Since getting surgery on my leg a little over a month ago, I have watched 19 really good movies. This is the list of top five films I watched strictly since the surgery, not my top five of all time. However, all of these movies are action-packed and offer stellar performances by famous actors. 

5. Die Hard (1988)

Die Hard is a movie everyone must watch in their lifetime as it is just an all-time classic. We get to see a stellar performance from Bruce Willis as he plays the whitty and brave protagonist, John McClane. This is definitely one of the best action movies I’ve seen and should be used as an example of how to make captivating action sequences and plots. Willis does an incredible job keeping the movie serious but still tossing a few jokes and taunts towards the terrorists. When the terrorists take over McClane’s wife’s office building, there is zero concern from the outside world leaving McClane to save the people in the building on his own. In the movie, there are many creative ways McClane bests the villains making it fun to watch. The villain, Hans Gruber, played by Alan Rickman is absolutely fantastic. Rickman’s tone and demeanor he keeps throughout make him an intimidating villain. Finally, the big debate about the movie is whether or not it’s a christmas movie because it does take place on Christmas eve. In my opinion, Die Hard should be considered a Christmas movie and now I will look forward to watching it each year come December. 

4. Shutter Island (2010)

I don’t even know where to begin… WOW! The end of this movie will have you questioning everything and feeling super satisfied at the same time. If you like movies with a crazy plot twist, you have to watch this as soon as possible. They’re my favorite types of movies and this won’t be the last one on this list. After a psychotic murderer has escaped, they bring over US Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his brand new partner (Mark Ruffalo) to Ashecliffe Hospital, a fortress-like insane asylum located on an isolated island. Watching these detectives at work will have you on the edge of your seat and things may not always be as they seem. Ben Kingsley delivers a performance as the head of Ashecliffe Hospital as Dr. John Cawley. Whatever prediction you may have for this movie, throw it out the window; this is a movie where there is only 15 minutes left and you’re still left confused,  but at the end, all the pieces come together. DiCaprio delivers as always in one of my favorite performances from him making this a must- watch. 

3. Training Day (2001)

Denzel Washington delivers a well-deserved Oscar performance as the iconic and crazy police officer Alonzo Harris. Everything about Alonzo Harris is awesome, from the way he dresses to his crazy confrontations to the different places he takes first day rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) all over Los Angeles, pushing him far out of his comfort zone. Training Day shows the dark sides of being a police officer and shows cops can have very different ideal ways to deal with criminals. Some of the scenes in this movie are just extremely entertaining as one of my favorite scenes ever is when Harris brings Hoyt to the head drug dealer, Smiley’s house. The ending caps off a well-thought out and suspenseful plot very nicely. This is my favorite Denzel Washington movie I have watched and if anyone just wants two hours of a crazy ride along, you must watch Training Day.

2.Django Unchained (2012)

I will forever put faith in Quentin Tarantino making great movies because this one is a top three Tarantino film ever for me. This movie is an interesting watch because it takes place two years before the Civil War and follows a slave named Django (Jamie Foxx) on the hunt for his wife. He teams up with one of my favorite actors, Christoph Waltz as he plays a German bounty hunter named Doctor King Schultz. Chrisoph Waltz gives the performance of a lifetime, cracking up viewers through the whole movie and winning the Oscar for best supporting actor. Django is one of the coolest characters I have ever witnessed as he fears nothing. Now, there are some scenes that are tough watches and make you reconsider to keep going but trust me, see the movie through. Those scenes can be brutal, but it just puts into perspective how harshly the slaves were treated. Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Calvin Candie, owns a slave plantation he likes to call Candie Land. He is super racist and is assisted by his black butler, Stephen (Samuel L Jackson). Stephen is infuriating  during the end of the movie, but Jackson does impressive work  playing his part. This is a stacked cast and they definitely didn’t disappoint. This is a long movie, but it has so many different cool scenes going on, you never get bored. 

1. Prisoners (2013)

Not only is this my favorite movie I’ve seen since surgery, it’s a top five movie I have ever seen. Talk about a twist ending! I have never watched a better one than this. When Kellen Dover’s (Hugh Jackman) daughter and her friend are kidnapped, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhall) is put in charge of the case. Anyone who watches is put through sadness, anger, confusion, and suspicion. When Loki isn’t getting any closer to solving the case, Dover decides his daughter’s life is in his hands. Hugh Jackman played the role of a lifetime as sometimes you forget it’s just a movie and he’s acting. The antagonist, Alex Jones (Paul Dano) is excellent as he’ll throw you for a loop confusing you the whole movie. Just when you think Loki or Dover has a lead, the trail is a deadend. The final scene of the movie is one of my favorites and I personally really like how it ended, but others may disagree. Everything in the end makes sense, but yet is still shocking and the actors play their roles so well you feel like you are part of the movie. This movie had me yelling at my TV and my head spinning in circles. If you haven’t seen Prisoners watch it this weekend and keep the lights on… just kidding. 

Honorable Mentions: 12 Angry Men (1957), The Departed (2006), Inglourious Basterds (2009)

With school coming to an end and late nights beginning, when you and your friends are tired of swimming, you must get some popcorn and put on one of these movies.