In the last few weeks of winter, you might be itching for some nicer weather and a little more action in your life. But rather than running around in the icy rain, might we interest you in an action movie to provide your thrills instead? Netflix has a huge collection of action films, including both quality originals and classics from other studios.
But scrolling through the Netflix library is about as anti-action as it gets. To help you save time and get straight to the movie, we’ve rounded up 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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World War Z2013 -
Kick-Ass 22013
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. Arrives March 16.
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.
187m
Genre
Adventure, Drama, Action
Stars
Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody
Directed by
Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson’s epic adaptation spans more than three hours, bringing an expansive cinematic vision to the iconic story of the gigantic ape captured in the wild and brought to New York City. In 1933, ambitious movie producer Carl Denham (Jack Black) coerces his cast to travel to the mysterious Skull Island on a quest to make a great movie. There, they meet Kong, who becomes smitten with leading lady Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts). Denham plans to use that connection to imprison Kong and return him to the States.
145m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Science Fiction, Mystery
Stars
Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton
Directed by
Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg directs this adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s short story of the same name. In Washington, D.C. in 2054, the police use special psychic technology to predict crimes before they’re committed, arresting and convicting individuals before they can become criminals. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is one of the best “Precrime” cops in the business. But when another investigator targets him for a murder charge, Anderton must use all of his savvy and understanding of the system to acquit himself.
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.
110m
Genre
Action, Drama
Stars
Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer
Directed by
Tony Scott
If Top Gun: Maverick has you feeling nostalgic, head back to the ’80s with the original Top Gun. The action classic takes you to Top Gun, the United States Navy’s elite fighter weapons school, where the brash, cocky students all compete to be the absolute best. Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) and co-pilot Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) are rivaled in excellence by only Lieutenant Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer) but the insatiable drive to be the best comes with consequences.
116m
Genre
Action, Adventure
Stars
Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali
Directed by
Ruben Fleischer
This video game adaptation 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
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 (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 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.
120m
Genre
Drama, Crime, Thriller
Stars
Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith
Directed by
Michael Mann
Max (Jamie Foxx) leads a mundane life as a cab driver, and for the past 12 years, he’s driven more people than he can count and forgotten far more than he remembers. But when contract killer Vincent (Tom Cruise) arrives in Los Angeles, he pays Max a significant sum to drive him to multiple locations. However, Max soon realizes that Vincent is on a contract killing spree of key witnesses in a high-profile narcotics trafficking case, and their business transaction becomes a hostage situation. Despite the gun to his head, Max does what he can to undermine Vincent’s aims and save the people who are marked for death.
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.
136m
Genre
Action, Adventure
Stars
Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Directed by
Martin Campbell
In 1821, Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), wearing the mask of legendary hero Zorro, stops an execution by Spanish colonial forces. But the tyrannical Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson) becomes suspicious that Vega is Zorro, and attempts to arrest him at his home. In the ensuing chaos, however, Vega’s wife and daughter are killed, destroying his will to fight. Twenty years later, Montero returns to California, more bloodthirsty than ever, inspiring Vega to finally escape from prison and seek his vengeance. But with his prime fighting days behind him, Vega recruits troubled bandit Alejandro (Antonio Banderas), a man who also has a vendetta against Montero, and trains him to revive the magic and mystique of Zorro.
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 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 (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.
113m
Genre
Crime, Action, Comedy
Stars
Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding
Directed by
Guy Ritchie
The Gentlemen is another stylized, multi-million-dollar blowout for quick-cutting auteur Guy Ritchie. The story centers around Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), an American cannabis kingpin operating in England. When the news hits the street that Pearson is looking to sell off his drug empire, a shady host of two-timing criminals and other malcontents crawl out of the shadows to blackmail, double-cross, and milk Pearson for everything he’s got. While The Gentlemen gets a bit convoluted and starts to feel a little longer than its almost two-hour runtime, you can tell that everyone on-screen is having the time of their lives. That gets to the real heart of the matter when it comes to Guy Ritchie. The man delivers popcorn action ensemble flicks, and he delivers on his Ritchie niche almost nine times out of 10.
92m
Genre
Action, Thriller
Stars
Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Matthew Marsden
Directed by
Sylvester Stallone
Picking up 20 years after the final film in the classic Rambo series, this 2008 release finds John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) living a peaceful life running a longboat on the Salween River in Thailand. However, not far away, the Burmese-Karen conflict rages on the Thai-Burma border. Rambo has long given up fighting, but when missionaries are captured by the Burmese Army, Pastor Arthur Marsh implores Rambo to help. Despite his reluctance to resume the violence, Rambo knows what he must do.
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.
Digital Trends streaming roundup
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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