Things tend to be a little higher energy in summer, but with El Niño coming, you might have a little more indoor time than you hoped for. At least you can ramp things up with an action movie on Netflix! The streaming giant has a great collection of action movies, from provocative originals to classics from other studios.
Still, it’s Netflix, and any category is bound to have more duds than gems. To help you find the good ones, we’ve audited the library already. These are the best action movies on Netflix right now.
We’ve also curated a guide to the best action movies on Amazon Prime, the best action movies on Disney+, and the best action movies on Hulu if you’re looking for additional recommendations.
Recently added to Netflix
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Spider-Man2002 -
121m
Genre Fantasy, Action
Stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst
Directed by Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man was a great blueprint for the superhero movie, and one of the movies that led to the eventual onslaught of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Telling a version of the classic Spider-Man origin story, this 2002 hit stars Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, a nerdy student who acquires superhuman strength and spider-like abilities after being bitten by a genetically altered spider. But, as his Uncle Ben says, with great power comes great responsibility. So when Peter’s mentor, Norman Osborn (Inside‘s Willem Dafoe), repurposes tech for nefarious reasons, Peter must don the alias of Spider-Man to stop him.
137m
Genre Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong
Directed by James Cameron
One of those sequels that stands up favorably with the original, Terminator 2: Judgment Day picks up nearly a decade after Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) was first targeted by the future-dwelling Skynet for termination. Having successfully evaded death, her son, John (Edward Furlong), the future leader of the resistance, remains safe. But Skynet has sent another, even deadlier terminator to eliminate the young John. Again, the resistance has managed to send a protector (FUBAR‘s Arnold Schwarzenegger) back to attempt to save John and Sarah.
145m
Genre Action, History, War
Stars Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana
Directed by Ridley Scott
Based on a true story, Black Hawk Down details the disastrous 1993 U.S. Special Forces mission to kidnap two underlings of a Somali warlord to destabilize the authoritarian government. When their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, the American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers suffer significant casualties after being pinned down deep in enemy territory and surrounded by insurgents and starving civilians.
111m
Genre Crime, Drama, Action
Stars Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman
Directed by Luc Besson
Luc Besson’s classic thriller stars Jean Reno as Léon, the top hit man in New York — who refers to himself as a “cleaner.” But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by dangerous rogue DEA agent Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman), Léon’s work suddenly becomes personal. Forced to become the unwilling custodian of the sole surviving neighbor, 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman), Léon soon becomes more than a father figure, but a mentor as Mathilda becomes hell-bent on violent revenge.
131m
Genre Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Comedy, Family
Stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O'Brien, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Directed by John McTiernan
An action movie for action movie lovers, Last Action Hero tells the story of Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien), a young boy who finds solace after his father’s death in the action movies of action star Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger). When he’s given a magic movie ticket, Danny is sucked into a real Jack Slater movie, quickly becoming the hero’s sidekick. But when fictional villain Benedict (Charles Dance) gets his hand on Danny’s ticket, he enters the real-world intent on causing mayhem. Now, Danny and Jack must follow Benedict and stop him for real.
118m
Genre Drama
Stars Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Garrett Hedlund
Directed by Peter Berg
Not to be confused with the soapy spinoff TV show, Friday Night Lights is a hard-hitting, action-packed drama about football in Texas. The Permian High School Panthers of Odessa, TX are the primary interest of the local community to an unhealthy degree.
So when star tailback, Boobie Miles (Derek Luke), goes down with a serious injury in the first game of the season, the entire town goes into a tailspin. But when new coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) inspires his suddenly undermanned team into a winning streak, the entire town begins to gain a renewed sense of self-respect and honor.
88m
Genre Comedy, Horror
Stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Part zombie horror, part action flick, part parody, Zombieland is a great entry into the pantheon of zombie movies. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) shouldn’t have survived the zombie apocalypse, but his penchant for running from everything that scares him appears to have served him well. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) has no fears, to the point of living extremely recklessly. They’re both surprisingly well-adapted to a world overrun with zombies, but when they’re forced to team up, they become one another’s new worst nightmare.
116m
Genre Action, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz
Directed by Marc Forster
Former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) leads the perfectly idyllic life. But when a mysterious infection is unleashed on the globe, turning entire populations into rampaging zombies, Lane and his family are forced on the run. After initially escaping danger, Lane puts himself back to work, embarking on a mission to investigate the disease and find answers before the complete collapse of human civilization.
103m
Genre Action, Adventure, Crime
Stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Directed by Jeff Wadlow
The powerless, talentless Kick-Ass inspired the world as a vigilante crimefighter who could take a hell of a beating in the name of justice. Now, the badass Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey) leads a new wave of amateur crusaders determined to protect the community and invites Kick-Ass to join the team. But when these amateurs begin getting hunted down and assassinated by Red Mist’s rebranded villain (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Kick-Ass recruits assassin Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) despite her ardent desire to just lead a normal teenage life. When things begin to spiral out of control, the amateur heroes and villains begin an all-out war.
122m
Genre Fantasy, Action, Thriller
Stars Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Michael Sheen
Directed by Len Wiseman
If you’re looking for sci-fi-infused creature horror action, it doesn’t get much better than Underworld. For centuries, vampires and werewolves — known as Lycans — have waged a nocturnal war against one another out of sight from the waking human world. In the first film in the prolific franchise, vampire Death Dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) watches Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), a human who has been targeted by Lycans. When he’s bitten by a Lycan, Selene’s attraction for Michael complicates her duty to her species. While she knows she should kill him, Selene goes against her clan to protect Michael from both vampires and Lycans, unwittingly stumbling upon a conspiracy centuries in the making.
120m
Genre Drama, Romance
Stars Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young
Directed by John G. Avildsen
An all-time great sports movie, we’re happy to include Rocky in the action category, too. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is a Philadelphia amateur boxer who works as a collector for a loan shark. When world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) decides to give an unknown fighter a shot at the title as a publicity stunt, his handlers choose Rocky, believing him to be the best balance of human interest story and pushover. Knowing it’s his one shot at the big time, though, Rocky teams up with trainer Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) to capitalize on the opportunity.
116m
Genre Action, Adventure
Stars Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
The video game adaptation Uncharted feels like a callback to simpler adventure movies of the ’80s and ’90s. Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is a street-smart thief who gets recruited by treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to recover a fortune amassed and lost by Ferdinand Magellan’s crew. However, House Moncada — the family who bankrolled the trip 500 years ago — still feels entitled to that treasure. Now, the upstart treasure hunters are in a race with the ruthless Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) to crack the code left behind by Magellan’s crew and solve one of the world’s oldest mysteries … and net $5 billion in treasure.
127m
Genre Action, Comedy, Thriller
Stars Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Directed by David Leitch
In Bullet Train, Ladybug (Brad Pitt) is an assassin who has had a string of bad luck leading to a number of gigs going off the rails recently. On his latest mission, taking place on the world’s fastest train, he’s determined to make things go smoothly. Unfortunately, he’s far from the only assassin there, and they all have similar but connected objectives that cause outright chaos to ensue.
102m
Genre Action, Thriller
Stars Jennifer Garner, John Gallagher Jr., John Ortiz
Directed by Pierre Morel
Jennifer Garner taps into her Alias roots to play Riley North, a young mother who awakens from a coma to find that her husband and daughter were killed in the brutal attack that rendered her comatose. The system shields the murderers from justice, leading Riley to take matters into her own hands, retreating into a life of solitude in which she hones her mind, body, and spirit to become an unstoppable force of vengeance.
97m
Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Stars Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke
Directed by John Patton Ford
Locked out of the job market due to a criminal record and saddled with student debt, Emily (The White Lotus‘ Aubrey Plaza) takes a shady gig as a “dummy shopper,” buying goods with stolen credit cards. The cards are supplied by handsome middleman, Youcef (Theo Rossi), and the job comes with quick cash and a series of thrills Emily wasn’t prepared for. As Emily grows increasingly attracted to the lifestyle and to Youcef, the pair devise a plan to level up their criminal enterprise in Los Angeles.
143m
Genre Action, Adventure, Thriller
Stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem
Directed by Sam Mendes
Ushering in a deeper, darker timeline for the James Bond movie franchise, Skyfall sees MI6’s headquarters attacked and agents around the world killed as their identities are revealed. Suddenly, M (Judi Dench) sees her authority being challenged by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. Conflicted between loyalty to the agency and loyalty to M, James Bond (Daniel Craig) decides to pursue the mastermind behind the attack, aided only by field agent Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris). The costs hit close to home.
123m
Genre Mystery, Crime, Adventure
Stars Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin
Directed by Harry Bradbeer
Millie Bobby Brown stars as Sherlock Holmes’ unheralded kid sister, Enola, in this family-friendly mystery adventure. The world is on the brink of change in 1884 England, and Enola Holmes, raised in seclusion by her eccentric mother (Helena Bonham Carter), suddenly finds herself in the middle of a vast, terrifying political machine. After waking up to discover her mother missing, Enola is suddenly put under the charge of older brothers, Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin), who decide to send her away to a finishing school for young ladies. Enola, however, refuses to believe that her mother is really gone, escapes, and sets out into London to unravel the mystery on her own. If you like this one, check out the sequel, which is also on Netflix.
147m
Genre Action, Drama, History, War
Stars Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer
Directed by Edward Berger
Today’s cinematic age of huge budgets and mind-blowing special effects help make the newest adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s seminal war novel All Quiet on the Western Front a worthy update to the classic 1930 film. Paul Baumer (Felix Kammerer), Albert Kropp (Aaron Hilmer), and Frantz Müller (Moritz Klaus) all dream of glory and are goaded into enlisting in the German Army by the romantic ideals of heroism flowing during World War I. Enthusiastic to fight for their country, the boys quickly lose their fervor when they arrive at the Western Front and are met with horrific conditions and the brutality of armed conflict.
114m
Genre Action, Thriller
Stars Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott
Directed by Rowdy Herrington
Patrick Swayze fuels this bar fighting flick to cult-classic status as James Dalton, one of the finest coolers (aka bouncers) around. Dalton’s got his work cut out for him when he’s hired by The Double Deuce, the loudest and meanest bar in the South. The Ph.D.-holding butt-kicker is more than up to the challenge of cleaning up the bar and its patrons. But when Dalton enters into a romance with Dr. Elizabeth Clay (Kelly Lynch), he gets on the bad side of a special breed of psychopath: Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara).
132m
Genre Adventure, Drama, Romance, Action
Stars Heath Ledger, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon
Directed by Brian Helgeland
Complete with medieval tournament-going peasants chanting Queen’s We Will Rock You, A Knight’s Tale isn’t without its fair share of camp. For when you’re in the mood for a period romance with some surprisingly satisfying medieval violence, this movie has you covered. William Thatcher (a pre-Joker Heath Ledger) is a knight’s apprentice who gets his chance for glory when a knight suddenly dies in the middle of a tournament. Thatcher poses as his liege knight and becomes determined to win the tournament, so long as his lie and his eye for Princess Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon) don’t get in the way.
96m
Genre Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Stars Sharlto Copley, Andrey Dementyev, Haley Bennett
Directed by Ilya Naishuller
Stuntman Andrey Dementyev stars as “you” in this innovative first-person POV action thriller. “You,” according to a woman claiming to be your wife (Haley Bennett), are Henry, a man brought back from the dead who remembers nothing. But shortly after gaining consciousness, you’re being shot at, your wife has been kidnapped, and you feel like you should probably help her out. Suddenly, the entire underworld of Moscow apparently wants you dead except for a mysterious British guy named Jimmy (Sharlto Copley). And even he probably has ulterior motives.
109m
Genre Action, Thriller
Stars Noomi Rapace, Jakob Oftebro, Dar Salim
Directed by Adam Berg
Black Crab is a post-apocalyptic action-thriller from director and co-writer Adam Berg. Noomi Rapace stars as Caroline Edh, a talented speed skater who is recruited to a team of five soldiers in a world torn apart by a vicious war. Tasked with delivering a secret package to a research facility that could bring the fighting to an end, Caroline and her fellow operatives must make a daring trek behind enemy lines if there’s to be any hope for humanity. An icy-cold rendition of the familiar “save the world” action sub-genre, Black Crab is a propulsive film and an adrenaline ride that is buttressed by its harsh locales and brutal acts of war.
118m
Genre Crime, Action, Thriller
Stars Freddie Highmore, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Riley
Directed by Jaume Balagueró
In director Jaume Balagueró’s The Vault, Freddie Highmore stars as Thom, a master engineer who takes up ranks with a talented team of professional thieves. The mission? Break into a hidden underground chamber located below the Bank of Spain to make off with the rumored riches lying within. With the plot unfolding against the backdrop of Spain’s World Cup, Thom and his associates must squeeze the most out of every last second if they’re to make off with the vault’s many prizes. An electric and entertaining film, The Vault may not bring too many original concepts to the fold, but its execution of traditional “experts thinking on their feet” action elements is what makes this one a winner.
114m
Genre Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Chloe Coleman
Directed by Navot Papushado
As a child, Sam (Karen Gillan) was abandoned by her mother, Scarlet (Lena Headey), when her life as an assassin overwhelmed her. In the present, Sam follows her mother’s footsteps as an assassin. However, Sam betrays her contract when she uses stolen money to pay the ransom for Emily (Chloe Coleman), a young girl under her protection. As rival assassins and criminals pursue Sam and Emily, Scarlet re-enters her life at an inopportune moment. If either mother or daughter wants to survive, they will have to work together. And as the title of Gunpowder Milkshake implies, there’s a lot of gunplay in this movie.
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109m
Genre Science Fiction, Thriller, Action
Stars James Badge Dale, Emily Mortimer, Gonzalo Menendez
Directed by Nic Mathieu
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.
148m
Genre Action, Adventure, Horror, Crime
Stars Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick
Directed by Zack Snyder
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.
125m
Genre Action, Fantasy
Stars Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
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.
121m
Genre Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Asha Kenyeri Bermudez
Directed by Timo Tjahjanto
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.
96m
Genre Action
Stars Scott Adkins, Louis Mandylor, Michael Paré
Directed by Jesse V. Johnson
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.
140m
Genre Drama, History, War
Stars Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris
Directed by David Michôd
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.
Genre Action, Crime, Thriller
Cast Frank Grillo, Wendy Moniz-Grillo, Caitlin Carmichael
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.
125m
Genre Action, Thriller, Crime, Adventure
Stars Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam
Directed by J.C. Chandor
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.
Genre Action, Thriller
Cast François Civil, Olivier Rabourdin, Manon Azem
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.
116m
Genre Drama, Action, Thriller
Stars Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda
Directed by Sam Hargrave
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.
106m
Genre Drama, Action, History
Stars Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Lynn Hung
Directed by Wilson Yip
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.
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