Action movies are a staple of Hollywood. Studios sink tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars into these films, trying to make them the greatest spectacles possible. These hefty budgets attract bankable stars and afford action movie necessities like quality CGI, on-location shooting, explosive pyrotechnics, an array of props and weapons, and vehicles that will either be blown up or totaled during production. Some action movies are legitimately good and have become landmarks of the genre. Die Hard, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, The Matrix, The Terminator — these are all timeless action classics, even if they do overlap with other genres.
Many action films, however, fade into obscurity. They make a bang when they first hit our screens but are lost to time over the years. Only the best of the best are remembered. Let’s rewind time back to the 2000s and revisit ten forgotten action films that will make you say, “Oh yeahhhh, I remember that!” when you see the title. Or maybe they won’t.
10
‘10,000 BC’ (2008)
10,000 BC sounds cool on paper: an action-adventure film that transports us back in time, capturing the journey of a prehistoric tribe of mammoth hunters. But in reality, the movie wasn’t very good. The CGI wasn’t visually stunning or even good, the story was packed with historical inaccuracies, and the film prioritized style over substance.
10,000 BC was regarded as one of the worst movies of 2008. It intrigued enough viewers to pull off a solid box office performance. But the film wasn’t good enough to stay in people’s memories.
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9
‘Walking Tall’ (2004)
Walking Tall
- Release Date
-
April 2, 2004
- Runtime
-
86 minutes
- Director
-
Kevin Bray
Walking Tall follows a discharged U.S. Army soldier who returns to find unchallenged corruption and crime in his hometown. Although he assumes the role of sheriff, he really becomes a vigilante, who weaponizes a large plank of wood and takes the law into his own hands. It stars Dwayne Johnson when he was still known mainly as The Rock.
Walking Tall is a remake of the 1973 film of the same name. But unlike the original, 2004’s Walking Tall was not a box office smash. Johnson was not yet a bankable Hollywood star in the early 2000s. Walking Tall managed to produce two direct-to-video sequels, which are just as forgettable as the 2004 original.
8
‘2012’ (2009)
2012 blends action and science fiction together to create a disastrous movie. Uh, sorry, we mean it’s a disaster movie. Based on the incorrect beliefs that the world would end in the year 2012, this epic follows several characters struggling to survive a series of apocalyptic global events. It features a star-studded cast that includes John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson.
Despite the film’s negative reviews, audiences turned out in droves to see what the end of the world might look like and turned the film into a box office success. 2012 has since faded into obscurity — probably because the world never actually ended, making this film as forgettable as the 2012 phenomenon.
7
‘Smokin’ Aces’ (2006)
Smokin’ Aces made quite the splash when it came out in 2006. It follows a mad, bloody spree of bounty hunters, who race against each other to claim the $1 million prize on the head of a magician-turned-Mafia informant. It has an impressive ensemble cast, featuring big names like Ryan Reynolds, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Andy García, Taraji P. Henson, Ray Liotta, and Chris Pine.
Although busy, crowded, and ridiculous, Smokin’ Aces is actually a lot of fun and includes a plot twist that people either love or hate. But alas, it’s yet another Ryan Reynolds film that’s been forgotten over the years.
6
‘Miami Vice’ (2006)
Michael Mann has directed some awesome action films, like Heat and Collateral. 2006’s Miami Vice, however, is not one of them. Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx star as two Miami vice detectives who go undercover to fight drug trafficking operations. Miami Vice served as a modern adaptation of the 1980s television show of the same name. But aside from the characters’ names and subject matter, the two productions had very little to do with each other.
The 2006 film didn’t have any of the light-hearted charm that made the TV show so popular. Miami Vice has been largely forgotten by most audiences, though it supposedly has a cult following.
5
‘Cradle 2 the Grave’ (2003)
Jet Li was the martial artist movie star of the 2000s. But even an incredible martial artist can sometimes swing and miss with their movie choices. That was the case with Jet Li and his 2003 film, Cradle 2 the Grave. It’s a great name for an action sequel — except this wasn’t a sequel. It’s a stand-alone film that unites a jewel thief with a Taiwanese intelligence officer who, together, navigate the underworld of Los Angeles to rescue the thief’s kidnapped daughter. Oh, and it also stars late rapper, DMX.
It was a modest box office success that unsurprisingly garnered negative reviews. Cradle 2 the Grave seemed to be everywhere in 2003. But it’s faded into obscurity over the years, lying in a mass grave with all the other forgotten movies on our list.
4
‘The Recruit’ (2003)
The Recruit
- Release Date
-
January 31, 2003
- Runtime
-
115 minutes
- Director
-
Roger Donaldson
- Writers
-
Kurt Wimmer, Mitch Glazer
- Producers
-
Gary Barber, Jeff Apple, Jonathan Glickman, Ric Kidney
On paper, The Recruit sounds like a memorable film. It stars A-listers Colin Farrell and Al Pacino as a CIA trainee and his mentor, who are hunting a mole in their agency.
The Recruit actually performed decently at the box office, but mixed critical reviews and a subpar plot left this film by the wayside. If you’re itching for a Pacino or Farrell movie, at this point, there are a plethora of better options to choose from over The Recruit.
3
‘Showtime’ (2002)
Showtime
- Release Date
-
March 14, 2002
- Runtime
-
95 minutes
- Director
-
Tom Dey
- Writers
-
Alfred Gough, Keith Sharon
- Producers
-
Bruce Berman, Channing Dungey, Eric McLeod, James Lassiter, Jane Rosenthal, Jorge Saralegui
Showtime tried so hard to be a great buddy cop action comedy. It even cast two Hollywood legends, Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy, in the lead roles. But the film fell short. Way short. Showtime was lambasted by critics, who took issue with the film’s comedy, or lack thereof, and its weak attempt at satirizing the buddy cop genre. It received two nominations at the 23rd Golden Raspberry Awards, which is basically an anti-Academy Awards ceremony that recognizes the worst films of the year. It received a Worst Actor nomination for Murphy and a Worst Screen Combo nomination for Murphy and De Niro’s lack of comedic chemistry.
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2
‘Shanghai Noon’ (2000)
Jet Li may have been big during the early 2000s, but martial artist and stuntman Jackie Chan has dominated Hollywood over the last 60 years, becoming one of the most iconic and influential martial artists in cinema. He’s appeared in so many memorable films. 2000’s Shanghai Noon, however, is not one of them.
This action comedy combines the Western genre with the kung fu action film, taking place in the American West during the 19th century. Shanghai Noon unites a Chinese man with an American train robber, who work together to rescue a princess and take on adversaries. The film also stars Owen Wilson, one of the forgotten comedic stars of the 2000s. Shanghai Noon was a modest success and even led to a sequel, Shanghai Knights. Despite decent box office numbers and plans for a sequel, a third film never materialized, leaving this franchise to accumulate dust over the years.
1
‘Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever’ (2002)
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
- Release Date
-
September 20, 2002
- Runtime
-
91 Minutes
- Director
-
Wych Kaosayananda
- Writers
-
Alan B. McElroy
- Producers
-
Andrew Stevens, Chris Lee, Elie Samaha, Oliver Hengst, Tarak Ben Ammar
Starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever unites two opposing secret agents to take on a common enemy. Judging by the title, you’d think that maybe this is a sequel. Was there a first Ballistic movie? Are we supposed to know who Ecks and Sever are? Did they appear in an earlier film? The answer to all these questions is a resounding, No. No one had any idea who the heck Ecks and Sever were, and this is a standalone film, probably because it was a major box office bomb. It lost its studio about $70 million.
But that’s not even the worst of it. Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever belongs to an exclusive club of films that achieved a staggering 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it objectively one of the worst films ever made. It’s probably best that this film stays forgotten.
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