Action movies are essentially movies with storylines involving fast-paced activity and adventure. 2011 produced a number of standout films in the genre and in fact several I would have included here if I hadn’t restricted this list to a top 10. I am sure most of you would agree there were perhaps better films released in 2011 but for me this list reflects the movies I found to be most entertaining.

1. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES:

A Chimpanzee (Caesar) develops heightened intelligence and human emotions after being administered with an experimental drug. Caesar is saved from extermination by the drugs creator and secretly raised like a child in suburbia. Following an incident outside his home, Caesar is declared dangerous and finds himself imprisoned in a primate sanctuary in San Bruno. After receiving cruel treatment from handlers at the sanctuary Caesar administers the same drug he was treated with to his fellow inmates. He then assembles a simian army and the primates escape the sanctuary on mass. The ramifications of the break out are set to change the course of the planets future.

2. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL

Ethan Hunt and his team from Impossible Mission Force are in a race against time in this fourth instalment of the MI Franchise. A dangerous terrorist has obtained a set of Russian nuclear launch codes and plans to strike the United States. A failed attempt by the team to stop the attack ends in tragedy when a bomb explodes at the Kremlin and the IMF team are implicated. The president invokes the ‘Ghost Protocol’ impugning the IMF and sending its members into hiding. Steadfast in their belief, Hunt and his team follow the terrorist to the Middle East and India in an effort to clear their names and thwart disaster.

3. SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS

Faced with the demise of his long time partnership with Dr. Watson who is about to be married, a dejected Holmes absorbs himself into the investigation of long-time nemesis Professor Moriarty. When Sherlock learns that the Watsons are a genuine target in retaliation against him, he must save them and lure Watson back for one last case. To combat Moriarty they join forces with a gypsy named Sim who may hold the key to defeating him. Together, the trio become embroiled in an international conspiracy that may well affect the future of Europe.

4. KILLER ELITE

Based on a true story set in the early 1980′s. Two elite killers for hire, one a British ex-special ops soldier (Bryce) and the other (his mentor) an ex-CIA operative (Hunter) find themselves entangled in a dangerous cat and mouse game. After failing to accomplish a job Hunter is held captive in Oman while Bryce is forced to complete his mission. He must eliminate three former SAS soldiers, making them appear victims of accidents and tape their confessions to an alleged crime. After the plot is discovered by a secret society of former SAS operatives (The Feathermen) their head enforcer, Logan, is sent to investigate. Bryce must complete the mission with Logan hot on his tail in order to save his captive friend.

5. HAYWIRE

A female freelance covert operative (Kane) is engaged by a number of international organizations to complete assigned missions that government agencies can’t authorize. Following a mission to rescue a hostage in Barcelona, Kane is promptly dispatched to Ireland with instructions to complete a stealth assignment. When the operation fails, Kane soon discovers she has been double-crossed. On the run, she must use all her skills to avoid capture as the target of a global manhunt. Kane must find her way to the United States to protect her family and take revenge on the parties that betrayed her.
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