English Action Movies

Check out these good English action movies if you’ve got a hankering for hard men with big guns or tiny cars speeding through the narrow streets of London. “Hard man” is British slang for a violent or ruthless individual, by the way, so don’t go getting the wrong idea.

All the following English action movies can be purchased from Amazon, and the online retailer has a massive collection of films to choose from. Yes, we get a small commission for sending you there, but we’ve been using their services for years when it comes to building our own film collection.

• The 51st State (2001) – Also known as Formula 51, the film stars Samuel L. Jackson as a kilt-wearing chemist who heads to the U.K. in order to sell his latest creation–a drug that’s said to be 51 time more powerful than cocaine, meth, opium and ecstasy. Co-staring Robert Carlyle, Emily Mortimer, and Meat Loaf.
• Green Street (2005) – When an American college student heads to England to spend time with his sister, he becomes involved in hooliganism thanks to the West Ham football firm. If you love massive brawls featuring white guys, then this is the film for you.

• From Russia With Love (1963) – When a beautiful Russian agent seeks to defect, she’ll only turn herself over to secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery). But in order to complete his mission, 007 will have to dodge a vicious SPECTRE assassin (Robert Shaw) and Rosa Klebb, a woman with the most lethal shoes in cinematic history. If you’re new to the James Bond franchise, be sure to catch this one.
• Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) – Guy Ritchie’s crime film interweaves a number of stories, including a gang of pals (including Jason Statham) who suddenly find themselves in debt to a crime lord, a psychotic drug dealer with a passion for soccer, two bumbling thieves tasked with stealing a pair of antique shotguns, and a father/son debt collection team (Vinnie Jones plays the dad). Keep an eye out for Sting in a small role.
• Snatch (2000) – In the follow-up to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Guy Ritchie once again looks at the seedy underbelly of Britain, this time with much of the cast in pursuit of a massive stolen diamond. Meanwhile, an underground boxing promoter named Turkish (Jason Statham) must rely on a gypsy (Brad Pitt) to help him during an upcoming match. Also starring Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones, Benicio del Toro and Rade Sherbedgia.
• Layer Cake (2004) – Before he was 007, Daniel Craig portrayed XXXX, a cocaine dealer looking to pull off one last big score before retirement. Filled with twists and turns, the film co-stars Colm Meaney, Sienna Miller and Michael Gambon.
• Casino Royale (2006) – Daniel Craig makes his debut as James Bond, and his mission involves entering a high stakes poker tournament held by the villainous Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). There, he meets CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) for the first time and falls in love with treasury agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). The story is continued in the following film, Quantum of Solace.
• Hot Fuzz (2007) – Simon Pegg plays Nicholas Angel, a cop who’s so effective that he makes everyone around him look like buffoons. His efforts get him transferred to a quiet village where nothing ever happens, but soon a serial killer is bumping off the population. That’s when Angel teams with Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), a well-meaning local obsessed with action movies. Timothy Dalton is all kinds of hilarious in a supporting role, and other co-stars include Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine and Edward Woodward.

• Children of Men (2006) – In a world where children are no longer born due to rampant pollution and other factors, Clive Owen plays a mild-mannered beaurecrat who must escort a pregnant girl across a chaotic England and into the hands of scientists. Already viewed as a modern sci-fi classic.
• Dr. No (1962) – James Bond (Sean Connery) makes his film debut and attempts to stop Dr. Julius No (Joseph Wiseman), an agent of SPECTRE who’s trying to disrupt launches from Cape Canaveral. Ursula Andress immortalizes the image of the “Bond Girl” by coming out of the ocean in a most impressive fashion.

If this list of 10 good English action movies has you in the mood for further examples of gunplay and fisticuffs, why not click on the links below:

• Chinese Action Movies – A Brief History
• Japanese Action Movies
• Action Movies – List of Action Movies
• Good French Movies for Action Fans
• 12 Good Chinese Action Movies

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• Action Movies – List of Action Movies
• Japanese Action Movies
• Chinese Action Movies – A Brief History