gothic vision of Gotham City and takes place during the holidays. The movie shows Batman's first encounters with two well-known enemies: The Penguin, and Catwoman
In Batman Returns, Batman faces these powerful enemies while caught in a web of deceit, political scheming, and personal grudges. As the Penguin plans to become mayor of Gotham and get back at the people who have hurt him, Catwoman starts her mission for payback against those who have hurt her. People still enjoy the movie's mix of action, drama, and character-based plots, which makes it a memorable addition to Batman's cinematic universe.
4 Ronin
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%
- Release Year: 1998
- Director: John Frankenheimer
- Cast: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno
- Genre: Action, Thriller
Ronin is an action-thriller movie from 1998. Following a team of trained operatives hired to get back an unidentified briefcase, Ronin is set in a world full of global spying and mystery. Sam played by Robert De Niro, is an American agent with a strange past who teams up with Vincent (Jean Reno), a Frenchman with unique skills. They work to put together a group of experts who will find and take back a valuable briefcase that is wanted by both criminal and spy groups.
To make this possible, each member of the team had to bring something different to the table, from weapons experts and drivers to planners and infiltrators. With its exciting story and memorable car chase scenes, the movie has become known as a gem in the action genre, giving viewers a thrilling and refined movie experience.
3 Shazam
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
- Release Year: 2019
- Director: David F Sandberg
- Cast: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, and Asher Angel
- Genre: Sci-fi, Superhero, Thriller
Part of the DC Comics Universe was the 2019 film Shazam! Steven Bucks Productions and New Line Cinema were responsible for making the release possible. Set over the holiday season, the film followed in the same vein as Batman Returns.
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The 2019 film was well-received by prominent critics, and a large number of them praised Sandberg's directing. Shazam made $367 million worldwide, making it a smashing success. Furthermore, Grazer, Angel, and Levi all received high marks for their outstanding efforts. On this list of the best Christmas movies, this is certainly up there with the best superhero flicks.
2 On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
- Release Year: 1969
- Director: Peter R Hunt
- Cast: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, and Telly Savalas
- Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Thriller
A notable absence from the James Bond cast is the late Sean Connery, making this film the first 007 without him. This led to George Lazenby taking over the role instead, and On Her Majesty's Secret Service was born. James Bond, a British secret agent, intervenes to eliminate Blofeld, who possessed the ability to hypnotize women.
Unfortunately, Bond finds love with Blofeld's daughter while on the mission. This surprising twist is one of the highlights of the movie. Will Bond abandon his love interest because her father is a crime boss? This is the only 007 movie to make the list and one of the best James Bond movies ever.
1 Enemy Of The State
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
- Release Year: 1998
- Director: Tony Scott
- Cast: Will Smith, Gene Hackman
- Genre: Action, Thriller, Sci-Fi
Enemy of the State is an action movie from 1998. A Washington, D.C. labor lawyer named Robert Clayton Dean gets caught up in a high-stakes plot involving spying and government monitoring. Edward "Brill" Lyle, who is a former NSA agent, helps Dean find the truth.
Within its plot, the movie explores issues of privacy, government surveillance, and what new technologies mean for data gathering and spying. The film's exploration of these topics is still important today, leading to conversations about privacy rights and the right balance between personal freedoms and national security. It also just so happens to take place around Christmas.