10 Most Poorly Directed Action Movies of All Time, Ranked

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Action

The role of the director is one of the most important roles in the filmmaking process. From low budget directorial debuts such as Peter Jackson's Bad Taste to blockbuster extravaganzas such as Eli Roth's Borderlands, the director's ability to craft a compelling story can make or break a movie.

This is true in every genre, including the action genre. This is because of the inherently visual nature of action films, as these types of movies rely on highly choreographed fight scenes to tell their stories, such as in the John Wick series of movies. However, sometimes a director fails so badly at this that their film becomes nearly unwatchable. Here are the most poorly directed action films of all time.

10 'Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins' (2021)

Directed by Robert Schwentke

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is a superhero action film first released in 2021. It is based off the character of the same name from the G.I. Joe toyline by Hasbro. Directed by Robert Schwentke, who also directed R.I.P.D. and The Time Traveler’s Wife, the story follows a wandering ninja named Snake Eyes, played by Henry Golding of Crazy Rich Asians fame, as he tries to find and exact revenge upon the murderer of his father.

The story of Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is completely random. For example, Snake Eyes goes through a series of trials to infiltrate the Arashikage clan to gain information on his father's killer, only for this information to later be told this information by a generic evildoer named Kenta. And then after he finds his father's killer, instead of killing him, thereby giving the audience the emotional release that had been promised, the killer is spared, abandoning the protagonist's clear motivation in favor of a standard redemptive ending. This leaves the story beats feeling like they had been placed haphazardly without care for consistency or emotional impact.

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9 'The Legend of Hercules' (2014)

Directed by Renny Harlin

The Legend of Hercules is an action fantasy film first released in 2014. Directed by Renny Harlin, best known for directing action movies such as Die Hard 2 and The Long Kiss Goodnight, the plot follows Hercules, played by Kellan Lutz, best known for the Twilight series, as he leads a revolt against the tyrannical King Amphitryon.

Harlin completely fails to direct the actors in any meaningful way. This is especially shown in the performance of Lutz as Hercules. For example, he clearly has no interest in being there, as seen in the lack of conviction in any of his dialogue as well as the constant expression of dull surprise. Harlin's failure comes to fruition in that he appears to refuse to even attempt to motivate Lutz or any other actor to give even a somewhat inspired performance, leading to a brainless and painfully manufactured experience. In addition, he is also obsessed with recreating 300 and Gladiator-style scenes, leading to an experience that even the most casual moviegoing audience would find a worse version of something they have already seen.

The Legend of Hercules

Release Date January 10, 2014

Director Renny Harlin

Runtime 99

Writers Daniel Giat , Renny Harlin , Sean Hood , Giulio Steve

Tagline Man. God. Hero.

8 'Borderlands' (2024)

Directed by Eli Roth

Claptrap, a tiny robot voiced by Jack Black, roams the streets in Borderlands.

Borderlands is an action science fiction comedy film first released in 2024. It is based off the video game franchise of the same name. Directed by Eli Roth, best known for extreme horror films such as The Green Inferno and Hostel, the plot follows a group of treasure hunters as they try to find and unlock the treasures of an enigmatic vault.

Despite being an action comedy film, there is a distinct lack of either action or comedy, with the movie instead preferring to endlessly meander through pointless dialogue that serves only to waste everyone's time, something that Roth is all too comfortable with. For example, one of the few attempts at action occurs at the very end of the film, leading it to feel very underwhelming by this point. In addition, one of the only attempts at comedy is a scene of the main characters driving through a river of urine, providing more disgust than humor. This complacency in terms of plot development leads to any enjoyment that a movie like this would otherwise have, leading to an unbearably boring and frustrating experience throughout.

Borderlands

Release Date August 9, 2024

Director Eli Roth

Main Genre Sci-Fi

Studio Lionsgate

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7 'Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe' (1990)

Directed by Damian Lee

Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe is a science fiction action film first released in 1990. Directed by Damian Lee, who also directed Ski School and Food of the Gods II, the plot follows the titular Abraxas, played by Jesse Ventura, best known for appearing in Arnold Schwarzenegger movies such as Predator and The Running Man, as he tries to protect a prophesied child from a fugitive criminal from his world named Secundus, played by Danish bodybuilder Sven-Ole Thorsen.

The music is completely out of place with its accompanying action scenes. For instance, during an early battle between Abraxas and Secundus, a steamy saxophone tune is played, creating unintentional comedy through the obvious juxtaposition between the visuals and the audio throughout. This is also shown later during a romantic scene, scored by a high octane soundtrack. In addition, there is also a clearly last minute effect that plays during the scene of Abraxas killing Secundus. All of this indicates that Lee simply threw the elements of the film together without any care as to whether or not any of it made sense.

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6 'Speed 2: Cruise Control' (1997)

Directed by Jan de Bont

Speed 2: Cruise Control is a thriller action film first released in 1997. It serves as the sequel to the 1994 film Speed starring Keanu Reeves, which Jan de Bont had also directed. The story follows a police officer named Annie Porter, played by Sandra Bullock, reprising her role from the previous film, as she finds herself trapped on a hijacked cruise ship being controlled by the villainous John Geiger, played by Willem Dafoe, who also appeared in Spider-Man and John Wick.

The lack of action is one of the worst aspects of Speed 2: Cruise Control. For example, most of the attempts at action involve the characters going around the ship and interacting with its technical components in a slow and gradual way that hinders any action potential that otherwise might have been there. This indicates that de Bont is more concerned with showing every angle of a cruise ship rather than creating an effective action scene, thus resulting in the cinematic equivalent of an industrial instructional video instead of an actual movie. The boat itself is also painfully slow, so that doesn't help either.

Speed 2: Cruise Control

Release Date June 13, 1997

Cast Sandra Bullock , Jason Patric , Willem Dafoe , Temuera Morrison , Brian McCardie , Glenn Plummer , Colleen Camp , Lois Chiles , Mike Hagerty , Bo Svenson , Francis Guinan , Jeremy Hotz , Royale Watkins , Christine Firkins , Tamia , Kimmy Robertson , Patrika Darbo , Connie Ray , Susan Barnes , Charles Parks , Enrique Murciano , Jessica Diz , Alex Montesino , Mark Adair-Rios , Xavier Coronel , Tyler Patton , Craig A. Pinckes

Runtime 125 Minutes

Writers Graham Yost , Jan de bont , Randall McCormick , Jeff Nathanson

Character(s) Annie , Alex , Geiger , Juliano , Merced , Maurice , Debbie , Celeste , Harvey , Captain Pollard , Rupert , Ashton , Dante , Drew , Sheri Silver , Liza (Cruise Director) , Ruby Fisher , Fran , Constance , Frank , Alejandro , Isabel , Control Room Chief Engineer , Engine Room Crew Member #1 , Engine Room Crew Member #2 , Engine Room Crew Member #3 , Engine Room Crew Member #4

5 'In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale' (2007)

Directed by Uwe Boll

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale is an action-fantasy film first released in 2007. It is based on the video game series Dungeon Siege. Directed by Uwe Boll, best known for directing hated adaptations of popular video games such as Alone in the Dark and House of the Dead, the story follows a man named Farmer, played by Jason Statham, best known for gritty action movies such as Snatch and The Italian Job, as he tries to rescue his kidnapped wife from an animal warrior species called the Krugs.

Boll has consistently proven that he cannot handle a big-budget production, and In the Name of the King is no exception to this rule. For example, despite the title referencing a dungeon, most of the film's runtime is spent with the characters running through the forest, meeting other characters but with very little action, thus having more in common with a much less entertaining version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail than an actually effective action-fantasy film such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

in-the-name-of-the-king-a-dungeon-siege-tale-film-poster.jpg

Release Date November 29, 2007

Director Uwe Boll

Runtime 127 Minutes

Writers Jason Rappaport , Doug Taylor , Dan Stroncak

Budget 60000000

Studio(s) Boll Kino Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG , Brightlight Pictures , Herold Productions

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4 'DOA: Dead or Alive' (2006)

Directed by Corey Yuen

DOA: Dead or Alive is an action film first released in 2006. It serves as an adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name. Directed by Corey Yuen, who also directed The Transporter and She Shoots Straight, the story follows a group of martial artists that find themselves participating in a fighting tournament being run by a shadowy villain.

DOA: Dead or Alive is filled with cheap action set pieces that severely hold back the already mediocre fight scenes. For example, there is a window crashing scene, which is framed so poorly that it makes everything look cheaper than it likely was. In addition, the tone is hopelessly inconsistent throughout. For instance, there is a scene on a plane that is clearly supposed to be a humorous interaction between the characters, instead managed to depict each of them as annoying. Also, there is a staircase fight scene that ends with another horde of enemies running toward the protagonists, who then leap down the stairs in a way that comes across as more comedic than an impressive feat of physical combat.

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3 'Vanquish' (2021)

Directed by George Gallo

Vanquish is an action thriller first released in 2021. Directed by George Gallo, best known as the writer of films such as Midnight Run and The Whole Ten Yards, the story follows a former member of the Russian mob named Victoria, played by Ruby Rose, who also appeared in John Wick: Chapter 2, as she finds herself forced to take down her former associates by an ex-cop named Damon, played by Morgan Freeman, who also appeared in The Shawshank Redemption, in order to save her daughter.

Vanquish is mind-numbingly dull, in that almost all of the runtime is made up of Victoria taking a leisurely drive on her motorcycle from one supposedly urgent fight scene, none of which are particularly well coordinated either, to another. This shows that Gallo is content to simply waste the audience's time with pointless filler scenes instead of delivering a compelling story or even getting to the fight scenes. In addition, these driving scenes also contain far too many exposition dumps that only manage to repeat information that the audience has already been told in other parts of the movie, wasting even more time.

Vanquish

Release Date April 16, 2021

Director George Gallo

Cast Nick Vallelonga , Juju Journey Brener , Patrick Muldoon , Ekaterina Baker , Ruby Rose , Miles Doleac , Morgan Freeman , Julie Lott

Runtime 96 minutes

Writers George Gallo , Samuel Bartlett

Cinematographer Anastas N. Michos

Producer David E. Ornston, Richard Salvatore, Nate Adams

Production Company Capstone Group, Chassy Media, March On Productions, Southland Equity

Sfx Supervisor Chris Bailey

2 'Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever' (2002)

Directed by Wych Kaosayananda

Bapllistic: Ecks vs. Sever is a science fiction action thriller film first released in 2002. Directed by Wych Kaosayananda, who also directed Fah and Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge, the plot follows FBI agent Jonathan Ecks, played by Antonio Banderas, who also appeared in The Mask of Zorro and Desperado, as he teams up with his archenemy, Jane Sever, played by Lucy Liu of Charlie's Angels and Kill Bill fame, in order to stop a tech-based murderer.

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is completely incomprehensible, as it throws one plot twist after another at the audience relentlessly. For example, after government official Robert Gant is revealed to be evil, it is then immediately revealed that he had also hidden a secret nano-weapon inside his own son. This shows that Kaosayananda knew that he did not have enough of a story to reach feature length, so instead of extending the runtime naturally, he decided to attempt to overwhelm the audience with an endless onslaught of information in the hopes that no one would notice, but this only made the movie frustrating. He also tried to extend the runtime by randomly blowing up lots of cars, but this only adds to the confusion by failing to provide context for any of this.

Release Date September 20, 2002

Director Wych Kaosayananda

Runtime 91 Minutes

Writers Alan B. McElroy

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is not available to stream in the U.S.

1 'Ultraviolet' (2006)

Directed by Kurt Wimmer

Ultraviolet is a science fiction action film first released in 2006. Directed by Kurt Wimmer, who also directed Equilibrium, the plot follows a woman named Violet, played by Milla Jovovich of Resident Evil fame, as she fights to protect a young boy named Six from a totalitarian government that seeks to assassinate him.

Ultraviolet is shot so poorly that it is nearly impossible to distinguish anything that is happening onscreen. For example, there is a scene in which Violet is cornered by a Yakuza-style group, and during the ensuing fight scene, the camera moves around constantly, refusing to focus on Jovovich or even the fight choreography, resulting in a hopelessly disjointed viewing experience. This shows that Wimmer's direction simply cannot facilitate a sense of rhythm that movies with any level of intricacy in their fight scenes needs to be enjoyable or even functional. In addition, Violet having to escort Six only leads to the movie's pace becoming even slower than it had been previously, creating a sense of boredom for the audience. These factors lead to Ultraviolet being the most poorly directed action movie.