Those looking for a big night with the best Netflix action movies have come to the right place. Netflix’s selection of high-octane action movies is so vast that there’s something for everyone, even if you don’t usually watch them very often.
From the amazing “Everything Everywhere All at Once” to classics like “The Matrix” you won’t be leaving your couch for a long time to come as you scroll through Netflix’s catalog of action movies. Want something more … animated? Our list of the best Netflix anime shows and movies has you covered. While those who want something more realistic should check out the best Netflix documentaries.
You’ll likely discover a few new favorites of your own, too, as Netflix has enough great films to ensure its spot on our list of the best streaming services. The never-ending list of the best Netflix shows doesn’t hurt its rankings either.
Looking to cut the cord? We tested the best cable TV alternatives, so you can tell the difference from the replacements and the failures.
The best Netflix action movies are:
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” dominated last year’s Oscars, taking home seven golden status (from its 11 nominations) including Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Actress, Supporting Actor and Actress. This absurdist comedy-drama follows the misadventures of a middle-aged woman (Michelle Yeoh) who finds herself embroiled in a multiverse battle with a nihilistic alternative version of her daughter (Stephaine Hsu). Joining them is her hapless but well-meaning husband (Ke Huy Quan) and an IRS inspector (Jamie Lee Curtis) who is investigating the family for potential tax fraud. It’s a bizarre ride, don’t get me wrong, but one that I promise is well worth the payoff if you stick with it. — AS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
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‘The Matrix’ (1999)
One of the most influential and iconic science-fiction movies of all time, “The Matrix” is still being imitated to this day. The film is set in a dystopian future where humans are trapped inside a simulated reality by an army of intelligent machines, but a computer hacker named Neo (Keanu Reeves) could be the secret to freeing humanity from its imprisonment. With some of the most blisteringly cool action sequences ever filmed, and its iconic bullet time sequences, The Matrix remains as thrilling more than two decades later as it was upon first release. — RM
Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano
Director: The Wachowskis
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The Equalizer 3 (2023)
The third and final installment of Denzel Washington’s “The Equalizer” trilogy, “The Equalizer 3” stars Washington as Robert McCall, the ex-Marine who knows a thing or two about dealing with criminals. This time around, those criminals take the form of the Camorra, a criminal organization that controls many of the vices in Southern Italy. If you love a classic action movie, this final chapter of “The Equalizer” is a great way to celebrate the new year. — MM
Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%
Cast: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, David Denman
Director: Antoine Fuqua
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‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ (2005)
If you enjoyed Prime Video’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” reboot starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, you can revisit the original on Netflix. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie star as the titular married couple living double lives as assassins. While the two never disclosed their true professions to the other, the truth comes to the surface when they are both assigned to kill the same target, Benjamin Danz (Adam Brody). Finally free from their cover stories, they discover their rival agencies have ordered them to kill each other, sparking a series of explosive attacks and thrilling fight scenes. — AS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Cast: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Adam Brody, Kerry Washington
Director: Doug Liman
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‘RRR’ (2022)
“RRR,” one of the biggest surprises in cinema in recent years, had my audience break out into rhythmic clapping to the beat during a massive action scene. What else would you expect, though, from a film whose director describes it as focusing on an “imaginary friendship between two superheroes”?
Yes, S.S. Rajamouli’s film about Indian folk heroes taking on British Colonialists is an utter delight. A little cartoonish at times, it’s pure fun if you can let yourself enjoy the silliness. — RM
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Cast: N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgan, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
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‘Bullet Train’ (2022)
A cinematic child of Quentin Tarantino and John Wick, “Bullet Train” continues the latter’s premise of “what if hitmen and spies were everywhere?” But its big twist is throwing them all onto a high-speed train to Tokyo and giving Brad Pitt the equivalent of “Clerks'” Dante: Ladybug (Pitt) doesn’t even want to be here today.
Pitt and his co-stars get plenty of well-crafted fight scenes throughout. Memorable pairings include Ladybug tangling with a vengeful assassin (Bad Bunny) who blames him for ruining his wedding, and our protagonist’s attempts to pilfer a briefcase from a pair of wise-talking siblings (Taylor-Johnson and Henry). – HTC
Rotten Tomatoes score: 54%
Cast: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Hiroyuki Sanada
Director: David Leitch
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‘Red Notice’ (2021)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays an FBI profiler pursuing the world’s most wanted art thief, played by Ryan Reynolds. They need to pair up to catch an elusive crook, The Bishop (Gal Gadot). This movie is as full of jokes as it is action sequences and broke Netflix records when it first launched in November 2021, becoming the streamer’s biggest-ever movie release. Fun, fast-paced and action-packed. — CH
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 36%
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
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‘The Pirates – The Last Royal Treasure’ (2022)
This Korean action movie from January 2022 tells the story of a tough crew of Joseon pirates and bandits who work to unpick clues in a bid to find some royal gold that has seemingly disappeared. Not only must they take on the elements, they aim to find the missing treasure ahead of their rivals. — CH
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%
Cast: Kang Ha-neul, Han Hyo-joo, and Lee Kwang-soo
Director: Kim Jeonghun
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‘The Harder They Fall’ (2021)
Jonathan Majors and Idris Elba team up for this modern, humorous twist on a Western. Major plays cowboy Nat Love, while Elba is Rufus Buck, a notorious outlaw. The two are enemies, and Love decides to track down Buck when he discovers he has been freed from prison. The film also features an attention-grabbing soundtrack to accompany a star-studded cast. — CH
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Cast: Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole
Director: Jeymes Samuel
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‘Restless’ (2022)
This Netflix original action film follows a corrupt cop’s extreme attempts to cover up an accident, and the way his life falls out of control after doing so. This movie was originally shot in French but is also available in English (the original language always seems to fit best, though). It also happens to be a remake…of a remake. The first version came out in 2017 as a Korean dark comedy/thriller entitled “A Hard Day.” — CH
Cast: Frank Gastambide, Simon Abkarian, Michaël Abiteboul, Tracy Gotoas, Jemima West
Director: Régis Blondeau
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‘Triple Frontier’ (2019)
A group of veterans who engage in one final mission. This is not a military action though. Instead, the team plans is to rob one of the most violent cartels in the world. They want to claim the drug lord’s fortune, but things don’t exactly go to plan, and the fallout is huge. Can the soldiers-turned-thieves handle the consequences of their actions? — CH
Cast: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal
Director: J.C. Chandor
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%
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‘Against the Ice’ (2022)
This suspense-filled Netflix action movie is based on a true story – an expedition that took place in 1909. That said, a lot of what went on is, in reality, unknown, so some…creative license…has been taken. That mission was a Danish captain’s attempt to prove that Greenland is all one piece of land, and consequently disprove the United States’ claim to Northeast Greenland. He leaves all but one inexperienced crew member behind on their ship and sets off. The two have to fight hunger, fatigue, and even a polar bear as they first look to get back their ship, and then await rescue. — CH
Cast: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Joe Cole, Heida Reed, Charles Dance
Director: Peter Flinth
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 55%
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‘The Forgotten Battle’ (2021)
This World War II movie takes place in November 1944 during the Battle of the Schelde on Walcheren in Zeeland. The island has been flooded, and allies are fighting the German army. The film, originally shot in Dutch, tells the story of three intertwined lives — a Dutch boy who has joined with the Germans, a glider pilot from England, and a girl from the island who has joined the resistance. All must consider their choices, freedom, and the freedom of others. — CH
Cast: Gijs Blom, Jamie Flatters, Susan Radder, Jan Bijvoet, Tom Felton, Coen Bril
Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
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‘Outside the Wire’ (2021)
A young drone pilot is sent into a war zone to help stop a nuclear attack after he is found to have broken the chain of command and disobeyed orders. He finds that his new senior partner is an android and a top-secret piece of military equipment with the ability to go rogue, with messy consequences. — CH
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Damson Idris, Emily Beecham, Michael Kelly, Pilou Asbaek, Enzo Cilenti, Bobby Lockwood, Henry Garrett, Velibor Topic
Director: Mikael Håfström
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 37%
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‘The Old Guard’ (2020)
What happens when a team of self-healing mercenaries who have lived for hundreds of years are set up to be killed off? Well, it doesn’t go well, that’s for starters. Charlize Theron stars as Andromache, aka “Andy,” the leader of this team that’s soon out for revenge. This graphic novel adaptation was a hit for Netflix and we’re already wondering when we get to see “The Old Guard 2.” — HTC
Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%
Cast: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
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‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ (2021)
One of the latest in the ever-growing genre of “the secret world of spies” movies (see: John Wick), “Gunpowder Milkshake” gives Karen Gillan the lead role for a story all about family. Expertly shot, with a sense of humor, the film focuses on Sam, who’s trying to save an 8-year-old girl on the wrong end of a hit. Her estranged relationship with her mother has something to do with her need to save the child, and (of course) Sam reunites with her mother Scarlet, who also happens to be a lethal force. — HTC
Rotten Tomatoes score: 61%
Cast: Karen Gillan, Joanna Bobin, Freya Allan and Lena Headey
Director: Navot Papushado
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You can always rely on Chris Hemsworth to bring the goods in movies like this, and “Extraction” doesn’t disappoint. Based on the graphic novel “Ciudad,” “Extraction” is all about a black ops mercenary hired to rescue a drug lord’s kidnapped son in the Bangladeshi city of Dhaka. While there’s plenty of gratuitous violence here and some gaping plot holes, the 99 million people who watched the movie in its first four weeks on Netflix can’t be wrong… right? — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, David Harbour, Golshifteh Farahani, Randeep Hooda, Sam Hargrave
Director: Sam Hargrave
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‘Sweet Girl’ (2021)
“Sweet Girl” is basically a vehicle for Jason Mamoa to be hot, and he does a pretty good job of it here. The movie definitely has heart – the crux of the action happens because a woman named Amanda (Adria Arjona) dies of a rare form of cancer after a greedy CEO pulls a potentially life-saving drug off the market. That’s when Amanda’s husband Ray (Mamoa) decides to get revenge. Is it Oscar-worthy? Obviously not. Is it still packed full engaging of action? Definitely. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 21%
Cast: Jason Momoa, Isabela Merced, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Raza Jaffrey
Director: Brian Andrew Mendoza
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‘The Last Mercenary’ (2021)
If you like your action with a side of humor, you’ll love “The Mercenary,” not least of all because it stars perhaps one of the most legendary action stars of all time: Jean Claude Van Damme. The plot is straightforward enough — a former secret service agent is forced to go back to France when the son he’s been out of touch with for years is falsely accused by the French government of drugs and arms trafficking. Thankfully, Richard Brumère, aka The Mist, (Van Damme) is there to save the day. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 57%
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Assa Sylla, Samir Decazza, Valerie Kaprisky, Nassim Si Ahmed
Director: David Charhon
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‘Beckett’ (2021)
If one of your biggest fears is being wrongly accused of a crime you didn’t commit while traveling through a foreign country, “Beckett” will likely fill you with anxiety. That’s pretty much exactly what happens here: Beckett (John David Washington) is an American visiting Athens, Greece, but he and his girlfriend leave when political unrest begins to spread. However, when a terrible accident occurs, Beckett finds himself the target of a manhunt and has to try and dodge the authorities chasing him and make it to the U.S. Embassy to clear his name. This one is definitely a wild ride, even if the plot is a little silly. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 48%
Cast: John David Washington, Alicia Vikander, Boyd Holbrook, Vicky Krieps
Director: Ferdinando Cito Filomarino
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‘The Decline’ (2020)
Originally filmed entirely in French, “The Decline” was later dubbed by the original cast in English for your viewing pleasure. The movie focuses on a survivalist training group that becomes extremely tense after one of the attendees accidentally dies. To say that things get a little dicey between the remaining survivalists is putting things lightly, but as one of the best action movies of 2020, it’s deserving of a watch. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Cast: Marie-Evelyne Lessard, Real Bosse, Guillaume Laurin, Marilyn Catonguay
Director: Patrice Laliberté
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‘Rim of the World’ (2019)
Screenwriter Zack Stentz wanted to do a modern take on the classic kids’ action movies of the 1980s, which is exactly what he accomplished with “Rim of the World.” Perfect for younger viewers, it incorporates science fiction with plenty of adventure between a group of misfits at summer camp. They’re the best of friends… and then the aliens invade Earth. Luckily, they know how to stop the invasion, but it’ll take a lot of bravery and a little luck to get there. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 27%
Cast: Annabeth Gish, Alessio Scalzotto Miya Cech, Jack Gore, Benjamin Flores Jr.
Director: McG
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‘Extinction’ (2018)
More science fiction, only this time for the adults. An engineer named Peter (Michael Peña) begins having the same nightmare night after night in which all of his loved ones keep being violently attacked by aliens. These dreams take over his waking life and affect all of his relationships, especially the one with his wife. Sadly, Peter wasn’t just dreaming — the aliens are really there and the role Peter will play in defending the earth is more complex than anyone would have expected. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 32%
Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Michael Peña, Amelia Crouch, Erica Tremblay
Director: Ben Young
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‘Sand Castle’ (2017)
While “Sand Castle” is more technically a war drama, the very act of battle lends a sense of unavoidable action, and that’s the case here. Based on the real-life experience of screenwriter Chris Roessner, the movie follows Matt Ocre, a US Army soldier who’s assigned to restore water to a small village in Iraq. Of course, things don’t go quite so smoothly in the middle of a warzone. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 47%
Cast: Henry Cavill, Nicholas Hoult, Logan Marshall-Green, Neil Brown Jr.
Director: Fernando Coimbra
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‘Outlaw King’ (2018)
History buffs will love this movie about 14th-century Scottish King Robert the Bruce. He started a war against the English army in rebellion against Edward I’s rule over Scotland and as you can imagine, things get pretty grizzly. Chris Pine plays the title character and while “Outlaw King” does play a bit fast and loose with the facts, it’s high on adrenaline which makes it worthwhile. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 62%
Cast: Chris Pine, Florence Pugh, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Billy Howle
Director: David Mackenzie
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‘Okja’ (2017)
For fans of artsy foreign films, “Okja” is definitely a must-see. The 2017 Korean movie directed by Bong Joon-ho (whom you’ll likely know from his work on “Parasite”) is all about a little girl who raises a genetically modified “super pig” named Okja that’s taken away from her to the US. However, she’s not about to let her beloved pet go easily, and she embarks on an adventurous rescue mission to save the animal’s life. The cast here is spectacular, especially young Ahn Seo-hyun and Tilda Swinton, and it will stay with you long after the credits roll. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%
Cast: Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins, Steven Yeun
Director: Bong Joon-ho
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‘Beasts of No Nation’ (2015)
The critically-acclaimed 2015 war drama isn’t a typical action movie, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t fit the category. A child soldier who participates in his country’s horrifying civil war sees and experiences things that no person, let alone any child, ever should. There’s a lot of violence and destruction here, but also some pretty thought-provoking messages that give viewers something to think about. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Cast: Abraham Attah, Idris Elba, Ama K. Aberese, Emmanuel Nii Adom Quaye
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
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‘How It Ends’ (2018)
Many of the best action movies are set during an apocalypse, and that’s where we’re at in “How It Ends.” The world may be ending, but Will (Theo James) is desperate to get home to his pregnant wife Sam (Kat Graham). There’s just one issue: she’s thousands of miles away. To get back to her, he’ll have to navigate his way through fires, violent shoot-outs, and life-threatening injuries. If you’re into doomsday dramas, this is a good one to add to your list. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 66%
Cast: Theo James, Forest Whitaker, Grace Dove, Nicole Ari Parker, Kat Graham, and Mark O’Brien.
Director: David M. Rosenthal
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‘Spenser Confidential’ (2020)
Another action comedy film, “Spenser Confidential” sees Mark Wahlberg as a disgraced Boston police detective who immerses himself in the criminal underworld in order to solve a murder conspiracy. Of course, it seems that wherever Spenser goes, trouble follows, and that leads to him getting into all kinds of dangerous situations, some more hilarious than others. While not an outright comedy, there are enough moments of levity to make the sillier plot decisions a little more enjoyable to watch. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 37%
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin, Marc Maron
Director: Peter Berg
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‘Lost Bullet’ (2020)
The French are shockingly good at action movies, and “Lost Bullet” is definitely one of the best. The story follows a mechanic named Lino who’s bribed by dirty cops into doing their bidding in order to avoid going to jail. If he doesn’t want to be stuck with a murder charge, he’ll have to track down one particular car that contains a single bullet that would prove his innocence. If you’re into fast cars and reckless driving, you’ll love “Lost Bullet.” — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%
Cast: Alban Lenoir, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Ramzy Bedia, Stéfi Celma, Sébastien Lalanne
Director: Guillaume Pierret
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‘The Do-Over’ (2016)
By looking at the cast list, you can probably immediately tell that all the action here is splashed with a pretty large dose of comedy, and thank goodness for that. The premise is hilarious enough on its own: Charlie (David Spade) and Max (Adam Sandler) decide to fake their deaths to start new lives. Sadly, the men whose identities they steal were up to no good in their past lives, which gets Charlie and Max into not a small amount of trouble. There’s definitely plenty of excitement here, but you’ll be laughing all the way through. This is certainly the least critically successful film on this list, but it’s got its own charm about itself — and who watches action movies because of what the critics say, anyway? — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 9%
Cast: Adam Sandler, David Spade, Kathryn Hahn, Paula Patton
Director: Steven Brill
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‘Project Power’ (2020)
“Project Power” centers on a near-future New Orleans in which some mysterious company offers a group of drug dealers a free pill that gives its taker any number of superpowers for five minutes. To find out who’s behind the pill, a cop and a former soldier team up and hit the streets, and what they find isn’t what anyone expects. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 61%
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback, Machine Gun Kelly
Director: Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost
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‘Hold the Dark’ (2018)
After three kids are suspected to have been killed by wolves, an animal expert named Russell (Jeffrey Wright) heads out to a remote Alaskan village to find out what happened. However, what he discovers is much more sinister than the community would ever have believed. There’s something refreshingly different about “Hold the Dark,” and action here is more understated but no less satisfying for it. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 70%
Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Jeffrey Wright, James Badge Dale, Riley Keough
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
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