The 10 Worst Action Movies of the 2000s, Ranked (2025)

Every era is cluttered with bad action movies. The genre is probably the most popular on the B-movie and direct-to-video side of things, meaning that there are always hundreds of terrible action flicks to choose from. The 2000s were an especially bountiful decade for trashy action cinema, jam-packed with unnecessary sequels, tepid video game adaptations, and a string of Steven Seagal-led diasterpieces.

Many of these films have earned their place in the cinematic Hall of Shame. They serve up uninspired performances, ridiculous plots, unintentionally funny visual effects, and fight scenes that are more sleepy than suspenseful. Below are some of the worst offenders, flicks that tried to deliver high-octane entertainment but missed the mark entirely, becoming examples of how the action genre can sometimes go horribly wrong.

10 'The Art of War II: Betrayal' (2008)

Directed by Josef Rusnak

"Trust is the most dangerous weapon of all." Wesley Snipes leads this one as Shaw, a former covert agent who is pulled back into action when his mentor is assassinated. He soon uncovers evidence of a secret arms deal and becomes a target himself. It's the most generic of generic plots, recycled from countless other movies. The premise is brought down further by low-budget execution and a cast who don't seem to care very much.

The fact that this movie exists at all is something of a head-scratcher, given that the first Art of War movie was neither critically nor commercially successful. Beytrayal is also totally unnecessary from a narrative perspective. There are few story connections to the first film, and few members of the original cast return. The cherry on the rancid cake is all the visual gimmicks, like choppy slow motion and shaky camerawork, that induce queasiness more than excitement.

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9 'Mercenary for Justice' (2006)

Directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy

"You can’t escape justice, no matter how far you run." In Mercenary for Justice, Steven Seagal plays John Seeger, a soldier-for-hire who takes on a mission to free a criminal's son from a heavily fortified prison. Seeger must navigate a world of double-crosses and deceit, with the lives of his team and innocent civilians hanging in the balance. While the premise promises some decent B-movie action, the finished product is muddled, incoherent, and dull.

The script is shoddy, and Seagal's performance is surprisingly stiff and uncomfortable. Although the film has plenty of explosions, the editing is poor, and the action sequences are underwhelming. There were reports that the production process was difficult, with some crew members claiming that Seagal altered the script at the last minute and often arrived late to set. This seems plausible given the dismal state of the film. The only positive about is the scenic backdrops filmed in Cape Town.

8 'Derailed' (2002)

Directed by Bob Misiorowski

"When you're this far off the tracks, there’s no turning back." Jacques Kristoff (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a NATO operative tasked with recovering a top-secret biological weapon aboard a train. When terrorists hijack the train, Kristoff must fight his way through the armed assailants to prevent the release of the deadly virus. Again, there's nothing wrong with the concept, but the performances and storytelling are woefully bad.

A lot of the filmmaking here simply looks amateur, particularly the editing and sound design. Stylistically, there is a cringe-y overuse of slow-motion and instant replays, frequently verging on self-parody. Van Damme's lead performance is also flat and one-note, and the supporting cast fare little better. For all these reasons, critics ripped Derailed to absolute shreds. It's generally considered the nadir of the star's filmography and currently holds a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The title is accurate, as this project is certainly a trainwreck.

7 'Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li' (2009)

Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak

"The stronger you become, the more enemies you’ll face." 1994's Street Fighter was notoriously bad, but The Legend of Chun-Li arguably surpasses it in terms of atrociousness. It's an origin story for the titular video game character (Kristin Kreuk), a concert pianist turned martial artist who seeks to avenge her father's kidnapping. The original games are a ton of fun, but this adaptation is unlikely to please even the most diehard fans. They may even view the film as a desecration of their beloved characters.

Some of the dialogue here is painfully wooden, including lines like "I love my job!" and "Bomb! Get out, now!" The latter may be a subconscious statement on the movie itself. Not to mention, despite the film's title, there’s surprisingly little actual street fighting. Instead, most of the characters use guns, and the rare fight scenes tend to take place indoors. Unsurprisingly, The Legend of Chun-Li was a major flop, grossing just $12.8m against a $50m budget.

6 'Agent Red' (2000)

Directed by Damian Lee

"This mission just became a one-way ticket." Agent Red is essentially Derailed, but set on a submarine. It stars Dolph Lundgren as Matt Hendricks, a Navy SEAL tasked with transporting a biological weapon aboard a submarine. When terrorists take control of the submarine, Hendricks must battle his way through the hostile forces to prevent the release of the virus. The end result is a tepid action flick littered with cliches, with a ripped-off plot and milquetoast action sequences.

Almost every character is a stereotype. The Russians are either terrorists or perpetually drinking vodka. Similarly, the American characters are uber-patriotic and constantly say things like "God help us." It's all thoroughly ridiculous, and many of the scenes defy logic. The submarine setting, especially, is mishandled, to the point that many of the plot developments aboard it are simply beyond belief. Finally, the movie reuses a ton of stock footage from the movie Counter Measures, making it little more than a warmed-over rehash.

5 'The Foreigner' (2003)

Directed by Michael Oblowitz

"When you’re this far from home, every enemy is a foreigner." Seagal strikes again in this one as Jonathan Cold, a freelance operative who is hired to deliver a mysterious package. As Cold tries to complete his mission, he becomes entangled in a web of international intrigue, with assassins and government agents on his trail. Despite promising globe-trotting action and espionage, The Foreigner is really just dull and messy, with a half-baked story and lukewarm action set pieces.

An action flick should, above all, be entertaining, but The Foreigner fails to deliver any fun. Even the fight scenes are lackluster, and most of them feature stunt doubles rather than Seagal himself, which had previously been one of the pros about Seagal as an action lead. All told, the film is decidedly subpar, even for a direct-to-video release. For this reason, most reviewers panned The Foreigner, and it ranks near the very body of Seagal's filmography.

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4 'Out for a Kill' (2003)

Directed by Michael Oblowitz

"You can't stop what you can't see." Seagal's 2000s output was pretty terrible, meaning it's unsurprising that he dominates this list. His losing streak continues with Out for a Kill, where he plays Professor Robert Burns, an archaeologist who gets caught up in a drug smuggling operation while excavating in China. Framed for a crime he didn’t commit, Burns goes on a mission of revenge against the cartel that wronged him. The movie aims at being a crime thriller version of Indiana Jones, but neither Seagal nor director Michael Oblowitz can pull it off.

It's fitting that Seagal plays an archaeologist here since the movie goes beyond rock bottom and excavates new lows for the star. His limitations as an actor have never been more apparent, especially in a scene where he attempts to mourn his slain wife. All told, Out for a Kill is a slog that can be safely skipped.

3 'Against the Dark' (2009)

Directed by Richard Crudo

"This is a fight for survival. Nothing else matters." This action horror disaster centers on Tao (Seagal), the leader of a group of survivors fighting their way through a post-apocalyptic world overrun by vampire-like creatures. Seagal spends much of the movie slashing through poorly designed monsters with a katana, while the rest of the cast chews the scenery and/or stands around awkwardly.

More near miss than Near Dark, this film adds nothing to the vampire genre. It's like a blend of Resident Evil, Blade, and 28 Days Later, if those films had been directed by Tommy Wiseau. While the visuals aren't terrible and include some decently eerie imagery, when the action kicks in—accompanied by an over-the-top score— the movie turns into a mishmash of disjointed editing. The writing is also terrible, with lines that the filmmakers clearly thought sounded deep and awesome, but really grate on the nerves.

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2 'Attack Force' (2006)

Directed by Michael Keusch

"They thought they could control it. They were wrong." Regarded by some to be Seagal's worst projects, Attack Force sees him playing Marshall Lawson (a name dripping in honor and righteousness), a military commander who uncovers a conspiracy involving a new experimental drug that turns soldiers into superhuman killing machines. From here, the film quickly degenerates into a Frankenstein's monster of incoherent storylines, slapdash editing, and clumsy overdubbing. It's muddled and joyless, to the point that it feels overlong, despite being just 95 minutes.

Michael Keusch's direction is disjointed, with scenes that feel cobbled together from different movies. To be fair, his star doesn't give him much to work with. Seagal's performance is as emotionless as ever, arguably bringing down the already bad source material. Here, he truly looks like someone who gave up trying years ago. Consequently, Attack Force is borderline unwatchable. Even the Seagal fan club will struggle to sit through this tedium.

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1 'Moscow Heat' (2004)

Directed by Jeff Celentano

"Sometimes, you have to bring the heat to survive the cold." When it comes to the very worst action movies of the 2000s, it's hard to top Moscow Heat, a Russian action flick that looks like satire but sadly isn't. It's about a man named Roger Chambers (Michael York), who travels to Russia to avenge the death of his son at the hands of an arms dealer. Once in Moscow, Chambers teams up with a Russian detective (Alexander Nevsky) to take down the criminal network.

The movie is basically a ripoff of Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1988 film Red Heat, and it's loaded with references to the actor. For example, the antagonist is played by Kindergarten Cop's Richard Tyson, and a speedboat shows up with the name 'Terminator' painted on the side. These tributes are the only thing of vague interest to be found here. The rest of the movie is riddled with gaps and unexplained connections, bad accents, and cardboard cutout characters, adding up to a misfire that's almost painful to sit through.

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