Combining two genres frequently produces excellent results since they will support one another. Drama and thriller, science fiction and comedy, or horror and so on have all been combined by filmmakers in the past to readily appeal to and please all fans. However, the most popular genre must be action movies because it is not only fascinating but also give the audience the thrill of their wildest dreams.
Sticking to action can work, but humor is always welcome. The great formula of combining action and comedy in movies has been blooming in the twenty-first century with so many notable works. The best and funniest action movies perfectly balance witty humor and exciting fight sequences, leaving fans in stitches without fail.
50
‘Free Fire’ (2016)
Set in the late 1970s, Free Fire follows two criminal groups who meet in an abandoned warehouse in Boston to complete an arms deal. However, tensions rise between the groups, and soon a gunfight breaks out, leaving everyone trapped in the warehouse and fighting for survival.
Praised widely for its stylish direction coming from Ben Wheatley, witty writing, and intense action scenes. Free Fire’s unique premise, which takes place entirely within a single location, was also noted for its clever execution. The film is one of the most underrated action movies of the 21st century. While it may not be for everyone, Free Fire is still a fun and entertaining action-comedy that offers a unique twist on the genre.
49
‘Novocaine’ (2025)
Taking a fun and relatively simple premise and taking it to the absolute extremes in terms of both comedy and gruesome action, Novocaine is a fun, entertaining watch that fully embraces its feel-good attitude. The film sees Jack Quaid as Nathan Caine, a man with the complete inability to feel pain, who has found himself at the center of a high-stakes robbery when they kidnap the girl of his dreams as a hostage. After spending his entire life thinking of his ailment as a hindrance, he finally begins to use it to take down anyone and everyone in his path.
While there’s already a great deal of comedic potential from following a protagonist who cannot feel pain, the prospect of him still being highly vulnerable and mortal helps distinguish Novocaine from other super-healing action heroes. Quaid himself also proves his screen presence and capabilities as a likable protagonist in the film, with his carefree and wholesome attitude perfectly complementing the chaos, bloodshed, and gore on-screen.
48
‘Spy’ (2015)
Spyfollows Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy), the unsung hero of the CIA’s most perilous missions, who is also an inconspicuous, desk-bound analyst. However, when her partner disappears, she offers to go deep undercover to penetrate a dangerous arms dealer’s world and avert a major problem.
Instead of relying solely on cheap jokes and unnecessary action sequences, Spy is a witty, violent, and thrilling movie with a clever script and superb direction. The movie delivers exactly and elegantly what the title promises, with a perfect balance of comedy and action, and McCarthy’s explosive and hilarious performance.
47
‘American Ultra’ (2015)
Combining the wild, flashy action of an action thriller with the goofy sense of humor of a stoner comedy, American Ultra follows lazy small-town stoner Mike (Jesse Eisenberg), who is content in living his simple life with his girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart). However, Mike soon has his life completely flipped on its head when he learns that he’s actually a highly trained sleeper agent, with mysterious figures from his past having returned with a vengeance. It’s now up to Mike to take down this shadowy government operation to preserve his simple way of life.
American Ultra is easily one of the most underrated modern action movies, with its blend of high-octane action and silly, over-the-top humor making for a perfect mix of genres. Eisenberg fits this style of role perfectly, able to cycle between cold and calculated killer and shy, reserved nerd at a moment’s notice for various hilarious moments. Any film that has its main character use a giant stuffed teddy bear as a silencer for their gun is going to quickly become a fan favorite among action comedies.
46
‘Tag’ (2018)
While the standard affair of an action movie is to have a hero taking down bad guys on some moralistic mission, Tag‘s premise of camaraderie and longtime friendship creates an avenue for highly entertaining action without any real villains to speak of. The film follows a group of longtime friends who, during the month of May every year, continue a game of high-stakes tag that they have been playing since they were children. However, one member of the friend group, Jerry (Jeremy Renner), has still never been tagged before, so the rest of the group rags together to make this the year they finally tag him.
Tag finds the perfect balance of absurdist comedy and entertaining action through its sequences of Jerry, the sadistically powerful master of tag, being the ultimate action hero to get out of any situation untagged. While a large chunk of the film focuses on more dialogue-based humor that is standard for the stacked cast of Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jake Johnson, and Hannibal Buress, the comedy action sequences give the film a distinct edge.
45
‘The Naked Gun’ (2025)
The original Naked Gun trilogy stands as some of the most hilarious and impactful action comedy parodies that the 20th century had to offer, creating a massive legacy for the long-awaited reboot to live up to. However, Akiva Schaffer‘s take on the classic parody franchise not only lives up to the inherent lunacy of the originals but brilliantly modernizes them with a great sense of action, comedy, and wit. 2025’s The Naked Gun may even be one of the few reboots that, from certain perspectives, may even surpass the strengths of the original films.
While his filmography is largely known for much more serious and gritty roles, Liam Neeson fits into the role of Frank Drebin Jr. perfectly, as he plays into his cold and overly serious demeanor for pitch-perfect comedic antics. While Neeson will never be as iconic to the franchise as Leslie Nielsen, the film does an effective job of distinguishing this new take on the series while staying true to what made it so fun in the first place.
44
‘Mayhem’ (2017)
A chaotic action-horror comedy that takes its aim at the soul-sucking experience of white-collar jobs, Mayhem provides a euphoric, blood-soaked thrill ride for those tired of paper-pushing, dead-end jobs. The film sees an office complex being placed under quarantine after its residents become infected with an airborne virus that forces people to act out their most depraved thoughts with no inhibitions. Among the chaos and bloodshed, a duo who have been maligned by the company find themselves cutting through the ranks to get revenge on the top executives responsible.
Horror comedy rarely finds itself crossing over with direct action, yet Mayhem proves that these different elements can play into each other perfectly. Mayhem wears its blatant satire and themes proudly and in front, allowing for its array of aggressive bloodshed and creative action sequences to balance itself with the inherent comedy of the premise seamlessly. Steven Yeun and Samara Weaving also provide excellent comedic performances, balancing the aggression required of the premise and action scenes while lending themselves to the comedic side of pure anger and wrath.
43
‘Mr. Right’ (2015)
Mr. Right is a rarely seen combination of the romantic comedy and action genres, following the story of a girl falling in love with the seemingly perfect guy, except for a singular flaw. He’s actually a hitman who is on the run from the crime cartels that have employed him, leaving a number of their dates constantly interrupted by third parties looking to kill both of them. Despite the inherent danger, the two genuinely have an effective connection, so she tries to make it work, even if her life is now at risk.
Mr. Right manages to bring together two completely different genres in a way that makes them appear perfect for each other, much like the primary couple in the film. It checks all the boxes for a great romantic comedy, showing genuine chemistry and charm between its leads, Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell, making them a lovable couple you want to root for. In terms of action, Rockwell steals the show as the seemingly unstoppable and untouchable force of nature, taking down hordes of bad guys in stylish and intricate ways, and creating a multitude of beautiful action scenes.
42
‘The Beekeeper’ (2024)
Some action premises prove to be so absurd and over the top that they tend to further lean into the goofy aspects of their premise, creating great comedy in tandem with the action at the center. This is certainly the case with The Beekeeper, a film with a wholly ridiculous premise that is made all the better by the film being fully aware of the nonsensical joke that it’s telling. The film sees Jason Statham as a Beekeeper, a highly trained shadow operative who, after a friend is scammed on the dark net, finds himself on a path of vengeance and destruction in order to “cleanse the hive”.
The Beekeeper wouldn’t work as well as it does if the film were constantly poking fun at its absurdity, trying to be tongue-in-cheek and not taking itself seriously. The true fun of the film comes from its fundamental understanding that, by fully taking itself seriously and treating it as a hardened, gritty action film, the final result is infinitely more entertaining and hilarious. It’s hard not to have a goofy, fun time when Statham is saying the cheesiest bee-related puns before each kill, with the stakes growing to be so high that he’s attempting to assassinate the son of the president.
41
‘The Paper Tigers’ (2020)
The Paper Tigers, directed by Bao Tran, follows three middle-aged friends and former martial arts prodigies who reunite to investigate the mysterious death of their old master. The film masterfully portrays the themes of tenacity, honor, and the eternal links of brotherhood as they explore their past and face their own limitations.
With a cast of talented martial artists and a witty script, The Paper Tigers offers a unique and entertaining spin on the martial arts genre that will resonate with both fans of action and those who appreciate a good character-driven story. Moreover, the film has received critical acclaim for its charismatic performances and the way it subverts the typical martial arts movie stereotypes by featuring relatable, imperfect protagonists.
