The $40 billion box office haul

The action thriller genre has consistently delivered exceptional films over the past four decades, with masterpieces like One Battle After Another and Oldboy.

These movies showcase the adrenaline-pumping and suspenseful nature of action and the kinetic nature of thrillers.

True perfection is by no means an easy thing for cinema to achieve, but even still, a few precious masterpieces over the course of the art form's history have shown just how close to flawlessness a film can come.

An echo of the 80s

Throughout the last 40 years in particular, there's a certain genre that has produced a number of the greatest cinematic masterpieces history has ever seen: the action thriller genre.

From modern Oscar-winning spectacles like One Battle After Another to international classics like Oldboy, these movies show why the thriller and action genres tend to be best pals.

The result has been some of the greatest films of the last four decades.

What makes a thriller tick?

The action thriller genre has consistently delivered exceptional films over the past four decades, with masterpieces like One Battle After Another and Oldboy.

These movies showcase the adrenaline-pumping and suspenseful nature of action and the kinetic natuure of thrillers.

True perfection is by no means an easy thing for cinema to achieve, but even still, a few precious masterpieces over the course of the art form's history have shown just how close to flawlessness a film can come.

The open question: what's next for the genre?

The action thriller genre has consistently delivered exceptional films over the past four decades, with masterpieces like One Battle After Another and Oldboy.

These movies showcase the adrenaline-pumping and suspenseful nature of action and the kinetic nature of thrillers.

True perfection is by no means an easy thing for cinema to achieve, but even still, a few precious masterpieces over the course of the art form's history have shown just how close to flawlessness a film can come.

As the genre continues to evolve, one thing is certain: the next great action thriller will be a game-changer.