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If you're in the mood for intense thrills, nothing beats an action film. Alongside a variety of genres like horror, sci-fi, documentaries, and dramas, Netflix offers an impressive collection of adrenaline-pumping titles. Check out 15 of the best action-packed movies currently available for streaming.
1. Bullet Train (2022)
Brad Pitt and Aaron Taylor-Johnson star in this vibrant action flick about a Japanese bullet train full of assassins, many of whom are targeting the charming 'Ladybug' (Pitt). The movie is based on Kotaro Isaka's 2010 novel Maria Beetle, which wasn't translated into English until 2021.
2. Non-Stop (2014)
Liam Neeson stars as an air marshal aboard a flight, attempting to stop an anonymous killer who threatens to murder passengers unless his ransom demands are met. Joel Silver, the producer, is also behind another classic suspense film: the 1988 thriller Die Hard.
3. Cliffhanger (1993)
Sylvester Stallone landed one of his biggest non-Rocky or Rambo successes as Gabe Walker, a mountain climber turned rescuer. After a tragic incident, he is forced to face his fears when a gang led by John Lithgow demands his help to navigate dangerous terrain with stolen money. Despite his fear of heights, Stallone overcame it, eventually standing on a peak 13,000 feet high.
4. RRR (2022)
Don’t be put off by the three-hour runtime — this action-packed masterpiece from India is worth every minute. In this explosive Telugu-language sensation, two revolutionaries, Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan), join forces to fight against British colonial rule. While these characters are based on real historical figures, their thrilling adventures in this larger-than-life epic are purely fictional. This 'Tollywood' blockbuster is now the most-watched Indian film on Netflix and was the most expensive film ever made in India at a staggering $69 million. From CGI tigers to electrifying dance sequences, it’s a visual feast.
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5. The Raid: Redemption (2011)
Director Gareth Evans made a name for himself with this high-energy action thriller, where a cop (Iko Uwais) must battle his way through increasingly perilous floors of a building to escape the wrath of a ruthless drug cartel. The concept for the film was sparked by Evans’ experience working on a documentary about the martial art Silat. It was also how he met Uwais, a Silat practitioner who was working as a delivery driver at the time.
6. Clear and Present Danger (1994)
Harrison Ford reprises his role as Jack Ryan, a character he first portrayed in 1992's Patriot Games. (Alec Baldwin originally played Ryan in 1990’s The Hunt for Red October.) This time, Ryan faces off against both the CIA and a drug cartel. The Tom Clancy novel the film is based on had to be adapted, as Ryan barely appears in the first half of the 700-page story.
7. Gamer (2009)
Gerard Butler finds himself trapped in a virtual game where players control real-life humans. The studio initially considered titles like Game God and Citizen Game before ultimately choosing Gamer as the final name.
8. The Old Guard (2020)
Greg Rucka adapted his own graphic novel about a team of immortal mercenaries, with Charlize Theron portraying the leader, Andy. A sequel has already been completed.
9. The Ice Road (2021)
Liam Neeson continues his reign as a seasoned action hero in this gripping thriller, where he plays a truck driver who embarks on a perilous journey to deliver rescue supplies across frozen terrain in order to save miners running out of oxygen. Neeson revealed that to prepare for his role, he shadowed a real truck driver and watched a few episodes of Ice Road Truckers.
10. Extraction (2020)
Chris Hemsworth stars in this intense Netflix original, playing a mercenary who ventures into Bangladesh to rescue the kidnapped son of a drug kingpin. The screenplay was penned by Joe Russo, co-director of several Marvel films, including 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Although it may appear to stray from the comic book world, the film is in fact based on the Ciudad comic co-written by Joe Russo with his brother, Anthony Russo, and Ande Parks, with illustrations by Fernando León González.
11. Triple Frontier (2019)
A close-knit group of former soldiers plan to steal the fortune of a drug lord hiding out in South America as their personal retirement fund. However, the heist leads them into moral and physical chaos, with actors like Ben Affleck, Pedro Pascal, and Oscar Isaac among the crew. Director J.C. Chandor shared that Tom Hanks was initially set to star but later backed out, feeling that the role was not suited to his age.
12. Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Arnold Schwarzenegger solidified his Hollywood star power in this adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s pulp stories. Although Schwarzenegger was originally meant to narrate the film, the producers decided his thick accent made it unfeasible.
13. Heat (1995)
Michael Mann’s gripping action thriller about a bank robber (Robert De Niro) engaged in a tense cat-and-mouse chase with a determined cop (Al Pacino) is often hailed as one of the standout films of the 1990s. The plot is inspired by a real encounter between Mann’s friend, Chicago detective Chuck Adamson, and the criminal Neil McCauley. Mann later wrote a novel sequel, Heat 2, which he intends to adapt into a movie.
14. Wheelman (2017)
Frank Grillo stars in this intense action-thriller where he plays a getaway driver who prefers to leave the dirty work to the criminals who hire him. When a heist goes wrong and a mysterious caller orders him to reroute the stolen money, Grillo’s character must navigate the city streets while dealing with a dangerous web of betrayal. The production itself was just as fast-paced: After Grillo read and liked the script, filming began within a month.
15. Black Hawk Down (2001)
A mission to rescue U.S. soldiers in Somalia spirals out of control, leaving the men stranded behind enemy lines. The film is based on the true events described in Mark Bowden’s 1999 book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War.
