I won't rank them but here are some of my favourites.
In general, I'm remembering the original cinematic experience in the theater, but I've found that all of these are worth rewatching.
Die Hard
My Dad rushed home from a date with my Mom to tell my brother and I that we were going to the theater tomorrow night because he'd just watched Die Hard and wanted us to see it.
American theatres allowed underagers in Rated R films with a parent, so off we went.
The perfect balance of an "every-man hero", a compelling villain, laughably incompetent law enforcement and bureaucrats, humorous banter and one-liners, and some intense action sequences that just kept building as the film went along. John McClane would end the film with his feet gouged from glass, shot, dirty, messy, his tank top stained and ruined. A far cry from the Stallone/Schwarzenegger kill-bots that preceded him.
It might be the perfect action film.
Inception
I was blown away by this movie at the time and I still enjoy watching it. The hand-to-hand combat in the hotel without gravity is still one of the more amazing sequences around. It had that "heist" feel to it where all of the team are compelling in their own way, with their own agendas, skills and personalities. I found the pacing of this film was excellent as the film cuts relentlessly between dream levels.
I did find the arctic sequence a little bit weak by comparison because of the waves of faceless targets approach which I find reduces the action to a video-game perspective. It's the same weakness that takes place during the ending sequence of of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
The Matrix
There was relatively little hype for this film at the time, I just remember a short trailer sequence of the bullet-time effect that was compelling enough to watch it in the theater. My lack of expectations really helped catapult this film into one of my more memorable theater experiences. The Wachowski brothers did an excellent job of building slowly, leaving the big set-pieces for later, and just flirting with the concept of the artificial reality and the stunts that it allowed. Consequently, it seemed as if each scene surpassed the previous one, in terms of the intensity of the action. Fishburne's "Obi-Wan" character helped to ground the film in believable if shallow metaphysical or philosophical mumbo-jumbo - a must in any action film with spiritual or magical elements.
Avatar
I promised myself when leaving the theater that I would remember what a roller coaster ride this film was in full 3D glory. I knew that over time, people would become quite scathing about it because of its simple plot and easy black and white characterizations. But as far as the thrills of the actual theater experience go, it was heart-pounding and mind-blowing.
Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark or Last Crusade)
I have a hard time picking one as they both were such a terrific blend of action, humour and archaeological mystery. Watching them again makes you appreciate the lack of CGI, recognizing that every sequence had to be painstakingly choreographed and executed by stuntmen. We've come so far from that time that Mad Max was essentially lauded at the Oscars for doing what action movies had been doing for years until they didn't.
Ronin
This movie was a nice surprise with a true European feel. The characters seemed realistic (poor Sean Bean), the action was sudden and jarring, and the car chases were manic with the actors clearly on the verge of hysteria at driving head-on into traffic - unlike films where they act as if they do this all the time (re: Jason Bourne). A twisted plot with crosses and double-crosses, two laconic heroes, and a cheeky reference to the film title of the samurai with no master.
Lethal Weapon
Just might be the best buddy action cop movie around, and that includes Beverly Hills Cop.
I've left out some of the more long-lived properties (e.g. James Bond, Star Wars, MCU) because they all kind of blend together for me.