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The Best Action Movies of 2003

Updated February 7, 2020 1.0k votes 68 voters 3.2k views50 items

List of the best 2003 action movies, ranked by how many upvotes they've received by other fans of the genre. These movies give you car crashes, explosions, gun fights and everything else you could hope for in a good action flick. These are all the action movies that defined the year 2003, so vote for your favorites and help them rise to the top. This poll is also a great resource for finding new movies that you haven't already seen, especially since you can watch trailers for each film right on this page. To make sure this list is as accurate as possible, please don't downvote a movie if you haven't seen it.

List is made up of movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. This isn't necessarily a list of all action movies from 2003, but it does contain all the ones worth watching.

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Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior
Tatchakorn Yeerum, Mum Jokmok
Released: 2003
Directed by: Prachya Pinkaew
Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, also known in the United States as Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is a... more on Wikipedia
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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley
Released: 2003
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 American fantasy swashbuckler... more on Wikipedia
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen
Released: 2003
Directed by: Peter Jackson
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy drama film directed by... more on Wikipedia
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The Italian Job
Charlize Theron, Kelly Brook
Released: 2003
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
The Italian Job is a 2003 film directed by F. Gary Gray, written by Wayne and Donna Powers and... more on Wikipedia
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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Sean Connery, Peta Wilson
Released: 2003
Directed by: Stephen Norrington
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, also promoted as LXG, is a 2003 superhero film loosely... more on Wikipedia
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Oldboy
Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae
Released: 2003
Directed by: Park Chan-wook
Oldboy is a 2003 South Korean mystery thriller neo-noir film directed by Park Chan-wook, based... more on Wikipedia
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The Recruit
Al Pacino, Colin Farrell
Released: 2003
Directed by: Roger Donaldson
The Recruit is a 2003 American-German spy thriller film, directed by Roger Donaldson and... more on Wikipedia
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Paycheck
Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman
Released: 2003
Directed by: John Woo
Paycheck is a 2003 sci-fi thriller film based on the short story of the same name by science... more on Wikipedia
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Infernal Affairs II
Carina Lau, Edison Chen
Released: 2003
Directed by: Alan Mak, Andrew Lau
Infernal Affairs II is a 2003 Hong Kong crime-thriller film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan... more on Wikipedia
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Kill Bill Volume 1
Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu
Released: 2003
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Kill Bill: Volume 1 is a 2003 American martial arts film written and directed by Quentin... more on Wikipedia
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Gods and Generals
Robert Duvall, Mira Sorvino
Released: 2003
Directed by: Ronald F. Maxwell
Gods and Generals is a 2003 American film based on the novel Gods and Generals by Jeffrey... more on Wikipedia
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The Rundown
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dwayne Johnson
Released: 2003
Directed by: Peter Berg
The Rundown is a 2003 American action comedy film starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a... more on Wikipedia
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Johnny English
John Malkovich, Natalie Imbruglia
Released: 2003
Directed by: Peter Howitt
Johnny English is a 2003 British comedy film parodying the James Bond secret agent genre. The... more on Wikipedia
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The Missing
Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood
Released: 2003
Directed by: Ron Howard
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X-Men 2
Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman
Released: 2003
Directed by: Bryan Singer
X2 is a 2003 American superhero film, based on the X-Men superhero team appearing in Marvel... more on Wikipedia
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Azumi
Aya Ueto, Shun Oguri
Released: 2003
Directed by: Ryuhei Kitamura
Azumi is a manga series created by Yū Koyama in 1994. Its story concerns the title character,... more on Wikipedia
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Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Claire Danes
Released: 2003
Directed by: Jonathan Mostow
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is a 2003 American science fiction action film, directed by... more on Wikipedia
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The Last Samurai
Tom Cruise, Billy Connolly
Released: 2003
Directed by: Edward Zwick
The Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who... more on Wikipedia
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Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Johnny Depp, Salma Hayek
Released: 2003
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Once Upon a Time in Mexico is a 2003 American action film written, produced, edited,... more on Wikipedia
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Bulletproof Monk
Jaime King, Seann William Scott
Released: 2003
Directed by: Paul Hunter
Bulletproof Monk is a 2003 American action film directed by Paul Hunter in his directorial... more on Wikipedia
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Open Range
Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall
Released: 2003
Directed by: Kevin Costner
Open Range is a 2003 American western film directed and co-produced by Kevin Costner, starring... more on Wikipedia
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Timeline
Gerard Butler, Paul Walker
Released: 2003
Directed by: Richard Donner
Timeline is a 2003 science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Donner, based on the... more on Wikipedia
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A Man Apart
Vin Diesel, Timothy Olyphant
Released: 2003
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
A Man Apart is a 2003 U.S. vigilante action film directed by F. Gary Gray and released by New... more on Wikipedia
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S.W.A.T.
Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell
Released: 2003
Directed by: Clark Johnson
S.W.A.T. is a 2003 American action-thriller film directed by Clark Johnson, and is based on... more on Wikipedia
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The Core
Hilary Swank, Stanley Tucci
Released: 2003
Directed by: Jon Amiel
The Core is a 2003 American science fiction disaster film. It concerns a team that has to... more on Wikipedia
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