How do you make an action movie persistently marketable for the rest of time? Set it during the Holidays! But wait: do Christmas and action movies really go together? Of course they do! There's nothing that says happy holidays like shooting a guy's face off and these action films set during Christmas deliver bodies, and action, like presents from Santa.
What are the best Christmas action movies? Nothing says Christmas like a good shoot 'em up or crime thriller. These movies are the best of the Christmas movies that have nothing to do with Christmas genre. For most of these films they could have been set during any time of the year and they wouldn't have been affected a bit. Half the movies on this list are set in LA, almost entirely because a real Christmas movie in LA would be boring. No snow, no trees, no winter clothes? See why they added gunplay?
Of course Die Hard is #1. The office Christmas party just got serious. John McClane (Bruce Willis) fights an office building full of terrorists in this modern Christmas classic.
Danny Glover is "Too old for this s**t." But that didn't stop them from making 3 sequels to this brilliant action comedy. That's right, I said brilliant. The final fight scene between Gary Busey and Mel Gibson is the greatest reminder that it's the holidays you will find.
Robert Downey Jr is a conman who stumbles into being an actor who stumbles into being a private detective. If that sounds too confusing don't worry, this is actually one of the sharpest most well made movies of the last 10 years. Featuring excellent performances from Downey, Val Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan, this neo-noir film set during the holidays will surprise you.
Set during the Christmas season for no reason (hey that rhymed) this is the insane bat film that people either absolutely love or vehemently hate. (Unlike Batman and Robin, which we ALL HATE) The tree lighting scene with Christopher Walken giving a surreal speech and a girl being thrown from a roof to cause the tree lighting make it one of the most twisted Christmas movies of all time. And don't even get me started on the kidnapping train.
John McClane's holidays don't seem to go really well. Barely 2 years after he stops criminals from completing a huge heist at Nakatomi Plaza he has to contend with terrorists taking over an airport in Washington DC. Guess now we know why the TSA requires body scanners.
Lost somewhere between crime thriller, Christmas movie, and indie drama the Ice Harvest is the story of a mob lawyer, played John Cusack who rips off his boss for millions and then can't manage to get out of town because of an ice storm. His partner is a crooked cop (Billy Bob Thornton) and his best friend is socially inept (Oliver Platt). Throw in the crime boss who wants his money back and a stripper who wants a piece of the action (Connie Nielsen) and you have a great noir-ish holiday amalgam of a film.
Of course Die Hard is #1. The office Christmas party just got serious. John McClane (Bruce Willis) fights an office building full of terrorists in this modern Christmas classic.More Die Hard
Danny Glover is "Too old for this s**t." But that didn't stop them from making 3 sequels to this brilliant action comedy. That's right, I said brilliant. The final fight scene between Gary Busey and Mel Gibson is the greatest reminder that it's the holidays you will find.More Lethal Weapon
Robert Downey Jr is a conman who stumbles into being an actor who stumbles into being a private detective. If that sounds too confusing don't worry, this is actually one of the sharpest most well made movies of the last 10 years. Featuring excellent performances from Downey, Val Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan, this neo-noir film set during the holidays will surprise you.More Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
