Iconic Roles: The Best Vin Diesel Action Movies

Vin Diesel remains a top star capable of carrying entire franchises on his sturdy back, but what are his? best movies? After several decades, the man is still a box office hit and a bona fide action star that audiences are willing to pay money to see on the big screen. His latest venture, Fast Diesel, has managed to carve out a respectable niche for itself among the action elite. So enjoy a look back at the best Vin Diesel action movies.

xXx (2002)

After the double victory of “Pitch Black” and “The Fast & Furious” “xXx” meant a qualitative step backwards for Diesel. Those early works aside, however, Rob Cohen’s early 2000s adventure lives up to its expectations as a vintage piece of B-movie entertainment. The story about extreme athlete and daredevil Xander Cage’s efforts to stop a Russian terrorist group doesn’t always work, but the highly dynamic action sequences (including a James Bond-style opening where our hero uses a skateboard, snowboard, etc.) and motocross bike), adrenaline-pumping stunts and Diesel’s charismatic performance provide enough to make action genre fans swoon. Also, Samuel L. Jackson and Asia Argento play excellent supporting roles, making this a great start to our list of the best Vin Diesel action movies.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2001)

In Guardians of the Galaxy, Diesel provides his voice for Groot, Rocket’s giant, tree-like sidekick, and utters just one line throughout the franchise: “I’m Groot.” Still, the actor manages to stand out from the colorful cast. That’s my justification for naming Guardians on this list. James Gunn’s original film is a delightfully whimsical action-adventure with great special effects, offbeat humor and a surprising amount of heart. Guardians can rightly be called one of the best MCU entries. While I personally like Vol. 3 Most commonly, the consensus is that the original film offers the best combination of Gunn’s irreverent personality and the MCU’s gritty charm.

Pitch Black (2000)

If you can get past the lanky special effects and skinny characters, Pitch Black offers a unique, often terrifying, sci-fi experience. The 2000 Creatures Feature follows a group of survivors stranded on a deserted planet after their spaceship crash-landed. Of course, the planet is full of dangerous creatures and only one man – the mysterious Riddick – can stop them. Directed by David Twohy, Pitch Black is pretty straight forward and a far cry from the bloated Riddick sequels that followed, but even after all these years it’s still a hit. Diesel is great as Riddick, another role that requires a lot of Dom-esque stares and grumbles. Hey, it’s what he does best, and that’s why it makes our list of the best Vin Diesel action movies.

Fast Five (2011)

Those who read my post on the Fast and Furious leaderboard earlier this week will already know that I love Fast Five – the best entry in the entire franchise. Without repeating myself too much, all I can say is that everything works in Justin Lin’s incredibly entertaining action film. This is where Diesel’s star power comes into its own. Dom is an antihero to be applauded for – charismatic enough to like but badass enough to fear. Diesel has a firm grip on the character, and it’s unfortunate that the series eventually took off and turned Dom into a goofy caricature. Regardless, Part 5 is great from start to finish, leading to a wild finale with a safe that ranks among the better action set pieces of the last 20 years. Ridiculous fun.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

I mean, was there ever a doubt? Vin Diesel has a small but significant role in Steven Spielberg’s WWII masterpiece. He portrays the hapless soldier Adrian Caparzo, or the one hit by the sniper. The actor stays around long enough that we miss him when he exits; his death hangs over the remaining image.

Ultimately, Saving Private Ryan is one of the greatest war movies and contains some of the most brutal war sequences ever filmed. Starring Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns and Matt Damon, this is a thoroughly classic film waiting to be seen on the big screen to unfold its full impact, which is why it deserves a place on the big screen gets top Vin Diesel action movies list.