For action movies, directors and screenwriters have always gone with the presumption that the use of more locations results in a sweater adventure. Many opt to not only spread the events across different sections of town but also around the world. Genre fans have, therefore, become used to seeing their heroes globetrot as they chase after miscreants.

However, there are a few action films that prove that wandering isn’t always necessary. The introduction scenes feature characters moving around a bit, but once the mayhem begins, it’s all restricted to a single building. This way, the story feels more focused and tense. And because of the limited locations, such movies have smaller budgets, hence their awesomeness is a win for both studios and fans.

15 Everly (2014)

Betrayal is often costly in movies and when Everly (Salma Hayek) begins feeding information about a Japanese crime boss to a police officer, he sends goons to her apartment. It soon emerges that he is keeping her and a few other prostitutes in the building, forcing them to work for him. Having become fed up with his condescending nature, Everly tries to gain independence by bringing him down.
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All the events in Everly take place in the apartment block and the action stretches for longer periods because the titular character turns out to be a better fighter than her tormentors thought. She kills everyone that gets sent to take her down and when more goons are dispatched, she repeats the punishment. Things become even tougher for Everly when the boss offers other prostitutes in the building a large bounty if they kill her. But thanks to her grit and resilience, she emerges the victor in the end.

14 Command Performance (2009)

Prime Video

Command Performance is quite underrated, but it’s arguably one of Dolph Lundgren’s most entertaining movies. The film feels even more relevant at the moment (because of the Wagner attempted coup in Russia) since it involves a Soviet rebel attempting to overthrow the President as a pop star is about to perform for him and his daughters. The events are loosely inspired by Madonna’s performance for Vladmir Putin.
Lundgren plays Joe, the drummer of the opening rock band, who just so happens to have been a biker gang member in the past. With the attackers shooting everyone in the building, he is forced to step up and become the hero. Despite being an actor whose characters mostly benefit from one-man-army tropes and plot armor, Lundgren’s Joe seems more vulnerable in the film, so the events are a lot more believable.

13 Copshop (2021)

Sculptor Media

Frank Grillo remains an underrated action star, but he has been putting in the work. He starred in nine movies in 2021 alone and one of those was the action thriller Copshop, in which he teamed up with Gerard Butler. In it, con artist Teddy Murretto (Grillo) deliberately gets himself locked up in a station in order to avoid the assassin Bob Vidick (Butler). Unfortunately for him, Vidick schemes his way to the station too, resulting in a long indoor duel between the two.
Initially, the predicament appears very straightforward, but the movie throws in several twists along the way while also introducing new characters. What initially seemed like a conflict between Teddy and Vicky only, unfolds into a larger conspiracy. And because the leads happen to be very familiar with the genre, they are each outstanding in their roles.

12 The Raid (2011)

PT Merantau Films

Great movies always end up being studied by other directors and according to director Angel Manuel Soto, a few of Blue Beetle’s fight scenes were influenced by The Raid. The Indonesian action film has a simple plot and the events are restricted to a 30-storey apartment block belonging to a drug lord, fans get to witness arguably the best fight choreography in the history of cinema.
The camera stays on the protagonist Rama (Iko Uwais) all through as he is forced to take on most of the drug lord’s goons by himself after nearly all the officers that he had raided the building with get killed. His fighting expertise is remarkable, given that he is only a rookie officer. Rama gets overwhelmed numerous times, but he still manages to punch and kick his way to the next floor.

11 Free Fire (2016)

StudioCanal

What’s meant to be a simple arms chase in Free Fire goes terribly wrong when emotions get in the way. At the warehouse, one of the members realizes that someone from the other party once assaulted him, so tensions rise, leading to a shootout. The film has a strong cast, featuring the likes of Cillian Murphy and Brie Larson, so the performances are as good as the action set pieces.
The proceedings in Free Fire flow smoothly because director Ben Wheatley had handled this kind of concept before. Before he made the action comedy, he had directed the dystopian thriller High Rise, which is also set in a single building. The film is basically a 90-minute shootout and events never spill out of the warehouse. As for the jokes, they aren’t all clever, but they always land.

10 Die Hard (1988)

20th Century Fox

Die Hard’s legacy is unlikely to ever die off because the movie has one of the greatest-ever action villains and some of the most euphoric quotes. Years have passed, but there hasn’t been a cooler phrase than Detective John McClaine’s “Yippee Ki Yay!” It’s obvious how much fun the NYPD lawman is having as he takes on the German terrorist Hans Gruber and his men at the Nakatomi Plaza.
Gruber, on the other hand, impresses with his ambition, poise, and voice. He vows not to walk away from the building unless he has the bearer bonds worth $640 million. And even as McClaine picks out his men, he never seems too bothered. He is a person used to getting his way, so he remains confident. Unfortunately for him, this turns out not to be his night.

9 The Nest (2002)

MUBI

In The Nest, two different criminal factions with different agendas find themselves in the same warehouse where a battle begins. At the center of the proceedings is the special agent Laborie, who quickly finds a place to hide after preventing the rescue attempt of an Albanian mafia boss. He settles for the warehouse, which just so happens to have thieves who are in the process of stealing. Within no time, the Albanian mob goons show up.
Like Free Fire, The Nest ends up being one lengthy shootout because of a lack of understanding. Since everyone is keen on putting their interests first, the violence never stops. There is a logical reason for the lack of outside interference too, since the events happen to be taking place on Bastille Day, when everyone in France is busy minding their business and having a good time.

8 Game of Death (1978)

Fortune Star Media

Bruce Lee died during the making of Game of Death but 100 minutes had already been shot by then so completing it was an easy task. It’s quite a controversial film too, since it included actual footage from Lee’s funeral, something many felt was unethical. Even so, it’s an amazing film that has some of the most essential Bruce Lee scenes.
In Game of Death, retired martial arts champion, Hai Ten (Bruce Lee), is forced by a Korean gang to retrieve a special item that is located on the top floor of a pagoda. Each floor is guarded by skilled martial artists, so Ten carefully fights his way to the top. Like a video game, the higher he goes, the tougher the opponents become.

7 Dredd (2012)

Lionsgate

Karl Urban is now better known for his role as Billy Butcher in The Boys, but he was equally impressive in Dredd. The comic adaptation is set in the year 2080 when judges are allowed to arrest, prosecute, sentence, and execute. Judge Dredd (Urban) thus heads to a 200-storey tower where the drug lord Ma-Ma conducts her operations. His aim is only to arrest one person and leave but when the goons lock him inside, the fighting starts.
Apart from the action, the movie examines themes like corruption and poverty in a satisfactory manner. Many people are only working for Ma-Ma out of desperation since this is a society where cash is hard to find. A couple of judges happen to be in her pocket too, complicating things for Dredd.

6 Sudden Death (1995)

Universal Pictures

In Sudden Death, a group of terrorists stages an attack during an NHL ice hockey finals game and holds several people hostage, including the Vice President. They demand a ransom and because his own son happens to be in the building, fire marshal Darren McCord (Jean Claude Van Damme) decides to step up and save the day.
There are a few similarities with Die Hard here, but Sudden Death charts its own path by introducing the element of the mole. A few individuals who initially seemed like good people are later revealed to be working with the terrorists. There is also a greater level of panic because of the high population in the arena, hence the stakes appear higher than those of similar movies.

5 White House Down (2013)

Sony Pictures Releasing

White House Down has a memorable White House lawn chase near the end, but the majority of the proceedings take place inside the building, with the President emerging as one of the two heroes. There are a few comedic scenes to complete the action and this comes as no surprise because POTUS is played by Jamie Foxx.
The villains in the film choose the wrong time to invade the White House since marine veteran John Cale happens to be in the building, interviewing for a position in the Secret Service. He has also brought with daughter with him in order to impress her, so he is left with no choice but to teach the baddies a lesson. As he seeks to protect the President, the leader of the free world jumps in on the action.

4 Skyscraper (2018)

Universal Pictures

Skyscraper has been described by some as a Die Hard ripoff, and it’s easy to see why. The film is set in a skyscraper that’s being targeted by terrorists, just as is the case in the Bruce Willis movie. But that’s where the similarities end. On this occasion, the protagonist Will Sawyer gets framed for causing fire to the building, so he works to clear his name while trying to save his family.
Sawyer is also an ex-marine, not a law enforcement officer and his task seems harder because he lost one leg and has to deal with both fire and baddies. Dwayne Johnson shines in the lead role, showing compassion to those who need his help while mercilessly brutalizing those who are responsible for the mess. Additionally, there are a number of daring stunts, all of which appear very realistic, thanks to great CGI.

3 Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

CKK Corporation

John Carpenter is another director who is very familiar with single-location movies. His most popular movie, The Thing, is set in a research station whereas Assault on Precinct 13 stuffs all the fun into the walls of a precinct that is soon to be closed. For action lovers, the latter is more fun as it features plenty of shootouts and explosions.
The conflict arises from the fact that a South-Central Los Angeles gang is targeting cops after six of its members got killed. The rest of the gang members attack the precinct, forcing both the law enforcement officers and the temporary prisoners to defend themselves. Assault on Precinct 13 is a partial remake of the Howard Hawks Western Rio Bravo, where a sheriff and his inmates are forced to protect themselves from a gang of outlaws.

2 Lockup (1989)

TriStar Pictures

Action fans can name most of Sylvester Stallone’s movies except Lockup, which flopped at the box office. The film’s underperformance was surprising considering that it was released in the ‘80s when the actor was at the peak of his fame. It’s not Stallone’s best work, but it’s palatable because it thrives on persecution themes like First Blood. In fact, it’s more of a lengthy version of First Blood’s iconic jail scene.
While in prison the former mechanic Frank Leone (Stallone) is mistreated by guards and a couple of his fellow inmates, forcing him to eventually fight back. In general, Lockup has better performances than Stallone’s other prison flick, Escape Plan, so viewers who always demand more than just stylish fights will enjoy it more.

1 Security (2017)

Viaplay

Antonio Banderas has drifted into drama films as he has grown older, but once in a while, he stars in action flicks like Security. Here, the actor plays war veteran Eddie Deacon who has recently gotten a job as a mall security guard. The actual test of his skills comes when a gang ambushes a convoy transporting a girl who’s meant to testify in mafia trials. She escapes to the mall and when the leader of the gang, Charlie (Ben Kingsley), demands for her to be handed over, Eddie refuses and barricades the mall.
Security has the kind of simple plot that would be better suited for a B-movie, but it thrills of the star power and endless shootouts. Additionally, the fact that a child is at risk makes it emotionally touching. It doesn’t lean too heavily to the one-man-army trope either since Eddie gets plenty of help from the girl herself.