If you subscribe to Paramount+, there’s no better way to kick off the month of January than with a trio of newly arrived action movies. Paramount+ may not have the deep bench of films that its streaming rivals do, but Paramount itself has been one of the major Hollywood studios for decades, and it has its own classics in the action genre alongside a handful of films from other studios.
This month, our picks for the three action movies on Paramount+ that you need to watch in January include a reunion of Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte, a truly tragic comic book film, and a Michael Bay sci-fi action flick featuring Ewan McGregor and a young Scarlett Johansson.
Another 48 Hrs. (1990)
In the realm of buddy comedy action films, there are few better than the original 48 Hrs., which was released in 1982. Another 48 Hrs. reunites Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte as Reggie Hammond and Inspector Jack Cates, respectively. At the start of the film, Jack is relentlessly pursuing a killer who goes by the name of The Iceman, while Reggie is calmly waiting for his release from prison so he can collect the money that Jack has been holding for him.
When Jack approaches Reggie about getting his help on the current case, friction ensues as Jack withholds Reggie’s money until he cooperates. But an attempt on Reggie’s life means that he’s already got a stake in the fight against The Iceman, which once again leads to Reggie and Jack teaming up to take down their mutual foe.
Watch Another 48 Hrs. on Paramount+.
The Crow (1994)
The Crow was supposed to have been Brandon Lee’s breakout role, but the son of Bruce Lee was tragically killed during an on-set accident. That real-world tragedy combined with the story of The Crow lends this unlikely superhero action film a lot of gravitas and impact. In his final role, Lee plays Eric Draven, a young man who is murdered on the same night that his fiancée, Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas), was sexually assaulted and fatally wounded.
One year later, Eric is resurrected by a mystical crow that allows him to get his revenge on everyone who hurt him and Shelly. Sergeant Daryl Albrecht (Ernie Hudson), the man who investigated the crimes against Eric and Shelly, can hardly believe his own eyes when he sees that Eric is alive again. But Eric’s ultimate foe, Top Dollar (Michael Wincott), sees his return as a chance to steal the Crow’s powers of immortality for himself.
Watch The Crow on Paramount+.
The Island (2005)
Before he went on to make several Transformers movies, director Michael Bay brought Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson together in the sci-fi action flick The Island. In this alternate version of 2019, Lincoln Six Echo (McGregor) and Jordan Two Delta (Johansson) are among a large group of people who live in a secluded facility that is seemingly one of the few places in the world that is not contaminated. Or so they thought.
When Lincoln becomes suspicious about their lives in the compound and an “the island” where certain men and women are sent to, he discovers that almost everyone in the facility – including himself and Jordan – are clones who were created to provide spare organs to their donors. After Lincoln convinces Jordan to make a daring escape with him, the two clones are pursued by Albert Laurent (Rebel Moon‘s Djimon Hounsou) as they try to discover what’s waiting for them in the outside world.
Watch The Island on Paramount+.
