Action movies with heart-stopping finales (SPOILER WARNING)
The action movies where the ending/climax is so incredible/over-the-top, thrilling, exciting, and heart-stopping that it makes you out of breath before really blasting you out of your seat and closes in an ultimately satisfactory way. (In alphabetical order, and CONTAINS SPOILERS)
More on the way...
More on the way...
List activity
3.5K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
45 titles
- DirectorGary TrousdaleKirk WiseStarsMichael J. FoxJim VarneyCorey BurtonA young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.The battle inside the dormant volcano; the saving of Atlantis.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleMichael CaineKen WatanabeAfter witnessing his parents' death, Bruce learns the art of fighting to confront injustice. When he returns to Gotham as Batman, he must stop a secret society that intends to destroy the city.The final train sequence; Batman vs Ducard/Ra's al Ghul
- DirectorPaul GreengrassStarsMatt DamonFranka PotenteJoan AllenWhen Jason Bourne is framed for a CIA operation gone awry, he is forced to resume his former life as a trained assassin to survive.The Moscow car chase.
- DirectorJonathan MostowStarsKurt RussellJ.T. WalshKathleen QuinlanA man searches for his missing wife after his car breaks down in the middle of the desert.Multi-vehicular chase up to the very end where the villain bites the big one, quite literally too.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsJohn TravoltaChristian SlaterSamantha MathisTerrorists steal nuclear warheads from the U.S. military but don't count on a pilot and park ranger spoiling their plans.The final train sequence; the villain's ridiculously awesome death.
- DirectorWei LoStarsBruce LeeNora MiaoJames TienA young man seeks vengence for the death of his teacher.Bruce Lee vs. an entire dojo. Enough said.
- DirectorSimon WestStarsNicolas CageJohn CusackJohn MalkovichNewly-paroled ex-con and former U.S. Ranger Cameron Poe finds himself trapped in a prisoner-transport plane when the passengers seize control.The plane landing on the Las Vegas Strip; the firetruck chase; the villain's lengthy death.
- DirectorRenny HarlinStarsSylvester StalloneJohn LithgowMichael RookerA botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being searched for by various groups throughout the Rocky Mountains.Upside down helicopter.
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsCharles BronsonDeborah RaffinEd LauterArchitect/vigilante Paul Kersey arrives back in New York City and is forcibly recruited by a crooked police chief to fight street crime caused by a large gang terrorizing the neighborhoods.Attack on the streets; Kersey's dispatching of the big boss.
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsBruce WillisAlan RickmanBonnie BedeliaA New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.The roof; McClane's dispatching of Gruber.
- DirectorRenny HarlinStarsBruce WillisWilliam AthertonBonnie BedeliaJohn McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.McClane's dispatching of the bad guys and their plane.
- DirectorStuart BairdStarsKurt RussellHalle BerrySteven SeagalWhen terrorists seize control of an airliner, an intelligence analyst accompanies a commando unit for a midair boarding operation.Dispatching of terrorists; troubled landing of the plane.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsJohn TravoltaNicolas CageJoan AllenTo foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.The awesome boat chase.
- DirectorJustin LinStarsVin DieselPaul WalkerDwayne JohnsonDominic Toretto and his crew of street racers plan a massive heist to buy their freedom while in the sights of a powerful Brazilian drug lord and a dangerous federal agent.Final chase on the streets of Rio. I know safes aren't supposed to move that fast, but never mind.
- DirectorMartin CampbellStarsPierce BrosnanSean BeanIzabella ScorupcoWhen a powerful secret defense system is stolen, James Bond is assigned to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using it.Satellite/base destruction; the bad boss' death.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatTony Leung Chiu-waiTeresa MoA tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.The famous 30-minute shootout in a hospital.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsJean-Claude Van DammeLance HenriksenYancy ButlerA woman hires a drifter as her guide through New Orleans in search of her missing father. In the process, they discover a deadly game of cat and mouse behind his disappearance.Shootout at the mardi-gras graveyard; the villain's death.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKate CapshawKe Huy QuanIn 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace.Mine-cart roller coaster up to the villain's death.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsUma ThurmanDavid CarradineDaryl HannahAfter awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.The Bride vs Gogo, the Crazy 88 & Cottonmouth
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatDanny LeeSally YehA disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.Shootout in the church.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsMel GibsonDanny GloverJoe PesciWith personal crises and age weighing in on them, LAPD officers Riggs and Murtaugh must contend with deadly Chinese triads that are trying to free their former leaders out of prison and onto American soil.Mel Gibson and Danny Glover's brutal fight against Jet Li.
- DirectorJohn GlenStarsTimothy DaltonRobert DaviCarey LowellA vengeful James Bond goes rogue to infiltrate and take down the organization of a drug lord who has murdered his friend's new wife and left him near death.Spectacular truck chase and Bond's dispatching of the villain.
- DirectorJohn GlenStarsTimothy DaltonMaryam d'AboJeroen KrabbéJames Bond is sent to investigate a KGB policy to kill all enemy spies, and uncovers an arms deal that potentially has major global ramifications.The raid on the Afghan Soviet Base; Bond vs Necros in mid-air.
- DirectorRenny HarlinStarsGeena DavisSamuel L. JacksonYvonne ZimaSamantha Caine lives in a small town with her daughter. Eight years ago she emerged, two months pregnant, from a nearby river with no memory of her past or who she is. However, she's getting closer to finding out about her past.The Niagara Falls/chemical truck climax.
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsMel GibsonBruce SpenceMichael PrestonIn the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community get rid of a horde of bandits.Show-stopping multi-vehicular chase that lasts for 20 minutes