'John Wick' Ranked Among 'Best Action Movies of All Time'

The action genre has been through countless evolutions over the years, from the cheesy, VFX-heavy blockbusters of the '80s to the grittier, more dramatic entries in the '90s. Even today, action cinema sits in a very distinct space that can be traced back to a handful of influential movies from the past few years.

Without a doubt, John Wick is one of those movies. Chad Stahelski's visionary action movie stars Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick in a story of bloody vengeance as one ex-assassin steps out a retirement to get revenge on the criminals who killed his dog.

While the story of John Wick is very simple, what sets this movie apart from its contemporaries is the high-speed, intricately choreographed action scenes that essentially reintroduced a whole new subgenre known as "gun fu".

Playing on the name of the Chnese martial art kung fu, "gun fu" was popularized by directors such as John Woo in the 1980s, whose fight scenes often blended close-quarters combat with precise gunfights and brutal violence.

Where the '90s and early 2000s had been characterized by heavy visual effects, large-scale explosions, and slow motion fight scenes, it was films like John Wick that finally popularized this high-speed action that's become so popular today.

In recent years, blockbusters like Nobody, Atomic Blonde, and Bullet Train have all taken clear inspiration from John Wick's unique style of action filmmaking. There are very few films whose DNA can be so clearly seen across the genre as John Wick.

The film was a massive success upon release, but its true legacy and impact was only felt many years later. As the franchise continued to grow and spawned multiple sequels, more and more directors were beginning to cite it as a direct influence on their own work.

In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked John Wick at No. 3 on their list of the 50 Best Action Movies of All Time, writing: "It's a gun fu nirvana complete with eccentric worldbuilding - a hospitality industry catering solely to assassins? - and a go-for-broke mentality that somehow suits its stoic star to a tee. May this franchise never, ever end."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 9:38 AM.