Browse Movies : 2009 : Action

In the epic action adventure fantasy "Avatar", James Cameron, the director of "Titanic", takes us to a spectacular new world beyond our imagination. On the distant moon Pandora, a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption, discovery and unexpected love - as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization.

The story’s protagonist, Jake Sully, is an ex-Marine who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down in combat on Earth. In order to participate in the Avatar program, which will give him a healthy body, Jake agrees to travel to Pandora, a lush rainforest environment filled with incredible life forms – some beautiful, many terrifying. Pandora is also the home to the Na’vi, a humanoid race that lives at what we consider to be a primate level, but they are actually much more evolved than humans. Ten feet tall and blue skinned, the Na’vi live harmoniously within their unspoiled world. But as humans encroach on Pandora in search of valuable minerals, the Na’vi’s very existence is threatened – and their warrior abilities unleashed.

Jake has unwittingly been recruited to become part of this encroachment. Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human-Na’vi hybrids known as Avatars. The Avatars are living, breathing bodies in the real world, controlled by a human driver through a technology that links the driver’s mind to the Avatar body. On Pandora, through his Avatar body, Jake can be whole once again. Moreover, he falls in love with a young Na’vi woman, Neytiri, whose beauty is matched by her ferocity in battle.

As Jake slides deeper into becoming one of her clan, he finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth, and the Na’vi – forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world.

Conceived 14 years ago and over four years in the making, "Avatar" breaks new ground in delivering a fully immersive, emotional story and reinvents the moviegoing experience.

Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. "2012" is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

"Taken" stars Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills, an ex-government operative who has less than four days to find his kidnapped daughter, who has been taken on her first day of vacation in Paris.

Hugh Jackman reprises the role that made him a superstar – as the fierce fighting machine who possesses amazing healing powers, retractable claws and a primal fury. Leading up to the events of "X-Men," "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" tells the story of Wolverine’s epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe whose appearances in the film series have long been anticipated.

The sub-zero heroes from the worldwide blockbusters “Ice Age” and “Ice Age: The Meldown” are back, on an incredible adventure...for the ages. Scrat is still trying to nab the ever-elusive nut (while, maybe, finding true love); Manny and Ellie await the birth of their mini-mammoth, Sid the sloth gets into trouble when he creates his own makeshift family by hijacking some dinosaur eggs; and Diego the saber-toothed tiger wonders if he’s growing too “soft” hanging with his pals. On a mission to rescue the hapless Sid, the gang ventures into a mysterious underground world, where they have some close encounters with dinosaurs, battle flora and fauna run amuck – and meet a relentless, one-eyed, dino-hunting weasel named Buck.

Shawn MacArthur (Channing Tatum) has come to New York City with nothing. Barely earning a living selling counterfeit goods on the streets, his luck changes when scam artist Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard) sees that he has a natural talent for streetfighting. When Harvey offers Shawn help at making the real cash, the two form an uneasy partnership.

As Shawn's manager, Harvey introduces him to the corrupt bare-knuckle circuit, where rich men bet on disposable pawns. Almost overnight, he becomes a star brawler, taking down professional boxers, mixed martial arts champs and ultimate fighters in a series of staggeringly intense bouts. But if Shawn ever hopes to escape the dark world in which he's found himself, he must now face the toughest fight of his life.

In Werner Herzog's new film "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," Nicolas Cage plays a rogue detective who is as devoted to his job as he is at scoring drugs -- while playing fast and loose with the law. He wields his badge as often as he wields his gun in order to get his way. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina he becomes a high-functioning addict who is a deeply intuitive, fearless detective reigning over the beautiful ruins of New Orleans with authority and abandon. Complicating his tumultuous life is the prostitute he loves (played by Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion, and conscience. The result is a singular masterpiece of filmmaking: equally sad and manically humorous.

In a world where all communications are monitored, one man gets hold of a phone that can bypass all surveillance.

A young man who was sentenced to 7 years on prison for robbing a post office ends up spending 30 years in solitary confinement. During this time, his own personality is supplanted by his alter ego, Charles Bronson.

Donald Faison stars as a hapless delivery man who finds himself at the center of a drug deal gone horribly awry in "Next Day Air", an uproarious action comedy with an all-star cast. Life isn’t going smoothly for Leo Jackson(Faison). He still lives at home, he just broke up with his co-worker girlfriend and he’s had so many complaints about his sloppy work habits that his own mother is threatening to fire him. But Leo isn’t one to let a few bad breaks ruin his day—as long as he’s got plenty of weed to take his mind off his troubles. But when the wacked-out courier accidentally delivers a box containing 10 kilos of high quality cocaine to the wrong apartment, it sets in motion a hilarious and harrowing chain of events that could cost him his life.

Raizo is one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them...and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge. In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti has stumbled upon a money trail linking several political murders to an underground network of untraceable assassins from the Far East. Defying the orders of her superior, Ryan Maslow, Mika digs into top secret agency files to learn the truth behind the murders. Her investigation makes her a target, and the Ozunu Clan sends a team of killers, led by the lethal Takeshi, to silence her forever. Raizo saves Mika from her attackers, but he knows that the Clan will not rest until they are both eliminated. Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive...and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan.

Two best friends—one unlucky-in-love divorcee (Robin Williams) and the other a fun-loving bachelor (John Travolta)—have their lives turned upside down when they’re unexpectedly charged with the care of six-year-old twins while on the verge of the biggest business deal of their lives. The not-so-kidsavvy bachelors stumble in their efforts to take care of the twins (newcomers Ella Travolta and Conner Rayburn), leading to one debacle after another, and perhaps to a new-found understanding of what’s really important in life.

In "The International", a gripping thriller, Interpol Agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) are determined to bring to justice one of the world's most powerful banks. Uncovering myriad and reprehensible illegal activities, Salinger and Whitman follow the money from Berlin to Milan to New York to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as their targets will stop at nothing – even murder – to continue financing terror and war.

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam for the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed—"Fast and Furious." Heading back to the streets where it all began, they rejoin Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new high-octane action-thriller. When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Conner (Walker). But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what's possible behind the wheel.

Devastated by the kidnapping of her father, Chun-Li takes to the streets of Hong Kong, embarking on an epic quest for justice – and hurtling toward a confrontation with a seemingly unstoppable foe.

In "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train's passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But there's one riddle Garber can't solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape?

In "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," two years have passed since Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and the Autobots saved the human race from the invading Decepticons. Now he's preparing for the biggest challenge of his life: leaving home for college. Despite his extreme heroics, the battle of Mission City has become an urban legend believed only by conspiracy theorists. Sam is still an average teenager with everyday anxieties and excitement about heading off into adulthood, separating from his parents (Kevin Dunn and Julie White) for the first time, and vowing to be faithful to girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox). Of course, he also has to explain his departure to his guardian robot, Bumblebee.

Leaving home is something the Autobots understand only too well. With the destruction of the Allspark, the Transformers home planet of Cybertron is uninhabitable, and the Autobots make the best of their lives on earth, working in league with the military as part of a TOP SECRET team called NEST. Operating alongside their human counterparts, field commanders Major Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and USAF Master Sergeant Epps (Tyrese Gibson), the NEST TEAM seeks to hunt down whatever remaining Decepticons are still hiding on earth. Unfortunately, even as the Autobots try to make a new life among humans, they discover they may not be welcome.

National Security Advisor Theodore Galloway (John Benjamin Hickey), driven to prove that all Transformers should be banished from earth, endeavors to terminate NEST, believing the Autobots' very presence may endanger the human race. Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, agrees to leave our planet if the governments of the world wish it... but he warns Galloway to consider what happens if the Autobots leave earth defenseless.

Meanwhile at school, Sam adjusts to his pushy, legend-in-his-own mind roommate, Leo (Ramon Rodriguez), and an equally aggressive temptation in the form of a new co-ed, Alice (Isabel Lucas). Sam does his best to navigate college life, until suddenly he's besieged by visions flashing across his brain like thunderbolts. The Decepticons soon learn what Sam doesn't know; that he alone holds the key to the outcome of the struggle between evil and the ultimate power of good.

A normal life will have to wait. With the help of the Autobots, the soldiers of NEST, and an old adversary-turned-ally (John Turturro, returning as former Sector 7 Agent Simmons), Sam and Mikaela must uncover the secret history of the Transformers presence on earth, and the sacrifices that have to be made to save it from an ancient threat sworn on returning here for revenge... an ancient Decepticon named THE FALLEN.

Cliff and Cydney (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) are an adventurous young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii. Hiking the wild, secluded trails, they believe they’ve found paradise. But when the pair comes across a group of frightened hikers discussing the horrifying murder of another newlywed couple on the islands, they begin to question whether they should turn back.

Unsure whether to stay or flee, Cliff and Cydney join up with two other couples, and things begin to go terrifyingly wrong. Far from civilization or rescue, everyone begins to look like a threat and nobody knows whom to trust. Paradise becomes hell on earth as a brutal battle for survival begins…

The motion picture "Dragonball: Evolution" features a cast of rising young stars and veteran acclaimed actors. Justin Chatwin, who portrayed Tom Cruise's son in Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds," takes on the role of the heroic Goku, a powerful warrior who protects the Earth from an endless stream of rogues bent on dominating the Universe and controlling the mystical objects from which the film takes its name. Emmy Rossum ("The Day After Tomorrow") is Bulma, a beautiful woman intent on retrieving the mystical Dragonballs for her own reasons; Jamie Chung ("Samurai Girl") is Chi Chi, a young martial artist who captures Goku's eye; and screen legend Chow Yun-Fat ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") is Roshi, the Master who guides Goku on the young man's epic quest to save the Earth from the forces of darkness.

James Marsters ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") is Lord Piccolo, whose return could signal the Earth's destruction; international performing sensation Joon Park is Yamcha, a charismatic "bad boy" whose schemes could thwart the heroes' journey; popular Japanese actress Eriko ("Heroes") is Mai, an assassin who works with Piccolo; Ernie Hudson ("Ghostbusters") is Sifu Norris, a Master and contemporary of Roshi's; and Randall Duk Kim ("The Matrix Revolutions") is Goku's grandfather Gohan, whose lessons for Goku begins to prepare the young man for the monumental tasks that lie ahead.

During one of their adventures, Cowboy, Indian and Horse discover a strange and fascinating underwater world. While there, a conflict with the habitants is solved with the physical and geographical distribution of the two worlds.