Even though the 1980s and early 1990s have long been considered the golden age of the genre, a new ranking has chosen a modern classic as the best action movie ever made. The fact that a 2015 film got that honor is even more impressive since its production became a long-lasting subject of scandal.
Why 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Was Ranked the 'Best Action Movie of All Time'
On June 23, 2026, StudioBinder published its ranking of the "Best Action Movies of All Time." Several much older films made the cut, including Die Hard, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, RoboCop, and 1954's Seven Samurai. However, the ranking's top choice was a much more modern action masterpiece, 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road.
While explaining its choice, StudioBinder highlighted Mad Max: Fury Road's minimal use of CGI and labeled the film an "awe-inspiring effort." The outlet also singled out Charlize Theron's powerful performance as Furiosa as "instantly iconic." Most notably, it praised what the film's director and co-writer accomplished with the movie. "George Miller made not just the best action movie of all time, but one of the finest artistic works that’s ever been created through the medium of film."
Aside from the outlet's explanation, there are many other reasons to praise Mad Max: Fury Road as an action epic that deserves the six Oscars it won. For example, the film's lengthy car chase is one of the most thrilling movie sequences of all time. The movie also features many manic characters who contribute to its ability to get viewers' hearts racing. Those are only some of the reasons why its place on top of the ranking makes perfect sense.
The Behind-the-Scenes 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Drama Explained
George Miller, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, and others made one of the best movies ever together. Ideally, they would have been able to walk away from that experience with nothing but pride. However, behind-the-scenes drama on the film's set resulted in the its legacy being marred by a scandal that is still discussed today.
Ever since the world learned about Hardy not getting along with Theron during Mad Max: Fury Road's production, that seems to come up in many discussions of the film. A perfect example of that is when George Miller discussed the drama during a 2024 Variety Interview he gave while promoting Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
"Tom has a damage to him but also a brilliance that comes with it, and whatever was going on with him at the time, he had to be coaxed out of his trailer. Whereas Charlize was incredibly disciplined – a dancer by training, which told in the precision of her performance – and always the first one on set."
Miller continued, "I’m an optimist, so I saw their behavior as mirroring their characters, where they had to learn to co-operate in order to ensure mutual survival. There’s no excuse for it, and I think there’s a tendency in this business to use great performances as an excuse for other disruption that could be avoided."
Next: 1994 Blockbuster Named Greatest Action Movie of the 1990s — And You Can Stream It Free
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