by Alissa King

Created on: September 22, 2008   Last Updated: March 06, 2009

My definition of a great action movie is a film which stirs the senses, quickens the pulse, and causes strangers to become emotionally invested in the main characters on screen. If I don't care about the people on screen, then no flashy action sequence or special effects will salvage the movie in my estimation. Maybe this is why audiences are so addicted to sequels: We become more invested in characters that we spend more time with.

Here are ten movies that fit all my criteria for a great action film.

Let's start with the contemporary classic 'Spiderman'. The newly revamped Spiderman was a surprise hit; both a winner at the box office and a critical success.I would never have thought to choose Toby Maguire for the pivotal role, but he was fantastic at the part. Humble enough to be awkward Peter Parker in high school, but intense and sincere in his role as an emerging super-hero. I really cared what became of his Spiderman, and that's a feat in and of itself. Nerve-wracking, high-paced action that crescendos at the end, this is a classic superhero film with old fashioned values.

Next on my list: 'Speed'. This was a huge break-through film for both Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. A crazed madman creates a hostage situation on a moving bus; a bus that can't stop or all the passengers will be blown to smithereens. The action is tense and Bullock is so spunky and likable, you find yourself completely drawn in, gripping the seat as you hope they survive it, somehow. There was also surprise chemistry between the leads, which you don't expect from usually corpse-like Reeves.

Number three is 'Point of No Return'.What can I say? Bridget Fonda kicks some major booty in this movie remake of Nikita. The plot-line is the ultimate conspiracy story: Fonda plays a drug addict sentenced to execution, but her execution is a hoax, and she is actually recruited as a top-secret government operative whose job is to do the government's dirty work, ie- assasination. The casting of Fonda opposite Gabriel Byrne was a stroke of genius. There is a chemistry and dynamic to their interaction that supercedes the simple roles of this film, and makes it a haunting tale which sticks with you.

Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest:The second installment of Pirates is my secret favorite, despite the classic nature of the first film. The second is just a pure romp- from beginning to end it is not stop action filled with startling tableaus such as a sword fight on a runaway rolling waterwheel,

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