Summary

• Not all action movies need a big budget, and some blockbuster franchises could learn a lot from smaller movies.
• $200 million budgets aren't necessary - smaller projects like Godzilla Minus One & Oldboy deliver big results.
• Some great action movies have had big stars and plenty of impressive stunts for well under $50 million.

Blockbuster movie budgets have ballooned in recent years, but there are still plenty of great action movies that prove a bigger budget isn't always better. Two of the main factors that can drive up how much a movie costs are CGI and big-name actors. Action movies don't necessarily need either of these to deliver thrills, and practical effects are often more impactful anyway.

Big action franchises like Fast and Furious and James Bond regularly make movies which cost well over $100 million or even $200 million. Even David Leitch's new action-comedy The Fall Guy has a huge budget, despite it not belonging to any franchise. As Hollywood budgets continue to grow, it can be refreshing to see an action movie with a much smaller budget that gets creative with its limited resources.

10 Upgrade (2018)

Budget: $3 million

Sci-fi movies tend to cost a lot more than most other genres to produce, but Upgrade finds a way to work around the usual need for splashy CGI. Although it was released in 2018, Upgrade's story about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence has become even more relevant over the years. Because the biggest sci-fi element is concealed within Grey's spinal cord, Upgrade can use CGI sparingly.

Some action movies with budgets ten times larger have failed to deliver such compelling fight scenes, and this is testament to Upgrade's self-assured style.

Upgrade uses its sci-fi concept to enhance the fight scenes, as STEM takes over Grey's body on multiple occasions. The cyberpunk world is drawn in vivid detail, and the soundtrack helps contribute to the futuristic feeling of Upgrade. All of these tricks make the movie feel much more expensive than it really is. Some action movies with budgets ten times larger have failed to deliver such compelling fight scenes, and this is testament to Upgrade's self-assured style.

9 The Raid (2011)

Budget: $1.1 million

The Raid was produced on a shoestring budget, but it helped reshape the future of the martial arts genre. The story follows a S.W.A.T. team who have to fight their way out of a tower block controlled by a ferocious drug lord and his army of mercenaries. This story is merely the set-up for some hair-raising action, as the plot isn't what's most appealing about The Raid.

The Raid stars Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Joe Taslim, and these performers are the main reason why the movie can provide such intoxicating thrills without splashing the cash.

The Raid stars Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Joe Taslim, and these performers are the main reason why the movie can provide such intoxicating thrills without splashing the cash. They are all supremely talented martial artists, and director Gareth Evans gives them the perfect platform to showcase their skills. The Raid mixes gritty realism with exaggerated action. Some of the police tactics are spot-on, but the fights are larger-than-life.

8 The Beekeeper (2024)

Budget: $40 million

The Beekeeper became a surprise box-office hit earlier this year, far suring its expectations. With a budget of $40 million and a recognizable star in the lead role, The Beekeeper wasn't a total underdog, but its $150 million haul was a huge success. By comparison, The Expendables 4, one of Jason Statham's biggest movies of 2023, had a budget of $100 million and took in just $50 million at the box office.

With a budget of $40 million and a recognizable star in the lead role, The Beekeeper wasn't a total underdog, but its $150 million haul was a huge success.

The Beekeeper's thrilling fight scenes also made it a hit with critics, who praised Statham's performance and David Ayer's energetic direction. The movie's ending seems to tease a potential sequel, which could kickstart a whole new franchise for Statham. His charisma makes it easy to forget how talented he is when it comes to martial arts, and The Beekeeper gives him a chance to show off his skills while mixing in a variety of other action sequences.

7 Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Budget: $10-12 million

Godzilla Minus One's budget seems impossibly low. The exact figure has not yet been released, but it's definitely lower than $15 million, with some reports putting it much closer to $10 million. This is astonishing for a movie with such remarkable VFX. Godzilla Minus One won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, amid a slew of other awards, and its global box office triumph shows that audiences were just as impressed as people within the industry.

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%, Godzilla Minus One can stake a claim to being the best Godzilla movie ever made.

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%, Godzilla Minus One can stake a claim to being the best Godzilla movie ever made. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire also turned a healthy profit, but it received mixed reviews, and its $135 million budget makes its success much less impressive. Godzilla Minus One re to tell a human story, despite the star of the show being an enormous monster.

6 Baby Driver (2017)

Budget: $34 million

Edgar Wright has always been able to deliver thrilling action for a bargain price, and Baby Driver is his most action-packed movie yet. Although Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead have some exhilarating moments, they are just as much comedies as they are action movies. Baby Driver tips the scales more toward action, although that's not to say that Wright's signature comedic style doesn't shine through.

Baby Driver is bigger and louder than Wright's other movies, but it shows a filmmaker having fun with this potential.

Baby Driver is bigger and louder than Wright's other movies, but it shows a filmmaker having fun with this potential. Wright used plenty of practical effects for the chase scenes, giving them a real sense of jeopardy. In particular, Baby Driver's opening getaway highlights its fun and fresh approach to the heist genre. Baby Driver's soundtrack also helps, as Baby times many of his actions to the beat that only he can hear.

5 Oldboy (2003)

Budget: $3 million

Park Chan-wook's Oldboy is one of the 21st century's best action movies, despite its minuscule budget. The South Korean thriller follows a man who is imprisoned for 15 years by unknown captors before being released. He searches for answers and revenge on a blood-soaked rampage. The twisty, gruesome plot leaves room for plenty of action, but it also digs deep into the psychological state of Dae-su after his years of isolation.

Although its budget was ten times what the original had to work with, the remake was a critical and commercial flop.

Oldboy's unique success is best shown via comparisons to Spike Lee's 2013 remake. Although its budget was ten times what the original had to work with, the remake was a critical and commercial flop. The original Oldboy's hallway fight scene is a shining example of its hair-raising action, and it has since influenced plenty of other action movies. Dae-su's use of a hammer as a weapon provides a visceral and powerful experience.

4 Atomic Blonde (2017)

Budget: $30 million

Although The Fall Guy has faced an uphill battle trying to turn a profit with its enormous budget, director David Leitch proved years ago that he can deliver a lot without such a heavy investment. Atomic Blonde stars Charlize Theron as an MI6 agent sent to Cold War-era Berlin to recover a list of double agents and solve a murder in the process. Theron does plenty of her own stunts, and this makes her action scenes pop.

Atomic Blonde may not have the budget of some splashier action blockbusters, but it's just as stylish and exciting.

Atomic Blonde deserved a sequel after its box office success, but it sadly never got one. The fight scenes are rife with Leitch's signature gunplay and dynamic camerawork, and there are a few outstanding sequences which take his brand of stylized action up a few notches. Atomic Blonde may not have the budget of some splashier action blockbusters, but it's just as stylish and exciting.

3 Train To Busan (2016)

Budget: $8.5 million

Train to Busan is a horror movie, but it also falls into the action genre. As a high-speed train travels from Seoul to Busan, a zombie apocalypse breaks out across the country and the people on board have to band together for survival. These aren't the kind of slow, shuffling zombies from movies like Night of the Living Dead. The zombies in Train to Busan are more suited to the film's action.

Zombie movies have always been a favorite for low-budget filmmakers, but Train to Busan stands out by delivering gripping action with a genuine emotional core.

Train to Busan takes place over the course of a single train journey. There are no wasted moments as the story rattles along toward a grandstand finish, but the fast pace doesn't overshadow some of the story's more emotional moments. Zombie movies have always been a favorite for low-budget filmmakers, but Train to Busan stands out by delivering gripping action with a genuine emotional core.

2 Monkey Man (2024)

Budget: $10 million

Dev Patel's directorial debut shows that he could pivot toward being more of an action star. He has dabbled in the genre previously, but his most notable performances have come in dramas like Slumdog Millionaire and Lion. Monkey Man represents a completely new style for him, but he takes to it like a natural, and his performance suggests that there could be a lot more to come from him.

Monkey Man's best fight scenes have drawn comparisons to John Wick, especially the Kid's fast-paced fight in the kitchen.

Monkey Man's best fight scenes have drawn comparisons to John Wick, especially the Kid's fast-paced fight in the kitchen. He even has a similar black suit to Keanu Reeves' character. It's apt that Monkey Man is a low-budget action movie punching above its weight, because the plot features a working-class hero taking on the corrupt ruling class. Monkey Man is a fast-paced revenge thriller with a biting political message.

1 Sisu (2023)

Budget: $6.5 million

Sisu proved to be one of 2023's best surprises for fans of the action genre. Set in the middle of the Second World War, Sisu follows a Finnish gold prospector who uses his military skills to seek revenge against Nazi soldiers who steal his gold. Sisu has been compared to Inglourious Basterds for its riotous, Nazi-killing fun, and it certainly borrows from Quentin Tarantino's style of maximalist gore.

By setting up all of its most important story elements early on, Sisu is free to revel in bone-crunching violence.

Aside from Tarantino, Sisu also takes inspiration from Sergio Leone's westerns. Aatami Korpi is a superb action hero, whose stoic, world-weary demeanor quickly gives way to reveal his powerful rage beneath the surface. By setting up all of its most important story elements early on, Sisu is free to revel in bone-crunching violence. Its relatively small budget doesn't hold it back in any way.