15 Best Action Movies on Netflix

15 Best Action Movies on Netflix

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Action movies can get a bad rap for being shallow or brainless (which isn’t always a bad thing), but there really is an artistry to getting action right—making sure it flows coherently, looks beautiful, and carries narrative or emotional weight. On Netflix you can find a huge number of action films, though many of them might only be good for a quick fix or a background watch. So for this list below, we’ve put together a number of lesser-known movies that we believe have gripping, well-made action, while also still being strong films in one’s own right.

15. The Wolf’s Call (2019)

7.0

Country

France

Director

Abel Lanzac, Antonin Baudry

Actors

Alexis Michalik, Antonin Baudry, Arthur Choisnet, Bastien Ughetto

Moods

Action-packed

A thrilling French movie about a nuclear submarine division that is confronted with a world-ending scenario.

One sonar agent is at the center of the story, his exceptional hearing capabilities are the main resource of the submarine commanders he works for (one of whom is played by the masterful Reda Kateb).

Wolf’s Call tries very hard to be a Hollywood movie, but even if it serves as a reminder that countries like France don’t have to always make arthouse films to be noticed, the visual effects and the writing fall short of that big-budget feel.

Still, if you’re looking for a fun movie that’s full of surprises, solid acting, and a great heroism tale, you’ll love this.

14. Snatch (2001)

7.0

Country

UK, United Kingdom, United States of America

Director

Guy Ritchie

Actors

Adam Fogerty, Alan Ford, Andy Beckwith, Arnold Montey

Moods

Action-packed, Funny

Snatch is all things great. The film strings together multiple plots with a great ensemble of actors – which turns it into an excellent thriller movie. Jason Statham leads the film with Brad Pitt close behind, both turning in performances of enormous physicality. You’ll recognize many actors in the film as well, but the acting is not the only area where this movie shines. The style, quick cuts, and narration will surely keep you on your toes and engaged.

13. The Sea Beast (2022)

7.1

Country

United States of America

Director

Chris Williams

Actors

Alex Wyndham, Brian T. Delaney, Dan Stevens, David S. Lee

Moods

Action-packed, Character-driven, Easy

The Sea Beast tells the story of Jacob, a legendary sea monster hunter, and Maisie, a wannabe monster hunter herself. When a dangerous encounter isolates them from the rest of the crew, they’re forced to team up and reconcile their opposing beliefs—Maisie believes there’s good in the beasts, but Jacob has yet to be convinced.

Action-packed, fast-paced, and thoroughly entertaining, The Sea Beast is a perfect weekend watch. The part-Moana, part-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean tale also has the added bonus of being age-appropriate (rated PG), making it suitable for those spending their precious movie time with kids.

12. Just Another Love Story (2007)

7.1

Country

Denmark

Director

Ole Bornedal

Actors

Anders W. Berthelsen, Bent Mejding, Charlotte Fich, Dejan Cukic

Moods

Action-packed, Dark, Intense

This Danish thriller is about a man who gets into a car accident with a woman and, upon visiting her at the hospital, gets mistaken for her boyfriend by her wealthy family.

The man in question is Jonas, a family guy with two cheerful children who is also going through a text-book case of mid-life crisis. So when he realizes that Julia lost her memory and that she shows interest in him, he steps into the role of her boyfriend.

Things escalate very quickly, both as Julia starts to get some of her memory back and her actual boyfriend arrives. If you like Scandinavian noirs like Headhunters, you will love this.

11. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

7.5

Country

Hong Kong, United States of America

Director

Michael Rianda

Actors

Abbi Jacobson, Adam Wylie, Alex Hirsch, Alison Rich

Moods

Action-packed, Discussion-sparking, Gripping

Animated in every sense of the word, The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a fun and lively watch for anyone of any age. On the surface, it’s about a tech company’s AI going haywire as it turns against humans and takes over the world (an obvious and much-deserved dig at Big Tech). It also immediately stands out as an energetic and inventive film bursting with love for the animation genre.

But at its core, it’s about family and learning to love them even and especially when the going gets tough. Teenager Katie and her father Rick are at that precarious moment in their relationship where everything they do seems to annoy the other, while Katie’s mother Linda tries and fails and tries again to keep the peace. The Mitchells are filled with love, but they’re not quite sure how to express it to each other, and it’s both funny and relatable how it takes a literal apocalypse for them to realize that. This is a family story elevated by dynamic animation and a bizarro storyline. Expect it to go off the rails in the best possible way.

10. RRR (2022)

7.9

Country

India

Director

S. S. Rajamouli

Actors

Ahmareen Anjum, Ajay Devgn, Alexx O'Nell, Alia Bhatt

Moods

Action-packed, Intense, Mind-blowing

Set in 1920s India, RRR follows two revolutionaries who strike up an unlikely bond and fend off the British regime from their home. In their epic journey to protect their people, they encounter a number of setbacks that prompts them to put their incredible combat skills on full display. 

Despite its three-hour run, RRR never drags, thanks in large part to its breathtaking action sequences and eye-popping visuals. It may contain all the familiar beats of a blockbuster, but RRR is notably grounded in its central, political theme of anti-colonialism, the sincerity of which keeps the film’s big heart beating palpably throughout. 

9. Uncut Gems (2019)

7.9

Country

South Africa, United States of America

Director

Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

Actors

Abel Tesfaye, Adam Sandler, Alexander Gilkes, Andrea Linsky

Moods

Action-packed, Dark, Intense

A crazy, anxiety-inducing thriller that turns Adam Sandler into a thrill-generating machine, which in its own speaks volumes about the rhythm of this movie. It follows a jeweler who gets himself in trouble with what feels like all of New York – a gang, Kevin Garnett (the NBA player), other jewelers, his family, odd twins that appear out of nowhere – everyone. This all happens in the backdrop of him feeling he has “hit big” and is on the verge of receiving a lot of money.

If you watched Good Time, you know what to expect from directors Safdie brothers: excruciating tension that keeps building up when you thought it wasn’t possible. And that might be the only problem with Uncut Gems; the tension doesn’t feel that different from Good Time, and having watched one you can guess where the other one is going.

8. Snowpiercer (2014)

7.9

Country

Czech Republic, Japan, Korea

Director

Bong Joon-ho

Actors

Adnan Haskovic, Alison Pill, Chris Evans, Clark Middleton

Moods

Action-packed, Depressing, Dramatic

Snowpiercer is an under-the-rader post-apocalyptic thriller that offers the grittiness that many times only Asian cinema may achieve. South Korean director Joon-ho Bong forces audiences to forget that Chris Evans was ever a Marvel superhero, as he leads a revolt of his fellow “low-class” citizens against the self-appointed gentry in a train that contains all remaining members of the planet. With immersive environments and a layered script, this film melds together social commentary and moral discourse in a visually arresting and vastly entertaining package.

7. Contratiempo (2016)

best

8.0

Country

Spain

Director

Oriol Paulo

Actors

Ana Wagener, Annick Weerts, Barbara Lennie, Betsy Túrnez

Moods

Action-packed, Suspenseful, Thrilling

This movie is like thriller-candy. It is full of twists, it is very atmospheric, and in nicely predictable fashion it will deliver that excitement rush we (most of us) love. Accused of murder, a wealthy entrepreneur hires the best witness preparation expert he can find. They have three hours before the trial to come up with the most solid, plausible defence. But ?, a new witness surfaces. Don’t expect anything overly original, but expect to be entertained.

6. Okja (2017)

best

8.0

Country

Korea, South Korea, United States of America

Director

Bong Joon-ho, Joon-ho Bong

Actors

Ahn Seo-hyun, Ahn Seong-bong, Amber Snow, An Seo Hyun

Moods

Action-packed, Sunday, Thought-provoking

Director Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer) does something quite amazing with the $50 million budget Netflix gave him: he makes a simplistic movie. But man, is it good. Okja tells the story of a “super pig” experiment that sends genetically modified pigs to top farmers around the world. In Korea, a farmer’s granddaughter forms a special relationship with one of these super pigs (Okja). When the company who originally ran the experiment want their pig back (performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Tilda Swinton) – the two find an ally in an animal advocacy group led by Jay (Paul Dano). This is a straightforward movie, but nevertheless it is entertaining and full of thought-provoking themes and performances from an excellent cast.

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

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