Not being a huge fan of movies, I am very particular about the kinds of movies I watch more than once. This list contains the kinds of movies that make you want to take justice into your own hands. Or beat up someone for fun.

10. Wasabi
What we learned: There is nothing a good ass-kicking won’t solve. I love Jean Reno in this movie. This is a French movie that takes place in Japan, so of course most everybody there knows how to speak French. The scene with Jean Reno digging into straight wasabi is priceless.

9. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
What we learned: One of Guy Ritchie’s first films, this movie shows drug dealers and gamblers why it pays to know your merchandise. Here’s a great clip from the movie featuring Ritchie’s handy camera work and the film’s awesome soundtrack.

8. Pulp Fiction
What we learned: This movie is probably one of the most quoted movie in existence. People who wouldn’t otherwise memorized a passage from the Bible. Die-hard fans know how many f-bombs are dropped, what the remedy is to over-dosing on heroin, how to order a big mac in France, and cringe every time they hear the word “gimp.” Here is a clip of the dancing scene between John Travolta and Uma Thurman. (It’s also one of my favorite songs from the soundtrack.)

7. Fight Club
What we learned: Another quotable movie, this adaption of Chuck Palahniuk cult classic novel shows that, with enough sleepless nights, one man can make a difference in society. This movie spurred many guys chanting the Fight Club rules as some kind of mantra and made me take a second look at the ingredients in my soap. Here is one of many scenes that depict Edward Norton fighting…Edward Norton.

6. Kill Bill 2
What we learned: The Western style counterpart to Kill Bill 1, Kill Bill 2 does an excellent job wrapping up the outlandish storyline in true Tarantino fashion. We encountered Pai Mei, learned what a black mamba snake bite does to you (and how long it takes to do it), and that with enough stamina and awesome flashbacks, you can dig yourself out of a grave.

5. Hero
What we learned: This visually stunning movie teaches that there are three sides and color schemes to every story. Jet Li is perfect in this film as an advocate for justice. The film also has it share of great women fighting against beautiful backdrops. Here is probably the most visually stunning clip from the movie.

4. Kill Bill 1
What we learned: Comas won’t stop revenge, only delay it a little bit. This movie is all about will power and killing your way to the top. From the beginning scene with the gun-in-the-cereal-box maneuver to the ending that made you groan when you first saw it in theaters, this film is packed with ostentatious action and genre goodness. I have the same t-shirt Uma Thurman wears when she first visits the sushi bar in Okinawa (it’s a common tourist-y shirt sold in Okinawa–one type shows all the military bases, another type shows the prefectures on the island.) Neener neener.

3. V for Vendetta
What we learned: Justice starts with a Guy Fox mask. The movie revolves around futuristic Britain striking fear into the hearts of its citizens in order for them to feel safer under the government’s protection. V for Vendetta taught you that with enough matrix-style action, classical music, and eggs-in-a-nest breakfasts, you, too, can overthrow your overbearing censor-crazy Big Brother-esque government. Here is the trailer for the movie.

2. Sin City
What we learned: That comic books make everything awesome. Where being over-the-top could have been its downfall, this movie is superbly done with the right amount of special effects and good dramatic acting. This movie makes you feel good to see people take justice into their own hands and give the bad guys what they have coming to them. Not enough pictures of Elijah Wood as a friendly hobbit will erase the images in my mind of his disturbing performance in this movie. Here is the trailer.

1. Snatch
What we learned: Bare-knuckle boxing a Pikey (especially if that Pikey is Brad Pitt) is never a good idea. Hands down, this is my favorite action movie because it is something that I can watch over and over again. This is where other stylistic action movies fail: There are no love interests (or women for that matter) that nuzzle their way into the storyline and complicate things. And yet the film is still sexy because of its edge, soundtrack, and editing. The characters are all about the money and the beatings. The movie also succeeds in its comedic timings and witty banter between the larger-than-life characters. (”Why do they call him Boris the Bullet Dodger?” “…Because he dodges bullets, Avi.”) Here is the movie intro introducing all the characters in typical Guy Ritchie fashion.

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