Some of the best action movies are available to stream on Netflix, mainly because the streamer has always prioritized the acquisition of action films (the spectacle of fist fights and explosions crosses the language barrier and appeals to movie audiences all over the world). An Indian action movie like RRR can find a global audience on Netflix, while box office disappointments have another chance at finding their audiences on streaming services.

Since the platform started producing and distributing its own content, Netflix has brought action-packed hidden gems from the U.S., Indonesia, and all over the world to a wider audience. The streamer’s expansive library of content also ensures that fan-favorite blockbusters that are part of beloved franchises are available for a timely rewatch, too. From original Netflix exclusive action movies to thrilling licensed hits, there are plenty of riveting action films available to stream on Netflix.

15 Havoc (2025)

Gareth Evans' Long-Awaited Return

Gareth Evans immediately announced himself as an exciting filmmaker in the action world with The Raid and its sequel, but fans have been left eager for his return to the genre. However, Havoc now arrives after a long wait, bringing the kind of mayhem and kinetic energy that Evans has become known for. The movie also boasts a terrific lead actor with Tom Hardy playing a cop who must navigate the underbelly of his corrupt city in order to rescue a politician's son following a drug deal gone wrong.

The wait is certainly worth it as Evans stages some intense and hard-hitting action scenes with Hardy as a complex and morally questionable protagonist at the center of it all. Hardy is great at playing the broody lead characters who barrel through the story like an animal. He is also backed by a strong ing cast, including Timothy Olyphant as a relentless cop and Forrest Whitaker as a corrupt politician.

14 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

The Latest In The Iconic Action Franchise

The Mad Max franchise returns with its first spinoff movie that proves the series still has a lot in its tank. After Charlize Theron memorably introduced the character of Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, Anya Taylor-Joy takes over the role in this prequel that details her capture from her community and he life being raised in the brutal and vicious world of crime lords who oversee the wasteland. Biding her time, she waits for the opportunity to get her revenge on the man who killed her mother, played by Chris Hemsworth.

Once again, George Miller proves himself to be an action filmmaker like no other. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga contains some of the best action sequences in the entire franchise, making the audience watch in disbelief, trying to comprehend how this was ever accomplished. However, it is also a stirring portrait of this young hero and Taylor-Joy does the role justice. Hemsworth also delivers one of his best performances as the hugely entertaining villain.

13 Rebel Ridge (2024)

Netflix's Surprise Action Hit

Rebel Ridge came along in the summer of 2024 and became one of Netflix's surprise hits of the year. Aaron Pierre turns in a star-making performance in the lead role as Terry Richmond, a young man traveling through a small community when he is accosted by the local police and has his money unlawfully taken. Not willing to let the display of blatant injustice go unaddressed, the corrupt police of the town soon find that Terry has some hidden talents and that he was the wrong guy to mess with.

Director Jeremy Saulnier quickly throws the audience into the exciting story and doesn't let up the pace the entire time. Pierre makes for an extremely appealing hero whose relentless pursuit of what is right, no matter the danger it puts him in, makes him easy to root for. Don Johnson also delivers a stellar performance as the lawman who pushes him too far.

12 Heat (1995)

The Classic Cops And Robbers Thriller

Heist movies are a cornerstone of the action genre, and Heat is regarded by many fans as the greatest heist movie of all time. It also happens to feature the first electrifying instance of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro sharing the screen together. De Niro plays a disciplined and intelligent criminal who leads a successful team of bank robbers operating in Los Angeles. Pacino plays the dedicated detective who leads a task force to take them down.

When Mann delivers the action sequences, the movie is further elevated.

Director Michael Mann is a veteran of these types of grounded thrillers, and Heat is his masterpiece. He creates an expansive crime saga with the audience getting to know these complex characters and their stories with the help of an A-list ensemble, including Jon Voight, Natalie Portman, and the late Val Kilmer. However, when Mann delivers the action sequences, the movie is further elevated. The bank robbery shootout still stands as one of the greatest action sequences ever made.

11 Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Eddie Murphy Returns As Axel Foley

30 years after starring in Beverly Hills Cop, a movie that made Eddie Murphy a household name, the actor returns to the role for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. However, unlike the first release, which was the long-running highest-grossing R-rated comedy in history until The Hangover beat it, this film went straight to Netflix. That should do nothing to make anyone think it is not up to the task. Murphy is back in fine form as Axel Foley, while several actors from the first movie also returned.

Axel Foley is still a Detroit police detective, but after a huge mess that causes collateral damage, his chief retires to take the fall for Axel's mistake. He then asks him to reconnect with his daughter in Los Angeles. When Axel learns his daughter's life might be in danger, he shows up in Beverly Hills and runs afoul of the BHPD again. Over 41 million people viewed the movie in its first five days on Netflix for over 80 million hours, and critics gave it an overall positive rating, although it lives mostly on its nostalgia factor.

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10 Upgrade (2018)

A Dystopian Body Horror Movie

Upgrade is a movie that walks the line between a sci-fi dystopian film and an action flick. It also bears a strong similarity to the superhero release Venom. In Upgrade, Logan Marshall-Green stars as Grey, a mechanic living in 2046 who meets up with a client, a genius named Eron Keen, who says that he created a chip called STEM that can manage a human's motor functions. When Grey's self-driving car crashes, some men show up, murder his wife, and shoot Grey, resulting in him living as a quadriplegic.

When Eron offers to make him a recipient of the STEM chip, he signs the deal, and it helps him walk again. However, it also gives him superhuman speed and strength and soon begins to start to control him and make him do things he normally wouldn't. Directed by Leigh Whannell (Saw), the movie has some incredible action scenes, especially the fight scenes when the STEM chip tasks control. The story is also smart, with sci-fi leanings to thank for that. Critics gave it an 88% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.

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9 Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

A Female Assassin Fights To Save A Little Girl

Karen Gillan got her chance to lead her own action movie in 2021 with Gunpowder Milkshake. While she proved herself in the MCU as Nebula and the Jumanji franchise as Ruby Roundhouse, Gunpowder Milkshake allowed her to lead a female-empowered action film. Gillan is Sam, an assassin working for a nefarious corporation that runs the underworld after her mother disappeared when she was a child. However, when she kills the wrong man and ends up with a briefcase of money, she becomes the new target.

Gunpowder Milkshake also stars Chloe Coleman as Emily, a young girl whose father Sam killed and who she now protects. It has a large cast of strong female action heroes, with Lena Headey, Carla Gugino, Michelle Yeoh, and Angela Bassett ing Gillan to battle a criminal organization whose face is a game, Paul Giamatti. Gunpowder Milkshake is a nonstop thrill ride, and while it is mostly a bubblegum action movie, it delivers everything genre fans look for in a film.

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8 Spenser Confidential (2020)

Mark Wahlberg As Robert B. Parker's Iconic PI

In 2020, Mark Wahlberg starred in the Netflix original action movie Spenser Confidential. This film is based on the Robert B. Parker novel series about a Boston PI named Spenser, which was previously adapted as a TV series called Spenser For Hire. Wahlberg takes on the role of Spenser, who is in jail when the movie starts for beating up a corrupt cop. After he gets out of jail, he wants to stay out of the police's business but soon finds himself sucked back in when he realizes the corruption runs deeper than he thought.

Winston Duke co-stars as Spenser's best friend, Hawk, although this movie plays out as an origin story, and their relationship is only getting started here. The reviews were mostly negative, with critics pointing out the mostly generic storyline. However, thanks to Wahlberg's likable Spenser and the film delivering the action beats that fans love, it ended up as a huge success, with 85 million households watching it in its first six weeks. There is a sequel in the works for the streaming service.

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7 The Equalizer 3 (2023)

Starring Denzel Washington

Thanks to the success of the first two movies in the series, director Antione Fuqua and actor Denzel Washington had a chance to reunite for a third film in The Equalizer franchise. In this movie, Robert McCall kills a gangster in Italy and ends up shot and injured.

The three films in the Equalizer franchise collectively grossed $568 million at the box office.

He ends up nursed back to health in a small village, but his peaceful life is shaken up when a new gangster shows up and threatens the people who took him in. The Equalizer 3 ending also leaves things open for another movie if the studios want to go in that direction.

6 The Old Guard (2020)

Starring Charlize Theron

Based on the comic books of the same name, The Old Guard presents Netflix viewers with a group of seemingly immortal warriors who have lived for centuries. Their job is to set out to stop certain things from happening, which are fated to prevent great tragedies in the future. The movie starts with them in action and sets up a story where a wealthy individual learns of their existence and sets out to capture them and steal their power for himself.

DID YOU KNOW: Charlize Theron underwent intense training for her role in this movie. She trained for three to four hours every day to master hand-to-hand combat, throws, and weapon work.

Charlize Theron is on top form, and the rest of the cast makes this one of Netflix's best original action movies. It was also a streaming success and Netflix greenlit a sequel with T coming soon with some big-time additions to the cast, including Uma Thurmann and Henry Golding.