The 27 Best Action Movies on Netflix Right Now
Looking for a fast-paced car chase? Aerial acrobatics? How about fist fights or a tiger eating a dude? Look no further: Netflix has what you need. You can watch a sublime thriller where the action underscores the plot, character and message; or a hyper-stylish beat-em-up with cinematography and choreography that turns the art of violence; or you can just watch a lot of things explode really well. No judgment! The only criterion is that the film provides a fair amount of action-packed thrills. Here are your best options on Netflix right now.
Carry On (2024)
The thriller Carry-On opens at an airport (naturally) and on Christmas Eve – I’m already tense. Taron Edgerton is TSA agent Ethan Kopec, who was blackmailed into allowing Jason Bateman to smuggle a dangerous package onto a flight (yet I can’t get in with my seatbelt on). Having missed the package, Kopeyka is determined to stop the man (known only as the Traveler) from carrying out his evil plan. You can stream Carry-Onhere .
Back in Action (2025)
Director Seth Gordon ( Four Christmases , Horrible Bosses ) takes his time with this action-comedy, but there’s enough fun to make up for the lack of originality. The title refers to Matt and Emily, a married couple who gave up their careers as CIA operatives to settle into a quiet life in the suburbs. Everything went well for several years until their identities were discovered, putting their children in danger. “Back in Action” also pays tribute to stars Cameron Diaz, who has not acted in a film since 2014, and Jamie Foxx, who is returning to film after being hospitalized in 2023. Neither of them took a step back. You can stream Back in Actionhere .
Damsel (2024)
Millie Bobby Brown ( Stranger Things, Enola Holmes ) is practically the young adult face of Netflix at this point. In her latest film, she plays a girl, Elodie, who agrees to marry a handsome prince, just as young girls did in the Middle Ages. Only she discovers that it is a trap, and in fact it is intended to serve as a sacrifice to pay off an ancient magical debt to the dragon. Luckily, our upset damsel is much more resourceful than her potential in-laws might have guessed. Angela Bassett, Robin Wright and Shohreh Aghdashloo round out the cast of this fun fantasy action film. You can watch Damselhere .
RRR (2022)
A fast-paced action film almost certainly shouldn’t be as long as RRR, but there’s not a dull moment in this nearly three-hour Bollywood film. Likewise, a historical drama that deals with the national trauma of the British Raj and depicts two real-life revolutionaries who died as martyrs for the cause of independence shouldn’t be such pure entertainment, but somehow the context only makes it more enjoyable. Find a more exciting moment in a movie than when a truck full of wild animals is forcibly released during a quiet meeting on the grounds of a British politician, or when a meet-cute between two main characters involves wild acrobatics over and around a bridge. If American action epics insist on being this long, they could learn a thing or two from RRR’s refusal to ever sag. You can stream RRRhere .
Kill Boxun (2023)
Gil Bok Soon (Jung Do Yeon) is just a working single mother who is struggling to connect with her teenage daughter. Or at least that’s what it looks like. It turns out that the company she works for, MK Ent., is involved in assassinations, and Bok-soon is their top assassin, and she also has a slightly awkward relationship with one of her co-workers. It’s not a comedy, but the film has fun playing with the parallels between a typical corporate job and Bok-Soon’s, and offers impressively well-written characters. But what’s at least as important as all of this is the abundance of mesmerizing action sequences and brilliant fight choreography. You can watch Kill Boxoonhere .
Equalizer 3 (2023)
2014’s The Equalizer was the first of two ongoing, largely unrelated versions of the original 1980s series, a new CBS show starring Queen Latifah premiering in 2021 (it’s also onNetflix ). Considering the failure rate of reboots, getting two of them to succeed is no small feat, and it doesn’t hurt since the series reunites Denzel Washington with Training Day director Antoine Fuqua. In this third entry, probably the best of the three, Robert McCall relaxes quietly on the Amalfi Coast after some of his new friends are threatened by the Camorra mafia. It doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s the equivalent of comfort food. You can stream The Equalizer 3here .
Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga (2024)
It’s hard to explain the box office failure of Furiosa , a film that received stellar reviews and solid audience scores but never made back its budget, let alone a profit, but here we are. This prequel is an all-around thrilling ride through Fury Road , even if it pushes back the action a bit in favor of a little more emotional complexity in and around our titular badass (played here by Anna Taylor-Joy as a younger version of Charlize Theron’s one-armed badass). This is exactly the kind of smart, crazy action movie we always say we need. You can stream Furiosahere .
Sicario (2015)
Before becoming our director of smart and heady sci-fi films like Arrival and Dune (es), Denis Villeneuve helmed successful thrillers including Prisoners and the crime thriller Sicario . Emily Blunt plays Kate Macer, an FBI agent tasked with taking down the leader of a powerful drug cartel on the Mexican border. In the process, Kate learns that the CIA’s plans are legally and morally troubling, raising questions about the extent to which the government will bend the rules to achieve its goals and the extent to which a loyal operative must follow orders. Timely. You can stream Sicariohere .
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
The 80s wave of fantasy films saw a number of films about sweaty shirtless guys in loincloths fighting dragons and demons, and the greatest of them all was, of course, Conan the Barbarian , a brilliant way for a young Arnold Schwarzenegger to show off his famous biceps. Here Conan begins his lifelong quest for revenge against the evil sorcerer Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), surrounded by giant snakes, cannibal orgies and the Wheel of Pain. It’s all very silly while also taking itself very seriously, which is the right approach for an adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s pulpy novels and something of a middle ground for action films of the era. You can watch Conan the Barbarian here .
Waterworld (1995)
The most expensive film ever made at the time of its release in 1995, Waterworld was lost to talk of its inability to recoup its budget, which is too bad. It’s by no means a triumph, but it is genuine escapist entertainment with impressive action sequences and an environmental message; he also manages to come up with a compelling vision of a world built entirely on water, even if it all seems a little too Mad Max to be truly original. Still: it’s shady fun with a memorable villain played by Dennis Hopper. You can stream Waterworldhere .
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Even with Hollywood’s recent success with the franchise, the best Godzilla films are still made in Japan, a fact made crystal clear by this emotional rollercoaster set in the aftermath of World War II. With crisp, inventive action set around a story that features human characters we genuinely care about, this isn’t just the best kaiju movie in recent memory… it may be the best ever. You can watch Godzilla Minus Onehere .
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Ridley Scott’s historical drama repertoire is not limited to the Ancient World ( Gladiator, Exodus of Gods and Kings ) or even the French Revolution ( Napoleon ). Here he dramatizes what would later be called the Battle of Mogadishu, which took place less than ten years before the film’s release. In 1992, a famine relief operation drew the United States and the United Nations into the Somali civil war, during which three American Black Hawk helicopters were shot down, two of which landed deep in hostile territory. Scott and company (including leads Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, and Ewan McGregor) focus solely on the resulting harrowing confrontation, without spending much time on context or character development. The film received fair criticism for this, as well as for turning Somali fighters into faceless enemies, but it’s hard to argue that a laser focus on the moment-to-moment trauma of combat doesn’t make for a compelling action spectacle. You can stream Black Hawk Downhere .
Apollo 13 (1995)
Another period drama but with a very different feel, Apollo 13 comes from the director-actor team of Ron Howard and Tom Hanks, so you know you’re in for something inspiring. Telling the story of astronauts Jim Lovell (Hanks), Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) and Fred Hayes (Bill Paxton) during an ill-fated lunar mission, the film scores high marks for technical accuracy while maintaining suspense along with a sense of wonder and loss as the three men fight for survival while dealing with the loss of their dream of the Moon. You can stream Apollo 13 here .
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
The fourth Bad Boys movie isn’t as good as 2020’s Bad Boys for Life , made by the same directorial team of Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah, but it’s still a fun watch that makes it clear that modern sequels are better than their Michael Bay-led predecessors. Mike and Marcus (Will Smith and Martin Lawrence) return when they learn that their captain, who was killed in the last film, is accused of having ties to a drug cartel. Naturally, our heroes come together again to clear Conrad’s name and also blow things up. You can stream Ride or Diehere .
Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Burt Reynolds has a long way to go and little time to reach his goal. It’s Bo “Bandit” Darville, responsible for illegally shipping counterfeit beer (400 cases of Coors, to be exact) from Texas to Atlanta, using his fancy car to attract the attention of Jackie Gleason’s Sheriff Buford T. Justice. Along the way, he is joined by Sally Field’s Carrie, a runaway bride who becomes a surprisingly sympathetic companion. The practical vehicular action makes it a slightly more believable alternative to the Fast and the Furious films. You can stream Smokey and the Bandit here .
The Guns of Navarone (1961)
In this World War II-set adventure with plenty of action and hints of melodrama, Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn lead a squad of commandos tasked with destroying a pair of giant cannons on the titular island to clear the way to rescue 2,000 abandoned soldiers. Hunted by the Nazis, the team confronts the Germans at sea and on land using guns, fists and wits. He has nothing more on his mind than Nazi punches, and that’s not a bad thing. You can stream Guns of Navaronehere .
The Old Guard (2020)
Greg Rucka wrote the screenplay for an adaptation of his graphic novel about a team of special forces mercenaries made up of surprisingly long-lived individuals with unexplained regenerative abilities. Charlize Theron leads a cynical band of warriors in a film that effectively blends superhero tropes with military action. The lack of non-healing superpowers helps set it apart from the Marvel and DC films, highlighting cleverly choreographed action scenes that don’t feel like complete fantasy. You can watch The Old Guardhere .
The Harder They Fall (2021)
The modern western tells the story of real-life black American cowboy Nat Love (played by Jonathan Majors), and is joined by several other characters from real-life American history, played by the likes of Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King and Delroy Lindo. This isn’t a history lesson, but Western films have never really bothered with the idea of turning true stories of the old American West into something like mythology. Here, young Nat Love’s parents are murdered by Elba’s criminal Rufus Buck, sending Love on a lifelong quest for revenge. This leads to a series of brilliantly exciting shootouts, stunts and chases that pay homage to classic Western films, but also nod to modern fight choreography and staging. You can watch The Harder They Fallhere .
Night comes for us (2018)
A successor of sorts to The Raid (which stars many of the same actors), this film by Indonesian writer-director Timo Tjahjanto tells the story of a Triad member forced to fight his way out of the organization. This film is at the bloodiest end of its genre; the action is brilliant and stylized, but there’s a lot more realism in terms of the blood and gore. The final fight scene is an all-time great if you have the guts for it. You can watch The Night Comes For Ushere .
Kate (2021)
Although it’s helmed by a French director and an American actor (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), “Kate” stands out for its anime-inspired, neon, new Tokyo aesthetic. The plot here is nothing new, but that’s not the main thing. Tasked with killing a Yakuza assassin by her handler (Woody Harrelson), the lead assassin discovers that she has been poisoned and has only 24 hours to live (that is, 24 hours to get her revenge). Imagine if the 1940s noir classic DOA was a martial arts action film. You can stream Katehere .
Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
An appearance by Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh doesn’t necessarily guarantee “action” ( the All Around At Once and Crazy Rich Asians star can do it all), but Yeoh’s appearance is guaranteed to be the icing on the cake of any action movie. A modern take on the classic gong fu, this film further embellishes that lily by adding Lena Headey, Karen Gillan, Carla Gugino and Angela Bassett (!) Cast aside, the film follows two rival groups of assassins fighting over the fate of a kidnapped child. You can check out Gunpowder Milkshakehere .
Baahubali (2015)
The two Baahubali films may not have the rousing political appeal of RRR (all made by the same director, S.S. Rajamouli) – frankly, it’s hard to beat the thrill of watching snotty colonists get eaten by tigers – but if anything, these films are even bigger, grander and operatic in their own right. Inspired by the ancient Indian stories of the Mahabharata and featuring endless sweaty, shirtless men (and quite a few women, though mostly clothed) fighting men and animals, the first film includes a 45-minute fight scene that ends with the sequel. There’s just enough plot and romance to get the action going, but these are the films that know exactly what we’re here for and aren’t afraid to show it to you. Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali: The Conclusion are available on Netflix with English dubbing and subtitles. You can stream Baahubalihere .
Enola Holmes (2020)
Her brother Sherlock wasn’t above fighting from time to time, but it was his sister Enola (Millie Bobby Brown), as we learn here, who really had to mix it all up – with some help and training from their mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter). Enola uses this combat training throughout the film in fights involving fists, guns, knives, explosives and a moving train or two as Enola searches for her missing mom while staying a step or two ahead of her older brother (Henry Cavill). The continuation is no less interesting. You can stream Enola Holmeshere .
King of Outlaws (2018)
Chris Pine plays Robert the Bruce in this film, which, unsurprisingly, takes a lot of liberties with the Scottish Wars of Independence of the 14th century. No matter. In the film, outsider Robert leads a guerrilla campaign against the future King Edward II of England in a series of exceptionally (though plausible) bloody medieval battles. Spears and swords collide in a series of extended and expensive-looking scenes that make it feel like a real (well, sort of) Game of Thrones . You can stream Outlaw Kingshere .
Beckett (2021)
The film aspires to the paranoid conspiracy style of films like Parallax , The Bourne Identity or Enemy of the State , but the plot is too thin to work on that level. Where Beckett succeeds, however, is in presenting a simple action film about a man on the run. John David Washington plays the main character, who, for reasons unknown to him, is being pursued throughout Greece after a car accident. Washington is interesting to watch as he runs and gets shot at; the landscape is amazing; And the film does a great job of making Greece feel incredibly sinister, especially for a main character who doesn’t know the language. You can stream Becketthere .
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
It seems odd to include Spike Lee’s thoughtful history of the Vietnam War, which explores the experiences of black American soldiers during that conflict, as few (if any) films have done. However, part of the reason it works so well is that Lee’s film does all of this while also offering plenty of impressively shot and choreographed action scenes. In the film, starring Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors and Clark Peters, four aging Vietnam veterans return to this country to retrieve the remains of a fallen squad leader and dig up the gold bars they left behind. The film takes place in two time frames. It plays out like a war film in the past and often like a thriller in the characters’ present time as they are hunted by mercenaries while they hunt for lost treasure. You can watch Da 5 Bloodshere .
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy, of course) is back and begins the film by hijacking a helicopter while pursuing criminals in Detroit. Encouraged to take a vacation, he returns to Southern California just in time for his old partner (Judge Reinhold) to warn Foley that his estranged daughter (Taylor Page), a lawyer who has stood up to the wrong people, is in danger. Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser and Bronson Pinchot return from the original film, joined by Axel’s new partner, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. As far as old sequels go, this one is better than it has any right to be. You can stream Axel Fhere .