55 Best Action Movies of All Time

Anyone with a brain could see that Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn was the standout performance in 2016's Suicide Squad, so it came as no surprise when Warner Brothers announced she'd be getting her own movie leading her own group of quasi-criminal vigilantes. Another non-surprise? That it was so much better than the one with the Joker.

Available to stream on HBOMax.

If you want to laugh on the edge of your seat, follow these two best friends who are decidedly not special agents as they get caught up in the world of espionage. Exes, man, they can really mess up your life. This Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis buddy comedy was directed by Susanna Fogel, who co-wrote this script as well as another best friend flick you may have heard of called Booksmart.

Available to stream on Hulu.

One of the best comedies of the past decade, Spy, proves Melissa McCarthy can lead a blockbuster on her own (though the supporting cast here is excellent). As a desk-bound CIA agent with no experience in the field, McCarthy manages to be the most ball-busting fish out of water ever, as smart as James Bond, as fearless as Captain America, yet as hapless as Nemo in the fish tank. Spy also happens to be a great family film, so you can watch it with your parents right now.

Available to rent on Amazon.

Netflix doesn't release its viewership numbers, but it's pretty safe to say that Gina Prince-Bythewood's graphic novel adaptation about immortal mercenaries was a hit! Thankfully, Charlize Theron has hinted that she would. be down to make a sequel…someday.

Available to stream on Netflix.

Megan Fox stars in Jennifer's Body, a potent horror-comedy about a demon-possessed high school girl who feeds on the flesh of her male coeds. Thanks mostly to muddled marketing and the male-dominated industry, Jennifer's Body was a flop in 2009 but has since become the feminist cult classic it always deserved to be.

Available to rent on Amazon.

Want to watch women exact revenge on a world that's done us all wrong? Stream Mad Max: Fury Road. The 2015 action film, which follows a group of female prisoners lead by Imperator Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, as they rebel against a tyrannical ruler as they search for their onetime homeland. Tom Hardy, who?

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Wanted is for everyone who loves watching a strong female teach the “leading” man a thing or two. The movie follows Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), an account manager living a pretty humdrum life until he meets a gorgeous woman (and super-assassin) named Fox (Angelina Jolie). Fox recruits him into “the Fraternity,” a secret society of assassins that Gibson's father just so happened to be a part of. Watch for the action, adventure, but really, watch it because it's Jolie at her badass best.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

While you wait for the delayed Wonder Woman 1984 sequel to finally hit theaters, revisit the 2017 smash box-office hit starring Gal Gadot. The film's success is just as empowering as the subject matter: The Patty Jenkins–directed epic had the biggest opening weekend ever for a female-directed film, with an impressive $223 million.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Ang Lee’s stunning wuxia masterpiece won him an Oscar in 2001 for best foreign-language film. And so much of the action focuses on its female warriors, played by Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi, who pull off some of the most intensely choreographed fight scenes in the whole movie

Available to stream on Netflix.

The 2015 installment of the Star Wars trilogy follows Rey (Daisy Ridely) as she follows Luke Skywalker's footsteps by becoming a Jedi during the war between the First Order and the Resistance. While there have been some seriously badass women in the Star Wars universe before, this is the first of the franchise to put a woman at its center.

Available to stream on Disney+

Rachel McAdams thinks she's got the best luck when she's seated next to a very charming Cillian Murphy on a red-eye flight, but it turns out he's kind of a terrorist and she's part of his master plan to assassinate the head of Homeland Security. If you've ever wanted to see Regina George really kick some serious butt, this is your chance.

Available to stream on Hulu

Sure, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is the Black Panther, but it's the women of Wakanda who stand out in this Marvel mega hit. There's Shuri (Letitia Wright) with all of her brilliant gadgets and technology, Okoye (Danai Gurai), the head of the all-female special forces, Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), the superspy, and, of course, the magnificent queen mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett).

Available to stream on Disney+

Long before she was a teenager in love with a vampire or one of Charlie's Angels, a young Kristen Stewart was thwarting a trio of home intruders (Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam, and Forest Whitaker) with her mom, played by none other than Jodie Foster. It's a tense thriller with more than a few twists and turns that you won't see coming.

Available to stream on Hulu

Yes, V for Vendetta is the movie that Natalie Portman shaved her head for. That's a big commitment to make for a role—and it shows. Portman is absolutely amazing as Evey, a working-class woman who becomes embroiled in a full-on revolution, in this dark political thriller.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

In this house we stan Natalie Portman, obviously. In Annihilation, Portman leads a team of women (including Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Gina Rodriguez) into the mysterious Area X, a strange kinetic phenomenon taking place on the American coastline, in hopes of figuring out what happened to her husband. We don't want to give too much away, but Alex Garland's film is both thrilling and gorgeous to look at.

Available to stream on Hulu

When a shoot-out with police leaves their husbands dead, a group of the titular widows band together to try to pay back the debt their spouses left behind by pulling off a serious heist. Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Elizabeth Debicki, and Michelle Rodriguez are all phenomenal in this action-packed film.

Available to buy on Amazon Prime

If you've never seen the older Terminator films, now's the perfect time to catch up. Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor was #goals before we used the term or even knew what a hashtag was. She's amazing to watch in action taking on cyborgs and the shape-shifting T-1000 (Robert Patrick).

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

This movie reunites one of the OG badass women of action films, Linda Hamilton, with her costar Arnold Schwarzenegger 28 years after they first appeared together in Terminator. Once again, Hamilton shines as Connor, and she and Schwarzenegger don't miss a beat.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Charlize Theron kicking ass as a gorgeous spy for MI-6 is exactly the movie we never knew we needed until we saw Atomic Blonde, based on a 2012 graphic novel. She is quite simply the coolest and we'd like to be her when we grow up.

Available to rent on YouTube

Former model Milla Jovovich carved out a very successful niche for herself as the star of this action franchise (there are six films!) loosely based on a video game series of the same name. She plays Alice, a former security specialist and spy who goes up against the evil Umbrella Corporation, which may very well be responsible for the zombie apocalypse.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

If you're looking for a little bit of comedy to go with your gunfights and explosions, D.E.B.S. brilliantly spoofs the Charlie's Angels format while actually holding its own on the action front. We also adore the star-crossed romance between agent Amy (Sara Foster) and the “evil mastermind” Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster).

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

On the darker end of the action spectrum, the Underworld action horror series follows a vampire named Selene (Kate Beckinsale) who hunts down lycans (aka werewolves) who allegedly slaughtered her family. Will vampire-on-werewolf violence ever cease in film and television?! Though originally panned by critics, this is one of those franchises with a very loud cult following, and we think it's worth a watch.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

American Ultra is an action-packed spy thriller disguised as a stoner comedy. That sounds like a format that shouldn't work, but it totally does thanks in large part to Kristen Stewart's underrated comedic timing. She stars alongside Jesse Eisenberg as a low-key couple whose sleepy lives are completely upended when the CIA comes calling.

Available to stream on Amazon Prime

After she's accused of being an undercover Russian agent, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) must try to clear her name. Naturally, that requires some chic hair-color changes, a lot of political intrigue, and some very intense, nail-biting actions scenes. It's an edge-of-your-seat watch, for sure.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime.

Geena Davis plays a small-town teacher who has no memory of her past and some serious fighting skills she can't explain. Samuel L. Jackson is the private investigator she hires to help discover who she really is. Together they uncover a twisted conspiracy they never could have expected.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

As one of the interstitial films in the most recent era of the Star Wars saga, this movie doesn't feature Daisy Ridley's Rey—but it does center on a female protagonist. Felicity Jones stars as renegade wanted by the Empire with some very serious space spy skills.

Available to stream on Disney+

It took way longer than it should have, but Marvel finally gave audiences the studio's first stand-alone female superhero film with Captain Marvel last year. Led by Brie Larson in the titular role, the film was a record-breaking success, earning a cool $455 million worldwide (and counting).

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

It's 1933 and Japan is currently occupying Korea when the resistance puts a plan into action to kill the Japanese commander general. But there are enemies on all sides, and nobody really knows whom to trust. Ji-Hyun Jun is the film's female lead, and after watching her in action, we're ready to dive into her entire filmography.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

This movie will likely be remembered more for how it launched the era of Brangelina, but the action sequences are really fantastic. And that chemistry between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie cannot be denied as they play sparring assassins who also happen to be married to each other.

Available to stream on Hulu

Rooney Mara stars as Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant hacker who partners up with a journalist (James Bond himself Daniel Craig) to solve a mystery in this movie adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best-selling novel. She embodied the role so much, in fact, she scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Available to stream on Starz.

You might not expect a World War II movie that features an alternate history in which Adolf Hitler is assassinated by a team of Jewish American soldiers to feature a strong female role, but…it does! Mélanie Laurent plays Shosanna, a French Jewish cinematographer who shares a significant role in the plot to take down the Nazis in this Quentin Tarantino–directed film.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Katniss Everdeen is a true dystopian hero for our times. Jennifer Lawrence can do action adventure just as well as she does Oscar-bait dramas, and we loved watching her character evolve from the “I volunteer as tribute” moment through the film series' not-so-happy ending.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Uma Thurman's The Bride in the two Kill Bill movies, directed by Quentin Tarantino, might be the most cutthroat female action hero we've ever seen onscreen. Her battles with each one of her nemeses have a unique flair and show off some serious skills by everyone involved.

Available to stream on Hulu

This sequel to 1999's The Mummy is often remembered as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson's acting debut as the Scorpion King—but it also features an even bigger role and a lot more action for Rachel Weisz's character, Evelyn. We can't wait to see her back in a big action film when Marvel's Black Widow opens later in 2020.

Available to rent on iTunes

A young girl named Cateleya (Amandla Stenberg) in Colombia traumatically watches her family be killed by drug dealers. Unfortunately for them, she grows up to be a tough-as-nails Zoe Saldana completely focused on taking out revenge by any means necessary. Basically, she is not messing around, and the results are super fun to watch onscreen.

Available to stream on Hulu

This is, without question, the best film about Thor, god of thunder, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—and that's thanks in large part to the much-needed addition of Tessa Thompson to the franchise. The actor plays Valkyrie, a badass female warrior who frankly deserves her own stand-alone film.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

We won't tell you how Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), a washed-up actor with a substance abuse problem (Leonardo DiCaprio), and a stuntman who lives in a tiny trailer with his pit bull (Brad Pitt) are all connected in this Quentin Tarantino film. It's all about the journey with this one, and you'll be glad you went on it.

Available to stream on Starz

Sigourney Weaver's Ripley is arguably the best female action hero of all time, and that is never more clear than in this outstanding sequel to 1979's Alien. She is powerful leader and the hardest of hard-core fighters. We'd take her in a fight against any Marvel villain even all these years later.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Zoe Saldana's character, Gamora, is the best part of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. What would Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) do without her in his gang of extraterrestrial criminals turned good guys? She's the smartest, most ass-kicking, and low-key funniest of this bunch. (Sorry, Groot—we love you too!)

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

In 2019 we saw yet another reboot of this famous 1970s television show, but the modern day OGs will always be Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu. They even have a Destiny's Child song to prove it. We love the campy good fun mixed with hard-core action sequences of these movies so much.

Available to stream on Hulu

Two words: Laura Dern! Okay, fine, we'll say a few more: The beloved Big Little Lies actor stars alongside Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and B.D. Wong in this classic Steven Spielberg film about a wildlife park for dinosaurs that goes very, very, very wrong. It's a favorite for a reason.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Angelina Jolie is one of those actors who can absolutely carry a blockbuster action franchise and a serious Oscar-winning drama. She proved that hands down with her first appearance as Lara Croft, of video game fame. She's smart. She kicks ass. Oh, and she's gorgeous too. We love to see it.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Yeah, all those things we just said about Jolie still stand in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, the sequel to the 2001 film. The film was her last appearance in the role of Croft, and it's a shame—she completely embodies classic video game heroine.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

The main focus of the Deadpool movies is, duh, Deadpool himself. And Ryan Reynolds is unquestionably charming as the fast-talking, potty-mouthed superhero. But we do have to give credit to the amazing female X-Men heroes he teams up with, including Domino (Zazie Beetz) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand).

Available to stream on Cinemax

Though Sucker Punch was not a critical or box-office success when it came out, it has since gained a following for its unique vision. In it, a young woman (Emily Browning) copes with her time in a mental institution by creating a rich fantasy world in her mind.

Available to stream on Amazon Prime

It's fitting that this German thriller has run in the title, because the action. Does. Not. Stop. You'll be completely on the edge of your set as you watch this film about a young woman who must help her boyfriend come up with a large sum of money in order to save his life.

Available to rent on iTunes

Listen, we could have just listed every Fast & Furious movie that exists—and there are a lot of them—and called it a day, because they're all perfect action movies (depending on your definition of perfect, that is). But we'll highlight Fast & Furious 6 because it marks an important transformation of the franchise from a series of movies about cars to a series of movies about international spies.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Chloë Grace Moretz's character, Hit-Girl, is only 11 years old in this movie about ordinary people who decide to become real-life superheroes, but she's the toughest fighter out of anyone. It's the movie that made Moretz a star, and you'll understand why when you watch.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Emily Blunt totally earned her badass action star bona fides by completely holding her own alongside Tom Cruise in this futuristic flick. We would very much like to know every detail of the workout regimen she used to prepare for her role as Rita, who trains Cruise's William Cage on his fighting skills.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

To all the doubters claiming that Scarlett Johansson can't carry a stand-alone Black Widow movie, please see Lucy and shut up. The actor kills it as the titular Lucy, a woman who gains special mental and physical abilities after a drug is accidentally released into her bloodstream.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Gina Carano is already impressive in this action movie about a black-ops operative double-crossed by her employers. Now prepare to be even more blown away: Carano underwent an intense six-week intensive tactical training course in order to perform all of her own stunts.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

This intense thriller is a far departure from lighter fare like Little Women and Lady Bird for Saoirse Ronan, but of course the Academy Award nominee still excels. The actor plays a young woman raised in the wilderness and trained to be an assassin by her ex-CIA dad.

Available to stream on Cinemax

We are always on board for an all-female heist movie—especially one that involves Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise as four friends in SoCal who decide to rob a bank together. Even 24 years later, we still don't have enough of these types of films.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Lori Petty, Naomi Watts, and Ice-T all appear in this science fiction tale set in a postapocalyptic Australia. Though it wasn't a hit at the time with critics or at the box office, it's since received praise for its strong feminist themes (and, honestly, brilliant fashions).

Available to stream on Amazon Prime

Nothing can ever compete with the original 1980s Ghostbusters franchise, of course. So when you watch this 2016 all-female reboot, just think of it as its own thing. Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Kate McKinnon are a comedy foursome that deserve your full attention and appreciation.

Available to rent on Amazon Prime