Skip to main content

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

The cast of Baby Driver standing in an elevator.
Sony Pictures Releasing

In January, Netflix is coming out strong for 2025 with a stacked lineup of action movies. Thanks to a licensing agreement, Warner Bros. has sent over some of its best movies to Netflix, including InterstellarDune: Part Two, Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and In the Heart of the Sea.

Those five movies have all found themselves in the top 10 for the most popular movies on Netflix. And the fun doesn’t stop there. Inside Netflix’s action genre, there are a variety of blockbusters, classics, and originals. This month, our recommendations are a Mad Max entry, a stylish crime caper, and a buddy cop comedy.

Recommended Videos

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 Maxand the best movies on Disney+.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky strapped to the front of a speeding car in Mad Max: Fury Road
Warner Bros.

New rule: If you’re looking for an action movie on a service and it has Mad Max: Fury Road, then stream it. Few action movies sit in the same stratosphere as Fury Road, George Miller’s fourth installment in his Mad Max franchise. Max Rockatansky (Venom: The Last Dance actor Tom Hardy) remains an outlaw drifting through the Wasteland, always looking for gas to fuel his vehicle. Max is captured by the War Boys and brought to the Citadel to be a universal blood donor.

Eventually, Max escapes and links up with the warrior Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), who has kidnapped Joe’s five wives in hopes of bringing them to a new home. With few options left, Max forms an uneasy alliance with Furiosa, agreeing to help her navigate the Wasteland to freedom. It won’t be easy, though, with Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and his War Boys hot in pursuit.

Stream Mad Max: Fury Road on Netflix.

Baby Driver (2017)

BABY DRIVER - Official Trailer

Baby Driver is an Edgar Wright heist movie, not to be confused with Halina Reijn’s erotic thriller, Babygirl. Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a superb getaway driver working heists for Doc (Kevin Spacey) to pay off a debt. Baby suffers from tinnitus, so he frequently wears headphones and listens to music to drown out the ringing in his ears.

Baby’s life changes after meeting Debora (Lily James), a cute waitress at a diner. The two fall in love, and for the first time, Baby pictures a life outside of driving. Hoping to start a future with Debora, Baby plans to work one final job and leave town for good. When the heist goes awry, Baby must rely on his ingenuity and slick driving skills to make it out alive. Cue the music.

Stream Baby Driver on Netflix.

Rush Hour (1998)

Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in Rush Hour.
New Line Cinema

The buddy cop comedy always features two polar opposites joining forces to save the day. In Rush Hour, the two cops are Hong Kong Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) and LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker). A Hong Kong diplomat (Tzi Ma) summons Lee to Los Angeles to help find his kidnapped daughter. The FBI does not want Lee working on this case, so they dump him off to the LAPD, who then task Carter with babysitting the Hong Kong detective.

The initial pairing is disastrous, as Lee and Carter frequently butt heads. However, the two begin trusting one another after making more progress on the case than the FBI and LAPD. With Chan’s combat prowess and Tucker’s wisecracking jokes, Rush Hour is the perfect blend of comedy and action.

Stream Rush Hour on Netflix.

Dan Girolamo
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
3 underrated shows on Netflix you need to watch in January 2025
Peter Hermann, Sutton Foster, and Nico Tortorella in Younger.

After closing out strong in 2024, Netflix is keeping the momentum going with an exciting slate of new and returning shows this month. One of the most popular shows on Netflix, The Night Agent, returns with a new mission in season 2 on January 23. Speaking on missions, The Recruit, an espionage adventure series, returns for its sophomore season one week later on January 30.

Those are only two of the many shows available to stream with the click of a button. From dramas and comedies to horrors and thrillers, Netflix always adds more shows to its vault every month. Some of these shows are criminally underrated and deserve recognition. Examples of these undervalued shows include a TV Land sitcom, a wrestling program, and a superhero drama.

Read more
3 PBS shows you should watch in January 2025
Kate Phillips in Miss Scarlet.

PBS has such a powerhouse lineup in January that we weren't able to find a place for Antiques Roadshow when narrowing the choices down to three ... and that's one of the top shows on the Public Broadcast System! PBS has endured for decades by giving viewers programming options that the broadcast and cable channels wouldn't. And that's still true even in the streaming era.

Our picks for the three PBS shows you should watch in January include two British dramas returning for their fifth seasons, as well as the 11th season of another breakout hit.

Read more
5 sci-fi movies on Netflix you need to watch in January 2025
Three men have a talk in Inception.

Netflix is starting 2025 on a high note with its sci-fi collection. Netflix's original content has been pushed aside for a swarm of licensed movies from other streamers. Take Dune and Dune: Part Two (more on that below). The two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel has primarily lived on Max. Now, the sci-fi epics are on Netflix and will certainly find a new audience.

That's the power Netflix can provide for a movie. Netflix continues to have the biggest audience among the streamers, and popular sci-fi movies will continue to benefit from its reach. For more sci-fi, check out our recommendations, including a polarizing Kevin Costner title, an innovative heist drama, and a fantasy buddy cop tale.

Read more