10 action movies with older leads who don’t miss a beat

polygon.com:

In the crowded field of Netflix original programming vying for viewer attention, it’s difficult to stand out and be noticed. There has to be something that causes the endless scrolling to stop for a moment, for the potential viewer to linger on a title in hopes that it will intrigue enough to warrant a press of the play button — a hook.

The latest original film from the streaming giant, Lou, about a desperate mother’s attempt to rescue her kidnapped child from the wilderness with the aid of a mysterious hardened tracker, certainly has an intriguing hook. The grizzled hero with a mysterious past aiding the mother is portrayed by the unconventional choice of Allison Janney (I, Tonya). People might scoff at the idea of the 62-year-old Oscar winner playing an action role for the first time in her career. But cinema has often placed older people at the forefront of action films. From John Wayne in True Grit all the way up to Keanu Reeves and Bob Odenkirk decimating Russian gangsters in John Wick and Nobody, there is a long tradition of the older action hero.

So, to coincide with Lou dropping onto Netflix, we have compiled a list of movies and one show (that you can stream rental-free) filled with stars who prove that when it comes to laying beatdowns, age is just a number.

The “wise old master” is a common trope in martial arts films. Usually, their purpose is to aid the main character in their journey by teaching them secret techniques and ancient wisdoms needed to vanquish a powerful foe and save the day. These character mainstays of the genre are rarely the focus of an entire film. Which is why 2013’s Ip Man: The Final Fight is both noteworthy and interesting. The film started as an unrelated spinoff born out of the