Sometimes life feels a little dull, but it’s easy to get the adrenaline pumping with the best action movies on Netflix right now.
Netflix has loudly invested in its action collection over the past year (complete with TV ads starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris Hemsworth), and it has become a hub for action fans. If you’re in the mood for an action movie, there are plenty to choose from, to the point that it may feel like the opposite of an action movie when you’re endlessly scrolling to find the right film to watch. Don’t worry; we’ve done the grunt work for you.
This April, Netflix adds a couple of action classics in Kill Bill and The Matrix, as well as The Hunger Games series for the whole family and Baby Driver for those looking for something a little more under the radar.
We’ve also curated guides 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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The Matrix1999 -
Kill Bill: Vol. 12003
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Baby Driver2017
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The Hunger Games2012
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The Accountant2016
The Matrix (1999) new
136m
Genre
Action, Science Fiction
Stars
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
Directed by
Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
One of the most beloved sci-fi and action movies of the last 30 years, The Matrix pushed special effects and storytelling boundaries in 1999. All three movies in the first trilogy are available on Netflix now. In the original, computer hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) is hunted by the mysterious Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving). The mystery only deepens when he meets Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who tells Neo he’s been living in a virtual dream — the Matrix — built and maintained by machine overlords. Now, he can take the blue pill and go back to blissful ignorance or the red pill and join the resistance movement to free humanity.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) new
111m
Genre
Action, Crime
Stars
Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox
Directed by
Quentin Tarantino
One of Quentin Tarantino’s most beloved epics, Kill Bill tells the story of The Bride (Uma Thurman), an assassin who is shot and left for dead at the altar by her employer, Bill (David Carradine), and the rest of her assassination circle. Refusing to succumb, The Bride exacts brutal, meticulous vengeance upon those who plotted against her. Volume 2 is also on Netflix and is just as good.
Baby Driver (2017) new
113m
Genre
Action, Crime
Stars
Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James
Directed by
Edgar Wright
Baby (Tokyo Drift‘s Ansel Elgort) is a talented young getaway driver with an incredible soundtrack that’s always playing while he’s working. When he meets Debora (Lily James), he sees a chance and a reason to get out of the criminal life. But when he’s coerced into a heist that’s doomed to fail by crime boss, Doc (Kevin Spacey), he’ll need every ounce of his wits and skills to make a clean getaway.
The Hunger Games (2012) new
142m
Genre
Science Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Directed by
Gary Ross
One of today’s biggest young adult franchises, The Hunger Games stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, a young woman living in the poor, coal-mining region of District 12. In her nation, every year, as penance for a previous rebellion, Districts 2 through 12 must send a young man and woman to District 1 to compete in the Hunger Games, a barbaric, epic fight to the death that’s televised nationwide. When Katniss volunteers in place of her younger sister, it sets in motion a series of events that will put her at the center of a revolution. All four of the original Hunger Games movies are on Netflix now.
The Accountant (2016) new
128m
Genre
Crime, Thriller, Drama
Stars
Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons
Directed by
Gavin O'Connor
Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is a small town CPA with a secret. He also works as a freelance accountant for some of the world’s largest and most dangerous criminal organizations. The Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, run by Ray King (J.K. Simmons) is closing in on him, leading Christian to take on a major legitimate client, where an accounting clerk (Anna Kendrick) has discovered a major discrepancy. Christian comes in to uncook the company’s books but soon finds he’s getting closer to a truth that powerful people don’t want discovered. And the body count is rising.
Damsel (2024)
109m
Genre
Adventure, Fantasy
Stars
Millie Bobby Brown, Nick Robinson, Robin Wright
Directed by
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Flipping the script on the medieval knight-saves-damsel-from-dragon tale, Damsel stars Millie Bobby Brown as Princess Elodie, a dutiful damsel who agrees to marry a handsome prince (Nick Robinson). But instead of living happily ever after, Elodie soon discovers that the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. She’s thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon and forced to fight her way out.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
136m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Stars
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans
Directed by
Marc Webb
There are a lot of Spider-Man movies these days and Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man series served as a quality bridge between Tobey Maguire and the MCU’s Tom Holland Peter Parker. Andrew Garfield stars as the teenage webslinger, who’s struggling to navigate high school while living under the roof of his Uncle Ben and Aunt May (Martin Sheen and Sally Field). The questions only multiply when he discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, leading him down a rabbit hole that emerges at Oscorp and the lab of his father’s former partner, Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans). Connors, however, has a maniacal urge to gain power, setting his alter-ego, The Lizard, on a collision course with Peter’s alter-ego, Spider-Man.
Ready Player One (2018)
140m
Genre
Adventure, Action, Science Fiction
Stars
Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
Directed by
Steven Spielberg
In some ways, Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Ernest Cline’s sci-fi novel Ready Player One is just a giant tribute to his own remarkable body of work. But it’s a pretty fun tribute, if not the best movie Spielberg ever made.
In 2045, the world is on the brink of collapse and people have found salvation in the virtual reality universe called OASIS, which was created by James Halliday (Mark Rylance). Upon his death, Halliday announces he has hidden a digital Easter egg somewhere in the OASIS that holds the key to his life-changing fortune. Young Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) takes up the challenge and enters a reality-bending treasure hunt.
Fury (2014)
135m
Genre
War, Drama, Action
Stars
Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman
Directed by
David Ayer
It’s April 1945, in the waning days of World War II, as the Allies make their final push toward Berlin. To attempt to expedite V-E Day, hardened veteran Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) leads a Sherman tank and her five-man crew behind enemy lines. As they attempt to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany, Wardaddy’s crew finds itself outnumbered and outgunned by superior German tank tech, leaving their skill and experience as their only advantage. Fury is all-out WWII tank warfare like you haven’t seen before.
Resident Evil (2002)
100m
Genre
Horror, Action, Science Fiction
Stars
Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius
Directed by
Paul W. S. Anderson
Critically panned upon release, Resident Evil nonetheless gained traction with the considerable video game fan base, launching a massive action-horror franchise of games, movies, and TV shows that are still being made today. (Netflix debuted an original series in 2022.) In the first movie, a deadly virus with the power to destroy the entire human race is mistakenly released in an underground lab. With only three hours until the virus mutates and reaches the rest of the global population, a team led by Alice (Milla Jovovich) goes into the lab to destroy the Infected and halt the spread.
Jurassic Park (1993)
127m
Genre
Adventure, Science Fiction
Stars
Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
Directed by
Steven Spielberg
Jurassic Park could fit in a lot of categories, but we’re putting Steven Spielberg’s classic here because, well, it’s filled with lots of angry velociraptors and T. rexes. Wealthy entrepreneur John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) has long worked in secret to use prehistoric DNA to build a theme park centered around dinosaurs. But the experts he invites to preview the park before opening day don’t realize he means that he’s actually brought dinosaurs back to life. When the experts, investors, and Hammond’s grandchildren take a tour to experience the park, they soon discover just how terrible of an idea it was to meddle with evolution.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
140m
Genre
Animation, Action, Adventure
Stars
Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jason Schwartzman
Directed by
Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, Kemp Powers
One of the best movies of the summer and an early Oscar favorite, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse picks up the Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) saga where Miles is back to being Brooklyn’s one and only Spider-Man. Unfortunately, now that he knows the Multiverse exists and that there are others like him out there, he’s more lonely than ever. So when Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) pops back into his life, Miles can’t resist following her only to discover the Spider Society, a massive organization of Spider-People dedicated to protecting the integrity of the Multiverse … and Miles is the only one who isn’t a member.
Desperado (1995)
104m
Genre
Thriller, Action, Crime
Stars
Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek Pinault, Joaquim de Almeida
Directed by
Robert Rodriguez
The follow-up to Robert Rodriguez’s cult classic, El Mariachi, Desperado tells a new tale of El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) as he follows a trail of blood into the border underworld to hunt down the last of the Mexican drug lords, Bucho (Joaquim de Almeida). With the help of some friends and bookstore owner, Carolina (Salma Hayek Pinault), El Mariachi finds Bucho, and the carnage is on.
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
139m
Genre
Drama, History, War
Stars
Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn
Directed by
Mel Gibson
Hacksaw Ridge walks the line of drama and action, telling the story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), who saved 75 men in Okinawa without ever carrying a gun. The only American soldier to fight on the front lines without a weapon, Doss felt World War II was justified, but killing was still wrong. As an army medic, Doss led one of the most fascinating stories of the war and ultimately became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
65 (2023)
92m
Genre
Science Fiction, Thriller, Drama
Stars
Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman
Directed by
Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Dinosaurs vs. spacemen? Sure, why not! Adam Driver stars in the 2023 sleeper hit 65 as a space pilot downed in a catastrophic crash on a mysterious planet. Mills (Driver) quickly realizes he’s not on a foreign planet, though. He’s just on Earth 65 million years in the past. The prehistoric planet is riddled with strange terrain and dangerous creatures, but Mills and the one other survivor, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), must brave the unforgiving world to reach their only chance of being rescued.
Bullet Train (2022)
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.
Emily the Criminal (2022)
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.
Enola Holmes (2020)
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.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
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.
Black Crab (2022)
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.
The Vault (2021)
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.
Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
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
Spectral (2016)
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.
Army of the Dead (2021)
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.
The Old Guard (2020)
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.
The Night Comes for Us (2018)
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.
The King (2019)
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.
Wheelman (2017)
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.
Triple Frontier (2019)
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.
Burn Out (2018)
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.
Extraction (2020)
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.
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