The best achievement in cinema often occurs when filmmakers are able to make ambitious leaps forward with technology, and that is rarely more present than in the epic genre. Whether they are based on real moments in history, inspired by popular source material, or completely original, epic films are generally larger in scope and scale than any other genre. Epic films require such immersive experiences that it is almost a certainty that they need to be seen on the big screen.
While not every epic film is broadly classified as an action movie, the two genres are frequently compared. Epic films will often include massive scale stunt or fight sequences in order to ensure that the stakes feel real, and that the audience is invested in seeing the characters complete their mission. Here are ten epic movies with incredible action scenes.
10 ‘Seven Samurai’ (1954)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Seven Samurai is one of many samurai films made by the great Akira Kurosawa, but it’s arguably the most iconic project of his entire career. Seven Samurai lionized the idea of a brave group of noble warriors banding together to help innocent people defend themselves from villains. It became a theme that would surface again in Westerns like The Magnificent Seven and throughout the Star Wars franchise.
The final sword fight and village raid sequence in Seven Samurai are among the most striking sequences in Kurosawa’s entire career. Considering that it’s a film that runs at over three hours in length, it’s a good thing that Kurosawa saved the most impressive moment of spectacle for the very end. Seven Samurai’s action scenes are so iconic that the film has become a shorthand for any discussion about what the genre can accomplish at its best.
Seven Samurai
A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.
- Release Date
- April 26, 1954
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Cast
- Toshiro Mifune , Takashi Shimura
- Runtime
- 207 minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Production Company
- Toho
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9 ‘Ben-Hur’ (1959)
Directed by William Wyler
Ben-Hurtowers above all other religious and historical epics with its grandiose scale and incredible performances, including Charlton Heston in a performance that won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. What’s remarkable is that Ben-Hur is actually a fairly grounded character drama about betrayal, redemption, and loyalty; it’s only in the final hour of the film that the incredible chariot chase sequence is unveiled. It’s easily one of the most iconic action scenes in film history, and for good reason.
The chariot chase in Ben-Hur set the standard for what practical action filmmaking could look like, and still holds up remarkably well today. It’s rather telling that when the film was remade in 2016, the reboot failed to deliver a new version of the chariot chase that was able to top what William Wyler had perfected way back in 1959.
Ben-Hur
After a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.
- Release Date
- November 18, 1959
- Director
- William Wyler
- Cast
- Charlton Heston , Jack Hawkins , Haya Harareet , Stephen Boyd , Hugh Griffith , Martha Scott
- Runtime
- 212 minutes
- Writers
- Lew Wallace , Karl Tunberg , Maxwell Anderson , S.N. Behrman , Christopher Fry , Gore Vidal
- Tagline
- The Entertainment Experience of a Lifetime!
Rent on Amazon
8 ‘Spartacus’ (1960)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Spartacus was a very different film than the other classics directed by Stanley Kubrick. While Kubrick had began his career working on several small-scale crime films, Spartacus was a sword-and-sandals epic about the slave revolt against the Roman Empire. Kubrick spared no expense in terms of spectacle, crafting exhilarating combat scenes set in the Roman gladiatorial arenas. Kirk Douglas was one of the earliest action stars in film history, and never had another role as physically demanding as his role in Spartacus.
Spartacus succeeded as both a great display of cinematic combat and a rousing call to arms, as it’s a film about the power of democracy to suppress fascism. The final “I am Spartacus” lines are as powerful as they are because Kubrick had so brilliantly unveiled the threat that these brave rebels were up against as they fought for their freedoms.
Spartacus
The slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.
- Release Date
- October 6, 1960
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick , Anthony Mann
- Cast
- Kirk Douglas , Laurence Olivier , Jean Simmons , Charles Laughton , Peter Ustinov , John Gavin , Nina Foch , John Ireland
- Runtime
- 197 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Biography
- Tagline
- More titanic than any story ever told!
Rent on Amazon
7 ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962)
Directed by David Lean
Lawrence of Arabia isn’t just the most defining epic movie of the 21st century, but one of the greatest films ever made. David Lean created a sweeping masterpiece that chronicled the rise of Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) as he rallied the Turks against the oppressive German army during the most defining moments of World War I. Given that the film tackled some of the most important battles in history, it’s unsurprising that Lawrence of Arabia includes some amazing scenes of mass combat.
Lawrence of Arabia did a great job at defining the unique parameters of desert combat, and what made it more challenging than traditional warfare. In addition to fending off against enemies that were far better equipped than they were, Lawrence and his Turkish allies were forced to protect their livelihoods when dealing with the oppressive weather conditions of the desert.
Lawrence of Arabia
The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.
- Release Date
- December 11, 1962
- Director
- David Lean
- Cast
- Peter O’Toole , Alec Guinness , Anthony Quinn , Jack Hawkins , Omar Sharif , Jose Ferrer
- Runtime
- 227 minutes
- Writers
- T.E. Lawrence , Robert Bolt , Michael Wilson
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures
- Tagline
- A Mighty Motion Picture Of Action And Adventure!
Watch on Prime Video
6 ‘Barry Lyndon’ (1975)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Barry Lyndon is a brilliant subversion of the epic movie genre because it focuses on a character that couldn’t be further from being a hero. The titular Irish scoundrel (played by the late great Ryan O’Neal in the best performance of his career) is a manipulative, womanizing villain who is willing to change sides during any conflict in order to get out on top. Kubrick created interesting action scenes in which Barry is willing to swap loyalties based on whatever side seems to be coming out on top.
Barry Lyndon also ends with one of the greatest duels in cinematic history, in which an angered Barry is forced to face off with his son. It was a great, small-scale way to end a film that had already proven to audiences that there were no limits to the spectacle that it could achieve.
Barry Lyndon (1975)
- Release Date
- December 18, 1975
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Cast
- Ryan O’Neal , Marisa Berenson , Patrick Magee
- Runtime
- 185 minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
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5 ‘Braveheart’ (1995)
Directed by Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson had defined the action genre with his starring roles in the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon franchises, so it’s not all that surprising that a film that he directed would be just as ruthless and intense. Braveheartis a rousing examination of the Scottish revolution against the English crown that also works as an excellent revenge thriller in its own right. Gibson stars as William Walace, a Scottish leader who rallies his nation’s forces after British soldiers rape and murder his wife.
Braveheart contains all the epic sword fights, battle strategy, and inspirational speeches that cinephiles could want out of an action film. Although its historical inaccuracy and sheer level of violence invoked some backlash, Braveheart ended up walking away with the Academy Awards for both Best Picture and Best Director, solidifying Gibson’s legacy as an auteur filmmaker.
Braveheart
Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.
- Release Date
- May 24, 1995
- Cast
- Mel Gibson , Sophie Marceau , Patrick McGoohan , Angus Macfadyen , james robinson , Sean Lawlor , Sandy Nelson , James Cosmo
- Runtime
- 178 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Biography
- Writers
- Randall Wallace
- Tagline
- What kind of man would defy a king?
Watch on Paramount Plus
4 ‘Gladiator’ (2000)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Gladiator is a brilliant examination of Roman history that also serves as a powerful story of revenge and redemption. Set after the Roman Empire has defeated the Germanic rebel tribes, Gladiator follows the Roman General Maximus (Russell Crowe) after his family is murdered, and he is sold into slavery. In order to bring the Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) to justice, Maximus is forced to fight in a series of gladiatorial combats throughout the Empire.
Gladiator did a great job at showing the different types of combat that were present in the Roman arenas, including the use of animals and vehicles. Although the opening battle with the Germanic forces was certainly an exciting way to start the film, it’s the final duel between Maximus and Commodus that made Gladiator such an instant classic within both the action and epic movie genres.
Gladiator
A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.
- Release Date
- May 5, 2000
- Runtime
- 155 minutes
- Writers
- David Franzoni , John Logan , William Nicholson
- Tagline
- The general who became a slave… The slave who became a gladiator… The gladiator who defied an empire…
Watch on Prime Video
3 ‘Gangs of New York’ (2002)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Gangs of New York is a film that Martin Scorsese had wanted to make for decades, and it’s easy to see why it’s a story that dominated his imagination. Gangs of New York served as an origin story for America’s obsession with gangsters, as it showed the evolution of crime families throughout the 19th century. The opening action scene that establishes just how brutal “Bill the Butcher” (Daniel Day-Lewis) is may be the most disturbing scene in Scorsese’s entire filmography; considering that he is the man behind Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Casino amongst others, that is no small statement.
Gangs of New York showed how political tension can result in violence in its exploration of civil politics. It’s one of the savviest and most elaborate productions that Scorsese ever made, even if it was initially considered to be a financial disappointment.
Gangs of New York
In 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father’s killer.
- Release Date
- December 20, 2002
- Runtime
- 167 minutes
- Main Genre
- Crime
- Writers
- Jay Cocks , Steven Zaillian , Kenneth Lonergan
- Tagline
- America was born in the streets
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2 ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)
Directed by Peter Jackson
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King served as a powerful end to Peter Jackson’s trilogy of J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations, and tied the record with Ben-Hur and Titanic for most Academy Award wins with its eleven victories, including Best Picture and Best Director. While it may have been hard to top the epic Battle of Helm’s Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the Battle of Gondor and fight outside Mount Doom make The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King just as exhilarating as its predecessor.
There’s a sense of finality in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King that allows the series to go out on a high note. Although some viewers have criticized the film’s multiple endings, the happy conclusion is justified considering all the violence, bloodshed, and terror that the Fellowship experienced over the course of their mission to destroy Sauron and the One Ring.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron’s army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
- Release Date
- December 17, 2003
- Runtime
- 201 minutes
- Tagline
- The Journey Ends.
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1 ‘Napoleon’ (2023)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Napoleon proved once again that Ridley Scott is unmatched when it comes to the sheer technical craft of epic filmmaking. While Scott had helmed such epics as Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood, Exodus: Gods and Kings, and The Last Duel, Napoleon opted to examine one of the most iconic military leaders in history. Joaquin Phoenix showed how Napoleon’s ruthless strategy and willingness to sacrifice his men gave him a monopoly over Europe in the 19th century.
Although there has undeniably been a mixed response from some fans and critics, it could easily be argued the Napoleonic Wars have rarely been as immersively depicted as they are in Napoleon, as Scott understood what incredible stakes the conflict had on European politics and civility. While the theatrical cut received marginally positive reviews and received three Academy Award nominations, Scott plans to release an extended edition on Apple TV+ that includes even more footage of Napoleon’s various campaign strategies and most critical victories.
Napoleon
An epic that details the checkered rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine.
- Release Date
- November 22, 2023
- Runtime
- 157
Watch on Apple TV+
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