The Best Action Movies to Stream Now
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Eli Ade /© Sony Pictures Entertainment /Courtesy Everett
Whether it's playing catch with cars, running from robots or mastering martial arts, few things can get your adrenaline pumping as much as a good action movie.
Of course, there are plenty of action movies to choose from. There are the classics like Top Gun and First Blood, superhero films such as Black Panther and Captain America: Civil War and spy movies like Casino Royale — which all promise thrilling story lines, intense fight scenes and non-stop excitement.
Looking for something a little more mind-altering? Tune into 2010's Inception. How about a flick that's just as comedic as it is action-packed? Leave it to Will Ferrell and Mark Walhberg in The Other Guys.
Whether it is explosions, muscle cars and mayhem or treasure hunts you are after, you're sure to find an action movie you love. Here are the best action movies you can stream right now.
Devotion
Eli Ade /© Sony Pictures Entertainment / Courtesy Everett
Based on Adam Makos' book — Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice — this aerial war drama revolves around the real-life friendship between U.S. Navy fighter pilots Jesse Brown (Creed III's Jonathan Majors) and Tom Hudner (Top Gun: Maverick's Glen Powell, who's also an actual licensed pilot) and their time served together during the Korean War. With a supporting cast including Serinda Swan, Joe Jonas and more, Devotion honors the bond of a brotherhood forged in the early 1950s among racial and global tension.
All Quiet on the Western Front
Reiner Bajo/Netflix
Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022, this German anti-war drama — adapted from Erich Maria Remarque's 1929 eponymous novel — tells the timeless story of a young man named Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer) who eagerly joins the German Army to fight in World War I. But when he and his comrades find themselves amid unforgiving and inhumane violence, their once-patriotic notions of war are shattered as they make every effort to survive.
Watch All Quiet on the Western Front on Netflix
The Woman King
Sony Pictures The Woman King
Inspired by real events, this AAFCA-winning historical action flick centers on the Agojie, an all-woman army of the West African kingdom of Dahomey. In a dazzling performance, Viola Davis stars as highly-trained General Nanisca, who has to prepare a new generation of warriors to fight a foreign invader threatening their civilization.
Watch The Woman King on Netflix
Top Gun
Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
If you feel the need for speed, Tony Scott's fighter pilot action flick should be your first choice. In 1986's Top Gun, Tom Cruise soars as smug hotshot Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell," who strives to be the top naval pilot in his class — causing friction between him and rivaling classmates such as Iceman (Val Kilmer) — and swoop the flight instructor (Kelly McGillis) off her feet. From its classic soundtrack to its iconic beach volleyball scene to its fast-paced thrills, this blockbuster will "take you right into the danger zone."
Top Gun: Maverick
Scott Garfield /© Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett
Thirty-six years after Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) graduated the TOPGUN Naval aviation program, he's invited back as an instructor for a new generation of fliers, including Miles Teller's Bradley ("Rooster") and Glen Powell's Jake ("Hangman"). Earning over $1 billion dollars at the global box office, 2022's Top Gun: Maverick is not only a triumphant sequel to its iconic predecessor, but is also "love letter to aviation," as it impressively cranked up the action without VFX and filmed stunts with real U.S. Navy pilots flying top-quality fighter jets.
Watch Top Gun: Maverick on Paramount+
Free Guy
20TH CENTURY STUDIOS/Moviestore/Shutterstock
From Deadpool to Red Notice, Ryan Reynolds is a bona fide action star who never fails to bring the laughs. Also starring Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi and more, the 2021 action comedy follows a bank teller named Guy (Reynolds), who discovers he's a trivial background character in a violent multiplayer video game and strives to be a winning hero when faced with conflict.
Black Adam
Warner Bros. Pictures
He kneels before no one. In this 2022 Shazam! spin-off Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as the eponymous DC Comics character, who's freed from imprisonment and uses his almighty powers "born out of rage" for revenge, but is intercepted by heroes from the Justice Society, such as Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell).
The Maze Runner
Ben Rothstein/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
Based on the first book in a YA dystopian series, The Maze Runner follows 16-year-old Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), who wakes up in an elevator with zero recollection of his past and finds himself among a group of boys (and one girl) trying to form a community on an area of land they call the Glade. And if they want to escape, they have to run through a constantly-shifting maze that's patrolled by killer cyborg creatures.
Watch The Maze Runner on HBO Max
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Big Talk Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock
When idling musician Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) meets the woman of his dreams (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he has to defeat seven of her evil exes through arcade-style battles in order to be her boyfriend. Packing punches left and right, this 2010 action-filled adventure features an ensemble cast including Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Brie Larson, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza and more.
Watch Scott Pilgrim vs the World on Netflix
Bullet Train
Sony Pictures Entertainment/Moviestore/Shutterstock
Famous faces like Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Sandra Bullock and Bad Bunny were all on board for this off-the-rails action comedy. Based on Kōtarō Isaka 2010's novel, Maria Beetle, 2022's Bullet Train follows five cutthroat assassins, who are all assigned individual missions that are somehow connected, on a Japanese high-speed train.
Shadow in the Cloud
Vertical Entertainment/Moviestore/Shutterstock
In this 2022 war fantasy, Chloë Grace Moretz stars as a WWII flight officer who battles with an evil creature on her mission. Also starring Taylor John Smith and Nick Robinson, Shadow in the Cloud is a bumpy ride with several jump-scares lurking in its shadows, and tells a wildly complex story about female strength.
Watch Shadow in the Cloud on Hulu
Pearl Harbor
Andrew Cooper/Touchstone/Jerry Bruckheimer Inc/Kobal/Shutterstock
From quintessential action movie director Michael Bay comes a romantic war drama that fictionalizes the historical Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This 2001 feature follows two childhood best friends (Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett), who enlist in the military as pilots during WWII and a love triangle explodes between them and a nurse (Kate Beckinsale).
Zombieland
Pariah/Kobal/Shutterstock
This 2009 post-apocalyptic action comedy follows a group of surviving humans — played by Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin — who have to avoid becoming "human Happy Meals" for bloodthirsty zombies while making their way to an alleged safe haven.
John Wick
David Lee/Thunder Road/Lionsgate/Mjw/Summit/Kobal/Shutterstock
This 2014 action thriller shows what happens when "you stab the devil in his back." After his wife and cherished possessions are taken away from him, the illustrious assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) returns to old habits and releases his murderous instincts on those who've wronged him ... while also being hunted by a former colleague. With John Wick: Chapter 4 coming out on March 24, now is a great time to get caught up with Wick's vengeance-fueled quest.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
CBS
All of the Terminator movies have killer action scenes, but Judgment Day is a nonstop ride with high stakes and state-of-the-art special effects that blew its 1991 audience away and still hold up today. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and a young Edward Furlong deliver stellar performances, and James Cameron's sci-fi flair will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire 136-minute runtime.
Watch Terminator 2: Judgment Day on HBO Max
First Blood
Sunset Boulevard/Corbis
When John Rambo, a Vietnam War veteran, searches for an old military friend, he faces relentless harassment, abuse and cruelty ... until he snaps. First Blood, released in 1981, was the world's introduction to Sylvester Stallone's iconic Green Beret. The film was a massive success and spawned four explosive sequels, but the original film's themes of action, survivalism and compassion, enhanced by Stallone's nuanced performance, make First Blood the first choice in Rambo flicks.
Captain America: Civil War
Everett
Marvel movies always have a ton of great action sequences, but Captain America: Civil War brings together major characters in conflict with each other in exciting ways — and the questions raised about surveillance and the police state continue to resonate. Chris Evans' fight as Captain America with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark was instantly meme-able, and the introduction of Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther and Tom Holland's Spider-Man make Civil War a fan favorite.
Watch Captain America: Civil War on Disney+
Black Panther
Marvel Lupita Nyong'o, Chadwick Boseman and Danai Gurira in Black Panther
Black Panther brought much-needed Black representation to the superhero genre. Chadwick Boseman's indelible mark on cinema as T'Challa cannot be overstated, and Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger is as sympathetic and complicated a villain as they come. The supporting cast's performances, especially Angela Bassett and Sterling K. Brown, are just as moving.
Enhanced by its stunning actors, the movie's action is a blast to watch. Whether you're watching Okoye (Danai Gurira) tossing her wig in a fight scene, Shuri (Letitia Wright) showing off her genius or a mixed martial arts battle, every element works.
Watch Black Panther on Disney+
The Avengers: Endgame
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / © Marvel Studios / courtesy Everett
Avengers, we love you 3000. Bringing back fan-favorite characters and ending several beloved MCU story lines, the epic conclusion to the Avengers saga chronicles the titular superhero group's final battle with Thanos, the demigod who destroyed the universe in Infinity War. Shattering box-office records, the 2019 superhero film became the second highest-grossing film of all time next to 2009's Avatar.
Watch Avengers: Endgame on Disney+
The Matrix
Ronald Siemoneit/Sygma
In addition to its prescient themes of machines distracting, subjugating and feeding off of human energy, The Matrix revolutionized action movies thanks to two words: "bullet time." Keanu Reeves dodging bullets became an iconic image, and the visual effect has been used in countless action and superhero movies since.
Wanted
Relativity/Spyglass/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie team up with Morgan Freeman in Wanted. Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) is inducted into a group of assassins — but quickly learns a lot is looming under the surface of their already shady activities. The 2008 action film makes great use of both The Matrix's "bullet time" and tongue-in-cheek comic relief.
Watch Wanted on Amazon Prime Video
Road House
Mgm/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock
Road House might not have been an immediate hit with critics or audiences at its theatrical release, but it developed a cult following in the cable TV and streaming eras. The 1989 film has absolutely no frills — but with Patrick Swayze serving roundhouse kicks to curb corruption, do you really need any?
Prey
David Bukach / © Hulu / courtesy Everett Collection
A prequel to the original Predator, Prey follows Naru (Amber Midthunder), a fledgling fighter trying to protect the Comanche Nation from the extraterrestrial hunter. Set 300 years before the events of the 1987 classic, the film features an almost entirely Native and First Nation cast and is available to stream entirely in Comanche. At its debut, Prey became Hulu's biggest streaming premiere ever.
The Northman
Focus Features
With a cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård (who gained 20 pounds of muscle for the role), Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy and Björk, The Northman is a take on the Norse folk tale of Amleth — the very legend that inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet.
When King Aurvandill (Hawke) is murdered by his own brother (Claes Bang), Prince Amleth (Skarsgård) vows to avenge his father's death — but there's far more to the treasonous slaying than meets the eye. With elements of Norse mythology and killer battle scenes, The Northman is a must-see.
Watch The Northman on Amazon Prime Video
Sin City
Dimension Films/Kobal/Shutterstock
The 2005 action anthology Sin City is as much an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novels as it is a love letter to classic film noir. Visually stunning thanks to its mostly monochromatic palette, director Robert Rodriguez deliberately stayed as close to the source material as possible. With standout performances from Mickey Rourke and Elijah Wood, Sin City paved the way for the later comic book movie revival as a whole.
Gladiator
Universal/Getty
Are you not entertained? Russell Crowe won an Oscar for 2000's Gladiator, which also won Best Picture. Inspiring speeches (one of which Crowe penned himself) and rousing colosseum battles abound, and Joaquin Phoenix delivers an understated and nuanced performance as the corrupt Commodus.
Pacific Rim
Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim is an ambitious jaunt. While Charlie Hunnam is great as the scrappy fighter getting his hands dirty and battling monsters to save humanity, it's Idris Elba — who studied speeches from David Cameron, Barack Obama and the film Gladiator to prep for his role — who shines brightest. The action is obviously a blast to watch, but hearing 2018's Sexiest Man Alive inspire a crew to "cancel the apocalypse" is even more riveting.
The Dark Knight
Warner Bros/Dc Comics/Kobal/Shutterstock
Christian Bale is a great Bruce Wayne, but it was Heath Ledger's final completed performance as the Joker that brought The Dark Knight its critical acclaim and commercial blockbuster status. From the opening bank heist to the impossible choices the Joker thrusts upon both Batman and Gotham City, Christopher Nolan's sophomore outing for the caped crusader raises resonant questions about the nature of man.
Watch The Dark Knight on HBO Max
The Batman
Jonathan Olley/Warner Bros. Robert Pattinson in The Batman (2022)
Matt Reeves' The Batman, released in 2022, is less like a superhero epic and more of a detective thriller. Robert Pattinson plays a tortured Bruce Wayne and a brooding Batman equally well, while Zoë Kravitz brings Selina Kyle to life as a sensual, cynical Catwoman. Paul Dano is chilling as the Zodiac Killer-inspired Riddler, and he worked very hard to get there: He was such a perfectionist that Reeves said Dano filmed 200 takes of a single scene.
Casino Royale
Greg Williams/Eon Productions Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig, with his grizzled demeanor and blonde hair, seemed like an unlikely James Bond at the outset — but once audiences saw him as 007 in 2006's Casino Royale, all doubts dissipated. Riveting from the opening bathroom brawl to his final heartbreak at the hands of Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), Craig brought out a side of Bond never seen before: vulnerability and the ability to feel shaken (if not stirred).
Watch Casino Royale on HBO Max
Skyfall
Danjaq/Eon Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock
Alexa, play Adele's Oscar-winning song "Skyfall." After Agent 007's assignment exposes undercover spies around the globe and forces supervisor M (Judi Dench) to relocate the agency that's now under attack, James Bond (Daniel Craig) is entrusted with tracking down the threat, no matter how dangerous. Javier Bardem plays Raoul Silva, a former MI6 agent–turned–cyberterrorist Bond baddie out for personal revenge on M.
The Old Guard
AIMEE SPINKS/NETFLIX
The Old Guard examines a power granted to many superheroes that often goes unquestioned: the loneliness and boredom associated with immortality. Charlize Theron and the rest of the cast kill it in hand-to-hand combat scenes, and it brought some long overdue LGBTQ representation to the superhero genre.
Watch The Old Guard on Netflix
Uncharted
Columbia Pictures
Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg make an unlikely but delightful pair in Uncharted, based on the video game of the same name. Nathan "Nate" Drake (Holland), a bartender-turned-pickpocket, sets off on an adventure to find his lost brother. (Holland worked as a bartender in real life to prepare for the role.) Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Wahlberg) takes Nate under his wing to find a treasure left by Ferdinand Magellan, and it turns out that Sully and Nate are connected in more ways than they realize — and even when their friendship gets tenuous, they need each other to survive.
The Gray Man
aul Abell/Netflix
Oscar winner Ryan Gosling stars as the titular Gray Man, an assassin on the run — with the help of some chewing gum, a precocious child and Ana de Armas — from a former CIA colleague.
After nearly a decade as Captain America, Chris Evans takes a villainous turn — but it's a role he plays so well. Evans chews the scenery as the bad guy in The Gray Man, brothers Anthony and Joe Russo's first Netflix project (they previously directed Evans in four Marvel movies). The film was successful enough to greenlight both a spin-off and a sequel.
Nobody
Universal Pictures/Moviestore/Shutterstock
Bob Odenkirk — best known as self-sabotaging attorney Saul Goodman in Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad — may seem like an unlikely action hero, but he makes it clear in Nobody that even an Everyman has his limits.
Odenkirk revealed that the film was partially inspired by his personal experience. "I think most people watching this movie will not realize the level of autobiography there is in it," he said. "I had two home break-ins in Los Angeles. One was particularly traumatic. ... I grabbed the baseball bat; in the movie I grab a golf club. I think I did the right thing, as I told myself, and I told the police a thousand times since then. But it doesn't feel like I did the right thing. Nobody is very related to my actual experience of having someone in the house, threatening my family, trying to keep the damage to a minimum."
Inception
Warner Bros./Courtesy
Christopher Nolan's dreamy action thriller Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Elliot Page, as well as several Dark Knight Trilogy alums, including Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard and Cillian Murphy. An exploration of grief, the subconscious and the very nature of reality, Inception has enough action and explosive twists to keep you awake and on the edge of your seat.
The Kid Who Would Be King
K Brown/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
A kid-friendly option, The Kid Who Would Be King is as heartwarming as it is adrenaline-pumping. Patrick Stewart is a delight as Merlin (perhaps taking notes from his real-life bestie, Ian McKellen, and his turn as Gandalf) and Rebecca Ferguson is enchanting as wicked sorceress Morgana.
Watch The Kid Who Would Be King on Disney+
Zack Snyder's Justice League
DC Entertainment/Warner Bros
While 2017's Justice League — taken on by Joss Whedon partway through production — had an obviously similar story, the stakes immediately feel higher in Zack Snyder's lengthy rendition of the superhero team-up. In the Snyder cut, villain Steppenwolf's motives are clearer, and his defeat of the Amazons proves that he is a force to be reckoned with. Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne is perfectly pensive, Ray Fisher's star turn as Cyborg is fully realized, Jason Momoa's Aquaman makes a splash and Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman shows her tougher side.
Watch Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max
Taken
Moviestore/Shutterstock
Released in 2008, Taken is a thriller brought to life by Liam Neeson and his "particular set of skills." The film, which follows Bryan Mills (Neeson) on a mission to rescue his kidnapped daughter, launched a full-blown franchise, making the Irish actor an action star in his golden years. "I like doing it," Neeson said of being an action hero. "The scripts are good. I'm kind of like a kid in a candy store."
Air Force One
Columbia Pictures/Getty
Harrison Ford is one peeved POTUS. When a terrorist (Gary Oldman) hijacks the president's plane, he underestimates the commander-in-chief — who happens to be a decorated helicopter pilot and Vietnam War veteran. Further bolstered by Glenn Close as a commanding vice president laying down the law in the situation room, Air Force One is a cinematic force to be reckoned with.
Watch Air Force One on Netflix
The Other Guys
Bobby Bank/WireImage
If you like your action with a side of belly laughs, tune into Adam McKay's The Other Guys. The 2010 buddy cop comedy is a send-up of the entire genre. The film pairs Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as clumsy wannabe detectives, backed by a seriously star-studded supporting cast, including Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Michael Keaton and Eva Mendes, plus countless cameos including Derek Jeter, Tracy Morgan and Ice-T.
