With so much to choose from on streaming services, Daniel Rutledge cuts to the chase, picking the top action movies now available to watch on Netflix.
See also:
* All new movies & series on Netflix
* All new streaming movies & series
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Watch on NetflixRegarded as one of the genre’s greatest releases of the 1970s for very good reason, this John Carpenter classic is a bit like an urban action version of Night of the Living Dead with an army of gang members instead of zombies. You can also see western influences in it, but it’s much easier to see subsequent action films influenced in turn by this one, and rightfully so. It absolutely rules.
Avengement (2019)
Watch on NetflixThe best movie in years from the undisputed king of modern B-grade action, Scott Adkins. In this he plays a bulky, ugly Cockney thug who beats the shit out of couple hundred guys in prison in the lead-up to one of the all-time greatest British pub fight scenes. Thankfully Netflix has a bunch of Adkins movies on it, but this is the one you should start with.
The Big 4 (2022)
Watch on NetflixNot nearly as intensely violent as most of Timo Tjahjanto’s previous flicks, this one still packs a delightful punch and careens along with the slightly mad filmmaker’s ever reckless energy. He definitely leans more into goofy comedy with this Netflix financed production rather than the sinister nastiness his fans have come to expect, but they’re sure to be satisfied by the over-the-top absurdity and inventiveness of the set pieces.
Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)
Watch on NetflixIf you want to see some of the meanest, nastiest, most sickening violence on Netflix, this is about as hard as it gets without getting into the gory horror stuff. A prison movie with a super scuzzy feel, it’s filled with scumbags doing awful things led by Vince Vaughn as a human club with a proclivity for savagely pounding heads into mushy pancakes. It’s the sort of action flick you want to take a shower after.
Carter (2022)
Watch on NetflixThis 2022 Korean film is very dumb, but it delivers a tonne of ultraviolence, with plenty of fantastic choreography and bursts of wonderful inventiveness. There’s loads of VFX, giving some of it a garish, ugly look. But the staging and the crazy shit they do with drone cameras results in super cool thrills that make it well worth a watch, if you’re in the right mood.
The Condemned (2007)
WATCH ON NETFLIXThis Battle Royale rip-off stars Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vinnie Jones as part of a group of convicted murderers made to fight to the death on an island for our entertainment. It’s not as good as the presence of those stars suggests it should be, but it is nicely over the top. It includes some violence that’s about as good as Austin ever got on film.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Watch on NetflixOne of the best video game movies ever made, even though it’s actually based on a novel rather than a video game. Its alternate title, which was favoured by director Doug Liman and is way better, tells you a lot of what you need to know about the movie: Live Die Repeat. It’s an underrated action/sci-fi with great comedic moments, it’s Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt kicking just so much arse, it’s one of the late, great Bill Paxton’s last roles and yes, it’s time you watched this again.
The Equalizer (2014)
Watch on NetflixStop me if you’ve heard this one before—an extremely skilled killer who has retired for the simple life must once again dish out some righteous mass murder after being messed with by an evil gang. It’s a simple formula that always satisfies when done right and here Denzel Washington’s charisma and Antoine Fuqua’s inventiveness make it work. I enjoy thinking of the awesome finale during every trip to Mitre 10 Mega, too.
Extraction (2020)
Watch on NetflixThis Netflix original film boldly tries to emulate the John Wick method of turning a stunt pro into a director, with the Russo brothers producing. Sam Hargrave’s impressive, hard R-rated violence is clearly influenced by The Raid movies as well as the John Wick ones and it’s a terrific debut, with a spectacular oner as a centrepiece that absolutely rules. I had more to say about how Extraction rules in my review.
Extraction 2 (2023)
WATCH ON NETFLIXIf you like movies in which a big tough boy saves helpless women and children by wasting loads of bad guys using spectacular, as well as inventive and gory violence, this is a particularly premium example. Not quite as good as the original, but still a fantastic sequel with the same great gritty tone and flair for wildly impressive action sequences.
Headshot (2016)
Watch on NetflixAnother post-The Raid Indonesian flick that shares some of the same talent, this is a near non-stop assault of brutality that features stunning choreography and special effects together with some highly impressive camerawork. Its story is cartoonish and silly, its characters one-dimensional, but it delivers the goods action-wise with aplomb. Again, there’s more said about the film in my review.
Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019)
Watch on NetflixThe greatest Ip Man sequel for many reasons, one of the main ones being casting Scott Adkins as the primary bad guy. Kwok-Kwan Chan also does a great job as Bruce Lee and thrillingly kicks arse, but the final fight between Adkins and Donnie Yen is the main attraction. Adkins is firing on all cylinders in it as a racist American soldier with a seriously intimidating physical presence, while Yen is as graceful and stunning as ever. Mint.
John Wick (2014)
Watch on NetflixTwo franchises ruled the action genre in the 2010s—The Raid and John Wick. They combine virtuoso stunt work and choreography with subtle visual effects in sequences featuring nice wide shows and long takes, making every impact as explicit and visceral as possible. The first John Wick set the initial bar really high and is the best in terms of plot, stripped of the bloaty lore that bogs down the sequels. It has a wonderfully gratifying amount of headshots, some of the best of which I catalogued in this feature on the franchise’s most brutal moments.
JUNG_E (2023)
Watch on NetflixThis 2023 flick from Train to Busan filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho has been criticized for not bothering with any of the deep thematic stuff you generally get in sci-fi flicks all about AI and future war, but hey, it’s got cool action. With solid CGI and more literal sparks flying that pretty much any other movie ever, if you like seeing cyborg combat like the flash-forward scenes in Terminator 2 then this delivers a really nice dose of it.
Lost Bullet 2 (2022)
Watch on NetflixIf you want some truly fantastic vehicular action served up with a side of solid fist fighting, look no further than this 2022 sequel. You don’t need to have seen the first film, which isn’t as good—neither cares much about plot, instead focusing on pure thrills. Lost Bullet 2 is super straightforward and lean at 98 minutes, with car chases that are really well put together for serious viewer gratification.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2014)
Watch on NetflixEasily one of the best action flicks of the millennium so far, George Miller’s return to the franchise that made him famous is just straight up exhilarating. Its narrative is far more engaging than it needs to be and the wondrous world-building is adept in a way that’s often missing from modern movies, but driving it all is a near non-stop assault of unforgettable, breathtaking action sequences that truly raised the bar. Genre fans have this on heavy rotation for good reason.
The Nice Guys (2016)
Watch on NetflixThis is exactly the sort of film Shane Black needs to make and make and make again. A glorious update on the ’80s buddy action comedy formula, this is just such a blast to watch, no matter how many times you’ve already watched it. There’s a wild and sometimes mean-spiritedness to the feel of it all which really tickles me pink, as does the sizzling chemistry of leads Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe.
The Night Comes For Us (2018)
Watch on NetflixA wildly over-the-top splatter action flick, this offers some wonderfully cringe-inducing uses of weapons like broken glass, craft knives and even cattle bones. Hailing from Indonesia in the wake of The Raid it boasts a bunch of stunning choreography and joyfully inventive ultraviolence. Narrative-wise there’s not a great deal to remember but if you want loads of thrilling combat served up with buckets of blood, this is the one. Let’s put it this way, in my review I said it made 2008 bloodbath Rambo seem restrained.
The Old Guard (2020)
Watch on NetflixThis comic book adaptation features a bunch of immortal mercenaries who can’t be killed doing a bunch of killing with swords, fantasy art axes and a truckload of different firearms. Like I said in my review, this might have been a lot better if it let itself have a bit more fun and it’s a bummer a lot of the actual action is hidden behind editing and digital effects, but it’s the sort of cool, easy watch that’s perfect for when you’re in a silly action mood.
Sniper: Ultimate Kill (2017)
WATCH ON NETFLIXIt’s surprising the Sniper franchise has spawned almost as many sequels as Friday the 13th. It’s even more surprising that original stars Tom Berenger and Billy Zane star in many of them, including this seventh one. The opening scene features full frontal nudity and a head being blown in half by a villainous sniper—a Colombian drug kingpin’s assassin who is of course then battled by good guy snipers. It’s grisly but great fun.
Triple Frontier (2019)
Watch on NetflixThis one is an interesting B-grade grunter with a stellar A-grade cast. It’s worth watching for its thematic oomph and unpredictable narrative rather than straight-up action thrills, but they’re not too bad in it either. There’s also mint old school Metallica used on the opening and end credits. “Two of the very best tracks recorded by any band ever,” I correctly noted in my review.
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
WATCH ON NETFLIXThis B-grade 2006 prison fight movie must always be appreciated as the movie that put Scott Adkins on the map, opening the doors to all the glory and joy he brought us since. As Russian gangster Boyka, he’s the villain fighting Michael Jai White’s protagonist, of course showing off many incredible Guyver kicks and acrobatic brawling skills that make it crystal clear why he quickly became a cult favourite.
Titles are added and removed from his page to reflect changes to the Netflix catalogue. Reviews no longer available on this page can be found here.
