The 24 best action movies on Netflix

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

A cowboy film offers many enticements, among them, the comfort of black and white thinking. In Western movies, there is good and there is evil — and never the twain shall meet. In 3:10 to Yuma, however, part of the film’s appeal lies in the duality of its protagonists: one of whom represents “good,” the other “evil,” and both of whom you will find yourself rooting for as the story progresses.

A remake of — and some would argue an improvement upon — the 1957 original, 3:10 to Yuma stars Christian Bale as the cash-strapped, 19th century rancher Dan Evans who volunteers to deliver the murderous Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to a train that will carry him to jail in exchange for having his debts erased. “More exciting and drily funny” than its earlier counterpart, an EW critic writes, the strength of the 2007 film lies in its precisely staged action sequences, including its climax, which is delivered in the form of a fatal and emotionally devastating shootout (as is required by the bylaws governing the genre). —Ilana Gordon   

Where to watch 3:10 to Yuma: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: James Mangold

Cast: Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster, Logan Lerman, Dallas Roberts, Peter Fonda

Baby Driver (2017)

An action crime movie two decades in the making, director Edgar Wright puts the pedal to the metal with Baby Driver, transforming what could have been just another heist film into a stylistic masterpiece with a soundtrack to match. The movie follows a young getaway driver named Baby (Ansel Elgort) whose attempts to extricate himself from a life of crime go awry after he is forced to participate in a post office robbery.

Baby is a fantastic character — a young, Southern kid with tinnitus and a tragic past — surrounded by violent sadists, and the film is part mixtape, part love story, and part Reservoir Dogs-style murder romp. EW’s critic writes that Baby Driver “is a candy-colored action movie opera, where the music doesn’t just accompany the action — it fuels it.” —I.G.

Where to watch Baby Driver: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Eiza González, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal

Cold Pursuit (2019)

Liam Neeson has established himself in Hollywood as the purveyor of characters not to be trifled with. In Cold Pursuit, he once again plays a father seeking vengeance for wrongs perpetrated upon his family, only this time, he lives in a Colorado resort town called Kehoe where he works as a snowplow driver. What distinguishes Cold Pursuit from other offerings in Neeson’s arsenal of justice-hunting characters is the humor inherent in the film’s script. While not quite a comedy, the movie likes to veer into Tarantino territory, adorning fight scenes with bon mots and clever dialogue.

The result could have left viewers cold, but Neeson and Laura Dern’s performances as grieving parents, and Hans Petter Moland’s fast-moving direction, help ground a film that EW’s critic describes as “the daffiest and most delirious” of Neeson’s recent work. Also starring Emmy Rossum as a local cop, Cold Pursuit is a thriller that doesn’t take long to heat up. —I.G.

Where to watch Cold Pursuit: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Hans Petter Moland 

Cast: Liam Neeson, Laura Dern, Emmy Rossum, Michael Eklund

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Wars and wounds collide in Spike Lee's 2020 film Da 5 Bloods, a meditation on race, generational trauma, and American intervention. Toggling between the past and present, the film follows four Black war veterans as they return to Vietnam, intent on recovering a locker of gold bars and the body of their fallen friend and squad leader, Stormin' Norman (Chadwick Boseman), both of which were lost during a napalm strike.

Guided in their quest by Tiên, the ex-girlfriend of one of the former soldiers, and forced to confront landmines — both real and emotional — the remainder of the squad must reconcile the horrors of their past with the difficulties of their present if they hope to escape Vietnam for a better future. Incorporating archival newsreel for additional context, Da 5 Bloods is a war film with action sequences, but many of the battles pit man against his memory. —I.G.

Where to watch Da 5 Bloods: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Spike Lee

Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr.

The Equalizer 3 (2023)

In the third entry of The Equalizer saga, Denzel Washington's Robert McCall finds solace in the simplicity of sipping tea along the Amalfi Coast...and beating the living hell out of those foolish enough to cross his path. Turning away from his life as an indestructible DIA officer, the former Marine seeks sanctuary from the scars of his violent past in a quaint Italian town but is disrupted once his newfound friends face threats from the Camorra, a local Mafia-like group.

This propels Robert back into action, igniting a carnage-soaked battle for their freedom, as well as his own. While treading formulaic ground for action sequels, The Equalizer 3 also provides everything you could possibly ask for: a tension-laced opening, squeaky-clean pacing/editing, picturesque mise-en-scène, and heavily-stylized combat. —James Mercadante

Where to watch The Equalizer 3: Netflix

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Cast: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Gaia Scodellaro, Remo Girone

Extraction (2020)

When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose, making you an ideal candidate for a job as a black-market mercenary. After Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth), a former member of the Australian Army Special Air Service Regiment, is recruited to rescue Ovi, the recently kidnapped son of the biggest drug lord in India, he finds that his very particular set of skills — and history of family trauma — are more than enough to extract the kid. But when the city is locked down, it's anybody's guess whether Rake can safely return Ovi to his family.

Representing Sam Hargrave's directorial debut after years of serving as stunt coordinator on some of the biggest Marvel projects around (The Avengers, Deadpool, Thor: Ragnorak), the film is in capable (if violent) hands, but still manages to cultivate moments of tenderness and redemption amongst the casualties. —I.G.

Where to watch Extraction: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Sam Hargrave

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda, Priyanshu Painyuli, Golshifteh Farahani, Pankaj Tripathi, David Harbour

The Foreigner (2017)

A father’s pursuit of vengeance is on full display in The Foreigner, an action film that an EW writer describes as Jackie Chan’s take on Taken. A two-hander that stars Chan opposite Pierce Brosnan in the role of a First Minister of Northern Ireland and former IRA leader, The Foreigner gives Chan a chance to stretch both his acting and fighting muscles as a grieving father whose most recent loss reawakens traumas from earlier in his life.

Chan’s nuanced performance is equally matched by a committed showing from Brosnan, whose character is trying to walk the political tightrope while not burning bridges with his old ideological comrades. A lean action thriller marked by solid acting and excellent fight sequences, The Foreigner will remind you that Jackie Chan is so much more than just powerful kicks and one-liners. —I.G.  

Where to watch The Foreigner: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review) 

Director: Martin Campbell 

Cast: Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Godzilla Minus One won the 2024 Oscar for Best Visual Effects, but the film is so much more than a monster movie with incredible CGI. Set in Japan, a country ravaged by the after-effects of World War II, the film follows a failed kamikaze pilot as he is haunted both by his performance during the war and a gargantuan monster with a heat ray capable of razing Tokyo.

A love story disguised as a horror movie, Godzilla Minus One offers stunning performances, a fascinating historical perspective, and — of course — the kind of city-trampling mayhem one would expect when selecting a Godzilla movie. You know they did a good job when the filmmaker has you sympathizing with both the monster and the citizens rallying to defeat it. —I.G.

Where to watch Godzilla Minus One: Netflix

Director: Takashi Yamazaki

Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki

Gran Turismo (2023)

A rags-to-riches story for the modern gaming community, Gran Turismo is a biographical sports action movie about Jann Mardenborough, a British teenager whose skills playing the Gran Turismo videogame earn him an opportunity to compete as a professional race car driver. The film spent ten years in development before being picked up by director Neill Blomkamp (District 9), who delivered something unique. His interpretation is neither an adaptation of the game, nor a completely faithful depiction of the events experienced in Mardenborough’s life, but remains a fun, uplifting racing movie nonetheless. 

The real Jann Mardenborough makes an appearance in the film, acting as his own stunt double in the racing scenes, and David Harbour and Orlando Bloom take on the roles of Mardenborough’s racing trainer and a Nissan executive, respectively. The movie may have suffered financially from premiering around the time of Barbenheimer, but it’s still worth catching from your couch. —I.G. 

Where to watch Gran Turismo: Netflix

Director: Neill Blomkamp

Cast: David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Archie Madekwe, Darren Barnet, Geri Halliwell Horner, Djimon Hounsou

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

After honing her ass-kicking prowess in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Jumanji franchise, Karen Gillan struts confidently into the leading role for Navot Papushado's action flick. If you enjoy Atomic Blonde (2017) or Birds of Prey (2020), you will revel in Gunpowder Milkshake, where Gillian stars as Sam — a highly-trained killer targeted by her ex-employers, who must forge alliances with her assassin mother (Lena Headey) and her former hitwoman comrades to survive.

With a stacked lineup of powerhouses like Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, and Carla Gugino, the film offers 114 minutes of nonstop thrill, which Gillian described to EW as "humorous at times and [doesn't] take itself too seriously, but [takes] the action seriously enough." —J.M.

Where to watch Gunpowder Milkshake: Netflix

Director: Navot Papushado

Cast: Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Carla Gugino, Chloe Coleman, Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, Paul Giamatti, Ralph Ineson

The Harder They Fall (2021)

Though it suffers at times from Netflix's in-house mandate for too-clean disposable content, this stylish revisionist Western boasts an undeniably stacked and magnetic cast. Jonathan Majors stars as the raffish outlaw on a quest to hunt down those responsible for his requisite personal tragedy. Meanwhile, a characteristically hypnotic Idris Elba is the baddest man in the West, with a gang including the equally formidable likes of Regina King and LaKeith Stanfield.

Luckily, Majors has everyone from the great Delroy Lindo to Stanfield's Atlanta costar Zazie Beetz on his side, as The Harder They Fall presents an Old West populated by many of the greatest Black actors working today. While co-writer/director Jeymes Samuel (aka The Bullitt)'s script centers on the oft-ignored real figures of the Black West, his film is, at its thoroughly entertaining heart, a rip-roaring display of action setpieces and acting excellence. Style over substance? Sure. But The Harder They Fall has style to burn. —Dennis Perkins

Where to watch The Harder They Fall: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Jeymes Samuel

Cast: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole

Kate (2021)

Imagine if John Wick had a daughter, and you'd evoke someone akin to Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a raging-bull assassin and A1 sniper operating in Tokyo. When she's injected with acute radiation poisoning caused by Polonium-204, Kate races against the clock, armed with less than 24 hours to unmask her assailant and deliver some lethal payback.

Bursting with candy-colored visuals, sensational stunts, brutal carnage, and Winstead's organic badassery (one that echoes her role as the Huntress in Birds of Prey), Kate delivers as a proper revenge thriller. Per EW's critic, the film "is red-meat storytelling, all broad outlines and crunched bones. But there's a visual wit and visceral energy to it that other recent efforts struggle to find." —J.M.

Where to watch Kate: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Miku Martineau, Woody Harrelson, Tadanobu Asano, Michiel Huisman, Miyavi, Jun Kunimura

Lou (2022)

Allison Janney knows how to deliver a line, and — thanks to stunt training for her Netflix film, Lou — she also knows how to deliver a punch. Janney stars as the film's titular character, a misandrist landlord who rents a home to a single mother named Hannah (Jurnee Smollett) and her young daughter, Vee. After Vee is kidnapped, Lou agrees to help Hannah bring her back, but saving Vee's future will require Lou to confront her own messy past.

Director Anna Foerster asked a lot of her cast during production, as evidenced by the fact that both Smollett and Janney spend much of the film covered in mud. (Smollett tells EW, "The mud is a character in itself!") As for Janney, she hopes this role will showcase her rarely-seen physical abilities — and maybe land her a role in the next John Wick movie. —I.G.

Where to watch Lou: Netflix

Director: Anna Foerster

Cast: Allison Janney, Jurnee Smollett, Logan Marshall-Green

The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

Children were born and grew into legal adults in the years since the last Matrix movie was released. But that 18-year gap was well spent; The Matrix Resurrections — directed solely by Lana Wachowski — finds a compelling way to yank the film out of the internet's infancy and into the modern technological era. The stunts are impressive, but it's the romance between Neo and Trinity (Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss) that both revives the franchise and elevates it to heights that Reloaded and Revolutions could only ever dream of.

Neo — who now goes by the name Thomas Anderson — has developed several successful video games based on his distant memories of the Matrix, but his inability to distinguish between dreams and reality has him running to his therapist for help. Well worth a watch, The Matrix Resurrections reminds us why we loved getting red-pilled the first time, or, as our reviewer puts it, "All that's old is Neo again." —I.G.

Where to watch The Matrix: Resurrections: Netflix through Nov. 30

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Lana Wachowski

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

When Mr. & Mrs. Smith premiered in 2005, it was preceded by its reputation. Five months earlier, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston announced their separation after seven years of marriage that was allegedly initiated after Pitt met and fell in love with his co-star, Angelina Jolie, during production on this flick. The celebrity buzz was more than enough to coax audiences into theaters, and once they got there, they were greeted by a film that was half action movie, half therapy session.

The story follows an unhappy couple (Pitt and Jolie), both of whom are undercover as assassins working for competing companies — and both of whom have received an assignment to kill the other. Screenwriter Simon Kinberg was inspired by the five-step process employed in couples counseling, a template he used to help ground the Smiths' otherwise exceptional lives into something far more relatable. Thanks to the explosive chemistry between Pitt and Jolie (and the powerful weaponry utilized by their characters in their race to outmaneuver death), Mr. & Mrs. Smith is the very definition of an old-school summer blockbuster. —I.G.

Where to watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Netflix

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Doug Liman

Cast: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Adam Brody, Kerry Washington

Okja (2018)

Two years before Bong Joon Ho wowed the world with Parasite, the South Korean director partnered with Netflix to make Okja. A pig-centered movie that leans decidedly more toward Animal Farm than Babe, the movie follows Mija, a South Korean teen who bonds with Okja, the "super pig" she's helped raise — only to have Okja taken from her after he is crowned the winner of an agrochemical company's competition for best pig. With Okja headed for the slaughterhouse, Mija travels from South Korea to New York City on a mission to save her friend and to help expose the inhumane practices of the Mirando Corporation and its leader, Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton).

A mixture of science, fantasy, action, and adventure, Okja is one of those movies you have to see to believe. As EW's critic writes, Okja is "the antithesis of cookie-cutter, made-by-committee filmmaking. Prepare to be amazed, grossed out, provoked, punchdrunk, and tickled." —I.G.

Where to watch Okja: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Bong Joon Ho

Cast: Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Ahn Seo-hyun, Byun Hee-bong, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, Yoon Je-moon, Shirley Henderson, Daniel Henshall, Devon Bostick, Choi Woo-shik, Giancarlo Esposito, Jake Gyllenhaal

The Old Guard (2020)

Immortality comes with a price, as seen in The Old Guard. Andy (Charlize Theron) is part of a group of centuries-old warriors who have been gifted the power to heal from any wound. Unable to die, this team utilizes their talents by working as mercenaries for various mortal employers. Are they heroes or villains? It depends on what century they're living in. But when one particular mission exposes their extraordinary abilities, the group must band together to avoid capture by Big Pharma, who hopes to study, replicate, and monetize their gifts.

Aided by the group's newest member, a U.S. Marine (Kiki Layne), Andy and her team fight for their freedom in this action-packed film based on an acclaimed series of graphic novels. Theron is in peak fighting form, even as her character begins to slow after centuries of regenerating. And while character backstory and world-building take a backseat to stunt sequences, you can rest easy in the knowledge that a sequel is already in the works. —I.G.

Where to watch The Old Guard: Netflix

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Cast: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Harry Melling, Veronica Ngo, Matthias Schoenaerts, Chiwetel Ejiofor

The Other Guys (2010)

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg team up for a buddy cop action comedy that will be relatable to anyone who doesn’t thrive under pressure. Allen Gamble (Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) are two NYPD detectives that have been relegated to desk duty — Gamble (Ferrell) loves his orderly existence while Hoitz (Wahlberg) rages against his new assignment, which he acquired after mistakenly shooting Derek Jeter. But when the most Alpha cops on the force pass away in the line of duty, it’s up to The Other Guys to investigate the biggest crime the city has seen in years.

Ferrell and Wahlberg are perfectly cast as an odd couple duo and director Adam McKay is a pro at satirizing a genre that has turned law enforcement officers into superheroes. EW’s critic writes that the film “is aimed at all of us out there who long for excitement yet cling to safety because we’re more desk jockey than supercop ourselves.” —I.G.

Where to watch The Other Guys: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Adam McKay

Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson

Outlaw King (2018)

Set in early 14th-century Scotland during the Scottish Wars of Independence (also known as Braveheart times), Scottish King Robert the Bruce (Chris Pine) finds himself leading a rebellion against the English King Edward I, an act which causes him to be labeled an outlaw. Based on an untold true story, Outlaw King follows Robert and those loyal to him as they embark on a guerilla mission to retake the lands stolen from them by the English, even as the English brutally murder their families. Filmed, as an EW critic writes, "in the natural light of candles, torches, and overcast skies," Outlaw King is a movie that manages to find the beauty amongst the battle scenes. —I.G.

Where to watch Outlaw King: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: David Mackenzie

Cast: Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Florence Pugh

Project Power (2020)

If there was a pill that could give you five minutes of pure power, would you take it? Such is the premise behind Project Power, a science fiction action film produced by Netflix. In a good example of strange bedfellows, Project Power follows a trio consisting of a police officer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a soldier (Jamie Foxx), and a drug dealer (Dominique Fishback as seen in The Deuce), as they work together to halt distribution on a new kind of drug that has recently hit the streets of New Orleans.

If you're looking for an action thriller that moves fast, Project Power, an EW critic writes, "makes it easy to suspend your disbelief and your imaginary degree in biochemistry, and just let it ride." —I.G.

Where to watch Project Power: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback, Rodrigo Santoro, Colson Baker, Allen Maldonado, Amy Landecker, Courtney B. Vance

RRR (2022)

Though 2022 saw the triumph of Everything Everywhere All at Once, there existed another film that was also a pageant of absurd, maximalist thrill that left MCU blushing in its wake. Part buddy-comedy, part action-thriller, part historical drama, part musical, S. Rajamouli's Telugu-language blockbuster set in the 1920s — which won the Oscar for Original Song ("Naatu Naatu"), making history as the first song from an Indian feature film to win in that category — is a semi-historical story centered around the unlikely camaraderie between two Indian revolutionaries, Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan), who band together against British imperialism.

An explosion of electrifying spectacles, RRR successfully melds over-the-top action sequences — from battling tigers to swinging motorcycles — campy dance numbers, and emotional story lines into one cohesive theatrical experience. —J.M.

Where to watch RRR: Netflix

Director: S. Rajamouli

Cast: N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Olivia Morris

Spy Game (2001)

What Spy Game lacks in heart, it makes up for in cleverness and mind games. Veteran CIA officer Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) is supposed to retire at the end of the day. But first, he has to save his protégé, Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt), who is scheduled to be executed in a Chinese prison within 24 hours. The only problem? The agency isn’t willing to save Bishop, so Muir is on his own.

To free his friend, Muir must become a spy within his own agency, using all his expertise gathered over a decades-long career. A story told through time jumps, flashbacks, and reveals, Spy Game isn’t a film with a strong message, but it’s still worth following along. A movie that EW’s critic refers to as a “tensely jumpy and data-jangled espionage thriller,” Spy Game makes for a strong movie night selection. —I.G.

Where to watch Spy Game: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Tony Scott

Cast: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Stephen Dillane, Larry Bryggman

Triple Frontier (2018)

Why rob a bank when you can put your life on the line stealing money from the cartel? In Triple Frontier, the J.C. Chandor-directed and Netflix produced action/adventure movie, a group of former special-ops soldiers come to the realization that they have not been properly compensated for their years spent in military service, and decide to get what's theirs by robbing a drug lord. Chandor brings out the big guns to play his team of military men, enlisting an ensemble composed of Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal.

A good, old-fashioned male bonding film with a lot of money on the line, EW's Chris Nashawaty writes, "There may be no honor among thieves, but Triple Frontier certainly makes watching them pretty entertaining." —I.G.

Where to watch Triple Frontier: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: J.C. Chandor

Cast: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal

Unbroken (2014)

Angelina Jolie loves a war story, but her second foray into feature directing represents a return to classic World War II cinema, and is far more patriotic than one would expect given her brand. The film in question, Unbroken, is adapted from the 2010 nonfiction book by Laura Hillenbrand about World War II hero Louis Zamperini. A former Olympian who ran track before enlisting in the Air Force, Zamperini was captured as a Japanese POW and his journey through captivity is as tumultuous as one might expect.

A film EW’s critic describes as “moving, admirable, and occasionally exhilarating,” Unbroken sometimes seems almost old-fashioned in its presentation and subject matter, but Zamperini’s story of heroism remains triumphant, and Jolie doesn’t shy away from its most abusive and abhorrent moments. Jack O'Connell is, as EW’s critic says, “totally hypnotic” in the role of Zamperini, and Miyavi, a Japanese rock star turned actor for the film, plays opposite him as the film’s antagonist, Sgt. Mutsuhiro "the Bird" Watanabe. —I.G.

Where to watch Unbroken: Netflix

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Angelina Jolie

Cast: Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Miyavi, Garrett Hedlund, Finn Wittrock