A Mission Gone Wrong, a Submarine in Peril: 10 Action Movies That Hooked Viewers in the First Minutes
A mission goes wrong
In The Shadow Strays, directed by Timo Tjahjanto, the story opens in Japan with 13, played by Aurora Ribero. A routine assignment turns against her when a target’s bodyguard defeats her. She kills the target, but is suspended and sent for retraining.
The fight moves from a traditional Japanese house to a snow-covered garden. Its stylish, brutal action introduces the film’s approach while establishing 13’s character. The Netflix film is described as an underseen choice for fans of hard-hitting action.
A submarine under threat
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One begins aboard the Russian submarine Sevastopol, which contains an advanced artificial intelligence. Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, does not appear in the sequence. The crew detects what seems to be an enemy submarine and launches a torpedo.
There is no attack: the torpedo turns back and destroys the vessel, while the AI and the key to access it disappear into the ocean. With Marcin Dorociński as the captain, the claustrophobic scene builds suspense without relying on fights and establishes the Entity as a manipulative threat facing the IMF team across two movies.
John Wick faces the system
John Wick: Chapter 4 opens with John, played by Keanu Reeves, riding through the dark desert in search of the Elder. He takes down the Elder’s men, then meets a replacement for the one who retired. Their negotiation fails, and John kills him.
That choice sets John on a path toward the High Table and a later confrontation with the Marquis, played by Bill Skarsgård. The opening pairs striking locations and deliberate movement with the franchise’s wide-screen style. John chooses to confront the system rather than keep hiding, setting up the film’s large-scale, brutal combat.
Activists launch a daring operation
One Battle After Another introduces the radical group French 75 as its members attempt to free detained immigrants from a facility near the US–Mexico border. Perfidia Beverly Hills, played by Teyana Taylor, helps organize the operation alongside Pat Calhoun, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and other activists.
During the action, Perfidia subdues Captain Steven J. Lockjaw, played by Sean Penn, who becomes strangely captivated by her. The opening gives the film an unconventional start while placing the group’s operation and its central characters in immediate focus.
Key points
- The Shadow Strays uses a failed mission to introduce 13 and its hard-hitting style.
- A submarine disaster establishes the Entity as a threat in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
- John Wick’s opening choice sends him toward a direct confrontation with the High Table.
- One Battle After Another begins with French 75 activists attempting a detention-facility rescue.