10 best action-romance movies of all time

A still from Mr and Mrs Smith (Image via IMDb)
A still from Mr and Mrs Smith (Image via IMDb)

When action and romance cross paths, a commercial blockbuster is guaranteed. Despite being polar opposites, the action-romance genre has always been very popular in the entertainment industry. When big guns, fast cars, and combat scenes are intermixed with romance, more often than not, success is guaranteed.

While many action movies are dismissive of their romantic subplots, the very best of them invest a great deal in romance, making the movie more dynamic and fun. Here is a list of our ten favorite action-romance movies of all time.


Deadpool, Speed, and eight other interesting action-romance movies through time

1) Mr. and Mrs. Smith

For obvious reasons, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the iconic flick starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, tops the list of top 10 action-romance movies of all time. The story follows a couple with a rocky marriage until they discover that they both are assassins with a mission to kill each other.

The love/hate relationship and the intense chemistry between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie set the movie apart as one of the most-remembered features in the genre ever. Their romance amidst their individual missions to kill each other generates a lot of spark and excitement among viewers.


2) Casino Royale

Casino Royale is the first Bond film to star Daniel Craig. It is also one of the most romantic 007 movies ever made. The movie is set earlier in the superspy's career when he is sent to infiltrate a poker tournament in Montenegro to fleece an international terrorist and force him to seek asylum with the British government.

Bond struck up an intense romance with the British treasury agent Vesper Lynd, who was assigned to aid him. As their romance evolves, Bond discovers that more than his life is on the line in this mission.


3) The Mask of Zorro

This is indisputably one of the best classic action-romance movies of all time. It follows the story of the legendary Don Diego de la Vega, who trains a successor to take his place as the masked vigilante, Zorro. Along with some exciting action sequences, the forbidden romance between Alejandro, the new Zorro, and Diego's daughter Elena serves as the film's memorable subplot.

When Elena learns the truth about who her real father is and the ways of her wicked adoptive father, she aids the two Zorros and falls in love with Alejandro, and they live happily ever after.


4) Knight and Day

Knight and Day stars Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise and follows the adventures of a woman named June who finds herself caught up in an unlikely encounter with Roy Miller, a dangerous operative spy.

Diaz is the perfect damsel in distress in this story, who turns into an expert spy assistant. The action-romance presents us with some fantastical action-packed fight sequences, which, coupled with the hot chemistry between Diaz and Cruise, makes Knight and Day a memorable watch.


5) Deadpool

This is a superhero story coupled with a charming romantic plot that has something for both fans of romance and action movies. The plot is a refreshing story of how an anti-hero gets the girl, giving the audience a love story with exciting combat sequences.

The story follows Wade (Ryan Reynolds), who has been experimented on to cure his cancer. But this leaves him immortal and heavily disfigured. So Wade hunts down his experimenter to exact revenge.


6) Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde is one of the most memorable action movies of all time, and it marks a milestone in the history of the action-romance genre. The movie stars Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, two Depression-era outlaws who also pose as anti-heroes, robbing banks and going on their own criminal sprees.


7) Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a classic masterpiece that has stood the test of time due to its fantastic plot and exciting action sequences. The most notable feature in the film is the tumultuous and teasing romance between Indiana Jones and Marion.

The former lovers, who meet once again in a bar in Nepal, struggle to put aside their hostilities and work together to beat the Nazis to locate the biblical Ark of the Covenant. The romance feeds into the exciting and adventurous action-loaded storyline, making for a spell-binding watch.


8) Speed

The 1994 action blockbuster Speed stars Sandra Bullock as a heavy-footed passenger-turned-driver, Annie, and Keanu Reeves as an LAPD hotshot, Jack. Although the duo's intense relationship that culminates due to dangerous circumstances never works out, the duo has to be one of action cinema's most endearing couples.


9) Baby Driver

Baby Driver is one of the more recent action-romance movies. It follows the adventures of a former getaway driver who is threatened into working on a heist. His girlfriend's life is at risk, and he must do all he can to ensure success in the heist.

But things go downhill when undercover officers get involved. The tense action sequences, coupled with tender moments of love shared between the lead couple, make the movie a must-watch.


10) This Means War

Starring Reese Witherspoon in the head role, This Means War is an action rom-com that follows two CIA operatives who discover that both are romantically pursuing the same woman. The movie blends action, romance, and comedy as the two men fight to win the heart of their lady love.


What is your favorite action-romance movie of all time? Let us know in the comments.

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Edited by Shreya Das
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