No Cakewalk for the Hero: 5 Most Realistic Action Movies Ever Made

In action movies, the main character is often portrayed as a chosen one who is almost able to catch bullets in the air and walk on water. Needless to say, sometimes this ruins the whole movie. So if you want something more realistic, check out these five films.

Atomic Blonde (2017, 6.7 on IMDb)

Available on: Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime

Based on a graphic novel by Anthony Johnston, this period action thriller exaggerates a lot of things, so it's hard to call it realistic, let alone authentic. But what it does brilliantly is portray a human protagonist, fragile and vulnerable like the rest of us. Sure, Charlize Theron's Lorraine Broughton is very well trained, but she's not invincible, which can be seen in many fight scenes throughout the movie, as she literally struggles with her opponents every time and often gets hurt.

The Foreigner (2017, 7.0 on IMDb)

Available on: Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime

There's a joke that Jackie Chan's movies come in only two forms: either his character is a divine warrior capable of performing a series of martial arts tricks in mid-air, or he's an ordinary human being performing very realistic stunts. The Foreigner, which follows a Vietnam War veteran whose daughter is killed in a terrorist bombing in London, belongs to the second category, as Chan's character is often on the verge of death while carrying out his revenge mission.

Bullet Train (2022, 7.3 on IMDb)

Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime

One of David Leitch's latest creations, this action comedy starring Brad Pitt and Aaron Taylor-Johnson follows Pitt's character, a professional assassin nicknamed Ladybug, who is hired to steal a mysterious suitcase from a Tokyo-Kyoto train. But things go awry when it turns out he's not the only killer on board. In terms of realism, Bullet Train creates reasonably capable main characters who don't just overcome every obstacle in their path, but actually struggle a lot during their missions.

The Nice Guys (2016, 7.4 on IMDb)

Available on: Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime

Shane Black's neo-noir action comedy centers on the unlikely duo of Ryan Gosling's private investigator Holland March and Russell Crowe's enforcer Jackson Healy, both hired to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl. While the case is already complicated, the duo's differences further hinder their progress. But this only makes the movie more interesting, as the mission turns out to be not as easy as shelling peas for the characters.

Die Hard (1988, 8.2 on IMDb)

Available on: Apple TV+, Amazon Prime

The absolute classic of the action genre, John McTiernan's film tells the story of John McClane, an NYPD detective who gets involved in a terrorist attack in one of the skyscrapers of Los Angeles, where his wife and her colleagues are taken hostage by a German radical demanding a ransom of $640. Sure, it's far-fetched that Bruce Willis' character is one of the only two people who somehow wasn't taken hostage, but the way he deals with the situation is very realistic, as he doesn't try to blindly take on the terrorists alone, but works with the local police department.