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3 action movies on Netflix you need to watch in May 2025

Batman brooding over a wreckage in The Dark Knight.
Warner Bros. Pictures / Warner Bros.

May marks the unofficial start to summer. In Hollywood, that means it’s summer blockbuster season. Now is when the studios release their tentpole films to generate box office returns that approach $1 billion. F1, Jurassic World Rebirth, Superman, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are projected to be the summer’s biggest movies. Netflix is getting in on the action with The Old Guard 2.

Speaking of Netflix, the streamer has hundreds of action movies that satisfy those blockbuster cravings. One of those movies is The Dark Knight, a brilliant Batman story. Check out The Dark Knight and two more action movies in May.

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We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.

Havoc (2025)

Action movie rule: Never cross Tom Hardy. The action hero plays a rugged cop in Gareth Evans’ Havoc. Homicide detective Patrick Walker (Hardy) finds himself in quite the predicament. Lawrence Beaumont (Forest Whitaker) is a wealthy businessman with political aspirations. His son, Charlie (Justin Cornwell), is accused of murdering a local drug lord.

With Walker on Beaumont’s payroll, the politician orders the cop to find and protect his son. As Walker becomes embroiled in the criminal underworld, it becomes a battle for survival, with every nefarious organization after Charlie. Havoc is aptly titled due to its breakneck pacing and vigorous action sequences. It’s not The Raid, but fans of Evans’ work will enjoy this ultra-violent thriller.

Stream Havoc on Netflix.

The Dark Knight (2008)

What are you doing if you haven’t seen The Dark Knight? Drop everything and stream Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece. Do not worry, superhero skeptics. The Dark Knight might be a Batman movie, but it’s more than just a showcase for a vigilante crime-fighter in a cape. Real themes of power, corruption, chaos, and morality are ever-present.

Gotham still has an organized crime problem. Batman (Christian Bale) can only do so much to intimidate the criminals. The only way to rid Gotham of its villains is to find heroes who don’t hide behind a mask, so Batman reluctantly teams with Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to defeat crime with the law. Hoping to disrupt the status quo is the Joker (Heath Ledger), an agent of chaos who will become Batman’s toughest foe.

Stream The Dark Knight on Netflix.

Exterritorial (2025)

Exterritorial is all people want to talk about right now. The German film has become a hit in the U.S. and finds itself in the top 10 list of most popular movies on Netflix. Ex-Special Forces officer Sara Wulf (Jeanne Goursaud) and her son Joshua (Rickson Guy da Silva) head to the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt to apply for a work visa.

While Sara works to gain her visa, Joshua stays in the playroom. When Sara comes to check on him, Joshua is gone. To make matters worse, there is no record of Sara even entering the consulate with her son. Is she imagining things, or is there something sinister at play? Whatever it may be, Sara will have to rely on her military training to evade capture and find her son.

Stream Exterritorial on Netflix.

Dan Girolamo
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
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