5 Best Scott Adkins Movies, Ranked

English actor Scott Adkins is best known for his role as the Russian prison fighter Yuri Boyka in the Undisputed franchise. The actor, who made his name after appearing in a number of Hong Kong films, is mostly cast in action roles due to his martial arts background.

Even though he has been cast in several blockbusters in supporting roles, most of his lead roles have been in direct-to-video movies. Due to his good performances and consistency, Adkins is often thought of as an underrated action star who deserves more recognition. Here are his best movies, according to IMDb.

Updated October 21st, 2022 by Jordan Iacobucci:
Scott Adkins continues to enjoy one of the most successful careers of any martial-arts star in Hollywood. With his recent film, Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday, just recently being released and an appearance in the highly-anticipated John Wick 4 on the way, Adkins certainly has a career worth celebrating, including certain films that stand above the rest.

Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear (2013) – 6.1
Scott Adkins in Ninja 2 Shadow of a Tear
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear is the sequel to the 2009 Ninja film. Shadow of a Tear follows Scott Adkins’s returning hero, Casey Bowman, who seeks revenge after his pregnant wife is murdered by a group of bandits.

The film received mixed reviews from critics but proved generally popular among Adkins’s built-in fanbase. Shadow of a Tear did manage to outshine the original film in terms of quality but has yet to receive any word regarding another installment in the franchise.

Day Shift (2022) – 6.1

Day Shift is an irreverent vampire comedy starring Jamie Foxx as a vampire hunter moonlighting as a California pool cleaner. Adkins features as Diran Nazarian, one-half of a pair of vampire hunters who work alongside Foxx’s character during a certain action-packed segment of the film.

Despite middling reviews, Day Shift proved to be a moderate hit for Netflix, gaining plenty of viewers during its release window. Adkins himself may have picked up a few fans as a result of appearing in this movie, which may open up the door to a brand-new franchise for the streaming giant.

The Brothers Grimsby (2016) – 6.2

Starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Mark Strong, The Brothers Grimsby is a severely misguided action thriller following two brothers on a covert mission for MI6. Adkins has a supporting role in the film as a hitman by the name of Pavel Lukashenko, who attempts to kill the two brothers before they can accomplish their mission.

The Brothers Grimsby ultimately flopped both among critics and at the box office, doing little to bolster the careers of anyone involved in the project. Though the movie may not be the worst project with which Adkins has been involved, it certainly doesn’t stack up to some of his better projects.

American Assassin (2017) – 6.2

American Assassin is a 2017 action film based on the Vince Flynn book of the same name starring Dylan O’Brien, Michael Keaton, and Taylor Kitsch. Therein, Scott Adkins appears as Victor, a member of the same black ops team as O’Brien’s protagonist.

While anticipation for American Assassin was high, the film underperformed. Nevertheless, Adkins had the opportunity to prove to a wider audience that his action skills were still top-tier, paving his way for future appearances in big-budget films.

Accident Man (2018) – 6.5

In Accident Man, Scott Adkins stars as Mike Fallon, an assassin who specializes in making his kills look like accidents. His hits frustrate the police but leave his clients very happy, leading him to become the world’s most highly recommended assassin.

Things soon take a turn when his pregnant girlfriend Beth gets murdered by one of his crew members. Enraged, he goes on a path of revenge and leaves several bodies in his wake. The movie received generally mixed reviews from critics but has warranted a sequel, which came out in October of 2022.