Sometimes you’re just in the mood for some pulse-pounding thrills. If you’re a Hulu subscriber, then you’re in luck because Hulu has an awesome library of action flicks. From the more family-friendly to R-rated intensity, Hulu’s collection of action films runs the gamut. If you’re in need of some simulated danger, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list of the best action movies on Hulu right now. We update this list each month, so be sure to check back often.
We’ve also curated a guide to the best action movies on Amazon Prime and the best action movies on Netflix if you’re looking for additional recommendations.
28 Days Later (2003)
One of the better zombie movies of recent memory, Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later is extremely intense and offers all the thrills you could possibly hope for. After a group of misguided animal rights activists free a caged chimpanzee infected with a “Rage” virus, it sets off a chain reaction, spreading the incurable, deeply contagious virus across England. London bike courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) awakes from a coma a month later to find the city all but empty — until he stumbles across the manic, zombie-like victims of Rage. Rescued by a group of survivors, Jim and his newfound friends must travel across the country to find any hope of salvation.
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Noah Huntley, Naomie Harris
Director: Danny Boyle
Rating: R
Runtime: 112 minutes
Die Hard (1988)
One of the greatest action movies of all time, Die Hard stars Bruce Willis as New York City cop John McClane on a trip to Los Angeles to attend a holiday party to save his strained marriage. But shortly after his arrival, terrorists led by the cunning Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) take the party hostage as they attempt to crack the corporate vault and make off with untold riches. McClane manages to escape, and with the terrorists operating covertly, he has to find a way to get word to the LAPD while fighting off the terrorists alone inside the skyscraper.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedella
Director: John McTiernan
Rating: R
Runtime: 131 minutes
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
An iconic Western, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid tells the true story of some of America’s greatest outlaws. But while Butch Cassidy is a traditional Western in the sense of train heists, battles with posses, and a good ol’ fashioned love affair, it carved out a special place in American cinema for its study of the epic friendship between its two subjects. It’s a frontier story that will rope you in with the action and keep you engrossed through the star turns of Paul Newman and Robert Redford as two of history’s most likable and most dangerous outlaws.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross
Director: George Roy Hill
Rating: R
Runtime: 110 minutes
Attack the Block (2011)
Attack the Block is a British sci-fi/action film that featured John Boyega and Jodie Whittaker in leading roles years before they respectively joined the Star Wars and Doctor Who franchises. Boyega plays Moses, the leader of a young gang of crooks. While Moses and his crew want respect from the Block, they are forced to rise to the occasion and become heroes when deadly aliens invade the neighborhood. Whittaker plays Samantha, a nurse who was initially victimized by Moses and his boys. But with the survival of everyone on the line, Samantha becomes the most reliable ally that Moses and his friends have in the face of overwhelming odds against them.
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Stars: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard
Director: Joe Cornish
Rating: R
Runtime: 88 minutes
Dredd (2012)
Hulu does have the 1995 adaptation of the Judge Dredd comic with Sylvester Stallone in the title role. But the 2012 film, Dredd, is by far the superior of the two. This time, Karl Urban steps into the role of Dredd, one of the Judges tasked with keeping Mega-City One safe in the future. Olivia Thirlby nearly steals the entire movie as Cassandra Anderson, a rookie judge whose telepathic abilities prove to be quite an asset. While investigating a few brazen drug murders, Dredd and Anderson are trapped in an apartment complex by its resident crime lord, Madeline “Ma-Ma” Madrigal (Game of Thrones‘ Lena Headey). But Ma-Ma forgot the most important things about Dredd: “He is the law,” and he will never back down from a fight.
Rotten Tomatoes: 79%
Stars: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Wood Harris, Lena Headey
Director: Pete Travis
Rating: R
Runtime: 95 minutes
Deadpool (2016)
Deadpool is one of the few Marvel movies that may never appear on Disney+. It’s simply too profane for young audiences, but it perfectly captures the R-rated vibe of Marvel’s wildly popular antihero. Ryan Reynolds portrays Wade Wilson, a mercenary who finds an unexpectedly strong emotional bond with a woman named Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). Unfortunately, their time together is cut short by Wade’s cancer diagnosis. Wade’s subsequent mutation saves his life at the cost of his physical appearance and sanity. As Deadpool, Wade is free to hunt down the man responsible for his mishap, while gleefully breaking the fourth wall along the way. This is easily one of the funniest comic book movies to date, and the action is still intense.
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T. J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand
Director: Tim Miller
Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
Boss Level (2021)
In Boss Level, Frank Grillo’s Roy Pulver dies almost as soon as the movie begins. Then it all happens again, again, and again. That’s the problem for the ex-Delta Force soldier. Someone wants Roy dead, and he would already be gone if he wasn’t stuck in a time loop. Fortunately for Roy, he’s been trapped for so long that he’s been able to anticipate the moves of his would-be assassins. Regardless, the odds are stacked against Roy as he tries to break the loop and save his ex-wife, Jemma Wells (Naomi Watts), from a dire fate. Each trip through the loop gives Roy more experience and intel. But is it enough for him to change his fate and escape with Jemma?
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Stars: Frank Grillo, Naomi Watts, Mel Gibson, Annabelle Wallis
Director: Joe Carnahan
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 94 minutes
The Nice Guys (2016)
The Nice Guys was criminally underrated during its theatrical run. But it’s ready to be rediscovered by action fans on Hulu. The story is set in 1977, as private investigator Holland March (Ryan Gosling) looks into the suspicious death of a porn star. After an enforcer named Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) breaks Holland’s arm and tries to scare him off, the two men form an unlikely partnership to track down a teenage girl, Amelia Kuttner (Margaret Qualley). Amelia may hold the key to unraveling this mystery, but Holland and Jackson have to get her before the bad guys do.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Stars: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley
Director: Shane Black
Rating: R
Runtime: 116 minutes
Salt (2016)
Who is Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie)? Is she a loyal CIA agent? The loving wife of Mike Krause (August Diehl)? Or is she a deadly double agent for the KGB? Salt thrusts Jolie’s heroine into a twisted tale of betrayal and revenge. Evelyn’s former ally Theodore Winter (Liev Schreiber) and ONCIX agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) lead the pursuit for her as they unravel her secrets. Yet Evelyn keeps her cards close to the vest, even when it puts her in even greater danger. The stakes are high, but Evelyn Salt is an action heroine who is more than up to the challenge.
Rotten Tomatoes: 62%
Stars: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andre Braugher
Director: Phillip Noyce
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 104 minutes
Hotel Mumbai (2018)
Hotel Mumbai is inspired by the true story of the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. That’s why there are no action heroes here, and the violence feels all-too-real. Zahra Kashani (Nazanin Boniadi), her husband, David (Armie Hammer), and the rest of the guests at the Taj Hotel are held hostage by terrorists. Yet even in this hopeless situation, heroes emerge. For example, Arjun (Dev Patel), a waiter who risks his life to help the guests escape. Not everyone makes it out alive, but the spark of humanity demonstrated by the ordinary people triumphs over the senseless murders and the overwhelming despair that follows.
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Stars: Armie Hammer, Dev Patel, Nazanin Boniadi, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Anupam Kher
Director: Anthony Maras
Rating: R
Runtime: 125 minutes
Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011)
The Mission: Impossible films are almost always terrific, but Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol is a cut above the rest. Animator Brad Bird made his live-action directorial debut with this film, as Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt was dragged into another global crisis. Ethan’s IMF team is framed for a bombing in Russia, which forces them to go underground without any official backup. Ethan can trust his old friend, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg). However, Ethan is less sure about his new allies, William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Jane Carter (Paula Patton). William is holding on to secrets of his own, while Jane’s thirst for vengeance may jeopardize the entire mission.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton
Director: Brad Bird
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 133 minutes
The Expendables (2010)
Think of The Expendables as the Avengers of action stars. It’s almost an all-icon cast even before Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger make their cameo appearances. Sylvester Stallone directed the film and stars as Barney Ross, the leader of an elite group of mercenaries that includes Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), and Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren). On a mission to take out a foreign dictator, Barney and his team realize that their real target may be rogue CIA agent James Munroe (Eric Roberts). And one of Barney’s former members may be working for the other side.
Rotten Tomatoes: 42%
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Charisma Carpenter
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Rating: R
Runtime: 103 minutes
Ninja Assassin (2009)
Critics definitely weren’t fans of Ninja Assassin, but the next-level action and martial arts sequences won over viewers and earned the film a following. Korean musician Rain convincingly headlines the movie as Raizo, a warrior who was raised to be an assassin by the deadly Ozunu clan. But after becoming disillusioned with the ways of his clan, Raizo makes it his life’s mission to prevent them from claiming any additional victims. Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) suggests an alliance with Raizo, but even Mika’s forces can’t fully be trusted in this world.
Rotten Tomatoes: 25%
Stars: Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Rick Yune
Director: James McTeigue
Rating: R
Runtime: 98 minutes
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