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Gravity.
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/? 2013 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
This list is frequently updated as titles leave and join Netflix. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.
Netflix has made headlines by investing in highbrow dramas that win Oscars. But sometimes you don’t want that! Sometimes you just want to escape the increasingly insane world out there into an action movie. Netflix has made a few of their own, but the bulk of the best action films on their service are still Hollywood blockbusters from ‘90s modern classics to more recent box office hits to films that may have slipped under your radar. From Ridley Scott to Michael Mann, here are the best action movies currently on Netflix.
Year: 2022
Runtime: 2h 56m
Director: Matt Reeves
Matt Reeves now owns the saga of the Dark Knight as a sequel to this March 2022 action blockbuster has already been announced. Dropping on HBO Max while it was still in theaters and now unleashed into the rest of the streamers, The Batman is an ambitious epic reboot of the legendary hero, anchored by Reeves’s craft and fascinating performances from Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, and many more.
Year: 2022
Runtime: 2h 21m
Director: Timo Tjahjanto
Have you seen The Night Comes for Us? You would remember if you have because director Timo Tjahjanto is a maniac, a madman who choreographs and shoots action scenes like no one else in the world right now. He returned in late 2022 for his Netflix original about a group of assassins who are forced into action when someone kills their mentor. It’s kind of like a live-action Looney Tunes with bazookas.
Year: 2022
Runtime: 2h 6m
Director: David Leitch
It feels like this movie was actually a bigger hit on Netflix, where it popped up in the top ten for weeks after it dropped in December 2022. It makes sense because it’s the perfect fit for when you’re looking for something to turn your brain off to for a couple hours. Brad Pitt stars as an assassin who ends up on a train filled with fellow assassins, and, well, things get expectedly violent. It’s a goofy movie, but it works on Netflix.
Year: 1995
Runtime: 1h 44m
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Hot on the heels of the DIY movie that made him a star, El Mariachi, Robert Rodriguez basically remade that indie hit with a bigger budget in this 1995 action flick that stars Antonio Banderas in the title role. He’s a musician who sets out to get vengeance against the drug lord who killed his lover. It also features a breakthrough performance by Salma Hayek.
Year: 2021
Runtime: 2h 35m
Director: Denis Villeneuve
The directorial king of the smart blockbusters released another one in 2021 in his highly acclaimed adaptation of the Frank Herbert novels, which premiered on HBO Max along with theaters for a brief window on its way to massive worldwide acclaim and success. Timothée Chalamet stars in this sci-fi epic that was actually the most Oscar-winning film of 2021, taking home six trophies. Part Two was delayed until 2024 because of the strike, but the first half of this story is on Netflix to make the pain easier to take.
Year: 2021
Runtime: 1h 53m
Director: Adam Wingard
Adam Wingard (The Guest) directs this ultimate team-up between titans and he brings a playful glee to the entire project. It’s a B-movie on a A-budget — consistently ridiculous but also nonstop fun — and it really delivers in terms of “understanding the assignment.” Wingard knows that these movies need to be larger than life escapism and that’s exactly what he delivers.
Year: 2013
Runtime: 1h 30m
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar winner has rarely been on streaming services so take this chance to watch this sci-fi masterpiece while you can. Sandra Bullock gives arguably her best performance as an astronaut who gets stranded in space, forced to find her way back to Earth on her own. Yes, it plays best in theaters, but it’s a movie worth watching in whatever manner possible.
Year: 2015
Runtime: 1h 36m
Director: Ilya Naishuller
Have you ever wanted to see a movie that replicated the feel of playing a first-person shooter video game? Then Hardcore Henry is the one for you. The plot doesn’t really matter—there’s something about experiments and lost memories and whatever—as this is all an exercise in style. Writer/director Ilya Naishuller straps viewers into the perspective of his increasingly powerful hero and then unleashes him on enemies who want to stop him. At its peak, it’s got some adrenaline-pumping lunacy that’s admirable.
Year: 2021
Runtime: 2h 19m
Director: Jeymes Samuel
The Harder They Fall came and went too fast in late 2021 and deserves to find a bigger audience on Netflix. The phenomenal Jonathan Majors stars in this stylish Western with tons of attitude, memorable characters, and brilliant set pieces. He’s joined by Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, Danielle Deadwyler, and many more in a film that feels like it will become bigger as its incredible cast become acting legends.
Year: 1995
Runtime: 2h 50m
Director: Michael Mann
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino star in one of the best movies of the ‘90s, a stunning cat-and-mouse game between a career criminal and a workaholic cop. The book release of Heat 2 in 2022 brought a lot of people back to this movie, one that has held up remarkably well over the nearly three decades since it was released. It’s a masterpiece.
Year: 2014
Runtime: 1h 41m
Director: Chad Stahelski
The one that started it all! Actually, all of the first three films in the series about the assassin who destroys worlds when his dog gets murdered are on Netflix, just waiting for the excellent fourth film to join them. Have a marathon and admire the incredible stunt choreography and charismatic leading man work from Keanu Reeves. There’s not a bad film in this franchise.
Year: 1993
Runtime: 2h 6m
Director: Steven Spielberg
An instant classic when it was released in 1993, Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur blockbuster spawned a franchise that’s still humming almost three decades later with the 2022 release of the wildly successful Dominion. The first three films in the series, including Spielberg’s sequel The Lost World, are on Netflix right now, alongside the pretty fun Camp Cretaceous.
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 59m
Director: David Fincher
Michael Fassbender gives his best performance in years as an icy hired assassin who struggles to hold things together when a job goes horribly wrong. It’s a movie about a self-proclaimed perfectionist who is constantly defying his own voiceover, a great film that’s alternately hysterical and thrilling. One of the best of 2023.
Year: 2011
Runtime: 1h 40m
Director: Gareth Evans
Sometimes branded as The Raid: Redemption, this is quite simply one of the best action movies of the 2010s. It moves like a speeding bullet, telling the story of a police squad that gets caught in a building run by a ruthless drug lord, who basically turns the entire building into a deadly gauntlet.
Year: 2022
Runtime: 3h 5m
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
One of the biggest films in the world in 2022, this crazy action flick really took off in the United States when it dropped on Netflix. It’s hard to put into words just how much movie you get with RRR. It’s kind of all the movies — musical, romance, comedy, action, drama. Whatever you’re looking for, it’s in here. You’ll want to watch it twice.
Year: 1985
Runtime: 2h 12m
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
The great Lawrence Kasdan co-wrote and directed one of the best Westerns of its era, a film with a rock-star ensemble of young ‘80s actors. Silverado stars Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, and Kevin Costner in the lead roles and they’re ably assisted by an incredible supporting cast that features Brian Dennehy, John Cleese, Jeff Goldblum, Rosanna Arquette, and Linda Hunt. This is a smart, funny Western that has stood the test of time.
Year: 2012
Runtime: 2h 23m
Director: Sam Mendes
The Daniel Craig era of James Bond has come to a close and so now history can look back and appreciate his entire run. Is the best film of his five the centerpiece? Arguably. This epic unpacking of the history of 007 is gorgeously shot by Roger Deakins and perfectly directed by Sam Mendes. It features a strong villain performance from Javier Bardem and great supporting work from Albert Finney and Judi Dench. Heck, it even has a killer theme song.
Year: 2013
Runtime: 2h 6m
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon-ho became a household name (at least in cinephile circles) when he won the Oscar for Parasite, but he had a hit before that in this 2013 sci-fi action flick starring Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer, and John Hurt. It’s a brilliant allegory for society as a train has been divided into classes per car, and the peasants form a revolt. Visually striking and narratively ambitious, this is a film that only seems to grow in esteem with each passing year, especially now that Bong is increasingly famous.
Year: 2023
Runtime: 2h 20m
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
What a gift to Netflix subscribers for this to already be on the service so soon after playing in theaters and landing on Blu-ray. This is how you do a big-budget blockbuster sequel, developing the themes of the first movie and setting up the stake for what now appears will be one of the best trilogies in superhero history. Packed with so much detail and creativity, it’s a film you’ll want to watch over and over again.
Year: 2019
Runtime: 2h 5m
Director: J.C. Chandor
One of the most underrated Netflix originals, this early 2019 film was written by Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) and directed by the man who helmed Margin Call. The great ensemble here includes Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal in the story of a group of former U.S. soldiers who plan and (poorly) execute a heist in South America. This is an old-fashioned action movie with a great modern cast.
Year: 2019
Runtime: 2h 5m
Director: Frant Gwo
One of the biggest movies of the last decade is a Chinese film that most people in the United States haven’t even seen. Making almost $700 million worldwide, this is the kind of blockbuster that the MCU kind of pushed out — a crazy, end-of-the-world disaster movie with a Roland Emmerich aesthetic and ridiculous special effects. It’s almost overwhelming in its onslaught of crazy but sometimes you just want to see things go boom on a massive scale. Note: There’s a sequel in theaters now that will hopefully be on Netflix soon too.
Year: 2022
Runtime: 2h 14m
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Living legend Viola Davis stars in this retelling of the all-female warriors of the kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century. She plays General Nansica, who trains young women to follow in her footsteps, and leads a rock star ensemble of future stars that includes Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, and Sheila Atim. You’ll know all their names soon enough.
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