Loud, explosive and frenetic – these action thrillers will get your adrenaline pumping and your home cinema shaking. A hit list where Tom Cruise is side by side with an Indian hit…
As the end of the year approaches, let’s examine action cinema 2022: which films rock home theaters with brute sonic power, while wild, fiery action makes synapses pop with excitement?
The answers range from a Hollywood legend’s biggest hit to a streaming blockbuster that created an Internet phenomenon. So buckle up!
With “Top Gun: Maverick” in the Danger Zone
Jet planes whiz through the air and perform dizzying maneuvers: “Top Gun: Maverick” offers the show values and grit you would expect from the sequel to the 80s cult hit. But with Tom Cruise and Miles Teller in top form, sharp sound design, and spectacular visuals of countless real-life stunts, the sequel simply explosively implements those expectations. There has never been anything like this before.
» “Top Gun 2”: DVD, Blu-ray and 4K on Amazon* / in the Paramount+ channel on Prime Video*
This earned Joseph Kosinski’s blockbuster a four-star FILMSTARTS review, led to over $1.48 billion in box office receipts worldwide (Cruise record!) and will make Top Gun 2 a classic “Hey, show me my home theater!”.
“Ambulance”: Riot expert discovers drones on his own
You love him, you hate him, you can’t imagine explosive cinema without him: “Armageddon” and “Transformers” director Michael Bay not only splits people’s minds, he bursts the rifts between them. This year, he released one of his “smaller” films, “Ambulance,” but what Bay is a mini-project to catch his breath is still pure escalation: two brothers (Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) rob a bank, they kidnap an ambulance to escape and then speed through Los Angeles with a paramedic (Eiza González).
» “Ambulance”: DVD, Blu-ray and 4K on Amazon* / in Prime Video*
It cracks, it hisses, things fly through the air, and there are rear-end collisions over and over again. All this while wild drone shots show the insane happenings from the craziest angles. This film is a long chase full of suspense, as well as a hugely entertaining explosion of devastation.
“Raging Fire”: the most explosive farewell performance of the year
In 2021, this bombastic police action was shown in isolated German cinemas as part of the Fantasy Filmfest, and earlier this year “Raging Fire” became accessible to a wider audience thanks to its home cinema premiere. And so, shortly after the turn of the year, the bar was raised: Donnie Yen, known for “Ip Man” and “Rogue One”, plays a cop with integrity in this action thriller who seeks bitter revenge of an ex -colleague (Nicholas Tse) speaks up.
” “Blazing Fire”: DVDs and Blu-rays on Amazon* / in the brand new Prime Video channel*
An entire metropolis becomes the battlefield in this duel between two obstinate heads, which unfolds by means of fast-paced choreographed brawls, hostage-taking, bombings, heated gunfights and breakneck chases. Cancer-dead director Benny Chan (“Jackie Chan is Nobody”) put his gloriously understated spin on his beloved action genre one last time- you must have seen it!
“The Outlaws”: Knüppelharter case, resolute policeman
A good film sometimes takes time: In South Korea, ‘The Outlaws’ already made the box office sound in 2017. Meanwhile, Don Lee aka Ma Dong-seok became a Marvel star thanks to ‘Eternals’ – and this was probably the last push needed to give local distributors a reason to finally bring this crime thriller to Germany.
» “The Outlaws”: DVDs and Blu-rays on Amazon* / VODs on Prime Video*
The long wait was deplorable, but it was worth it. Because this fast-paced material, in which a resolute cop tries to keep tabs on an imminent and brutal gang war, is pure, no-nonsense thriller fun. Filmed with style, well placed hard spikes and lots of no-nonsense melee combat, but with a lot of bang.
“RRR”: the cinematic internet phenomenon 2022
No 2022 action throwback is complete without “RRR,” the megahit that peacefully united the film-centric internet in a frenzy of euphoria for at least a few weeks. Eventually that peace was abruptly broken, and the frenzy of online discussion took its toll like a herd of wild animals escaping a cage. However, the collective enthusiasm was enough to make the improbable possible:
This three-hour Indian action blockbuster leapt out of its native land and leapt straight into the Olympus of universally acclaimed action gems. ‘RRR’ has become a global phenomenon, thanks in large part to its release on Netflix, where explosive director SS Rajamouli and stars NT Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan have found countless new fans with this rapid-fire epic. The refueling for this adrenaline pumper full of crazy ideas and overwhelming passion is already in the works!
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