The best action movies to watch on Netflix and others (November 2022)

Is there anything that makes an action film great?

You could call it the fighting choreography, blocking and blocking that draws the viewers in with every move. The stunt work could include gravity defying jumps and tricks that captivate the crowd. The effects could include massive explosions and sickening bones breaking. You could have a frenetic story or tense narration.

In many cases, it’s all of the above (or at least a combination of a few). And for all the movies below, it’s a guaranteed good time. Below are the top-rated action movies that we currently stream and where to watch them.

The Man from Nowhere

Photo by Well Go Entertainment USA

Year: 2010
Run time: 1h 59m
Director: Lee Jeong-beom
Cast: Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron

The action thriller unfolds like a less problematic, leaner version of Léon: The Professional, albeit with a karambit-wielding antagonist à la Cecep Arif Rahman’s character in The Raid 2In place of the Gary Oldman crooked cop analog.

Won BinMotherCha Tae-sik is a widower, pawn shop owner, and friend to So-mi Kim Sae-ron, a young girl who shares an apartment building with her opium addicted mother. Tae-sik is entangled in a feud between rival criminal groups as So-mi’s abduction by gangsters occurs as they attempt to retrieve a stolen packet of drugs. Won Bin’s portrayal is compelling. He shows a man who has mastered the art of surgically incapacitating opponents using his brutal talent and one-minded focus. He was in his last film before retiring, and it’s hard to blame him. The Man from NowhereThis classic action film is timeless and must-see by any action fan. —Toussaint Egan

The Man from NowhereYou can stream it on Peacock Free with ads on Freevee and Tubi.

We are all awake for the night

Photo: Eriekn Juragan/Netflix

Year: 2018
Run time: 2h 1m
Director: Timo Tjahjanto
Cast: Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle

Action and horror are close siblings, despite their differences. Each genre is committed to externalizing their characters’ internal conflicts by finding dynamic and compelling visual ways to show what they lack. They’re also genres that, at their most effective, really know how to make something look extremely painful.

We are all awake for the night is acclaimed Indonesian horror director Timo Tjahjanto’s action opus, a brutal and violent masterpiece that follows Ito, a South East Asian Triad member that turns his back on criminal fraternity in order to save a little girl’s life. Under Tjahjanto’s direction, a familiar premise develops into an unforgettable film, as Tjahjanto presides over some of the most brutal fights on film and slowly marches the protagonist to damnation. —Joshua Rivera

We are all awake for the nightIt is streaming on Netflix.

The Northman

Focus Features Image

Year: 2022
Run time: 2h 17m
Director: Robert Eggers
Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy

The NorthmanA guy jumps in the air and grabs a spear that is being thrown at his head. He then throws the spear back quickly and fluidly, making it one of most memorable and funny scenes of the year. The rest of the film, about a Viking’s long quest for revenge against the uncle that betrayed his clan, killed his father, and kidnapped his mother, is layered in different ways. Shifting between folk horror, twisted family drama, and testosterone-drenched action, The Northman is director Robert Eggers’ version of a popcorn movie, bringing the discomfort of his abrasive period pieces to a muscular brawl of a film. It could’ve just been the movie that climaxes with a naked sword fight on a volcano to be a winner; that it’s so much more makes it a triumph. —JR

The NorthmanYou can stream it on Prime Video.

SPL 2, A Time for Conequences

Image by Well Go USA Entertainment

Year: 2015
Run time: 2h
Director: Cheang Pou-soi
Cast: Tony Jaa, Wu Jing, Simon Yam

I’m a big fan of martial arts movies, and I often get asked where someone new who is interested should start. It often depends on what mood you’re in — there’s a big gap between the joys of Jackie Chan’s stunt-based action comedies and the bone-crunching thrillers of something like We are all awake for the night — but I always end up coming back to SPL 2, A Time for Conequences It’s a film that almost everyone can enjoy.

Kit (Wu) is a cop who has gone undercover to infiltrate a crime syndicate that is running a sinister kidnapping-for-organ-harvesting scheme. When Kit’s cover is blown, he is sent to a prison in Thailand, whose warden (Zhang Jin) is in league with the syndicate. Kit (Jaa) and Chatchai (Jaa), engage in many jaw-dropping combats during the prison section of the movie.

It is a crime thriller that has hints of medical drama. The movie stars a stellar cast including Jaa, Jing and Max Zhang. This is the first film in the series. Kill Zone, stars Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung and also rules, but this one is not really related, so you don’t have to watch it first if you don’t want to. —Pete Volk

SPL 2, A Time for ConequencesYou can stream it on Peacock Hi-Yah! and for no cost with ads on Plex or Pluto TV.

Shadow

Image by Well Go USA Entertainment

Year: 2018
Run time: 1h 56m
Director: Zhang Yimou
Cast: Deng Chao, Sun Li, Zheng Kai

Zhang Yimou makes the most beautiful action movies anywhere in the world. Zhang Yimou’s wuxia movies showcase cinematic perfection at its best.

It is rich in political intrigues and stunning contrasts of colors. Shadow While it is in color, the film makes extensive use of black and white imagery. It’s also got one of the coolest cinematic weapons of the century — the umbrella you see above, which is made up of blades. It is one of my favorite movies of all time and an absolute feast for your eyes. —PV

ShadowYou can stream it for free on Freevee and Plex with advertisements from Crackle, Pluto TV, Crackle, Vudu, and Pluto TV.

The Swordsman

Image: Well Go Entertainment USA

Year: 2020
Run time: 1h 40m
Director: Choi Jae-hoon
Cast: Jang Hyuk, Kim Hyun-soo, Joe Taslim

The story centers around Tae-yul, a period drama about Tae Hyuk (Jang Hyuk), who is the top swordsman of the Joseon dynasty and the bodyguard for King Gwanghaegun. After being blinded in a coup attempt, Tae-yul flees with Tae-ok (Kim Hyun-soo), the king’s last surviving child, to raise her in the mountains out of harm’s way. Taeok is kidnapped by Gurutai (Joe Taslim), a Qing dynasty soldier, in a dispute between them and their local vassal. Taeyul then takes his sword and cuts a bloody swath to free her.

While the first half of the film is slow, it does contain exposition that focuses on Taeyul’s interactions with other characters. This is changed in the second half, as Taeyul skillfully cuts down his opponents with ruthless effectiveness and dance-like grace. Both the battle in the courtyard against a group of armed infantrymen and the duel between Taeyul & Gurutai are outstanding examples of action direction. If you’re looking for an engrossing and creative martial arts action drama, The SwordsmanThis fits the bill. —TE

The SwordsmanYou can stream it on Peacock You get it for nothing with ads on Vudu and Pluto TV.

The Paper Tigers

Image by Well Go USA Entertainment

Year: 2020
Run time: 1h 48m
Director: Bao Tran (Tran Quoc Bao)
Cast: Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, Mykel Shannon Jenkins

Netflix has one of the most impressive action movies, but it is also very conservative in its actions. Three former students of martial arts are reunited after the murder of their master. The Paper Tigers’ The first act of genius involves resisting any grim revenge story that might be expected from the film. Instead, writer/director Bao Tran (Tran Quoc Bao)’s film is a comedy, where the central trio of fighters are middle-aged, washed up, and barely able to pull off half of the moves they did when they were younger.

This cast of zeroes was established. The Paper TigersIt is not a tale of vengeance, but rather a story that teaches us how to accept the fact of growing old and falling apart. can’t fight as well as they used to are as fun to watch as other films’ displays of proficiency. It also signifies that The Paper TigersWith wit, charm and humor Also becomes wonderfully tense: Eventually, they’re going to have to stop bumbling and fight like they mean it. Can they do it when the time is right? —JR

The Paper TigersIt is streaming on Netflix.

Get Wheels for Your Meals

Miramax

Year: 1984
Run time: 1h 44m
Director: Sammo Hung
Cast: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao

You have many reasons to fall in love Get Wheels for Your Meals. It’s a stellar entry from a period of time where childhood friends Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao were at the heights of their martial arts comedy movie powers. It’s a genuinely funny buddy comedy with plenty of wacky hijinks. This movie has one thing that is undisputed: Jackie Chan and Benny Urquidez’s fights are among the greatest ever recorded.

Here’s a brief history of the famous Urquidez. He was one of the most influential kickboxers in history and helped to popularize the art of martial arts in America. He’s trained a number of Hollywood stars as fighters (Patrick Swayze for his role in Road House, and he’s also John Cusack’s kickboxing trainer and fought across him in Grosse Pointe Blank). But at this point in Urquidez’s career, he was much closer to his time as a legend of the ring than his time as a legend of action movies. Jackie Chan brought him in for his second film role (his debut was in Robert Clouse’s Force Five Joe Lewis, Richard Norton and Bong Sio Han were his cinematic counterparts. The challenge was what the young star of Hong Kong wanted. In Urquidez’s interview with Scott Adkins, he talks about how they made this movie. He says that Jackie wanted to challenge one of the most skilled fighters in the country. This is evident in some of most exciting fight sequences ever recorded.

If Get Wheels for Your Meals was just the one fight between Jackie and Benny — DayenuIt would have been sufficient. The entire movie, however, is a blessing. —PV

Get Wheels for Your MealsYou can stream it for free on Plex with ads from Freevee.