Netflix has made headlines by investing in Oscar-winning highbrow dramas. But there are times when you don’t want that! Sometimes you just want to escape into an action movie to escape the increasingly insane world out there. Netflix has produced a few originals, but the majority of the best action films available on their service are still Hollywood blockbusters, ranging from ’90s modern classics to more recent box office hits to films that may have slipped under your radar. Here are the best action movies currently available on Netflix, ranging from Ridley Scott to Michael Mann.
Best of action movies on Netflix:
5. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi:
Year: 2016
Runtime: 2h 24m
Director: Michael Bay
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
Yes, it’s macho patriotism, but no one does it better than Mr. Michael Bay, who essentially tried to make his Black Hawk Down with this adaptation of the 2014 book of the same name. The story of the 2012 attack on a diplomatic compound in Benghazi is highly politicized, but Bay avoids too much commentary, focusing on the kind of you-are-there intensity that the story requires.
4. 2012:
Year: 2009
Runtime: 2h 38m
Director: Roland Emmerich
IMDB rating: 5.8/10
In this 2009 tale of the apocalypse foretold to come just three years later, Roland Emmerich, the modern King of the Disaster Blockbusters, delivered one of his most ridiculously over-the-top films. A rockin’ ensemble elevates some admittedly thin material, but no one comes to this for performance or character — it’s about the world blowing up real good, and the film delivers on that promise.
3. The Big 4:
Year: 2022
Runtime: 2h 21m
Director: Timo Tjahjanto
IMDB rating: 6.1/10
Have you seen the movie The Night Comes for Us? If you haven’t seen it yet, director Timo Tjahjanto is a maniac, a madman who choreographs and shoots action scenes like no one else in the world right now. He returned in late 2022 for his Netflix original about a group of assassins forced into action after their mentor was assassinated. It’s like a live-action Looney Tunes episode with bazookas.
2. Dune:
Year: 2021
Runtime: 2h 35m
Director: Denis Villeneuve
IMDB rating: 8/10
The highly acclaimed adaptation of the Frank Herbert novels, which premiered on HBO Max alongside theatres for a brief window on its way to massive worldwide acclaim and success, was released in 2021 by the directorial king of smart blockbusters. Timothée Chalamet stars in this sci-fi epic, which was the most Oscar-winning film of 2021, winning six awards. Part Two was postponed until 2024 due to the strike, but the first half of this story is now available on Netflix to ease the pain.
1. Gladiator:
Year: 2000
Runtime: 2h 35m
Director: Ridley Scott
IMDB rating: 8.5/10
One of the most beloved period action films of all time was the first Best Picture winner of the new millennium. Russell Crowe gives his most iconic performance as Maximus, a Roman general who witnesses his family murdered and his life destroyed by Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Maximus is forced into slavery and must become a gladiator, competing in arenas until he can exact his ultimate revenge.
