RED 2 (premiering next weekend) stars Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren as octogenarians so good at kicking ass and taking names, it makes us young uns look old and feeble. ('RED,' in this case, stands for 'Retired & Extremely Dangerous.) So to honor those fighting-fit members of AARP, here is a list of the 10 most badass performances delivered by actors who were over the age of 50 at the time (presented in order of increasing age).
I know, I know...Tom Cruise?? But believe it or not, Mr. Cruise was 50 when his sci-fi action film 'Oblivion' premiered this April, which makes him just eligible for this honor. Dude has been kicking butt since The Outsiders in 1983: that makes four decades of badassery already, with no sign of slowing down. Say what you will about the man, but that's an impressive feat that definitely merits an honorable mention, especially given his penchant for performing his own stunts. (Watching behind-the-scenes video of him dangling on the outside of the Burj Khalifa is enough to make even the most hardcore of us run crying to our mommies.)
The role: Bryan Mills, 'Taken' (2008)
Age when film was released: 55
About five years ago, Liam Neeson's career took a very strange turn. Previously famous for quiet but intense roles in dramas and romantic comedies such as 'Schindler's List,' 'Les Misérables,' 'Kinsey' and 'Love, Actually,' Mr. Neeson turned into an action hero almost literally overnight when 'Taken' became a surprise smash hit. His take-no-prisoners ferocity was so unexpected and so satisfying that he has starred in almost nothing but action films since, including 'Clash (and Wrath) Of The Titans,' 'The A-Team,' 'Unknown,' 'Battleship' and 'The Grey.' He reappeared as Bryan Mills last year in 'Taken 2,' and is set to make it a trilogy with the announced 'Taken 3.' He lands at #10 on this list merely because of his relatively young age, but Liam Neeson will undoubtedly remain a badass action star for years to come.
Most badass moment: Almost impossible to determine. Literally the entire film is one badass moment after the other. But it's hard to top the scene where Liam Neeson systematically works his way through the kidnappers' headquarters, taking down one evil Albanian after the other.
The role: Old Joe, 'Looper' (2012)
Age when film was released: 57
While this year's 'A Good Day To Die Hard' may have been the weakest film in the 'Die Hard' franchise, it's hard to argue with the fact that Bruce Willis is still a badass, a quarter of a century after John McClane's first tangle with terrorists. The number of films that have featured Bruce Willis shooting bad guys and blowing things up is truly staggering. From sci-fi ('The Fifth Element') to crime ('Pulp Fiction') to apocalypse ('Armageddon'), he's done it all. But his role in last year's trippy time travel action film 'Looper' was perhaps his most memorable since turning the big five-oh.
Most badass moment: The scene where he systematically shoots his way through the looper headquarters is awesome but too similar to Liam Neeson's, so instead I'll go with his first appearance in the film, when he gets the drop on his past self and knocks Young Joe out cold. Not many people can say they're so badass they've beat themselves up.
The role: Gandalf The Grey, 'The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring' (2001)
Age when film was released: 62
Like Liam Neeson, Ian McKellen was known as a respected dramatic actor when his career took a sudden badass turn late in life. He was introduced to the action genre the year before 'Lord Of The Rings' when he appeared as the villainous Magneto in 'X-Men,' but it was his performance as the staff-wielding, troll-fighting, bridge-defending, pot-smoking Gandalf The Grey that made Sir Ian a household name.
Most badass moment: "YOU! SHALL! NOT! PASS!"
The role: Will Munny, 'Unforgiven' (1992)
Age when film was released: 62
Clint Eastwood has without a doubt been a badass since he was still inside his mother's womb. He has dominated the Western genre since starring in 216 episodes of Rawhide (beginning in 1959). But his last role in the genre will perhaps be remembered as his greatest. His performance as Will Munny, former outlaw who gets back to his shoot-em-up ways to defend the honor of a group of prostitutes, is stoic, chilling and strangely graceful. This is a performance for the ages delivered by a man's man at his best.
Most badass moment: "You just shot an unarmed man." "Well, he should've armed himself."
The role: The Director, 'The Cabin In The Woods' (2012)
Age when film was released: 63
When I think of the quintessential female action star, I don't think of Angelina Jolie or Milla Jovovich. I think of Sigourney Weaver kicking some epic extra-terrestrial butt as Ripley. It's no surprise then, that over three decades after 'Alien,' Ms. Weaver still maintains her general air of badassery. In 'The Cabin In The Woods,' a film filled with shocking twists and turns, Sigourney Weaver's surprise cameo at the end was just the cherry on top of a gory-fun cake. Unlike other entries on this list, she doesn't spend any time firing a machine gun, but her presence in the final apocalyptic minutes is so unexpected and so menacing that I couldn't NOT include it. I mean, she spends the entirety of her screen time trying to talk a young woman into murdering her friend. That's cold.
Most badass moment: After failing to convince Dana to kill Marty, she decides to take care of things herself and brutally beats up a dude half her age.
The role: Rachel Singer, 'The Debt' (2010)
Age when film was released: 65
It would be too easy to include Helen Mirren's turn as Victoria in the first 'RED,' so I went instead with the role that first introduced us to badass Helen Mirren, in 'The Debt' (which came out earlier the same year). What exactly is it about watching an old English lady kick some ass that is so stimulating to watch? It must be something about the juxtaposition between the seemingly proper exterior and the sudden acts of very improper violence. Whatever it is, Helen Mirren is a blast to watch as she takes down bad guys. The gruesome scar on her face in this film only adds to her street cred.
Most badass moment: Despite having been stabbed repeatedly with a pair of scissors, she still manages to take down the evil Nazi war criminal with a poisoned syringe.
The role: J.B. Books, 'The Shootist' (1976)
Age when film was released: 69
Like Clint Eastwood, John Wayne was and always will be a legend, with no dearth of badass roles on his resume. But the eerie similarity of Books, his last role ever, to Wayne's own life is what makes this one stand out. In 'The Shootist,' Wayne plays a former gunslinger who finds out he is dying of cancer, and decides to go out on his own terms, taking some old enemies with him. While filming this movie, John Wayne himself was terminally ill with stomach cancer, and he passed away just three years later. The dying yet still deadly Books would turn out to be his final legacy.
Most badass moment: I could go with the final shootout in the bar, with Books outnumbered three-to-one, but instead I'm saying Books going to an undertaker to order his own tombstone. It takes a badass man to face death head-on with such matter-of-factness.
The role: Booker, 'The Expendables 2' (2012)
Age when film was released: 72
Take a look at that picture over there. Does that look like a 72-year-old to you? Ladies and gentlemen, the legendary Chuck Norris has still got it. This entire list could have been filled with actors from the 'Expendables' franchise, but for the sake of variety, I only picked one. And how could I not go with Walker, Texas Ranger? The man is so badass there used to be a street named after him, but it was changed because nobody crosses Chuck Norris and lives. (Rimshot!)
Most badass moment: Gotta be his entrance. He singlehandedly saves Sylvester Stallone and his squad by taking out an entire army of bad guys, bombing a tank, and then calmly strolling out of the smoke while removing his sunglasses. Then this happens: Sylvester Stallone: "I heard a rumor that you were bitten by a king cobra." Chuck Norris: "Yeah, I was. But after five days of agonizing pain...the cobra died."
The role: Harry Brown, 'Harry Brown' (2009)
Age when film was released: 76
Let me just put it this way: Michael Caine is so badass in this movie that Batman should have been his butler. Harry Brown is a former Royal Marine who decides to take matters into his own hands when the neighborhood he lives in is terrorized by a gang of drug addicts and rapists. He systematically works his way through the gang, mercilessly killing hoodlum after hoodlum. It's a little strange to be rooting for an old man who's slaughtering twentysomethings (not that they're innocent), but Michael Caine grabs that moral ambiguity and milks it for all it's worth.
Most badass moment: After torturing one gang member, Harry ties him to a leash and herds him into an underpass, where a couple of his cronies are waiting. Harry stands behind him, in the dark, unseen, letting the tension build until he finally unleashes some unholy vengeance on them.
The role: Violet Crawley, The Dowager Countess of Grantham, 'Downton Abbey' (2010-present)
Age when show was released: 76-79
She may not carry a gun. She may not blow up buildings. She may not fight terrorists singlehandedly. But damn it if there's not anyone more badass on this list than Dame Maggie Smith. At the ripe old age of 79, she's as spunky as ever. You may have seen her kicking Severus Snape's butt in the last 'Harry Potter' movie, but it's her role as the Dowager Countess of Grantham on 'Downton Abbey' that is her most deliciously wicked. She takes down her enemies with a well-placed bon mot faster than Chuck Norris could with a kick to the groin. Her every word drips with sarcasm and she takes crap from no man (or woman). Definitely the biggest badass on the list, and the person I would be most scared to meet in a dark alley.
Most badass moment: Impossible to determine. Here are a few.
• On how to say goodbye to someone you despise. Sir Richard: "I'm leaving in the morning, Lady Grantham. I doubt we'll meet again." Violet: "Do you promise?"
• On those vulgar Americans. Violet: "I'm so looking forward to seeing your mother again. When I'm with her, I'm reminded of the virtues of the English." Matthew: "But isn't she American?" Violet: "Exactly."
• On how (not) to deliver an insult. Violet: "You are quite wonderful, the way you see room for improvement wherever you look. I never knew such reforming zeal." Isobel: "I take that as a compliment." Violet: "I must have said it wrong."
