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.
80. Sergeant Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren) | Universal Soldier (Franchise)
Andrew Scott stands out as one of the most iconic villains in 1990s science fiction action cinema. First introduced in Roland Emmerich’s Universal Soldier, Scott is a brutal, unhinged soldier brought back to life through an experimental military program. More than a decade later, he returned to the franchise for Regeneration and Day of Reckoning, two of the best DTV action movies ever. In the first movie, he is a hardened soldier who succumbs to the horrors of the Vietnam war, ultimately descending into madness. He murders civilians, mutilates bodies, and inevitably turns on his own men, including Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), who tries to stop him. The confrontation ends in both their deaths—but death is just the beginning.
Resurrected as a government experiment, Scott is now GR13, a cybernetically enhanced super-soldier designed to feel nothing and obey without question. But fragments of his past bubble to the surface. As the UniSols begin to experience “memory echoes,” Scott reverts to his old sadistic self, this time with the added advantage of superhuman strength, regenerative abilities, and no moral restraints. Lundgren’s portrayal is chilling and charismatic. His Scott is flamboyantly deranged—quoting war slogans, cutting off ears as trophies, and seeing himself as a messianic figure for chaos. He’s equal parts Rambo and Colonel Kurtz, with a nihilistic streak that makes him a far more interesting antagonist than a typical action-movie brute.
What separates him further from most villains is the arc his character goes through over the course of three movies. By the time we get to Day of Reckoning, he is a million miles away from where he started. He’s no longer a pure antagonist, but a prophet-like figure and a mentor to Luc Deveraux, who has himself become the leader of the rogue UniSols. He’s a Frankenstein’s monster who recognizes his own monstrosity, and chooses to perpetuate it, but now in the service of tearing down the system that created him. It’s an amazing arc that most missed simply because the films skipped a theatrical release.
79. James Shannon (Christopher Walken) | The Dogs of War (1980)
Due to his easy to imitate voice and unique speech pattern, Christopher Walken has turned into a meme over the years but there was a time when he was one of the most exciting actors alive. It seems as though his goal from day one was to pick weird or challenging roles and to attack them head on. Say what you will about his career over all but you can’t accuse the man of ever phoning in a performance. He always fully commits to whatever the role is, which is why The Dogs of War works as well as it does. With any other actor, this would’ve ended up as a forgettable actioner but Walken delivers a haunting, restrained performance as James Shannon, a battle-hardened mercenary navigating the murky waters of post-colonial Africa, corporate greed, and personal disillusionment.
Despite what that badass poster promises, he is not an unstoppable one man killing machine. He is a quiet professional—a man deeply shaped by war, haunted by his past, and slowly disintegrating under the weight of his own conscience. After being caught and imprisoned on a routine reconnaissance mission, Shannon is eventually released after being savagely beaten nearly to death. He returns to the states, assembles a team and goes back to get revenge, orchestrate a coup and install a new leader of the county. Unlike the hyper-masculine, brash mercenaries of similar films, Shannon is introspective, almost philosophical. He is a ghost of a man who no longer believes in causes, only in consequences. Christopher Walken takes a potentially generic role and infuses it with nuance, melancholy, and depth. He portrays Shannon not as a hero, but as a tired man searching for meaning in a world that seems to have none left.
78. Richie Madano (William Forsythe) | Out for Justice (1991)
There are a number of reasons why Steven Seagal is by far the worst action star working today (lazy and unmemorable action, poor acting, terrible movies, refusal to literally stand up to film fight scenes, a terrible reputation) but there was a brief moment when it looked like he could become the next biggest thing. His first five movies are easily his best but then it’s an immediate sharp decline from that point forward. Which is saying something because his best was never really that good, they all just benefited from strong villains. The reason Under Siege has the reputation it has is due solely to the fact that it has two amazing villains. Any action star would kill to get either Tommy Lee Jones or Gary Busey to star as their villain and Seagal’s lucky ass got them both in one movie.
He set the bar impossibly high for himself. He worked with other great villain actors who all delivered solid work but none are quite on that level—Except for William Forsyth in Out for Justice. He is better than Jones or Busey separately and is damn near memorable enough by himself to equal their combined star power. Forsyth is a junkyard dog of an actor, you put him in the ring with anyone and he doesn’t blink. Regardless of the side of the role, there are very few times where he doesn’t walk away with the entire movie and Out for Justice is not one of them. In the film he plays Richie Madano, a psychopathic drug addict on a violent rampage.
His introduction is insane: he murders a fellow police officer in broad daylight in front of his family. It’s a shocking moment that sets up the essence of his character. He is a chaotic force that is also unpredictable, remorseless, and spiraling out of control. His motivations are a toxic blend of jealousy, resentment, and drug-fueled delusion. His performance is non-stop. It’s as if Forsyth asked the director before every scene “hey, where do you want me to pitch it?” And whatever number they said, he’d multiply it by a thousand. In the pantheon of early ’90s action villains, Richie Madano stands out as one of the most unrelentingly vicious and it’s William Forsythe’s fearless performance that makes him unforgettable.
77. Slaughter (Jim Brown) | Slaughter (1972) & Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off (1973)
The Blaxploitation era of the early 1970s produced a number of badass characters but few hold a candle to Jim Brown as Slaughter. He is a war-hardened veteran whose parents are brutally murdered by a car bomb orchestrated by the mob, which essentially makes him the proto Punisher. And like Frank Castle, Slaughter is efficient and no nonsense. He cuts through a web of mob corruption, high-stakes criminal enterprises, and government manipulation with deadly precision and without a single quip. With minimal dialogue and maximum impact, Brown turns Slaughter into an almost mythic presence, as if he was transformed into the God of vengeance hell-bent on killing everyone in his path. Unlike some of the flashier heroes of the era, Slaughter operates with grim determination and Jim Brown’s sheer physical presence makes him a believable one-man wrecking crew.
His quiet intensity, unflinching resolve, and brutal efficiency paved the way for later Black action heroes, including Shaft, Black Dynamite, and Luke Cage. In addition to Brown’s magnetic performance, both films benefit from having great foils for him to go up against. The first one has an unhinged Rip Torn and the second has a surprisingly menacing Ed McMahon in what is easily his best performance. Jim Brown’s Slaughter isn’t just a name, it’s a mission statement. Across two films, he personifies raw, vengeful justice in a world rigged against him. What makes Slaughter memorable isn’t just the body count or the attitude, but the way Brown uses silence, steel, and strength to embody a deep and enduring rage. The kind that resonates with audiences long after the credits roll.
76. Bebop and Rocksteady (Gary Anthony Williams, Stephen Farrelly) | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
It only took five movies, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans finally got to see their beloved Bebop and Rocksteady on the big screen, and in live-action no less. For some reason, creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird wanted the movies to draw inspiration from the comics rather than the cartoon, which is why Tokka and Rahzar appeared before the iconic duo. Since no one watching the movies was reading the comics (they loved the cartoon), it was a baffling decision not to integrate the two immediately. The Secret of the Ooze was not a great movie and their inclusion probably wouldn’t have made a difference overall, but it definitely would’ve affected box office sales or at the very least, sold more merch.
No one wanted half assed knock offs, they wanted the genuine article and it’s crazy that they had to wait so long to see them. But the wait was worth it. Out of the Shadows is by far the most underrated Turtles movie. It’s the only one to capture the feeling of the cartoon, while also improving upon the first in every way. The action set pieces are more bombastic, the turtles are more fun and it brings in villains no one thought would ever make the cut. Krang (who easily could’ve made this list) is a weird ass alien that looks like a chewed up wad of bubblegum housed in the chest cavity of a naked robot man. A character that could only work in a cartoon but somehow, the movie does him justice.
That alone is a minor miracle but the film somehow also nails Bebop and Rocksteady despite casting two of the most random actors imaginable but they fully commit to the roles. Gary Anthony Williams’ Bebop is loud-mouthed, cocky, and quick with a wisecrack, fitting the archetype of the streetwise punk from the original animated series. Stephen Farrelly as Rocksteady, meanwhile, brings brute force and a sort of childlike simplicity to the role. His physicality is naturally suited to the tank-like persona of Rocksteady, and his chemistry with Williams gives their scenes a buddy-comedy dynamic. Together, the two actors create a chaotic duo who are both threatening and ridiculous—just as fans remember them from the 1980s cartoon.
75. Jack Knife (Russell Crowe) | The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)
The Man with the Iron Fists was so close to being a fun chop socky throwback but like all passion projects, the director had to ruin it by making himself the lead. RZA has a deep affection for the genre and he clearly put in a lot of time and work trying to make it more than a parody or pastiche. He wanted it to be the genuine article and in many ways, he succeeded. The plot is reminiscent of a million other movies (which isn’t a negative), the characters and their weapons are all unique and the cast is filled with scene stealing icons of action cinema. But every time he’s on screen, the film flatlines. He’s a terrible actor and looks like he spent more time writing than working on his action scenes.
He’s the one grapefruit in the fruit salad but thankfully he was smart enough to keep the camera on the other characters for most of it. Especially Russell Crowe, who doesn’t belong in this movie at all but is clearly having fun slicing and dicing fools up. He plays Jack Knife, a British mercenary with mysterious intentions and a penchant for violence, opium, and mechanical weaponry. Wielding a spring-loaded knife-sword hybrid that snaps out like a deadly fan, Jack uses it to blend the insides of anyone foolish enough to annoy him.
Crowe has played many great villains over the years but few with as much gleeful menace. It’s a departure from his typically serious roles, embracing the film’s pulpy, over-the-top tone. Jack Knife is a scene-stealing, blood-soaked fusion of British elegance and martial mayhem. Russell Crowe’s commitment to the role adds unexpected depth and charm to a movie that thrives on style over substance. While The Man with the Iron Fists is pretty mediocre over all , characters like Jack Knife are a big reason it developed a cult following. If only he was in a better movie.
74. Earl Talbot Blake (John Lithgow) | Ricochet (1991)
You would think a movie from the creators of Highlander, Monster Squad and Die Hard and starring Denzel Washington and John Lithgow would be far more famous but for some reason Ricochet languishes in near obscurity. It’s a rock solid thriller with a great plot and two amazing central performances but if anyone else was cast as the main villain, I doubt it would work as well. John Lithgow delivers one of his most unhinged and unforgettable performances as Earl Talbot Blake, a brilliant, sadistic, and theatrically vengeful criminal mastermind. He’s a force of chaos, wrapped in intellect and cruelty, and his vendetta-fueled war against Washington’s character gives the film its relentless drive.
He’s captured early in the film during a daring public shootout by rookie cop Nick Styles (Denzel Washington), an incident that launches Styles into the media spotlight and a meteoric career rise. Blake, meanwhile, goes to prison, where he bides his time, plots revenge, and builds himself into something even more dangerous. When he escapes prison years later, he doesn’t just want to kill Styles — he wants to destroy him completely, publicly, and systematically, dismantling his career, his family, and his identity. Lithgow’s performance is equal parts theatrical and terrifying, injecting a B-movie premise with A-tier menace. Ricochet may fly under the radar compared to bigger blockbusters of its time, but Blake’s descent into vengeful madness (and the way Lithgow revels in it) ensures the film remains a cult classic.
73. Buford Puser (Joe Don Baker) | Walking Tall (1973)
There may not be a more appropriate name for a biography than Walking Tall, which is about a man who was the human equivalent of the quote “walk tall and carry a big stick.” In the film, Joe Don Baker plays Buford Pusser, a former professional wrestler who returns to his rural hometown, only to find it overrun by organized crime, crooked lawmen, and a thriving moonshine racket. After nearly being killed for challenging the system, Pusser runs for sheriff — and wins — setting off a brutal war against the local criminal syndicate. Armed with nothing more than a hickory stick and an iron will, Pusser carves a path through corruption by beating the dog piss out of bad guys with the aforementioned giant stick.
Walking Tall is a revenge drama, a populist morality tale, and a critique of systemic corruption. Pusser’s journey is simple but powerful: man witnesses injustice, man fights back, man becomes a folk hero but not without loss. His journey is filled with so much drama and unbelievable events (he’s shot, stabbed, and suffers the brutal assassination of his wife), that it starts to feel like a low rent Chuck Norris movie. As good as Baker is (and it’s a career defining performance), the character starts to feel unbelievable.
But the most insane thing about Walking Tall isn’t the fact that it was so successful that it spawned two sequels, a short-lived TV show, and a remake that also has two sequels, but the fact that it’s loosely based on a true story. And it’s not too far from the truth. Pusser really was that badass and he really did suffer that much tragedy. Knowing that, it makes Baker’s performance that much better. Because now he isn’t just playing a badass, he’s playing the ultimate badass and nailing it.
72. Ghost Twins (Neil Rayment & Adrian Rayment) | The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Since the Matrix sequels are some of, if not the most divisive films of the ’00s, everything associated with them is either outright ignored or forgotten about. Whether you like those films or not, you can’t deny that motorcycle chase in the second one owns and the fight in the park between Neo and the Smith clones was sick. There are great individual elements sprinkled throughout (mostly in Reloaded) and I think one of the more underrated ones is the secondary antagonists—The Ghost Twins. A hold over from a different iteration of the matrix, these literally ghost assassins work for the Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) and are the only characters in the entire franchise that look and act differently from the agents. Portrayed by real-life identical twins Neil and Adrian Rayment, the characters stand out for their spectral appearance, eerie composure, and their unique ability to phase through matter which makes them a nearly untouchable foe. The Twins symbolize the haunting remnants of old code, programs that should have been deleted but persist, an idea that should’ve been explored further in later installments.
71. Remo Williams (Fred Ward) | Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
A failed attempt to launch a new American spy franchise in the spirit of James Bond, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins is an unfortunate flop that definitely deserved further sequels. While a mixed bag in terms of quality, the performance of Fred Ward alone was more than enough to justify more adventures. A tough but unremarkable New York City cop who is “recruited” (aka abducted, framed for death, and forcibly trained) to become a secret government assassin, the character feels completely wrong to lead a spy franchise but that’s why it works. Turning average joes into unwilling spies is a premise almost as old as cinema itself but few have as unique a tone as this.
Most films with this premise are either dramas, action movies or comedies. This feels like all three were thrown into a bag and then beaten against a wall. But it somehow works despite itself due to the commitment of Fred Ward. Since he never winks at the viewer by letting them know he’s in on the bit, you always believe him as a character. The universe he inhabits might be fantastical but he’s always grounded. Ward was an underrated presence on film who unfortunately didn’t get many opportunities to shine later in his career, with this being one of his only leading man roles (the other big one is Cast a Deadly Spell, which also should’ve been a franchise). It’s unfortunate it didn’t connect with audiences because the man deserved to be a star.
70. The Zec (Werner Herzog) | Jack Reacher (2012)
Sometimes, all a villain needs to do to completely dominate a movie is a great monologue, and The Zec in Jack Reacher has one of the best. When he describes the terrifying ordeal he had to overcome to survive (a prisoner of a Soviet gulag who bit off his own fingers to survive frostbite), you completely understand everything about his character. He is a man forged by suffering into something almost inhuman, who no longer has the capacity for morality. In fact, he views it as a weakness in the face of survival. You may not understand his goals or endgame right away, but you instantly understand how much of a threat he poses.
His presence in the film works precisely because it feels out of place. He is not from the same world as Reacher or the cops or the lawyers. He is something older, colder. A relic of a brutal past that has infiltrated the modern, orderly world. I have not read the books nor have I watched much of the show but I doubt any villain is half as interesting or immediately arresting as The Zec. He feels like a Bond villain who fell off the truck and Lee Child picked him up and stole him.
The Zec is unlike any other villain in the franchise, nor is he like any other villain, quite frankly. He is neither flashy nor physically imposing. Instead, Herzog plays him with a calm, eerie detachment that feels as though the grim reaper himself has just entered frame. He whispers commands and operates from the shadows, pulling strings through proxies like Charlie (Jai Courtney). Every word he utters feels calculated, his heavy accent only deepening the character’s alien mystique. The Zec is definitely a strong contender for the most memorable character with the least amount of screentime.
69. Azumi (Aya Ueto) | Azumi (2003)
Azumi is one of the few prominent female-led action films in Japanese cinema of the early 2000s, and Aya Ueto’s portrayal of the titular character remains iconic. In the film she plays a young female assassin raised in isolation and trained to kill in the name of peace during a tumultuous and bloodthirsty time in Japan during their Sengoku period. Alongside nine other children, she undergoes brutal training to become the ultimate killing machine. From the start, Azumi is portrayed as naturally gifted (graceful, focused, and formidable) but also uniquely sensitive. Her femininity is neither downplayed nor romanticized; it’s central to her character, as she grapples with the moral weight of her missions in a way her male peers often do not.
Her character embodies the film’s central question: can one kill for peace and remain human? At just 17 when cast, Aya Ueto brings a powerful duality to the role, balancing Azumi’s lethal skills with youthful innocence. Her physicality in action scenes is disciplined and believable, but it’s her emotive restraint that defines her performance. She captures the internal conflict of a girl forced to mature into a killer, making Azumi not just a sword-wielding heroine, but a tragic figure burdened by purpose. In a genre often dominated by stoic male leads, Azumi stands out for giving its heroine not just a blade, but a conscience and a soul.
68. Fender Tremolo (Vincent Klyn) | Cyborg (1989)
Nothing about Cyborg should work. It used sets made for the aborted Masters of the Universe sequel, has a director whose career is uneven at best, stars a pre-fame Jean Claude Van Damme (whose character is named after a guitar), and has a villain played by an ex-surfer. But somehow Pyun pulled off the impossible: he delivered a competent movie that works throughout. The set design is actually great, Van Damme is surprisingly decent, the names are actually cool despite how dumb an idea it is and the villain is memorable.
Since most villains, henchmen and antagonists share the same basic look, any baddie that visually stands apart from the crowd, tend to stick out more regardless of whether or not they do much. Fender Tremolo is a towering, brutal warlord with a ferocious presence, who is the embodiment of post-apocalyptic chaos. He is bad with zero motivation but since Vincent Klyn looks like an anime character come to life, it doesn’t matter.
He has two equally iconic looks: His leather jacket covered in chainmail and shirtless. The first is so strong, it has almost definitely inspired a video game or manga character or two. Whereas the second look is just him without a shirt but since he looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger had a crazy baby with Raul Julia, it is equally as intimidating. His signature look also includes mirrored sunglasses, dreadlocks, and a hauntingly gravel-voiced, guttural delivery that amplifies his already mythic villain status. He feels like he would fit into the Mad Max universe like a glove, which is high praise considering that film has a top tier rogue’s gallery.
67. Bradley Thomas (Vince Vaughn) | Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)
S. Craig Zahler is one of those writers whose screenplays feel like adaptations of the best novel you’ve never read, even though all of his work is original. His films are a throwback to a different era of cinema that no one else is working in. They’re long character based stories that are methodically paced and filled with extreme violence. The worlds he creates are ugly and brutal that feel like they stand in utter defiance of the concept of a happy ending. They are all slow descents into hell and while they’re all equally bleak, Brawl in Cell Block 99 might edge the other two by just a smidge.
When a botched deal leads to his arrest, Bradley Thomas refuses to betray his partners, choosing prison over cooperation. But things turn far darker when he learns his wife is being held hostage by cartel operatives who threaten to kill his unborn child unless he assassinates a fellow inmate deep inside a high-security prison. The film feels like an escalating series of shit sandwiches that are somehow dealt with like a boss by Vince Vaughn in a career-redefining performance. Before this movie, everyone loved him as the wise cracking smart ass and after it came out, there were petitions for him to play the Kingpin.
Not a single soul thought he had this performance in him and his clearly more than capable of portraying the baddest motherfucker in the room. Not only does he sell the rage and physicality but is able to convey without words that he is a man of principal. Bradley is willing to cross any line as brutally as possible and while that certainly leaves many battered, bruised or worse, he never once breaks his code. He is complex and deserves a franchise more than most action characters but his fate is to unfortunately live inside a bleak Zahler film and not a Charles Bronson-esque revenge-o-matic.
66. Mars Krupcheck (Ben Foster) | Hostage (2005)
Mars Krupcheck is the most disturbing and unpredictable character in the underrated Hostage. He is a dangerous wildcard: quiet, violent, intelligent, and emotionally detached. It’s the type of villain role that great actors clearly latch on to and just shred. What makes the character that much more impactful and memorable is the fact that it’s played by Ben Foster. Movies lovers who are paying attention are well aware of how crazy versatile he is now but when this came out, he was only ever cast as the nerd, loser or comedic relief. It was a radical left turn in his career that kick-started an incredible run of great performances that never stopped.
Mars is part of a trio of young criminals who break into the wealthy Smith family’s home in a failed attempt at carjacking and robbery. What begins as a simple heist quickly spirals into a deadly hostage situation, with Mars emerging as the group’s most volatile and lethal member. He’s a perfect foil to Bruce Willis who’s usually always paired with a methodical villain. He’s never had to contend with a madman. Watching his energy trade off with the polar opposite of what Foster is doing is one of the reasons this is one of his best and underappreciated gems.
65. Yann Lepentrec dit Le Dob (Vincent Cassel) | Dobermann (1997)
Based on the graphic novels by Joël Houssin, Dobermann is part gangster film, part mind altering odyssey, the film feels like A Clockwork Orange directed by Tarantino high on bath salts. It’s a non-stop hyper-stylized assault on the senses and Vincent Cassel’s central performance anchors the madness with raw energy and effortless cool. Yann Lepentrec (nicknamed “Le Dob”) is a charismatic, flamboyant, and ultra-violent gangster leading a crew of outlaws through a descent into crime and chaos. He robs banks with style, carries twin handguns like extensions of his arms, and dresses like a punk-rock cowboy. He leads a ragtag group of misfit criminals through a series of high-octane robberies.
Dobermann isn’t just a criminal however, he’s a symbol of anti-authoritarian freedom, unbound by law or morality. He’s as much myth as man, a modern outlaw who blurs the line between hero and terrorist in an urban jungle. Cassel never plays Le Dob as a one-note thug. There’s a tenderness in his moments with his equally crazy girlfriend (Monica Bellucci), a manic joy in his violence, and a sense of existential rebellion that elevates the character above simple criminality. His presence dominates the screen, making Dobermann a cult antihero—equal parts James Dean, Sid Vicious, and Jean-Pierre Melville protagonist. In a world of formulaic antiheroes, Le Dob stands out on the sheer power of his anarchic cool alone.
64. Hertz (Paul Giamatti) | Shoot ‘Em Up (2007)
Best known for more grounded and cerebral roles (Sideways, American Splendor), Paul Giamatti delivers a wildly entertaining performance in Shoot ‘Em Up that blends theatricality with menace. The film itself is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the excesses of the action genre, and Hertz (part hitman, part madman) is its unhinged, scene-stealing villain. The character is grotesque, sarcastic, and unpredictable, a live-action cartoon with a sadistic streak.
Giamatti leans fully into the film’s absurd tone, chewing scenery with relish but never losing sight of the character’s danger. He is a relentless mercenary hired to eliminate the baby being protected by the mysterious, carrot-munching gunman known only as Smith (Clive Owen). What makes Hertz stand out isn’t just his ruthlessness—it’s the strange charisma, intelligence, and dry humor he brings to every encounter. He’s more than a typical gun-for-hire; he’s articulate, oddly philosophical, and disturbingly obsessed with his mission.
He plays Hertz as someone who delights in cruelty, but also takes a bureaucratic pride in efficiency. Whether he’s barking orders, delivering quips, or dissecting the psyche of his opponent mid-battle, Giamatti keeps the character just grounded enough to be creepy and just unhinged enough to be hilarious. It’s the type of performance that proves he easily could’ve pivoted into a villain heavy career like Gary Oldman or Christoph Waltz and based on how much fun he’s clearly having, I kind of wish he did.
63. Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) | Polite Society (2023)
Polite Society is one of those films that only critics and extreme cinephiles have seen that will languish in obscurity unless the Criterion Collection releases it. The film seamlessly weaves together elements of action, comedy, and cultural commentary. It draws inspiration from a diverse array of influences, including Jackie Chan’s martial arts choreography, Bollywood cinema, and the satirical edge of British comedy. It is nothing without its influences while simultaneously feeling wholly unique. But as flawless a love letter as it is, why it works as well as it does is due in large part to the performance by newcomer and future star Priya Kansara. This is a movie star performance from an actress who had only ever appeared in a couple of shorts and some television work.
In the film she plays Ria Khan, a spirited British-Pakistani teenager obsessed with martial arts who dreams of becoming a stunt woman who must use her training when she finds herself confronted by many obstacles (numerous fight scenes) on her quest to save her sister. What she is saving her from is too wild to reveal but just know, the film isn’t afraid to fully embrace all elements of Bollywood classics. It doesn’t just faithfully recreate the action scenes, it also has a plot that feels as over the top as those films tend to be. It stands out from other action films by feeling unlike anything else. It has a tone as its own, which Kansara is 100% dialed into. It is easily one of the most underrated performances of the last couple of years.
62. Bison (Raul Julia) | Street Fighter (1994)
If there was a Mount Rushmore of the best villain performances in the worst movies, it would consist of Raul Julia in Street Fighter, Christian Bale in Thor: Love and Thunder, Frank Langella in Masters of the Universe, and Jeremy Irons in Dungeons and Dragons. They all took an easy paycheck gig and turned in a masterclass in going above the quality of the material. They are the best parts of their films but if I was to rank them in terms of how much better they are compared to the quality of everything else around them, I would put Julia above the rest. Street Fighter is a painful experience. A coked up Jean-Claude Van Damme leads a group of barely actors in a game of cosplay for 90 minutes.
It makes so many bad decisions, it ironically works in spite of itself. The only element that works however is Julia, who is giving an all time James Bond level villain performance in this movie. Since it produced so many sequels, the James Bond is a strong contender for the franchise with the best villains and Julia in this ranks among the best of them, he just happens to be stuck in the worst piece of shit imaginable.
His portrayal of the villainous General M. Bison is nothing short of iconic, not for its adherence to the video game source material, but for its flamboyant theatricality, scene-stealing charm and operatic absurdity. What makes Julia’s Bison so memorable is his total commitment to the role. He embraces the character’s over-the-top qualities with relish, chewing scenery in every frame without ever breaking character. Whether he’s pontificating about his vision for a Bisonopolis or casually floating through the air with magnetic boots, Julia gives the role weight and joy simultaneously. He also delivered one of the greatest lines ever uttered by a bad guy. You know the one.
61. Léon Gaultier (Jean-Claude Van Damme) | Lionheart (1990)
While Bloodsport introduced Van Damme’s martial arts prowess to American audiences, Lionheart revealed a more human side. Since he didn’t have the God-like physique of Schwarzenegger, the swagger of Willis, or the creative urge to tell stories like Stallone, he had to make up for his shortcomings with splits (so many splits) and occasionally offering characters with a bit more emotional depth. In one of his more accessible films, he plays Léon Gaultier, a French Foreign Legionnaire turned underground street fighter who battles his way through the brutal underworld of illegal combat to support his late brother’s family. It’s that emotional undercurrent that flows through the violence that sets Lionheart apart from his other early roles.
Unlike every other film he’s made, this isn’t another tale of survival but of honor, family, and redemption. No one would accuse Van Damme of being a good actor but but in Lionheart, he offers one of his most grounded and empathetic performances. His physicality remains front and center (spinning kicks, agile dodges, and raw power) but there’s a gentleness and emotional vulnerability in Léon that sets him apart from Van Damme’s usual roster of action heroes. He actually co-wrote the story, and it’s clear this was a character he cared about—a warrior who doesn’t fight for revenge or ego, but out of a deep sense of loyalty and duty.
100-81 | 60-41
What are some of your favorite underrated action characters? Maybe they will show up further on the list.
