Netflix has invested heavily in its action movie library in recent years, complete with an ad campaign naming Arnold Schwarzenegger the company’s Chief Action Officer. That has boded well for our list of the best action movies on Netflix, which continually improves with great originals and hits from other studios. We update this list every month to help you navigate the labyrinth of options available.
This March, there isn’t a new hit like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, but there are three good additions, including Black Hawk Down, Sicario, and Power Rangers. 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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Black Hawk Down2001 -
Sicario2015 -
Power Rangers2017
Black Hawk Down (2001)
74%Ridley Scott’s depiction of a U.S. Special Forces mission into Somalia in 1993 won two Oscars. Amid a war-torn government and severe social strife, U.S. Rangers and an elite Delta Force team are sent in to kidnap two underlings of a Somali warlord and bring humanitarian aid to the starving population. But when their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, the Americans are stranded in the middle of Mogadishu, surrounded by militia forces, and forced to fight their way out.
Sicario (2015)
82%A slower burn than most movies on this list, Sicario is the Oscar-nominated film that launched Dune‘s Denis Villeneuve into the American mainstream. In Sicario, Emily Blunt stars as idealistic FBI agent Kate Mercer, enlisted by an elite government task force official (Josh Brolin) to aid border teams in the war on drugs.
Along this lawless border area between U.S. and Mexico, the team trusts enigmatic consultant Alejandro Gillick (Benicio Del Toro) to help them infiltrate and disrupt cartels. But the mission is not nearly as clear-cut as Kate expected, forcing her to question everything she believes in order to survive.
Power Rangers (2017)
48%Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers has been a staple kids’ franchise for decades, and in 2017, it got a slightly more adult adaptation. This PG-13 edition follows five ordinary teens who learn that their town — and the planet — is one the verge of being destroyed by an alien threat led by Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks).
Chosen by destiny, the outcasts must quickly overcome their doubts of themselves and one another to become the Power Rangers.
Rambo (2008)
46%
7/10Twenty years after First Blood, Sylvester Stallone returns as John Rambo, the Vietnam War vet with an intense thirst for justice. Living in northern Thailand and running a longboat on the Salween River, Rambo wants nothing to do with the Burmese-Karen conflict, the world’s longest-running civil war.
When a group of missionaries is captured by the Burmese Army, Rambo answers the call. Despite a reluctance for violence and conflict, Rambo knows what he must do to free the innocent.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
79%George Miller reignited his cult ’80s franchise in a big way with 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, and followed it up with a bang nine years later with Furiosa. One of 2024’s best movies, this action prequel stars Anya Taylor-Joy as a young Furiosa (Charlize Theron’s character in Mad Max: Fury Road), snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers as the world falls.
Soon she finds herself caught in the middle of two vicious warlords: Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). Furiosa must rely on her skills and fierceness to find her way home.
Rush Hour (1998)
61%Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan teamed up in Rush Hour, the 1998 hit action comedy that spawned two sequels and a spinoff TV series. When a diplomat’s child is kidnapped, Hong Kong Inspector Lee (Chan) is summoned to Los Angeles to investigate, despite the FBI keeping jurisdiction over the case.
Seeking to distract him, the FBI assigns LAPD Detective James Carter (Tucker) to distract Lee from the case. But between Lee’s drive and Carter’s ambition, the unlikely duo can’t help but get off the sidelines and put themselves into the middle of the investigation.
Carry-On (2024)
68%Midway (2019)
47%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)
60%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 Scorpion King (2002)
45%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)
54%Godzilla Minus One (2023)
83%The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
56%Fury (2014)
65%Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
56%1917 (2019)
78%Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
31%Damsel (2024)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
84%Emily the Criminal (2022)
75%Enola Holmes (2020)
68%
6.6/10All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
78%
8.5/10Black Crab (2022)
54%
5.6/10The Vault (2021)
50%
6.4/10Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
47%
6.0/10Spectral (2016)
6.3/10Army of the Dead (2021)
57%
5.8/10The Old Guard (2020)
70%
6.6/10The Night Comes for Us (2018)
69%
6.9/10The King (2019)
62%
7.2/10Wheelman (2017)
66%
6.4/10Triple Frontier (2019)
61%
6.4/10Burn Out (2018)
Extraction (2020)
56%
6.7/10
