As the year winds down and summer draws to a close, it seems like action really picks up at the theater.

Whether you're looking for a blockbuster action film ("Skyfall," the next long-anticipated movie in the Bond series) or a kick-ass martial arts joint ("The Man With The Iron Fists"), the fall of 2012 has a film for you.

You can take a look at all the upcoming action films in the slideshow below. Keep an eye out all this week for Moviefone's 2012 Fall Preview.

EARLIER: The Must-See Drama Movies This Fall

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  • 'End Of Watch'

    <strong>Release Date:</strong> 9/21 <strong>Who's In It:</strong> Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Anna Kendrick <strong>What It's About:</strong> Two police officers, during a routine traffic stop, confiscate some money and guns -- not knowing that they're dealing with a notorious cartel -- and are marked for death. <strong>Why We're Excited:</strong> Gyllenhaal is great in military/cop roles, and it's been a while since we've been thrust into the gritty world of day-to-day cop life.

  • 'Dredd 3D'

    <strong>Release Date:</strong> 9/21 <strong>Who's In It:</strong> Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey <strong>What It's About:</strong> Set in the violent future, a cop teams up with a rookie to defeat a gang that's peddling an hallucinogenic drug. <strong>Why We're Excited:</strong> Based on the comic strip 'Judge Dredd,' this movie got rave reviews out of Comic-Con. Sure, it's a bit 'Robocop'-y, but it looks like two hours of solid gun-shooting fun.

  • 'Looper'

    <strong>Release Date:</strong> 9/28 <strong>Who's In It:</strong> Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Bruce Willis, Jeff Daniels <strong>What It's About:</strong> Joe is a "looper," a hired gun who kills people sent back from the past. Things get complicated when his future self gets sent back -- can he kill himself? And what will happen when/if he does? <strong>Why We're Excited:</strong> <em>Finally</em>, a movie about time travel that doesn't resort to tired cliches. We get a bunch of great action and gunplay, a cool premise and JGL under three hours of facial makeup.

  • 'Taken 2'

    <strong>Release Date:</strong> 10/5 <strong>Who's In It:</strong> Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace <strong>What It's About:</strong> A retired CIA operative, Bryan Mills (Neeson), and his wife are taken hostage in Istanbul by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter (in 'Taken'). <strong>Why We're Excited:</strong> Unpredictably, 'Taken' was a huge success, and audiences rallied behind Liam Neeson, action star. So we can only imagine his turn in 'Taken 2' will be just as appealing, provided there's no Curse of the Sequel here.

  • 'Seven Psychopaths'

    <strong>Release Date:</strong> 10/12 <strong>Who's In It:</strong> Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish <strong>What It's About:</strong> An at-his-wit's-end screenwriter becomes entangled in the L.A. criminal underworld after his eccentric friends kidnap a gangster's Shih Tzu. <strong>Why We're Excited:</strong> This ensemble action film looks like a comedy too, and it's always fun when a bunch of really great actors get to play off one another. Plus, Shih Tzu puns.

  • 'Argo'

    <strong>Release Date:</strong> 10/12 <strong>Who's In It:</strong> Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler <strong>What It's About:</strong> As revolution in Iran reaches its apex, a CIA specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who are holing up at the home of the Canadian ambassador. <strong>Why We're Excited:</strong> Critics have been raving about this movie, and we all know these four leading men are fantastic in their own right. Probably more talking action than bang-bang action, but riveting nonetheless.

  • 'Killing Them Softly'

    <strong>Release Date:</strong> 10/19 <strong>Who's In It:</strong> Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini <strong>What It's About:</strong> Brad Pitt plays Jackie Coogan, a professional "enforcer" who investigates a heist that went down during a Mob poker game. <strong>Why We're Excited:</strong> How long has it been since we've seen Brad Pitt with slicked hair in a leather jacket brandishing a rifle? This looks like a nice return to his more action-y roles.

  • 'Alex Cross'

    <strong>Release Date:</strong> 10/19 <strong>Who's In It:</strong> Matthew Fox, Tyler Perry, Giancarlo Esposito, Ed Burns <strong>What It's About:</strong> In a simple plot of vengeance, a detective is told that a member of his family has been killed. He vows to track down the murderer, no matter what the cost. <strong>Why We're Excited:</strong> The 'Alex Cross' books are many, and fans are dedicated; allegedly Fox's character is so intense (as you can see from this image) you have to see it to believe it.

  • 'Man With The Iron Fists'

    <strong>Release Date:</strong> 11/2 <strong>Who's In It:</strong> Russell Crowe, Jamie Chung, Lucy Liu, RZA <strong>What It's About:</strong> In feudal China, a weapons blacksmith in a small village must defend himself and his fellow villagers against a traitor in their midst. <strong>Why We're Excited:</strong> Presented by Quentin Tarantino and partly written by Eli Roth, this film promises to have some major kick-ass fighting/martial arts sequences. Not to mention a killer soundtrack.

  • 'Skyfall'

    <strong>Release Date:</strong>11/9 <strong>Who's In It:</strong> Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ben Whishaw <strong>What It's About:</strong> James Bond's loyalty to his long-trusted comrade M is tested as memories come back to haunt her. <strong>Why We're Excited:</strong> It's Bond, not to mention a killer cast. From the trailers we've seen, this one looks epic.

  • 'Red Dawn'

    <strong>Release Date:</strong> 11/21 <strong>Who's In It:</strong> Chris Hemsworth, Adrianne Palicki, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan <strong>What It's About:</strong> A group of teenagers strive to save their town from an invasion of North Korean soldiers. <strong>Why We're Excited:</strong> It's a remake of an '80s classic, so we're a bit scared, but we also have a soft spot for teenagers taking control and saving the day. Say hello (again) to Chris Hemsworth, who may become a new action star for our generation.


Earlier on Moviefone: