The Expendables franchise is based on the idea of taking multiple famous action stars and putting them all on the same big screen. With the third installment of that franchise, The Expendables 3, getting ready to debut on August 15, 2014, it felt right to count down film’s biggest action stars of the 21st century.


Image via INFphoto.com

An action film is categorized by one or more heroes being placed into a series of challenges that no ordinary person could complete. These challenges typically include physical feats, extended fight scenes, violence, and frantic chases. Oh yeah, there is also a villain that the audience can root against. For the most part these films are very similar – the main character will usually try but fail at the start of the film, learn a valuable life lesson in the process, then suddenly come back at the end to save the day.

Anyway, without any further ado, here are the top ten male action stars of the 21st century.

[new page = Notable Actors]
Iko Uwais

Above is the trailer for The Raid 2: Berandal (2014). The man punching the wall in his prison cell is Iko Uwais. His speed and intensity are unmatched by nearly every other action star out there. With that said, he doesn’t have a big enough resume to completely make the list. He still has some of the best fight scenes I have ever seen in my life.

Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt is a notable selection solely because of Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2007) and Fight Club (1999). Other than that he isn’t much of an action star and more-so a complete actor.

Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan may be getting old but his resume of ass-kicking is very impressive. He is known mostly for taking random objects around him into combat to get an edge. He is very quick and smart on his feet. With that said, a lot of his action films intertwine comedy into the action which kept him off the top ten.

[new page = 10. Matt Damon]

For a short while Matt Damon was only known by one name – Jason Bourne. The Bourne franchise was action packed and very violent. Damon did a great job with both the action sequences and the acting. Since his last Bourne film, his ability to star in an action film dwindled, that is up until his resurrection in the film True Grit (2010) and Elysium (2013).

[new page = 9. Jeremy Renner]

Jeremy Renner has been an underrated actor for some time now. With that said he is an even more underrated action star. He typically plays the tough guy with an attitude. Some of his big action films include The Bourne Legacy (2012) and The Avengers (2012).

[new page = 8. Sylvester Stallone]

When people hear his name, the first thing they think is Rocky. While that should be enough to make this list, it isn’t from the 21st century. He is making this list because of his refusal to quit the life of an action star. When The Expendables (2010) first came out, he cemented his place among action star legends such as Chuck Norris.

[new page = 7. Liam Neeson]

Liam Neeson’s most famous film is probably Schindler’s List (1993) but he is also known for his action films. His big action hit came in 2008 when he starred in the film Taken. He is also the martial arts expert, Ra’s Al Ghul, in Batman Begins (2005).

[new page = 6. Tom Cruise]

Tom Cruise has plenty of serious roles, but his most famous film has got to be Mission: Impossible (1996). This film led the way for his action packed career as he would appear in several Mission Impossible sequels. He has also been cast as a secret agent multiple times, a samurai, a serial killer and a soldier.

[new page = 5. Robert Downey Jr.]

Two roles in particular put Robert Downey Jr. on this list – Sherlock Holmes and Tony Stark/Iron Man. Between the two roles he has appeared in six films and has contracts for a few more. He is slick, talkative and knows how to fight. As Sherlock Holmes he is very highly trained in hand to hand combat. As for Tony Stark, he merely kicks ass in a high tech iron suit.

[new page = 4. Bruce Willis]

Bruce Willis has always been known as an action star. His most famous role by far is Officer John McClane from Die Hard (1988). With that said, he continued his action genius well into the 21st century. Films such as Sin City (2005), Red (2010) and Lucky Number Slevin (2006) are the reason he is still one of the biggest action stars in the world.

[new page = 3. Tom Hardy]

Tom Hardy is simply a beast. The past three years he has just taken over the action star lifestyle. His three big action films are The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Warrior (2011) and Inception (2010). In all of these films he is kicking ass and taking names. Expect to see him take on countless action roles for the remainder of his career.

[new page = 2. Dwayne Johnson]

Dwayne Johnson loves being the big hero. Since his emergence on film, he has been one of the better action stars. Obviously his years in the WWE help his on screen fighting ability, but the last few years he has taken things to a whole new level. One of his most underrated films is Faster (2010). The film is very violent and he is crazy intense throughout the whole film. With that said, his most recent film, Herculese (2014) is basically an hour and a half of him kicking ass.

[new page = 1. Jason Statham]

Jason Statham is sitting atop this list for multiple reasons. First he does all of his own stunts and actually is experienced in martial arts. Second, he is a great combination of speed, skill and power. Most of his fight sequences are very legit and the bad guys have a reason to be lying on their backs. Lastly, almost every film he stars in will involve some sort of hand to hand combat. Simply put, he is a badass.