Christmas Action Movies That Kick Ass and Take Names
This holiday, break out the eggnog and watch John McClain, Martin Riggs, and Charlie Baltimore kick some ass with your loved ones.
‘Tis the season to watch people shoot at each other. While only one of these movies is an actual Christmas movie, the rest are set against the backdrop of the holiday. Festive lights, tinsel-covered trees, Santa costumes, and decked halls make appearances during drug deals, hostage crises, shootouts, and fist fights.
If horror is more your thing, I’ve got you.
Cobra (1986)
Lt. Marion ‘Cobra’ Cobretti investigates a string of murders carried out by a secret society of social Darwinist radicals that aim to exterminate those they deem weak. They call themselves New Order. As the body count rises, Cobra takes a witness to New Order’s killing spree into protective custody. He has to fight for their survival as the secret society and its maniacal leader close in.
This movie is peak 1980s action with all the cliches and tropes. It also features this unique way to eat cold pizza.
Die Hard (1988)
You may want to say that this movie is just Christmas adjacent. But consider the following:
- Horrible sweaters
- Its central plot revolves around a father trying to reunite his family on Christmas
- It’s filled with Christmas references—bad one-liners, purposefully placed traditional songs, Santa hats, etc.
- The hero learns the spirit of Christmas at the end of it
- And it features one of the greatest Christmas songs ever recorded during the opening credits
Make it a Mclain marathon by following it up with Die Hard 2, which is also set during the holiday season.
The Tower (2013)
This holiday-themed take on The Towering Inferno hails from South Korea. A group finds themselves trapped in twin towers that are connected by a sky bridge. Tragedy leads to one of the buildings on fire, and mass panic ensues. It’s filled with the spirit of the season and melodramatic as all get out.
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Lethal Weapon is a buddy cop classic (and the best of the franchise) that starts with a drug deal at a Christmas tree stand. Unhinged vice cop Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) is paired with by the book homicide officer Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover). The two mismatched cops have to find a way to deal with one another after they uncover a massive drug trafficking ring.
It’s the first Shane Black action movie set during Christmas—it’s not the last; the next three are also his. He’s good at this.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson team up in this spy thriller. Samantha Caine, a school and single mom, has an average suburban life until she starts to have breakthrough memories of violent acts. Along with these flashbacks, she discovers she has physical skills that no ordinary person possesses.
After hiring a private detective to look at her past, she discovers that she’s a trained CIA assassin suffering from amnesia. Once her handlers and enemies discover her whereabouts, she is forced to fight for her newly adopted family.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
A two-bit crook (Robert Downey Jr.) and a private eye (Val Kilmer) work together to solve a murder in Hollywood. This tongue-in-cheek satire has action, laughs, and a cast with great chemistry. There are bumbling toughs with bad code names. Kilmer wears a tracksuit for most of it. Laurence Fishburne plays a beer-drinking bear.
The Nice Guys (2016)
Set in 1977 in Los Angeles. A down-and-out private investigator and a hired enforcer get tangled in a conspiracy while looking for a missing actress. I can’t say much about the plot without revealing how it unravels—you won’t see the end coming. The chemistry between Russel Crowe and Ryan Gosling and the intelligent script make it a great pick.
Batman Returns (1992)
Michael Keaton’s Batman contends with the Penguin, Catwoman, and a greedy industrialist in Gotham City dressed up in holiday cheer. Alfred goes gift shopping. There’s a tree lighting with a beauty queen and festive flightless birds armed with rocket launchers.
