There isn’t anything quite as big as Deadpool & Wolverine, but the best action movies on Netflix offer more than enough pulse-pounding excitement to give you your fix. Over the past year, Netflix has seriously juiced up its action collection with high-octane originals and hits from other studios. Action has not so quietly become one of Netflix’s most crowded genres, which makes it extraordinarily difficult to navigate the collection. No worries, we’ve done the hard part for you.
This month, we added another three movies to this list: Zero Dark Thirty, Midway, and Mad Max: Fury Road. Read on for the complete list of the best action movies on Netflix.
We’ve also curated guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best action movies on Amazon Prime, the best action movies on Disney+, and the best action movies on Hulu if you’re looking for additional recommendations.
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Mad Max: Fury Roadr 2015
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Zero Dark Thirtyr 2012
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Midwaypg-13 2019
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Mad Max: Fury Road was a surprise blockbuster, winning six Oscars and reviving the Mad Max franchise, with this year’s Furiosa also garnering critical and audience acclaim. The postapocalyptic tale finds the planet in a stark desert landscape after war has restricted the necessities of life to those in power. Two rebels may just be able to set things right.
Max (Tom Hardy) seeks peace of mind after the loss of his wife and child, and Furiosa (Charlize Theron) wants vengeance and survival by making it across the desert to her childhood homeland. Reluctant allies, they’ll have to work together to elude the terrifying power of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Fury Road doesn’t land on Netflix until December 30, but it’s worth the wait.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Another Oscar winner, Zero Dark Thirty errs a little more toward drama than action, but there’s a pretty clear crossover. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives set out to capture al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.
He proves to be one of the most elusive men in the world, as a team led by Maya (Jessica Chastain) and Dan (Jason Clarke) works in secret for over a decade to locate him. When they did, they finally dispatched Navy SEal. Team 6 in May 2011.
Midway (2019)
This stylized retelling of the World War II Battle of Midway is a ton of fun for fans of aviation and naval warfare. Based on the real-life events of the pivotal battle in the Pacific, Midway tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who dug into their instincts and bravery to deal a devastating blow to the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Roland Emmerich’s (Independence Day) star-studded historical action flick stars Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson, Ed Skrein, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Dennis Quaid, and Mandy Moore.
The Lost City (2022)
As action movies have gotten bigger and dumber, 2022’s The Lost City is a somewhat surprising breath of fresh air. In the adventure vein of Indiana Jones and Uncharted, The Lost City stars Sandra Bullock as Loretta Sage, a reclusive author who writes exotic adventure novels that prominently feature a handsome cover model named Alan (Channing Tatum).
While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who is convinced she can lead him to the ancient lost treasure explored in her latest book. Dutiful Alan, determined to show he’s more than a pretty face, sets off to rescue her.
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
One of the biggest film franchises of all time got started with a somewhat ordinary PG-13 action movie. While today’s Fast and the Furious movies look nothing like the 2001 original, you can take a day and watch the evolution of the first half of the franchise.
The first six films are new highlights on Netflix and what better way to start a marathon than with the original? In the first film, Los Angeles street racer Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) lands on the LAPD’s radar when he’s suspected of masterminding a series of big-rig hijackings. The policesend Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) undercover to infiltrate Toretto’s crew, only for O’Conner to fall for Toretto’s sister and find extraordinary merit in Toretto’s family-based philosophy.
The Scorpion King (2002)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is possibly the biggest movie star in the world today, which is why it’s odd to think that 2002’s The Scorpion King was such a massive gamble. Strictly a wrestler of WWE fame at the time, Universal Pictures cast The Rock as the big boss in 2001’s The Mummy Returns. The studio then doubled down by creating an entire prequel based on a character with basically one scene. The bet paid off big as the movie grossed over $180 million, launching The Rock’s massive film career.
In The Scorpion King, The Rock plays Mathayus, a peasant hired to bring down the powerful Memnon (Steven Brand) and his sorceress Cassandra (Kelly Hu). Tormented by betrayals and thieves, Mathayus finds himself an unlikely enforcer of justice in the notorious city of Gomorrah.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
Robin Hood (2010)
300 (2007)
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Fury (2014)
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
Zombieland (2009)
In a postapocalyptic world swarming with zombies, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived by running from everything that scares him. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) has kicked the crap out of practically everything that moves. Each has survived in their own ways, but when they’re forced to team up on a cross-country journey, surviving one another may prove to be the most difficult challenge of all.