Fast cars, foiled assassinations, and immortal warriors: These are a few of Netflix’s most action-packed offerings.

The 20 best action movies on Netflix

Fast cars, foiled assassinations, and immortal warriors: These are a few of Netflix’s most action-packed offerings.

By Ilana Gordon,

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

EW's editorial guidelines

James Mercadante,

and Dennis Perkins

on December 5, 2025 9:06 a.m. ET

Delroy Lindo as Paul in 'Da 5 Bloods'; Kuranosuke Susaki as Kôichi Shikishima in 'Godzilla Minus One'; Charlize Theron as Andy in 'The Old Guard'. Credit:

David Lee/Netflix; Toho International/Courtesy Everett Collection; Aimee Spinks/Netflix

Welcome to your mental vacation. We hope you enjoy an action-packed itinerary. Your trip will take you from Japan circa World War II to a dystopian future Earth, and everywhere in between. The characters you'll meet on your journey have little use for small talk and prefer to lead with their feet and fists, but don't be offended: It's not you, it's them.

With denouements set around the world and redemption arcs that eschew the erudite in favor of pure, physical effort, this list of the best action films currently streaming on Netflix has something for everyone on your couch to enjoy.

Baby Driver (2017)

Ansel Elgort as Baby in 'Baby Driver'.

Wilson Webb/Sony

An action crime thriller 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.” *—Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *Baby Driver*: Netflix through Dec. 31

**EW grade:** A–

**Director:** Edgar Wright

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

Captain Phillips (2013)

Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips in 'Captain Phillips'.

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett

Inspired by the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking incident, where four Somali pirates seized a U.S. cargo ship sailing through the Indian Ocean, *Captain Phillips* features a tour de force performance from Tom Hanks as Capt. Richard Phillips, a man who stands his ground armed only with his thick Massachusetts accent. Meanwhile, then-newcomer Barkhad Abdi, who plays the desperate hijacker leading the raid on Phillips' ship, balances violence with vulnerability in an Oscar-nominated turn.

The kind of film where you find yourself rooting for the heroes while still empathizing with the villains, *Captain Phillips*' actors and script are tough enough to navigate the most dangerous waters. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Captain Phillips*: Netflix through Dec. 31

**EW grade: **B+

**Director:** Paul Greengrass

**Cast: **Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Delroy Lindo as Paul in 'Da 5 Bloods'.

David Lee/Netflix

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–

**Director: **Spike Lee

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

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Kuranosuke Susaki as Kôichi Shikishima and Godzilla in 'Godzilla Minus One'.

Toho International/Courtesy Everett Collection

*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

The Harder They Fall (2021)

Regina King as Trudy Smith, Idris Elba as Rufus Buck, and LaKeith Stanfield as Cherokee Bill in 'The Harder They Fall'.

David Lee/Netflix

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

**Director: **Jeymes Samuel

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

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Jeremy Renner as Staff Sergeant William James in 'The Hurt Locker'. Summit Entertainment

When your job requires you to disable bombs in the heat of battle, you suit up for work each day like it might be your last. In the second year of the Iraq War, Staff Sergeant James (Jeremy Renner) arrives to fill a vacancy in the Bravo Company, but finds that his unwillingness to communicate his plans and gonzo method of defusing bombs doesn't always jive with the rest of his company — especially Sergeant J. T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie).

From former reporter and screenwriter Mark Boal (*Zero Dark Thirty*) and director Kathryn Bigelow, whose work on this film made her the first woman to walk away with the Best Director Oscar, *The Hurt Locker* is realistic, intense, and action-packed, chronicling the many effects war has on the people who fight it. As EW's critic at the time says, "This ain't no war videogame, no flashy, cinematic art piece; there's nothing virtual about this reality." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Hurt Locker*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A

**Director:** Kathryn Bigelow

**Cast: **Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Evangeline Lilly, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Guy Pearce

Ip Man (2008)

Donnie Yen as Ip Man in 'Ip Man'. Well Go/Everett

Eight years before Donnie Yen portrayed a stoically deadly warrior in *Rogue One: A Star Wars Story*, the Hong Kong superstar played the titular martial arts master most famous for teaching Bruce Lee. *Ip Man* takes place long before that, though, with Yen's Wing Chun master reluctantly proving his superior skills against rival martial arts schools, and, eventually, the invading Japanese. Playing loosely with the biography of the very real* *Ip Man, Wilson Yip's film is a jingoistic mix of anti-Japan sentiment and stunning action set pieces.

Yen, already a global martial arts star, studied Wing Chun under fellow Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung, and makes his unassuming Ip Man a riveting blur of jackhammer punches and balletic movement whenever anyone proves unwise enough to disturb his quiet life. You might guess the outcome, but the spectacle of Yen's real-life prowess will still knock you on your heels. *—D.P.*

Where to watch *Ip Man*: Netflix

**Director: **Wilson Yip

**Cast: **Donnie Yen

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa in 'Mad Max: Fury Road'.

Jasin Boland/Warner Bros.

It took 30 years for George Miller to make a follow-up to his original *Mad Max* trilogy, the last of which — *Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome* — premiered in 1985. But the three decades in between iterations of the franchise were not wasted, and *Mad Max: Fury Road* hits the gas immediately, sprinting off into a dystopian desert wasteland for a high-speed pursuit that wastes no time on exposition.

We pick up with Mad Max (Tom Hardy, assuming the mantle of his predecessor, Mel Gibson), who has been taken prisoner by an evil warlord. Unbeknownst to the warlord, his lieutenant — Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) — is about to break his wives out of the Citadel. The results play out in violent fashion, capturing, as EW’s critic writes, “the same Molotov-cocktail craziness of Miller’s masterpiece, 1981’s *The Road Warrior.*” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Mad Max: Fury Road*: Netflix through Dec. 31

**EW grade: **B

**Director:** George Miller

**Cast:** Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Zoë Kravitz, Courtney Eaton, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee

Mosul (2019)

Suhail Dabbach as Jasem in 'Mosul'.

Jose Haro/Netflix/Everett

Set in war-torn Mosul, this Arabic-language war movie centers on the skirmishes fought between an Iraqi SWAT team and ISIS insurgents during the 2016 Battle of Mosul. After 21-year-old police officer Kawa survives an ISIS attack, he agrees to accompany a SWAT team on their quest to free Mosul from militants. As Kawa navigates the ravaged city and fights alongside the other officers, he struggles to find answers to his questions about the purposes of the SWAT team’s secret mission.

Inspired by a 2017 article about the battle within Iraq to destroy ISIS, *Mosul *premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019, and received positive feedback for offering a new perspective on the violence in the region. Nuanced and thoughtful in spite of the violence, the film ends with a surprisingly heartwarming twist. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Mosul*: Netflix

**Director:** Matthew Michael Carnahan

**Cast: **Suhail Dabbach, Adam Bessa, Is'Haq Elias

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Brad Pitt as John Smith and Angelina Jolie as Jane Smith in 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'.

20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett

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, which was allegedly initiated after Pitt met and fell in love with his co-star, Angelina Jolie, during production on *Mr. & Mrs. Smith*. 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 assassins working for competing companies — and 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. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Mr. & Mrs. Smith*: Netflix

**Director:** Doug Liman

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

Okja (2018)

Okja and Ahn Seo-hyun as Mija in 'Okja'. Netflix

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

**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)

Charlize Theron as Andy in 'The Old Guard'. Everett Collection

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 if one movie wasn't enough, good news: *The Old Guard 2* is also available to stream. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Old Guard*: Netflix

**Director: **Gina Prince-Bythewood

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

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The Other Guys (2010)

Will Ferrell as Det. Allen Gamble and Mark Wahlberg as Det.Terry Hoitz in 'The Other Guys'. Macall Polay

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. Ferrell and Wahlberg play Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz, two NYPD detectives who 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 die 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 through Dec. 31

**EW grade:** A–

**Director: **Adam McKay

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

Outlaw King (2018)

Chris Pine as Robert Bruce in 'Outlaw King'. David Eustace/Netflix

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+

**Director: **David Mackenzie

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

Pineapple Express (2008)

Seth Rogen as Dale Denton and James Franco as Saul Silver in 'Pineapple Express'.

Darren Michaels/Columbia

Long before Seth Rogen was making pot paraphernalia, he was making stoner films — and *Pineapple Express* is one for the ages. A crime comedy, the movie follows Dale (Rogen) and his drug dealer Saul (James Franco) as they flee town after Dale accidentally witnesses a corrupt cop and a drug lord execute a rival gang leader.

Rogen and his frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg wrote the script — likely with the help of a few *Pineapple Express*-infused brainstorming sessions — and the movie excels in its more physical moments. Watching the film even feels like being high, thanks to the stylistic choices made by director David Gordon Green. EW's critic writes, "he brings the movie his own loping, run-on style, which turns out to be a perfect expression of the stoner rhythm." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Pineapple Express*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **David Gordon Green

**Cast: **Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Gary Cole, Craig Robinson, Rosie Perez, Ken Jeong, Amber Heard, Ed Begley Jr., Bill Hader

Project Power (2020)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Frank, Dominique Fishback as Robin, and Jamie Foxx as Art in 'Project Power'.

Skip Bolen/Netflix

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+

**Directors: **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)

N.T. Rama Rao Jr. as Komaram Bheem in 'RRR'. Everett Collection

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. *—James Mercadante*

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

Train to Busan (2016)

Gong Yoo as Seok-woo in 'Train to Busan'. Well Go USA Entertainment

The only thing faster than a bullet train is the zombie infection overtaking its passengers. In the South Korean action horror film *Train to Busan*, Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) is a work-obsessed hedge fund manager and absentee father who agrees to accompany his young daughter, Soo-an (Kim Su-an), on a trip from Seoul to Busan so she can spend her birthday with her mother. As the train departs, a sick woman begins transitioning into a zombie — and infecting everyone around her.

Now barreling full-speed across the country, Seok-woo, Soo-an, and the other passengers must find a way to survive the apocalyptic journey in order to find refuge in Busan. These zombies seem to have studied at the *World War Z* School of Swarming; they move at the same frenetic speed, aiming to infect the entire country. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Train to Busan*: Netflix

**Director: **Yeon Sang-ho

**Cast: **Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee, Kim Eui-sung

Unbroken (2014)

Ross Anderson as Blackie, Jack O'Connell as Louis Zamperini, John Magaro as Tinker, Luke Treadaway as Miller, and Louis McIntosh as Harris in 'Unbroken'.

Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

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. *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. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Unbroken*: Netflix

**Director: **Angelina Jolie

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

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Jessica Chastain as Maya in 'Zero Dark Thirty'.

Jonathan Olley/Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

*Zero Dark Thirty* isn’t a historically accurate account of the decade during which Osama bin Laden was hunted and killed, but it is an unquestionably gripping thriller. Written by Mark Boal and directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the film’s release prompted controversy on all sides, with some arguing that it propagandized the Obama administration and others claiming it glorified the CIA’s use of torture tactics.

The one thing people can agree on is that Jessica Chastain delivers a standout performance as Maya, a CIA analyst tasked with finding bin Laden. While Maya’s character serves as a composite of the many people who contributed to the terrorist’s capture and killing, Chastain plays her with a restrained, obsessive fervor. The film manages to condense a decade’s worth of teeth-grindingly frustrating detective work into a terse 157 minutes, which culminates in a climactic Seal Team Six raid. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Zero Dark Thirty*: Netflix through Dec. 31

**EW grade: **A

**Director: **Kathryn Bigelow

**Cast: **Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton

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