If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you may have noticed a trend in the action movie section. The number of Netflix originals now seems to be much greater than the selection of films from other studios. This isn’t a coincidence, since everyone and their cousin has a streaming service these days. Netflix prepared for this eventuality by making its own movies. And thankfully, there are still some very notable modern and classic action flicks that haven’t departed yet. That’s very good news if you want to escape the summer heat by staying home and exploring your favorite genre. To make things even easier for you, we’ve put together this list of the best action movies that you can watch on Netflix right now.
We’ve also curated a guide to the best action movies on Amazon Prime and the best action movies on Hulu if you’re looking for additional recommendations.
Midnight Run (1988)
Buried beneath the mountain of movies on Netflix is Midnight Run, an ’80s action-comedy starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. De Niro plays bounty hunter Jack Walsh, a man who has been hired to escort a former mob accountant, Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas (Grodin), to a court date in Los Angeles. That’s easier said than done, because the Duke has made a lot of enemies. That includes his ex-crime boss, Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina), from whom he stole millions of dollars in an embezzlement scheme. Jack also runs afoul of FBI Special Agent Alonzo Mosely (Yaphet Kotto), which means that the law and the mob are chasing both Jack and the Duke across the country.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Stars: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano
Director: Martin Brest
Rating: R
Runtime: 126 minutes
Inception (2010)
“Inception is real.” Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) knows this for certain because he has successfully planted an idea in someone’s mind without his subject realizing that it wasn’t theirs. That’s one of the reasons this dream thief is haunted by a subconscious manifestation of his wife, Mal Cobb (Marion Cotillard). Dom is also desperate to see his children again, which is why he takes a dangerous assignment from Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe) to assemble a literal dream team and break into the mind of Robert Michael Fischer (Cillian Murphy) and convince him to break up his father’s business empire. But Robert’s subconscious mind is better defended than even Dom suspects.
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Elliot Page
Director: Christopher Nolan
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 148 minutes
Spectral (2016)
Spectral was one of the early Netflix original films, and it poses an unusual problem for its lead character, Clyne (James Badge Dale). As a DARPA scientist, it’s Clyne’s job to investigate when U.S. soldiers in Moldova encounter ghost-like apparitions that can not be killed, harmed, or easily seen. After meeting up with General Orland (Bruce Greenwood) and his men, as well as CIA officer Fran Madison (Emily Mortimer), Clyne discovers that the apparitions are a man-made threat. But knowing this and finding a way of stopping them are two different things. And nothing seems to slow down their rampage.
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Stars: James Badge Dale, Max Martini, Emily Mortimer, Bruce Greenwood
Director: Nic Mathieu
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 107 minutes
The Losers (2010)
You may not know it at first glance, but The Losers is a comic book-inspired movie with an amazing cast that includes Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana, and Chris Evans. The critics got it wrong on this one, perhaps because the premise was so close to The-A-Team movie. Clay (Morgan) and his black ops team Roque (Elba), Pooch (Columbus Short), Jensen (Evans), and Cougar (Óscar Jaenada) are betrayed by their handler, Max (Jason Patric), and believed to be dead in a foreign country. The enigmatic Aisha al-Fadhil (Saldana) gives them the chance to get their revenge, but the team is forced to question whether they can trust her … or each other.
Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
Stars: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short
Director: Sylvain White
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 97 minutes
Mortal Kombat (1995)
It’s campy beyond belief, but fans of the original, absurdly gory video game will appreciate that about this 1995 adaptation. Based on the video game’s story, Lord Raiden (Christopher Lambert) handpicks Sonya Blade, Lui Kang, and Johnny Cage and mentors them to represent Earthrealm in an epic, inter-dimensional tournament on Outworld called Mortal Kombat. There, they must defeat the demonic warriors of the evil Shang Tsung. Fail, and Tsung will take over the Earth and enslave its people.
Rotten Tomatoes: 44%
Stars: Christopher Lambert, Robin Shou, Linden Ashley, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 101 minutes
Underworld (2003)
It’s vampires vs. werewolves in this massive fantasy action series. All five of the Underworld movies are currently available on Netflix, and although they’re not all winners, they’re still a lot of fun if you’re looking for some good old-fashioned fantasy gore. For centuries, vampires have been at war with Lycans, a clan of werewolves that rose out of bondage and aimed to destroy vampire supremacy. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is a Death Dealer, a member of an elite vampire unit designed solely to kill Lycans. In the first film, she catches word of Lycan leader Lucian’s (Michael Sheen) pursuit of human doctor Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman) and captures Corvin before Lucian can get his hands on him. Corvin’s work and heredity, however, have cataclysmic potential for the conflict, putting Selene in the middle of a mass conspiracy that could change the war forever.
Rotten Tomatoes: 31%
Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Michael Sheen
Director: Len Wiseman
Rating: R
Runtime: 103 minutes
Army of the Dead (2021)
Zack Snyder got his start with his remake of Dawn of the Dead, but Army of the Dead is all his. After Las Vegas falls to the zombie plague, casino owner Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada) wants to recover his lost millions from a vault before Sin City is nuked off the face of the Earth. That’s where Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) comes in. He’s an ex-mercenary who is convinced by Tanaka to put a team together and try to make it in and out of Vegas before the bombs drop. However, the mission is complicated when Scott’s estranged daughter, Kate Ward (Ella Purnell), insists on coming along. And none of Scott’s team is prepared for what they’ll find in the ruins of Vegas.
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer
Director: Zack Snyder
Rating: R
Runtime: 148 minutes
The Old Guard (2020)
In a year largely without theaters, this comic book adaptation has stepped up to fill the blockbuster void. Charlize Theron headlines The Old Guard as Andy, a warrior who was once Andromache of Scythia. Andy and her fellow immortal mercs are exposed by ex-CIA spook James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor). However, Andy’s quest to reclaim her secrets is complicated by the emergence of Nile Freeman (KiKi Layne), a Marine who becomes the first new immortal in a long time. Andy reluctantly takes Nile under her wing as previously unknown enemies close in on them. We could be looking at a franchise here, as Theron herself told Variety that a sequel script is complete with filming to begin in early 2022.
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Stars: Charlize Theron, Chiwetel Ejiofor, KiKi Layne
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Rating: R
Runtime: 125 minutes
Stargate (1994)
Stargate may not have come into its own until it became a TV franchise, but the original movie is still a lot more fun than critics gave it credit for. Kurt Russell headlines the film as Colonel Jack O’Neil, a father who is struggling to deal with the loss of his son. Jack soon meets Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader) as they are assembled for a top-secret trip through an alien stargate that may hold the key to Earth’s ancient history. What they find is a human civilization under the rule of the enigmatic Ra (Jaye Davidson). And if they ever want to get home, they’ll have to lead a revolution.
Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
Stars: Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Viveca Lindfors
Director: Roland Emmerich
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 121 minutes
Ninja Assassin (2009)
Critics really didn’t like Ninja Assassin. But if you’re reading this list, then chances are very good that you may feel differently. This is a martial arts film that doesn’t skimp on the action. South Korean musician Rain stars as Raizo, a warrior who was raised by the Ozunu Clan and its ruthless leader, Lord Ozunu (Sho Kosugi). After witnessing Lord Ozunu’s evil firsthand, Raizo turns against his clan and makes it his mission in life to prevent them from killing any of their targets. Raizo also finds an ally in Europol agent Mike Coretti (Naomie Harris), even though her superiors may not be on their side.
Rotten Tomatoes: 25%
Stars: Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Rick Yune, Sho Kosugi
Director: James McTeigue
Rating: R
Runtime: 98 minutes
The Night Comes for Us (2018)
The Night Comes for Us might legitimately be the goriest action flick in recent memory. Indonesian action films have an intensity that many of their American counterparts can’t match. Joe Taslim stars as Ito, an assassin for the South East Asian Triad. But when Ito is ordered to kill a young girl, Reina (Asha Kenyeri Bermudez), he turns against his masters. That’s why Ito’s former masters send his ex-friend, Arian (Iko Uwais), after both of them to finish the job. There will be blood … lots of it.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Stars: Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Sunny Pang, Zack Lee
Director: Timo Tjahjanto
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 121 minutes
Under Siege (1992)
Steven Seagal action movies were ubiquitous in the ‘90s, and Under Siege may be the best movie that he ever starred in. It also helps that Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey played the main villains. Within the film, former Navy SEAL Casey Ryback (Seagal) is the captain’s personal chef on the USS Missouri. However, the ship’s disgruntled executive officer, Peter Krill (Busey), collaborates with renegade CIA operative William Strannix (Jones) to seize control of the ship and kill the officers. One of Casey’s few allies is Jordan Tate (Erika Eleniak), a Playboy model inadvertently trapped on the ship with him. But she turns out to be invaluable as Casey takes on the terrorists one by one.
Rotten Tomatoes: 79%
Stars: Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey, Erika Eleniak, Patrick O’Neal
Director: Andrew Davis
Rating: R
Runtime: 103 minutes
The Grandmaster (2013)
In popular culture and by the films and TV series based on his life, the Wing Chun grandmaster, Ip Man, is known for teaching Bruce Lee martial arts. But The Grandmaster puts the focus back on Ip Man (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) during the critical periods in his life. Although Ip has a duel and philosophical conflict with Gong Er (Zhang Ziyi), they form an uncommonly strong bond that they carry with them for the rest of their lives. While Gon Er is consumed by thoughts of revenge against the people who betrayed her father, Ip’s thoughts turn to ensuring that he passes on the martial arts knowledge that he learned over the decades.
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Stars: Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Zhao Benshan, Song Hye-kyo, Wang Qingxiang
Director: Wong Kar-wai
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 130 minutes
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
It may be dumb, but it’s fun enough that it’s spawned an entire franchise. When highly trained terrorists launch a bold daytime attack on the White House, the building is overrun and President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his staff are taken hostage. Fortunately, former presidential security officer Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) happens to be in the area. Now, Banning must locate Asher’s son before the terrorists do and rescue the president before the master plan can come to bear. No, it’s not original, but it’ll keep you entertained.
Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
Stars: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Rating: R
Runtime: 120 minutes
The Debt Collector (2018)
A broke martial arts instructor takes a side gig as a debt collector for the mob in this zany action flick that might as well be an advertisement to get kids into MMA. Nonetheless, it’s a good time as the martial artist and his mob-appointed thug partner spend the weekend forcibly collecting debts and having silly amounts of fun doing it.
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Stars: Scott Adkins, Louis Mandylor, Michael Paré
Director: Jesse V. Johnson
Rating: R
Runtime: 120 minutes
Machete Kills (2013)
Let’s get this out of the way: Machete Kills is not Die Hard. This isn’t a seminal, provocative action film by any means, but if you’re looking for pure entertainment, few action heroes bring the chaos quite like Danny Trejo’s machete-wielding ex-Federale Machete. When POTUS has to take down Voz (Mel Gibson), a madman revolutionary and billionaire arms dealer who is plotting to start a nuclear war, there’s only one man he can trust: Machete. Voz’s assassins are on Machete from the jump, and he’ll have to use every ounce of his cunning and brutality to get the job done.
Rotten Tomatoes: 29%
Stars: Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Mel Gibson
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Rating: R
Runtime: 107 minutes
The King (2019)
For those who prefer their action with a more historical bent, The King is a smartly reimagined, modernized version of Shakespeare’s Henry V. It’s too bad Shakespeare lived before the age of cinema because, with gorgeous cinematography, incredibly broad set pieces, and harrowing depictions of medieval war, director David Michôd delivers a glorious war movie. Timothee Chalamet stars as young Henry V, an unaspiring heir who has the crown forced upon him after his father’s untimely death. Believing Henry weak and ineffectual, the Dauphin of France takes the opportunity to incite a war. But there’s more afoot than meets the eye. Robert Pattinson’s performance as the Dauphin alone is worth the watch.
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Stars: Timothee Chalamet, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson
Director: David Michôd
Rating: R
Runtime: 116 minutes
Triple 9 (2016)
Triple 9 divided critics and audiences, but it’s got a stellar cast with strong supporting turns by Norman Reedus, Michael K. Williams, Woody Harrelson, and Gal Gadot. And if you’re wondering what a triple 9 is, it’s an officer-down call that’s meant to serve as a distraction for a dangerous heist. Marcus Belmont (Anthony Mackie), Michael Atwood (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Gabe Welch (Aaron Paul), and their crew are blackmailed by a Mafia wife, Irina Vlaslov (Kate Winslet), to sabotage the case against her imprisoned husband. They elect to kill police officer Chris Allen (Casey Affleck) to cover their tracks. But they’ve picked the wrong guy, and not everyone on the crew is willing to go along with the plan.
Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
Stars: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul
Director: John Hillcoat
Rating: R
Runtime: 115 minutes
Wheelman (2017)
Frank Grillo tends to play a lot of villains or supporting characters and has appeared in a wide range of TV shows and movies, from Law & Order and Billions to Avengers: Endgame. But in Wheelman, Grillo gets to take the lead as the unnamed getaway driver who finds himself in over his head after a double-cross. Someone set up the Wheelman for a deadly fall, and he’s not going to take it lying down. Throughout the course of the movie, we learn a bit more about the Wheelman’s past and his broken family life. But the real attraction here is the dynamic driving and action scenes, which Grillo pulls off with gusto.
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Stars: Frank Grillo, Garret Dillahunt, Caitlin Carmichael
Director: Jeremy Rush
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 82 minutes
Triple Frontier (2019)
Netflix put together an all-star cast for Triple Frontier, with Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal as a team of ex-Delta Force soldiers who reunite for a dangerous heist in South America. Affleck’s Tom “Redfly” Davis is the ringleader of the crew who convinces them to reunite in order to steal a fortune from a drug lord.
However, Davis’ greed gets the best of him during the initial strike, leaving the team vulnerable as they attempt to escape the jungle with their newfound wealth and their lives. But the biggest threat to the team may come from within.
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
Stars: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal
Director: J. C. Chandor
Rating: R
Runtime: 125 minutes
Burn Out (2017)
One of the benefits of Netflix is the ability to discover films that would have been under the radar without it. A case in point is Burn Out, a French thriller that stars Parisian actor François Civil as Tony Rodrigues, a semi-pro motorcyclist who finds himself outside of the law. To settle the debt of his ex, Leyla (Manon Azem), Tony agrees to be a courier for a drug dealer named Jordan (Samuel Jouy), which, of course, involves Tony zipping through traffic on his motorcycle at breakneck speeds. But when Jordan won’t allow Tony to end their arrangement, he has to call upon his friend, Miguel (Olivier Rabourdin), to make an even more dangerous play to escape.
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
Stars: François Civil, Olivier Rabourdin, Manon Azem
Director: Yann Gozlan
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 107 minutes
Casino Royale (2006)
James Bond doesn’t need an origin story, but Casino Royale proved that Ian Fleming’s super-spy could still be compelling in a modern setting. Daniel Craig’s first outing as Bond remains one of the best 007 films ever made, as he goes undercover with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) to root out a terrorist conspiracy. Vesper also proves to be quite adept at getting under James’ skin, which is one of the reasons why she’s the first woman he ever truly loved. However, Vesper’s secrets threaten to destroy the young couple, if the mission doesn’t kill them first.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95
Stars: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen
Director: Martin Campbell
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 144 minutes
Extraction (2020)
As one of their first films following Avengers: Endgame, Joe and Anthony Russo re-teamed with Chris Hemsworth for Extraction, a Netflix original. This particular comic book adaptation is much more down-to-earth, however, as Hemsworth’s black-ops mercenary, Tyler Rake, is recruited for a mission to protect Ovi Mahajan (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), the son of a local drug lord. Hemsworth’s performance carries the movie, and first-time director Sam Hargrave delivers next-level action and stunt sequences. This is one of the best popcorn flicks of recent memory, and it didn’t even need a theater.
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal
Director: Sam Hargrave
Rating: R
Runtime: 117 minutes
Total Recall (1990)
Total Recall is Arnold Schwarzenegger at his finest. Paul Verhoeven’s wild sci-fi action ride casts Schwarzenegger as a 21st-century construction worker called Quaid who discovers that his memory is based on a memory chip that has been implanted in his brain. That chip is blocking his true identity: That of a secret agent who became a threat to the government. Infuriated by this betrayal, Quaid travels to Mars to piece together the final parts of his true identity while seeking vengeance on the man who implanted the chip. Total Recall is fast, furious, gratuitously violent, and a ton of fun — all while maintaining many of the provocative themes from the Philip K. Dick short story that inspired the film.
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Rating: R
Runtime: 113 minutes
Ip Man (2008)
Based on the life of martial arts grandmaster and Bruce Lee teacher, Ip Man, 2008’s Ip Man is one of the most successful martial arts films of the 21st-century. The film focuses on events in Ip’s life that supposedly took place during the Sino-Japanese War when Japanese forces occupied parts of China. When an occupying general challenges Chinese men to duels to prove Japanese superiority, Ip Man initially refuses to fight until he discovers the Japanese are going far beyond just hand-to-hand combat. Starring Donnie Yen as Ip Man, this beautifully choreographed film is a delight for fans of martial arts films and the entire trilogy is currently on Netflix. We’ve also found some of the best Bruce Lee movies to stream.
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Stars: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam
Director: Wilson Yip
Rating: NR
Runtime: 106 minutes
The Outpost (2020)
In 2009, 53 American troops were attacked at the remote Combat Outpost Keating during the war in Afghanistan. The Outpost tells the story of these soldiers as they attempt to hold off an enemy force that has them severely outnumbered. More alarmingly, the army has stripped the small fortress of its resources, leaving the remaining troops in a very dangerous situation. The majority of the film takes place before the attack, and it paints a relatively realistic depiction of the lives of American soldiers caught up in a brutal war. But when the attack begins, The Outpost is elevated and becomes even more visceral as the soldiers face overwhelming odds while fighting for their lives. It’s a gripping battle sequence that makes this film an unforgettable experience.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Stars: Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, Orlando Bloom
Director: Rod Lurie
Rating: R
Runtime: 123 minutes
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
When Scott (Michael Cera) falls for the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he realizes that she has a bit of baggage. That baggage being seven evil exes, whom he must literally battle to the death to win her heart. Much like the graphic novel series on which it is based, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is part video game, part love story — an inventive pairing that should sit well with anyone who grew up amid the SNES craze of the early-’90s. The splashy visuals, deadpan dialogue, and numerous speech bubbles just add to the film’s comedic charm.
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Stars: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza
Director: Edgar Wright
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 113 minutes
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