Better late than never I always say and after my sabbatical over the last two plus months, I’ve finally cemented the Official Action-Flix Top 10 of 2022. This year saw slim pickings if you were action film buff and hell, it was bad if you’re an overall film fan, but I managed to pick ten films that brought a smile to my face this year. There was only one slam dunk in terms of films, and I think you know what that one is and a few others but for the most part, it was a hard list to put together. Of course, I had to have seen the films so there might be a few others out there that escaped my radar.

With all that said, let’s get down to it and proceed with the ceremony!

10) THE LAIR

Director Neil Marshal has unquestionably helmed some of the most off the wall genre pics and has set the standard in his career in both action and horror genres with films like The Descent and Doomsday. Marshal always puts strong female characters at the head of his movies and 2022’s The Lair was no exception with Charlotte Kirk who plays Capt. Kate Sinclair, a Royal Air Force pilot who is shot down while on a secret mission in Afghanistan. Sinclair thought that Taliban insurgents were the worse of her problems but that couldn’t be any farther from the truth when she stumbles upon a Russian bunker housing bioweapons that are half human and half monster. With a rag tag group of soldiers, Sinclair must battle the enhanced weapons who aren’t easy to kill.

The Lair starts off with our heroine getting shot down and from there on, the movie is a full throttle in your face killing bonanza with enough gruesome kills to satisfy genre fans. The film is locked and loaded with numerous action sequences, and it never lets up until the end. The plot might be mindless and simple but it’s all about the blood-soaked adrenaline rush here and with that, Marshall succeeds in delivering over the top battles that ooze red with extreme gore that will test the limits of one’s stomach. Aside from co-star Jamie Bamber’s horrific over the top American accent, which I hear was intentional, fans will salivate over all the carnage on screen. A bloody good time for those that are into this type of flick which I am.

9) THE AMBUSH

Filmmaker Pierre Morel, who is personally responsible for The Transporter and Taken series hits the mark with his first war film which is ripped from a true story.

The movie centers on three soldiers who are mercilessly ambushed and must fight for their lives while a daring rescue mission is planned. Filled with incredible military action and searing human drama, Ambush hits the target with unrelenting battle action from the man who knows a thing or two about the action genre. Plus, it tells a story that many people know nothing about and sheds some much needed light on these real-life heroes who faced suicide level odds.

8) BATTLE FOR SAIPAN

Our second war film to make the list is an all-star cast including Casper Van Dien, Louis Mandylor and Jeff Fahey who battle insurmountable odds in the actioner that boasts fantastic fight sequences.

Helmed by genre maestro Brandon Slagle, this one checks all the boxes for those hard-core fans looking for non-stop war action. Including a mixture of combat action and stinging, bone smashing, bad ass hand to hand fight choreography, Battle for Saipan is an action movie for action lovers! It also helps that Louis Mandylor is simply bad ass in this as he decimated hordes of enemy soldiers. It also helps that Van Dien and Fahey elevate any film they are in so if you love war films then this one needs viewed ASAP!

The action is non-stop, brutal and satisfying and the cast is up to the challenge as they bleed red, white and blue. A definite indie action highlight of 2022!

7) AMBULANCE

What’s a best of list without a little Bay-Hem? I know Michael Bay gets a bad rap and most of the Transformers movies are exercises in over the top CGI excess but I enjoy his movies for what they are. Summertime popcorn fare with insane action and stunts.

This year, Bay surprised me with his newest offering Ambulance which stars Jake Gyllenhaal, who is having one bad day, along with Aquaman’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen, and Eiza Gonzalez.

Gyllenhaal does his best action star impersonation in the film and in pure Bay-hem fashion, he hangs out of a speeding ambulance, shoots at a helicopter and dispenses a ton of ammunition.

Bay hit Netflix with the poorly received 6 Underground starring Ryan Reynolds which was a mess of a film. It still had insane action set pieces and Reynolds was in top form so it still was bombastically entertaining. Ambulance is pretty solid and one thing’s for sure, it isn’t boring with ample amounts of car-mageddon, mass destruction and Bay’s signature go big or go home stunt fueled action sequences. I’m always onboard and this one has a lot of heart as well so nice job Mr. Bay.

6) PREY

Prey flew under everyone’s radar, and no one even knew it was a Predator franchise film at first. With that, it has done something that the last three movies have failed to do and that’s reinject life into the franchise after the second one. Director Dan Trachtenberg pays tribute to the series but at the same time offers up a fresh approach to the franchise and strips it down to its savage and primitive core.

We are introduced to a heroine in Naru that reminds us of some of the most legendary action and sci-fi heroines to come before her and Amber Midthunder has proven that size does not matter when it comes to kicking ass and taking names. She is spunky, smart and dangerous and she serves as a most worthy opponent for the Predator just like the large men who came before her.

The action sequences are brutal and gory, and the kills are effective with the atmosphere injecting a serious horror film vibe to the proceedings. Most of all, the Predator is scary once again and there is no tongue in cheek humor to get in the way of the savagery onscreen. In short, Amber Midthunder ain’t got time to bleed in a solid entry that rips the spine out of the franchise!

5) BULLET TRAIN

It was a rough summer last year and action movies have been hard to come by to say the least. In terms of blockbusters, The Gray Man fumbled the ball epically and even though Top Gun Maverick was a blessing, it was still a graveyard out there and even though there have been some shining stars in the indie action department, fans still have been left wanting more. COVID has certainly changed the dynamic and studios are more hesitant to pull the trigger on projects (case in point: Warner Bros.) than ever before and this is unfortunately the future we have to look forward to.

Bullet Train, from action maestro David Leitch, was a saving grace. Brad Pitt and crew go all in from beginning to end with a slew of characters that are memorable, fun and gleefully unapologetic just like we used to get in the 80’s and 90’s. Aside from the overuse of CGI, especially in the climax, the action is top tier with fantastic stunt work and choreography that almost rivals what we got in Hong Kong’s glory days of action.

The plot is a winner as well as Leitch interconnects all this madness that reveals its mystery before the credits roll and adults finally have a film that they can go to that isn’t geared towards everyone.

It’s time we take back our action movies and Bullet Train is a right step in the blood-soaked direction. It’s a politically incorrect jolt to the genre that hopefully will be a much-deserved return to form for movies like this in the future.

4) DAY SHIFT

DAY SHIFT is a True Action-Horror Spectacle that Bleeds an 80’s Vampire Flick Vibe with Action Sequences that Take a Bite Out of the Competition. Veteran martial arts ace, stuntman and fight coordinator J.J. Perry gets a definite A for effort with his first directing gig as all those years of experience has honed his skills behind the camera. His time in front of the camera has served him well too and he’s another shining example of action directors who know what to do. Lead star Jamie Foxx crushes it in the lead and Dave Franco will crack you up all the way through and sports a rocking neck brace I might add. Scott Adkins and Steve Howey as The Nazarian Brothers were the best part, and the action was elevated when they were on screen. They seriously need their own spin-off movie like yesterday. Aside from a weak antagonist, I loved everything about this movie, and I want this to be the winning franchise for Netflix instead of that other 200-million-dollar film that fumbled it on the one-yard line.

To put it simply, J.J. Perry and crew have delivered an action-horror-comedy that drips with 80’s vintage vampire vibes and action set pieces that document just how awesome the 87Eleven crew really is. This one isn’t for the kiddies though so put them to sleep, turn off all the lights and submerse yourself into all the blood, gore, dark humor and extreme action that you can handle. Day Shift is a winner that takes a massive bite out of the competition!

3) VIOLENT NIGHT

David Harbour Decks the Halls and Blows Away the Bad Guys in the Bloody Holiday Hit that is My New Favorite Christmas Themed Action Epic! Don’t get me wrong. I Love Die Hard and Lethal Weapon as two of my favorite Christmas themed action movies but there comes a time when you just need something new, and bullet riddled to celebrate the holiday season. Thankfully, in 2022, David Harbour had that covered as he’s playing one pissed off Santa Claus in the new holiday laced actioner Violent Night. The movie is now on Blu-Ray and Digital to convince you that that besides The Grinch, this will be the best thing you watch in front of the Christmas tree come this festive and merry season. The film is a perfect blending of batshit crazy, high-octane action and even a little holiday sensitivity to draw genre fans in. After all, nothing says Deck the Halls like Harbour dressed up as Kris Kringle mowing down the baddies with some serious firepower. Throw in the fact that it comes from the same seriously talented people that brought us John Wick then this film basically sells itself to genre fans. Happy Holidays everyone!

2) ACCIDENT MAN: HITMAN’S HOLIDAY

In 2021, action star Scott Adkins pulled off a massive upset and beat out some really fine action flicks to win my top prize with One Shot. This year, he came really close but when the top movie on my list has the actors actually in jets then you can understand why Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday is my runner up. Here’s the short and sweet of it. Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday is a candidate for best action film of the year, plain and simple. I know Top Gun Maverick will be number one on most reviewers’ 2022 list and rightfully so, but that film had tons more money poured into the making of it.

What Adkins, the stellar cast and the Kirby Brothers have done here is give fans what they want at a fraction of the price. I love when an indie movie like this comes along because it drives home the point that you don’t need a lot of funds to make a decent action film. You, once again, just need insanely talented people who truly believe in what they are crafting, and the finished product is exciting and is locked and loaded with some of the best bone smashing hand to hand action that has ever been put on celluloid in a while. Adkins is the driver of this crazy train and there is no denying that he is the premiere action star of this century. You know what you’re going to get with a Scott Adkins movie and when you see his name on the poster and in the credits, action fans are in for an elite experience in jaw dropping action that is unrivaled and second to none.

The sequel to Adkins’ passion project is a is a Delirious, Seamless Blend of Dark, Laugh Out Comedy and Second to None Hong Kong Style Fight Action. The Kirby Brothers have proven with one film that they can be mentioned in the same breath as all the other action directors that we praise, and I cannot wait to see what both actor and filmmakers have in store for the future. We can only hope that The Kirbys have the same ass kicking muse to paint their canvas of chaos and mayhem with again and here’s hoping it has Accident Man in the title for a third time as I do believe that Adkins has found his true franchise. “Flamingo!”

1) TOP GUN MAVERICK

Was there any doubt that this sequel, long in the making, would be tops? Of course not. As we speak, Top Gun Maverick is a nominee for Best Picture at the Oscars and rightfully so. I could write more about this film but I’m going to let my voice do the work as I have already said what needs to be said on my podcast. Take a listen in the link below and see why this is the best movie of 2022 or any year right now for that matter. It really is a Mach 10 Induced Cinematic Religious Experience!

There you go Action-Flix faithful. I’m a month late but better late than never. 2022 was certainly an interesting year as theaters slowly started to come back to life and hopefully 2023 will bring us almost back to how it was before. Even tough pickings were slim in 2022, we still got a handful of films that celebrated what we love about action cinema. Let’s get rolling 2023 and bring us hungry fans even more choices at the end of the year. Keep it locked and loaded right here because I’m back and it’s time to crank it up a notch or two. We are your destination for everything action and genre in 2023 and beyond!!!!