In the high-octane world of action movies, legends are born in the blink of an explosion. We all know the usual suspects—the invincible heroes, the iconic villains, the characters whose faces are plastered across posters and pop culture forever. Names like John McClane, Ethan Hunt, and the T-800 are etched into the collective memory of moviegoers. But for every genre-defining icon, there are a dozen others who flew under the radar—characters who brought just as much firepower, style, or menace, but never quite got their due. Maybe their film didn’t have a blockbuster budget. Maybe they were buried in a crowded ensemble. Or maybe they were just ahead of their time, waiting for the rest of the world to catch up. Whether they’re fiercely determined underdogs, cool-headed assassins, or villains so slick you almost root for them, these characters prove that greatness doesn’t always come with a franchise. From overlooked performances to hidden gems in cult classics, here are the unsung heroes and villains who deserve a second look… and maybe their own franchise.
These are the 100 Most Underrated Heroes & Villains of Action Cinema.
60. Cunningham (Tim Roth) | Rob Roy (1995)
An unfortunate victim of timing, Rob Roy had the misfortune of coming out at the same time as another movie about a famous Scottish hero and since that one sucked all the oxygen out of the room, this one never stood a chance. Braveheart is an undeniable masterpiece that deserved all the critical acclaim and commercial success it received but it still feels like it robbed Rob Roy, a movie almost as good, a chance at Oscar glory. The film only received one nomination (which is two less than Batman Forever), which is insane but if it was going to get nominated for anything, it needed to be Tim Roth. He delivers a career-defining performance as Archibald Cunningham, a vile swordsman who becomes one of the most loathsome and magnetic villains in historical cinema.
A flamboyant fop, Cunningham is an aristocrat with impeccable taste that, at first glance, seems soft. A man more concerned with manners than mayhem, but beneath that polished surface lies a predator. Hired by the equally villainous Marquis of Montrose (John Hurt) to discredit and destroy the Highland folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor (Liam Neeson), Cunningham quickly reveals his capacity for manipulation, cruelty, and violence. Watching Roth effortlessly flip the switch from a dandy to a sadist, is unreal. He’s channels both aspects of the character flawlessly, which makes his evil acts all the more shocking. He may dress like a gentleman but he’s a better that takes pleasure in humiliation. He lies, provokes, and rapes without hesitation. But unlike many cinematic villains, Cunningham doesn’t act out of desperation or ideology—he acts out of amusement. Evil is a sport to him and he plays to win.
59. Sook-hee (Kim Ok-vin) | The Villainess (2017)
Some movies introduce their main characters by having them perform a noble deed or something relatable so that when they finally do something badass, it’s a whiplash inducing revelation. Not The Villainess. In the film, the main character Sook-hee is introduced in one of the most visceral opening sequences in action cinema: a chaotic, first-person rampage that ends with her bloodied and broken, but still standing. It’s a baptism of fire and blood that eventually ends in a mountain of corpses. After a series of trauma inducing incidents force her to fight for her life, she catches the eye of a shadowy government agency who then captures and recruits her. They promise her freedom for her and her daughter in exchange for a decade of service. They remake her—face, name, everything.
Her identity was forcibly removed from her to become the ultimate unseen assassin who can kill and then hide in plain sight. They created the ultimate hitman, which comes back to royally bite them in the ass when they double cross her. Drawing inspiration from films like La Femme Nikita and Kill Bill, The Villainess is not exactly original in terms of its story but the performance of Kim Ok-vin as Sook-hee justifies its existence alone. She delivers a performance that never lets us forget the character’s humanity. Even in the most kinetic, stylized sequences, there’s always something raw beneath her eyes. She’s not a superhero. She’s a woman who has been used, discarded, and ultimately decides she will no longer play by anyone else’s rules.
58. Mondale’s Henchman (Benny Urquidez) | Wheels on Meals (1984)
Action movie villains tend to fall into one of three categories: the nefarious businessman who pulls the strings from behind the scenes, the insane lunatic capable of doing anything or the silent henchman who’s a martial arts expert. There are a million great examples of each archetype but few hold a candle to Benny “The Jet” Urquidez when it comes to the third one — the silent henchman who’s a martial arts expert. In the film Wheels on Meals, he plays the role of Mondale’s henchman, an unnamed but unforgettable villain whose martial prowess and intense screen presence elevates him far beyond a typical secondary antagonist.
Though his character lacks a detailed backstory or significant dialogue, Urquidez’s performance is a masterclass in physical storytelling, driven by sheer menace and elite combat skills. He is less a character and more like an obstacle to overcome but since he’s played by one of the greatest kick boxers to ever live, that obstacle might as well be climbing Mount Everest backwards. The climactic fight between Urquidez and Chan is the film’s standout sequence and has gone on to become one of the most celebrated one-on-one martial arts duels in Hong Kong cinema. The final showdown is an extended, high-speed, high-impact fight that blends choreography, athleticism, and real martial arts technique.
It’s fast-paced, precise, and surprisingly brutal for a film that otherwise leans into comedy. What makes this fight legendary is the fact that neither fighter pulls punches (figuratively or literally), and the pacing is relentless. In Wheels on Meals, Urquidez isn’t just a henchman — he’s a physical manifestation of the heroes’ final trial, a villain who speaks with his fists and feet. His performance helped raise the standard for martial arts villains in cinema and set a benchmark for realism and intensity in fight choreography. Pretty incredible for a character without a name and barely any screentime.
57. Joe Hallenbeck (Bruce Willis) | The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Joe Hallenbeck is a relic of a bygone era. He is both a critique and celebration of an action hero archetype long since dead. Hollywood doesn’t make movies about damaged, cynical antiheroes unless they wear capes or costumes, and they definitely left down-on-their-luck private investigators in the past years ago. Hallenbeck is the type of character that has so many negative personality traits (he’s bitter, self-destructive, and frequently abrasive), so many things going wrong in his life (his career is in shambles, his marriage is collapsing, and he’s barely clinging to a sense of purpose) and so many cliché action things about him (he’s a former Secret Service agent, he’s teamed up with a wise cracking partner and he makes non-stop quips), that he’s bordering on the edge of parody. But Bruce Willis sells it, grounding the character with his trademark weary charisma and surprising emotional beats.
The reason Hollywood doesn’t make characters like this isn’t because they’re out of vogue or out of fashion, it’s because there are no more actors like Willis that can properly bring them to life. His portrayal taps into the archetype he helped define in Die Hard: the reluctant tough guy with a biting wit and a bottomless well of bruised integrity. Hallenbeck isn’t clean-cut or noble but he is fiercely loyal and guided by an unshakable sense of right and wrong, no matter how much it costs him. That contradiction makes him so compelling. The movie’s title The Last Boy Scout still would’ve been ironic if any other actor played him but it takes on another deeper meaning once Willis played him. Not just because of his personality but because he’s one of the last genuine movie stars. Just like Joe Hallenbeck, he’s the last of a dying breed.
56. Agent Karl Savak (Bruce Payne) | One Tough Bastard (1996)
Known for his ability to play urbane yet terrifying villains (Passenger 57, Warlock III, Full Eclipse), Bruce Payne always delivers a memorable performance and yet, no one ever hires him. He’s been working for over forty years and only a handful of directors have realized what a commodity he is. One Tough Bastard (also known as One Man’s Justice) isn’t the greatest made for TV action movie ever made (It’s not even the best Brian Bosworth movie and that’s not a hard bar to pass), but it at least has enough action to keep you moderately interested, and the good sense to cast Payne as the lead villain.
He’s Agent Karl Savak, a crooked government operative that has a nose ring, a lion’s mane of hair and the ice cold resolve of a hitman. If you stand in the way of his goal, he will eliminate you. Even his own henchmen and allies. Karl Savak is a high-ranking federal agent, but it becomes clear early on that he’s operating far outside the law. Corrupt to the core, Savak is deeply entangled in illegal weapons trafficking, using his government position as cover for his criminal empire. He’s like the worst parts of Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman) from Leon: The Professional and the best parts of Mr. Stone (John P. Ryan) from Death Wish 4: The Crackdown had an extremely violent and perverse baby who gave zero fucks and looked great doing it.
55. Jimmy (Sharlto Copley) | Hardcore Henry (2015)
Set in a hyper-violent, first-person-shooter-inspired world, Hardcore Henry is told entirely from the perspective of its silent protagonist. Essentially, it’s Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up stretched to 90 minutes but instead of an insane night out filled with various debaucheries, it’s an almost non-stop action film filled with insane stunts. It doesn’t all work but one of its highlights is Sharlto Copley who delivers a wildly entertaining, chameleonic performance as Jimmy, the weirdest and wildest sidekick in any action movie. In addition to Copley’s signature manic energy and impeccable comedic timing, the character has a unique gimmick: he dies, a lot. Throughout the film, Jimmy repeatedly dies, only to reappear moments later in a completely new form: a punk rocker, a proper British officer, a coked-up maniac, a hippie, a sniper, a butler, and more.
The explanation behind how he can seemingly never die is as outlandish as the film itself: Jimmy is a paraplegic scientist who survives through an array of remotely controlled avatars, cybernetic proxies through which he interacts with the world. Each version of Jimmy represents a fragment of his personality, a coping mechanism, or a tactical choice, and Copley plays them all with reckless abandon. He isn’t just comic relief or exposition delivery—he’s the beating heart of Hardcore Henry. He gives the film its eccentric soul, its bursts of humanity, and its most memorable moments. Without Jimmy, the movie would be a brutal tech-demo; with him, it becomes a gonzo sci-fi satire with a pulse.
54. Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) | Fast X (2023)
You would think that a franchise that’s ten films deep would have produced way more memorable villains by now but the Fast & the Furious movies have very few that leave an impression. And the ones that do, usually turn into allies by the next movie. Which is why Dante Reyes feels the first true villain the series has produced and with apologizes to Deckard Shaw, easily the best. Unlike the grounded, brooding antagonists of past films, Dante is flamboyant and theatrical—a wild swing of a character that Momoa excels at. Jason Momoa has zero range as an actor, but if you write characters that fit his personality, no other actor can do what he does better and with the possible exception of the upcoming movie Lobo, no character fits his personality more than Dante. He’s loud, playful but menacing and entertaining beyond belief.
He is the son of Hernan Reyes, the Brazilian drug lord who met his end in Fast Five. Fast X reveals that Dante was there all along, surviving the events that killed his father and watching as Dominic Toretto’s crew tore his family legacy apart. Ten years later, he emerges not as a wounded heir but as a vengeful demon, determined to dismantle Dom’s “family” piece by piece. What makes Dante particularly compelling is that he’s not just chaotic for the sake of it. He’s a strategist. He manipulates situations to maximize suffering—psychologically, emotionally, and physically. His attacks are personal, aiming not only to kill but to break spirits and destroy bonds. He doesn’t want to just win; he wants to watch Dom suffer. It took them ten years but they finally made a villain with a good motivation, a good plan and an actual personality trait. Here’s hoping they don’t fuck it up by making him the latest BFF in the next one.
53. Leng Tian-Ying (Chen Kuan-Tai) | Killer Constable (1980)
Since the Shaw Brothers never dipped their toes into sci-fi, Leng Tian-Ying is the closest they’ve come to having a character from that genre since he’s essentially a wuxia Judge Dredd but with a giant sword instead of the Lawgiver and a sweet mustache instead of a helmet. As the titular “killer constable,” Leng is a high-ranking imperial officer dispatched to retrieve stolen gold and punish the corrupt guards responsible for its disappearance. However, his pursuit of justice is defined by an unwavering adherence to duty and an almost inhuman lack of empathy. He is a man of iron discipline and terrifying efficiency who follows orders to the letter, eliminating suspects without hesitation.
Unlike many kung fu heroes who grapple with personal codes of honor, Leng’s code is absolute. Justice, in his view, is not blind—it is cold and calculated. Leng’s rigidity sets him apart from both the criminals he hunts and his own men, some of whom begin to question the morality of their mission. As the film progresses and his subordinates dwindle (each meeting a tragic or violent end), he becomes increasingly isolated. This alienation serves to highlight the hollowness of his unwavering loyalty. He is a relic of an imperial system that values obedience over compassion. Leng Tian-Ying is not a hero in the traditional sense. He is a chilling portrait of what happens when duty eclipses humanity. Chen Kuan-Tai’s portrayal turns him into a figure of moral dread, a symbol of law gone lethal, and justice without mercy.
52. Velvet Von Ragnar (Gene Simmons) | Never Too Young to Die (1986)
Based on the three movies (and one episode of Miami Vice) in which he played a villain, I’m convinced that Gene Simmons could’ve played the baddie in any James Bond film of the ’80s and, with a few exceptions, did it better than the original actor. Runaway and Wanted: Dead or Alive are forgettable action movies that have villains that you could easily picture going toe-to-toe with Bond but since Never Too Young to Die is literally a Bond parody, Velvet Von Ragnar is the closest Simmons ever got to officially play one for real and his performance is more memorable and electric than 90% of the official Bond villains. A glam-metal warlord with a taste for chaos and eyeliner, Ragnar is both a hyper-stylized caricature and an oddly magnetic presence.
Half Bond villain, half drag diva, all unhinged. Described in the film as “a hermaphrodite with both male and female sex organs”, Ragnar is a gender-fluid megalomaniac who struts across the screen in sequined leotards, screeching monologues and plotting nuclear terrorism with the flair of a cabaret performer. His diabolical goal? To poison the water supply of Los Angeles with radioactive waste unless paid a massive ransom. That plan, while textbook villain fare, takes a backseat to the character’s sheer presence. Whether leading a Mad Max-style biker gang or delivering cryptic, grandiose threats, Ragnar owns every scene he’s in. Simmons leans into the role with a wild, theatrical energy that oscillates between camp and outright insanity. He chews every inch of scenery, turning what could’ve been a forgettable B-movie antagonist into a symbol of glorious cinematic absurdity.
51. Robert “Bobby” Trench (Denzel Washington) and Michael “Stig” Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) | 2 Guns (2013)
While I find The Equalizer to be one of the better examples of a “Geezer Teaser”, this is the film that should’ve spawned a series. 2 Guns is more fun, has a more interesting plot and benefits greatly from the chemistry of Washington and Wahlberg. Their banter is sharp, fast-paced, and full of mistrust, but it evolves into mutual respect and a brotherly bond forged under fire. Washington plays Bobby Trench, a DEA agent who plays his cards close to the vest. Cool-headed and methodical, he prefers working under the radar, blending street smarts with a strong moral compass. In contrast, Wahlberg’s Stigman is more impulsive and quick to action, often relying on instinct and brute force over subtlety.
He is a Navy Intelligence operative whose gung-ho attitude and boyish charm mask a sharp tactical mind. Wahlberg injects the character with a kinetic energy (half smart-ass, half sharpshooter), making Stig both a wildcard and the dangerous man alive. The film thrives on their odd-couple energy (Bobby the strategist, Stig the storm), creating tension that evolves into camaraderie once the bullets start flying. While 2 Guns isn’t groundbreaking in its narrative, the performances of Washington and Wahlberg elevate the material. Bobby and Stig are more than just undercover agents — they represent two sides of the same coin: cynicism and idealism, experience and instinct. Together, they deliver a fast, funny, and explosive thrill ride with just enough character depth to leave an impression beyond the final shootout.
50. The Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) | Serenity (2005)
Chiwetel Ejiofor’s portrayal of the Operative stands as one of the most compelling performances in science fiction cinema. Unlike many genre villains driven by greed, revenge, or madness, the Operative is chilling precisely because he is utterly rational, unwaveringly committed, and deeply sincere. His mission: to eliminate any threat to the Alliance’s utopian vision—even if that means committing atrocities. The Operative is a nameless assassin, functioning as an extension of the Alliance’s will. He operates in the shadows with precision, guided not by personal ambition but by ideological purity. He truly believes in the moral rightness of the Alliance and seeks to create “a world without sin”—a goal so idealistic it becomes terrifying in its implications. The Operative has surrendered his personal identity and moral compass in favor of absolute duty.
He even admits he has no place in the better world he’s helping to build; he is, as he says, a “monster” by necessity. Ejiofor brings a rare gravitas to the role. His performance is calm, composed, and eerily polite, which only heightens the menace of the character. He doesn’t shout or rage; instead, he speaks softly about the necessity of murder and the virtues of obedience. His ability to combine charm, intellect, and cold-blooded conviction makes him unforgettable. There is a samurai-like discipline to his movements and decisions, reinforcing his image as a man wholly dedicated to a cause beyond himself. It sucks Whedon turned out to be a creep because we lost out on a bunch of his screenplays. He could definitely write interesting, multilayered characters with The Operative being one of his best.
49. Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) | Haywire (2011)
Steven Soderbergh is one of the last directors I would guess would make a spy thriller, let alone an action film, but Haywire proves the man can work within any genre. The film is a stripped-down, kinetic thriller that operates like a precision instrument,t and at its center is Mallory Kane, played by MMA fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano in a role tailored to her physical prowess. Mallory is a former Marine turned black ops operative, betrayed by her own agency and forced to go rogue after a mission in Barcelona goes sideways. What follows is a globe-trotting revenge story told with minimalist dialogue and visceral hand-to-hand combat. She is not here to impress or seduce; she is here to get even and the film never asks her to be anything else. What distinguishes Mallory from typical action leads, especially female ones, is the film’s refusal to sexualize or sentimentalize her.
Her motivation isn’t romantic, and her revenge isn’t personal in the soap-opera sense, it’s professional. She was betrayed on the job, and she intends to correct that error with methodical efficiency. Carano’s acting may be understated (which is an understatement), but her physicality is the performance. Soderbergh doesn’t cut around the action, he lets it play out in long takes and wide shots to highlight the authenticity of Carano’s movements. Her background as a real-life fighter lends credibility that Hollywood choreography rarely achieves. Haywire is a subversion of the spy-action genre in many ways. It discards the glossy spectacle of Mission: Impossible or the operatic chaos of Jason Bourne for something leaner and more clinical. Mallory doesn’t have gadgets or John Wick’s magical bulletproof jackets; all she has is her physical prowess and the all-consuming desire for revenge, and that’s more than enough.
48. Shen (Gary Oldman) | Kung Fu Panda 2 (2008)
In addition to adorable animals and lovable princesses, Disney is known for their villains. Since they’ve been around for almost a century, their rogues’ gallery is unrivaled. But if they don’t watch out, DreamWorks might eventually overtake them. They’ve been quietly building a formidable team of baddies, with Lord Shen from Kung Fu Panda 2 being one of the best. As a peacock (a bird traditionally associated with grace and beauty), he subverts expectations by becoming a symbol of destruction. Driven by a prophecy that foretells his defeat at the hands of a “warrior of black and white,” Shen embarks on a ruthless campaign to prevent that fate, including an attempted genocide of pandas. He doesn’t just want power; he wants to erase the past and reshape the future in his image.
Oldman brings a chilling charm to Shen, delivering lines with a haunting mix of arrogance and wounded pride. His voice oscillates between velvety persuasion and raw fury, making Shen feel like a weird collision of sophistication and insanity. Visually, Shen is breathtaking. His sharp feathers, sleek silhouette, and use of fireworks-based weaponry reflect his elegance and innovation but also his instability. His movements, fluid and deadly, fuse martial arts grace with theatrical menace. Ultimately, he is a tragic figure. He is not evil for its own sake but is reacting to a prophecy he believes has doomed him. His attempts to outmaneuver fate only seal his downfall, echoing classical tragedies where the hero’s efforts to avoid destiny ensure its arrival. Lord Shen stands out among animated villains because he is intellectually dangerous, psychologically layered, and morally gray. He is both the product and perpetrator of trauma, a character whose beauty masks his brokenness.
47. Lo Tung (Sammo Hung) | Pedicab Driver (1989)
Sammo Hung is, without a doubt, the most underrated action star of all time. Not just because of his unbelievable fight scenes that never get talked about or his insane body of work as both an actor and as a director or even his longevity as a performer but because of his willingness to try anything. He dipped his toes into genres his contemporaries would never dare try and tackle. He made star-studded epics, gonzo supernatural comedies and in the case of Pedicab Driver, a movie that feels like everything at once. The film blends romantic melodrama, slapstick humor, and bone-crunching action into one wholly unique experience that sometimes feels tonally uneven but Hung’s performance grounds the movie and keeps it from becoming a mess.
He plays Lo Tung, a hardworking pedicab driver trying to eke out a living alongside his best friend Fatso (Lam Ching-ying), in a bustling, unforgiving city. The duo are part of a community of laborers struggling to survive amidst gangsters, exploitation, and economic hardship. But while the world around him is tough and unjust, Lo Tung remains a decent man who laughs easily, fights ferociously, and loves deeply. When he falls in love with Ping (Nina Li Chi), his life takes a turn toward hopeful romance. But his pursuit of love is challenged not only by his own insecurities and station in life, but by the brutality of the world around them. Pedicab Driver is a rare blend of genre elements: it’s a romantic action-drama that mourns the hardship of the working class while celebrating their resilience. Lo Tung, as a character, is symbolic of that resilience. He fights injustice, protects the weak, and never forgets to laugh, even when the world tries to grind him down. It may not be one of his more well-known movies but it most certainly has one of his best characters
46. Giulio Sacchi (Tomas Milian) | Almost Human (1974)
Calling Almost Human an action movie is a generous description of genre. It is a brutally violent crime thriller that acts like Dirty Harry told from the point of view of the Scorpio Killer but with a character arguably far worse. Giulio Sacchi (played with feral intensity by Tomas Milian) is not merely a criminal but a terrifying descent into unchecked sociopathy. In a genre crowded with gangsters and rebels, Sacchi stands out as a profoundly disturbing character: cowardly, sadistic, and brutally real. Frustrated with his lowly status and emboldened by a nihilistic worldview, Sacchi escalates from petty theft to kidnapping and cold-blooded murder.
He’s not a criminal mastermind. He’s impulsive, erratic, and consumed by rage. Not against society, exactly, but against his own smallness within it. Almost Human came out during the height of the poliziotteschi genre—a time when Italy was gripped by political violence, police corruption, and rising crime. In this context, Sacchi isn’t an anomaly but a symptom. He mirrors the audience’s fears about the crumbling order and the type of man that chaos produces: directionless, brutal, and entirely self-serving.
Milian delivers one of the most unhinged and unfiltered performances of his career. Primarily known for charismatic antiheroes and psychotic villains, Milian decided to make Sacchi into something more animalistic. He walks like a predator on the edge of implosion, his eyes darting, his speech jittery and foul. As the title suggests, he is almost human—man whose moral compass has completely disintegrated. Giulio Sacchi is not a villain you root for, he’s one you recoil from. Tomas Milian plays him as a feral, loathsome man-child, a chilling embodiment of violence without purpose. In Almost Human, Sacchi is the dark heart of the poliziotteschi genre, and a reminder that sometimes evil isn’t complex, it’s just real.
45. Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan) | Armour of God (1986) & Armour of God 2: Operation Condor (1991)
While not as globally recognized as Rush Hour or Police Story, the Armour of God films are crucial to Jackie Chan’s international breakout. They helped cement his reputation as a director-star capable of crafting blockbuster-level adventures on par with Hollywood, while maintaining the unique flavor of Hong Kong cinema. They are the East’s Answer to Indiana Jones and in some ways they are better. The set pieces may not be as memorable compared to Spielberg’s masterpieces but the action scenes are every bit their equal and the main character’s name is Asian Hawk, which is inarguably a better name than Indiana Jones. Even if both those statements were correct (which is debatable), neither is that impressive all things considered, but since both are played and performed by Jackie Chan, well, that’s a horse of a different color.
Of the many, many Indiana Jones rip-offs in existence, Operation Condor is definitely in the conversation as one of the best. The action scenes and stunts are out of this world and Chan’s version of Indy is so singular, no other clone can replicate it. Which is one of the reasons it eclipses even the first film in the series. While Armour of God is still entertaining, Operation Condor doubles down on the Indiana Jones influence — sandstorms, secret maps, booby traps, and even motorcycle chases through bazaars all recall Spielberg’s globe-hopping adventures. It also fleshes out Asian Hawk and makes him more than your run of the mill stock adventure guy.
Asian Hawk isn’t just Jackie Chan playing a role. He is Jackie Chan amplified. An everyman hero with impossible skills, goofy charm, and unshakable resolve. Unlike American action heroes of the era, he’s often the underdog in fights. He gets hurt, he panics, he improvises. That vulnerability is key to his appeal. He doesn’t bulldoze through problems; he flips, scrambles, and jokes his way through them. Most of Chan’s characters are indistinguishable from one another but Asian Hawk stands out as one of the more memorable ones.
44. Koba (Toby Kebbell) | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Few villains are as sympathetic and complex as Koba. A product of abuse, fear, and righteous fury, Koba is not evil in the traditional sense, he is a revolutionary consumed by trauma and revenge. Koba is a genetically enhanced chimpanzee, like Caesar, having gained higher intelligence from the same ALZ-113 virus. But where Caesar was raised with compassion by humans, Koba suffered a lifetime of imprisonment, medical experimentation, and torture at the hands of scientists and military personnel. The scene where he points to his scars and says “human work”, might be the fastest an audience has ever completely understood a character’s motivation. His mangled body,covered in scars and disfigurement, is a visual record of their abuse, and it informs every decision he makes and is more powerful than any monologue or flashback.
Since he’s the star of the trilogy, Andy Serkis gets most of the attention when talking about them but Toby Kebbell is every bit his equal. His performance is a masterclass in emotional depth and menace. His portrayal of Koba is chillingly effective, blending physicality, voice work, and expressive facial performance to bring the character to life with startling realism. CGI is often times a lazy director’s crutch but when used effectively, it’s one of the best tools in their arsenal. Stan Winston could’ve made a puppet indistinguishable from the real thing that would stand the test of time but no puppet could deliver as nuanced a performance as this.
43. Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich) | RED (2010) & RED 2 (2013)
On one hand, it’s sad that the RED series will be Bruce Willis’s last great action series, but on the other, he at least got to end his career with one of the best and weirdly underrated series of the last 15 years. In some ways, the films are the ultimate Geezer Teasers—they’re filled with impossibly old actors kicking the most amount of ass possible but unlike the garbage that use to flood the Redbox kiosks, these are actually good because the old actors are fully committed and the action is actually great. It’s the chemistry of the actors that really makes it work ultimately.
They each play off each other’s individual personalities perfectly, with the John Malkovich character being the biggest one to contend with. He’s Marvin Boggs, a former CIA operative who was subjected to extensive doses of LSD as part of a mind control experiment who is a volatile mix of paranoia, brilliance, and comic relief. These experiments left him deeply paranoid, but also highly perceptive and unpredictably dangerous. He lives in a secluded, booby-trapped underground bunker and is convinced “they” are always watching. The fact that he’s usually right is what makes Marvin so effective—and frightening.
Despite his erratic behavior, Marvin is fiercely loyal to his former colleagues, especially Frank Moses (Bruce Willis). Their friendship feels like a brotherhood forged in violence and paranoia, and Marvin often serves as Frank’s emotional foil: where Frank is cool-headed and reluctant, Marvin is frenetic and trigger-happy. What sets Marvin apart from the typical “crazy sidekick” trope is the depth Malkovich brings. Behind the paranoia and explosive tendencies lies someone with real emotional depth. He craves trust and connection, despite believing the world is conspiring against him. He’s not just comic relief—he’s tragicomic, a man shaped and scarred by the very system he once served.
42. Chris Caleek (Lance Henriksen) | Hit List (1989)
It’s common knowledge that Lance Henriksen was James Cameron’s first choice for the Terminator but few know why he even considered him in the first place. At first glance, it doesn’t make sense why Cameron would want him to play the perfect killing machine. He’s a walking skeleton with buggy eyes that looks homeless half the time but if you saw Hit List, it makes all makes perfect sense. In the film he plays Chris Caleek, a cold-blooded and calculating hitman working for organized crime who is tasked with eliminating witnesses in a criminal trial, but after he kidnaps the wrong child, the father (Jan-Michael Vincent) comes seeking revenge.
From the second he’s introduced, Caleek seems like a relentless predator and as the film goes on, it’s clear that he’s beyond relentless. He is efficient, unfeeling, and terrifyingly committed to finishing his contract. He’s the kind of villain who doesn’t just kill because it’s his job; there’s a sense that he enjoys the power and chaos he brings. Lance Henriksen, already well-known by 1989 for his intense roles in films like Aliens and Near Dark, brings a chilling physicality and psychological edge to Caleek. With his gaunt features, piercing eyes, and an economy of movement, Henriksen makes Caleek feel like a looming threat in every scene. He doesn’t overplay the villainy—he underplays it, which only makes Caleek more disturbing. He’s the most intimidating shoe salesman since Al Bundy.
41. Sgt. Francis Li (Chow Yun-Fat) and CID Officer Michael Tso (Conan Lee) | Tiger on the Beat (1988)
Like all movies within the buddy cop genre, Tiger on the Beat lives and dies on the chemistry of its actors and the strength of its odd-couple pairing and this has one of the best examples of both. In the film, Chow Yun-Fat plays Sgt. Francis Li, a lazy, unkempt, and reluctant police officer, with Conan Lee as CID Officer Michael Tso, a hot-headed, by-the-book rookie. Pairing a strict, law abiding cop with a laissez-faire slacker isn’t revolutionary but the fact that the slacker is played by Chow Yun-Fat (who is a million miles from his usual suave, heroic archetype), certainly is. He’s a washed-out, womanizing slacker who would rather sleep at his desk or flirt with women than chase down criminals. But despite his laziness and sarcasm, Li is not incompetent. He’s experienced, street-smart, and resourceful when the situation calls for it. In sharp contrast, Conan Lee’s Michael Tso is physically imposing, earnest, and overly serious—an idealistic young officer who believes in justice and proper procedure.
Tso initially despises Li’s lazy, irreverent attitude, but the two are forced to work together on a murder case involving drug trafficking, corruption, and a mysterious female witness. Through shared trials (and multiple near-death experiences), Tso gradually comes to understand the value of Li’s streetwise instincts, while Li begins to respect Tso’s integrity and courage. Neither their dynamic together nor their character arcs break new ground but that’s the beauty of the buddy cop genre, as long as you like the cops at the center of things, it can be nothing but cliches and still work. Tiger on the Beat succeeds not just because of its outrageous action sequences and slapstick comedy, but because Chow Yun-Fat and Conan Lee sell the central relationship with sincerity and flair. They are a quintessential buddy cop duo—flawed, funny, and ultimately formidable.
80-61 | 40-21
What are some of your favorite underrated action characters? Maybe they will show up further on the list.
