Summary
- Wahlberg's worst action movies lacked character development and suffered from predictable plotlines and bad performances.
- While some Wahlberg action movies missed the mark, he has delivered well-crafted cinematic spectacles in his career.
- Wahlberg's commitment to bombastic action flicks is evident throughout his career, with notable hits and misses in the genre.
Mark Wahlberg has starred in plenty of action movies over the past 30 years, although admittedly some were better than others. With countless roles as determined police officers, petty criminals, and expert thieves under his belt, Wahlberg was no stranger to the action genre as he chased, fought, and shot his way through an assortment of over-the-top action-packed films. While acclaimed roles in epic crime thrillers like The Departed or sci-fi movies such as the Transformers series don’t count as pure action entries, there were still plenty more Wahlberg action movies to consider.
The worst Wahlberg action movies suffered from poor character development, predictable plotlines, and bad performances, while Wahlberg's best movies were well-crafted cinematic spectacles. As an incredibly prolific actor, not all of Wahlberg’s action roles were hits, but the sheer commitment he has shown to turning up time and time again for bombastic action flicks. Looking back on his entire career, it’s clear that Wahlberg has had some really great action movies over the years.
15 Max Payne (2008)
Mark Wahlberg as Max Payne
Max Payne
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Based on the action game series of the same name, this neo-noir action thriller follows the titular detective, Max Payne, as he delves into New York City's criminal underbelly to solve and avenge the murders of his wife and child.
- Director
- John Moore
- Release Date
- October 17, 2008
- Cast
- Mark Wahlberg , Mila Kunis , Beau Bridges , Ludacris , Olga Kurylenko
- Runtime
- 100 minutes
When it came to Mark Wahlberg's action movies, it didn’t get any worse than Max Payne, a woeful adaptation of the beloved neo-noir third-person shooter that stood as one of the worst video game movies ever made. While there were stylish elements to the action in Max Payne, Wahlberg gave an underwhelming performance that was an insult to the interesting graphic novel aesthetic of the original game. A true low point for Wahlberg’s career as an action star, Max Payne missed the mark big time.
14 Mile 22 (2018)
Mark Wahlberg as Officer James Silva
Mile 22
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Mark Wahlberg stars in this film that he co-produced with Stephen Levinson and Peter Berg. Berg acted as director for the 2018 film that revolves around a CIA agent tasked with helping an asset escape a foreign company in exchange for information on a potentially apocalyptic threat.
- Director
- Peter Berg
- Release Date
- August 17, 2018
- Cast
- Lauren Mary Kim , Sala Baker , Iko Uwais , Terry Kinney , Poorna Jagannathan , nikolai nikolaeff , John Malkovich , Ronda Rousey , Alexandra Vino , Mark Wahlberg , Lauren Cohan
- Runtime
- 95minutes
Mile 22 committed one of the greatest sins of action movie failures, it was totally and completely forgettable. Full of action tropes and clichés, Mark Wahlberg played an elite CIA officer who was part of a top-secret tactical command unit trying to smuggle a police officer out of Indonesia. While Mile 22 contained plenty of twists and turns, it all felt a little underwhelming, and although the stakes were high, things never felt quite urgent enough to truly care about them.