One of the most widespread genres with the most well-known blockbusters in movie history, action can be tough to nail correctly. There are many components that can make a great action film, such as memorable characters, fast pacing, breathtaking set pieces, and more often than not, guns.
Since most action movies fit into other subgenres like espionage films, crime thrillers, and revenge flicks, it becomes easy to incorporate firearms into their stories. Action films need to balance excitement, believability, and emotional investment of the audience. Life-threatening situations are exactly what can elevate action films to greatness, and the use of guns (even as just a threat) proves itself as a facilitator for dramatizing those situations. However, there are a myriad of awesome action movies that do not involve any gun whatsoever, be it because it's a period piece from before guns were invented, or just because it would seem out of place for the movie's premise or universe. Here are 5 of those.
Creed (2015)
Kicking off the no-guns action movie list, Creed, the first of an ongoing movie saga within the Rocky universe, tells the story of Adonis Johnson, son of boxer Apollo Creed, and his personal dilemmas after deciding to go all-in on his boxing career. Sylvester Stallone comes back to play his most iconic character to date, Rocky Balboa, who serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis. Both making references to the classic Rocky movies and innovating within the premise, this Ryan Coogler's film is both a riveting sports drama and a frenetic action flick.
The movie is often praised by boxing enthusiasts for its lifelike approach towards the technicalities of the sport. Michael B. Jordan also impressed viewers with his admirable dedication to his role, taking actual punches to the face during filming. As if there was still the need for any more reasons to watch this film, Creed has definitely one of the most realistic boxing fight scenes put to film.
Shadow (2018)
Zhang Yimou's wuxia epic, Shadow, is a visually stunning tale of war, politics, and lies, and how they all blend together seamlessly. The movie tells the story of a commander who wishes to regain control of an important city for his kingdom, even though the unpredictable king does not wish any more war.
To fulfill his goals, the commander secretly trains his "shadow", a look-alike who poses as himself. In this movie, every single fight scene, from the trainings, to the duels and the large-scale battles, are creatively choreographed and magnificently presented by gorgeous cinematography. Shadow is a film that shows an action director at the apex of his game. A refreshing take on the genre for viewers who've grown used to the western approach to action films.
Seven Samurai (1954)
The classic Akira Kurosawa movie that serves as inspiration for many Hollywood films up to this day. Clocking in at 3 hours and 27 minutes long, Seven Samurai tells the epic story of a samurai who recruits unlikely allies to help him teach the people of a small village how to defend themselves from an upcoming invasion by bandits. By portraying a roster of seven different samurai, each filled with personality and traits, and the soulful people of a simple village, this movie gets viewers emotionally attached to the exhilarating story.
Everything in this film is imbued with meaningful symbolism, including one of its famous scene of a flag being silently carried up to a hill. The expertly choreographed katana fights offer clear action that is easy to visualize, unlike the 21st-century Hollywood trend of shaky camera in action scenes. Definitely worth a watch for black-and-white classic movie lovers.
The Northman (2022)
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Robert Eggers' riddling The Northman is a violent, energetic tale of mythology-infused Viking vengeance. The movie tells the story of Prince Amleth who, as only a boy, witness his father's death by the hand of his uncle, who also captures the boy's mother. Amleth's long journey towards avenging his father and reclaiming his family's self-proclaimed honor is pervaded by imagery making references to Norse myths.
Masterfully choreographed, this film's set pieces, like the brutal village raids by the ruthless Vikings, are astonishing. Alexander Skarsgård goes full beast mode. Of course, as a Viking period piece, there are no guns in sight in The Northman. However, there are plenty of swords, axes, bows, and fists. And blood. Lots of blood.
Oldboy (2003)
This fast-paced, mind-bending South Korean thriller made history as one of the most nuanced and violent revenge flicks in cinema history. Park Chan-wook's Oldboy tells the story of Oh Dae-su, a man who is mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years and then set free with no idea of why this happened to him. With nothing but vengeance in mind, Oh Dae-su carves a bloody path of havoc trying to find whoever is responsible for his suffering.
Many things make this movie a masterpiece, including the famous long-take narrow hallway hammer fighting scene that has forever influenced Hollywood action filmmaking. This movie, however, is a bit of an exception from the other entries on this list. Even though Oh Dae-su never yields a handgun or fights anyone who yields one, in the climax of the movie, one of the characters pulls out a gun. Still, Oldboy deserves a spot in this list because it can create, build up, and maintain high-stakes tension without any gun in sight up until the very last scenes.