4. Die Hard
Despite the last few entries of the Die Hard franchise being somewhat disappointing, it still ranks as one of the best action movie franchises of all time. 1988 saw the release of Die Hard, following New York cop John McClane as he finds himself trapped in the middle of a hostage situation in an LA skyscraper while visiting his estranged wife. Fighting back against the supposed terrorists who hold his wife captive, McClane uses his wits to stop the criminals. Die Hard 2 and Die Hard with a Vengeance continued and expanded upon the ideas and themes of the original.
Even though subsequent entries fell into a number of modern Hollywood traps, they still offered some solid action. However, the original trilogy of Die Hard movies ultimately seal the franchise’s place on our list. The balance of suspense with brilliant action set pieces is a thing of beauty, with each film making use of a distinct and memorable setting.
There’s a sort of poetry to the best movies the Die Hard franchise has to offer, with John McClane being a perfect everyman action hero. With a number of impressive castings for the franchise’s villains and some solid narrative innovation, the Die Hard movies remain action classics for a reason. They’re fun, they’re action-packed, and they’re well-made, and that’s more than good enough for us.