Any actor with designs on A-list superstardom is pretty much obligated to star in an action movie at one stage or another, although history has shown that some undeniably talented thespians are much better suited to the high-octane medium than others, with Sandra Bullock definitely among them.

Whether it’s the psychological thrills of The Vanishing, the futuristically explosive Demolition Man, delightfully dated online mystery The Net, a brief flirtation with her very own franchise in Miss Congeniality and its sequel, or staring down the apocalyptic barrel in Bird Box, Bullock is more than comfortable in genre fare.

Of course, as an Academy Award winner with a litany of accomplished dramas in her back catalogue, it’s been clear for a long time that there isn’t much she can’t do, even if her action-hero credentials don’t get touted as much as they should.

She’s been in plenty of pyrotechnic productions over the years, but the following five titles offer the best reminders of why Bullock should be viewed as a certifiable action cinema star.

Sandra Bullock’s best action movies:

5. Ocean’s 8 (Gary Ross, 2018)

Headlining an action movie as the one and only star of the show is an entirely different challenge to being the top-billed name in an A-list ensemble heist caper that was already under immense pressure to deliver as the female-led spinoff to an equally all-star original trilogy that earned over a billion dollars at the global box office.

Playing the younger sister of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean, Bullock’s Debbie effortlessly steps in as the de facto lead of the Ocean’s expansion and exudes effortless star wattage and screen presence without either overshadowing her esteemed co-stars or being drowned out by their own respective magnetism.

Not an easy task when Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter are all on deck, but it’s Bullock who anchors the light and breezy action thriller with a commanding turn that’s every bit as charming as audiences had come to expect, but also came with the requisite authority to leave nobody in doubt as to who the leader of the titular octet was.

4. The Heat (Paul Feig, 2013)

Everything about The Heat is formulaic and predictable to a fault, with the core concept of a straight-shooting federal agent being partnered with a loose-cannon street-level detective to solve a case they’ve both got a personal investment in having been the bread and butter of the buddy cop genre for decades.

And yet, Paul Feig’s raucous actioner is elevated above mediocrity almost entirely by the chemistry generated between Bullock and co-lead Melissa McCarthy. This particular form of cinema almost always lives and dies by the sparks created between its two biggest names, and it’s where The Heat excels.

There was always the risk of Bullock’s intentionally muted performance being lost amidst McCarthy’s bravura showcase for her signature brand of foul-mouthed histrionics, but they bounce off each other instead of battling for dominance. The end result is no great shakes and hardly an all-time great, but it was further proof that putting Bullock in an action movie with just about anybody reaps rewards.

3. The Lost City (Adam Nee and Aaron Nee, 2022)

The closest thing to a remake of Romancing the Stone anybody could come up with while avoiding a copyright infringement lawsuit; The Lost City did at least turn the formula on its head by having Bullock’s reclusive author take charge of the situation when she’s stranded in the jungle with Channing Tatum’s chiselled buffoon.

It speaks volumes about Hollywood’s approach to the romantically-inclined action comedy that Bullock, being 15 years older than her co-star, was deemed a breath of fresh air for a medium where the age differences almost always skew the other way, but the casting can’t be argued with when the screen crackles every time they bicker and banter.

The out-of-depth protagonist rising to the occasion might be an archetypal journey, but the winning combination of Bullock’s steel and Tatum’s stupidity makes them the ideal double-act as it applies to the latter realising he’s so ill-equipped for their circumstances that he’s much better off letting her get them out of trouble.

2. Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, 2013)

Alfonso Cuarón’s Academy Award-winning sci-fi might not be an action movie in the truest sense of the word, but it required an action hero’s performance to take centre stage and maintain the audience’s attention and interest. It also needed somebody who could mine the emotional and dramatic depths of being so hopelessly isolated at the same time, with Bullock proving herself the perfect candidate.

The technical wizardry and visual splendour on display in every frame of Gravity would have made it an immersive experience regardless of who was heading up the cast, but the fact George Clooney came under some criticism for effectively playing ‘George Clooney in space’ underlines the difficulty of Bullock’s task.

Much like her co-star, she was an A-list superstar trapped orbiting the planet as things continued to go increasingly awry, and yet nobody failed to buy into her committed performance, in a testament to how she mastered a complex turn that put her through the physical and emotional wringer.

1. Speed (Jan de Bont, 1994)

Keanu Reeves may be the square-jawed hero facing off against Dennis Hopper’s maniacal villain in Jan de Bont’s classic, but it’s Bullock who provides the beating heart of the narrative as Annie Hopper.

Only taking the bus because she’d been banned from driving, her earnestness and honesty as someone simply doing what they can to help under extreme circumstances to avoid disaster makes her the grounded and relatable counterpoint to Reeves’ stoicism and Hopper’s scenery-chewing.

She’s every bit as important to the story as Jack Traven, with their budding relationship being forged under the threat of a fiery doom feeling remarkably natural given the premise, a large part of which is down to Bullock’s outstandingly well-rounded performance.