15 Best Action Movies On Netflix To Watch Now (May 2024)

I have spent countless hours scouring Netflix’s vast action catalog, and let me tell you, there are some absolute gems that deserve to be seen by more people.

Sure, you have got your big franchises like The Raid, The Old Guard, and the Jurassic World films that deliver the kind of thrills you would expect. 

But the real treasures lie in the underrated, under-the-radar titles that pack just as much of a visceral punch.

Considering that I have picked 15 action gems currently available on Netflix that will definitely satisfy your craving for die-hard action and thrill.

Let’s explore some action flicks on Netflix that deserve more credit. 

Top Action Thrillers On Netflix To Watch In 2024 (Overview)

Your craving for super thrilling action movies on Netflix ends here. Here are our 15 picks filled with excellent fight scenes and robust action that you must watch. 

1. Dune

The first on my list, Dune, is an epic sci-fi and action movie available on Netflix.  

Dune follows the Atreides family as they are on stewardship over the desert planet Arrakis. It is the only source of the most valuable drug, “Spice.” 

But this family gets betrayed, and the lead character, Paul, and his mother get stranded in the brutal desert. 

I loved how the director, Denis Villeneuve, crafted the stunning visuals throughout the movie. The colossal sandstorm scenes of Fremen culture are just awesome. 

The movie might feel confusing at first, but as you go ahead, I am sure you will not leave it without watching the end. 

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson

Best Action Scene: Paul must kill Jamis to be accepted by the Fremen and gain their trust and respect. As Jamis says, “There is no yield, only death.” This adds incredible tension to the violent duel.

2. Sniper Reloaded

Into some military action? Well, this one has the top-notch and satisfying action scenes. 

Brandon Beckett, an elite sniper in the Navy SEALs, has been tasked with rescuing a European farmer named Jean van Brunt, who’s trapped in hostile rebel territory.

When Brandon and his team arrive at the farm, they get attacked by a mysterious sniper. 

Brandon teams up with Richard Miller, and they try to track down the sniper Vincent “The Italian” Masiello. There are a few well-executed sniper duel scenes that really ramp up the tension.

The movie culminates in a satisfying showdown between Brandon and Masiello, with some impressive long-range shooting sequences. 

Cast: Chad Michael Collins, Billy Zane, Annabel Wright, Patrick Lyster

Best Action Scene: You will love the opening ambush sequence where Brandon Beckett’s Marine Squad is pinned down and systematically picked off one by one by the mysterious, skilled sniper. 

3. The Grey Man

Who wouldn’t love the action chemistry of Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans? The Grey Man follows the Court Gentry, a former convict recruited by the CIA to become a skilled assassin codenamed “Sierra Six.”

The movie takes an intense turn when Six’s latest mission goes sideways after he discovers that his target is another Sierra operative. He reveals that there is rampant corruption within the CIA’s higher ranks, led by a shady operative, Denny Carmichael. 

Well, I would say it’s an impressively choreographed sequence filled with intense gunfights, fistfights, daring stunts, and explosions. The Russos really went big on the spectacle and destruction.

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick

Best Action Scene: The crazy fight scene between Six and Hansen’s goons on an airborne plane that’s going down. It’s a brutal, claustrophobic brawl as Six tries to fight off the assassins in the tight confines of the plane’s interior while it’s violently spinning and breaking apart around them.

4. Code 8 Part 2

Code 8: Part II picks up around 5 years after the events of the first movie. Connor Reed is out of prison and trying to live a normal life. He starts working as a janitor at a community center run by Mina. 

However, his attempt at staying out of trouble gets derailed when he crosses paths with 14-year-old Pav.

Pav witnesses her brother Tarak being brutally murdered by a corrupt police sergeant, “King” Kingston, and his new robotic K9 units. Just like the first Code 8, this sequel brings intense, well-choreographed action from start to finish. 

Cast: Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Sung Kang, Kyla Kane

Best Action Scene: I loved the opening attack on Tarak as he tries to escape from Garrett’s goons and the K9 units through the streets and buildings. 

5. Venom

So this 2018 flick is based on the Marvel Comics character Venom. The story starts with Eddie Brock, who’s an investigative journalist down on his luck after screwing up big time.

Then, there is Drake, who has discovered alien symbiotes during a space mission. These symbiotes need to bond with a human host to survive on Earth. 

And guess what? Eddie ends up bonding with one of these symbiotes. I don’t want to spill the whole beans, but you will just love the twists and intense action fights ahead.

Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate

Best Action Scene: The wild scene where the huge motorcycle chases through the streets of San Francisco. Venom is tearing through cars, pulling insane stunts on the bike, and using his stretchy abilities in wild ways.

6. Top Gun Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick takes place over 30 years after the events of the original Top Gun film. Tom Cruise reprises his iconic role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. He is a highly decorated naval aviator who has purposefully avoided promotions to stay in the air as a test pilot.

He’s called back to TOPGUN to train a group of elite pilots for a specialized mission to bomb a renegade nation’s unsanctioned uranium enrichment plant. Among the trainees is Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Maverick’s late friend “Goose.”

There’s tension between Maverick and Rooster, who blames Maverick for his father’s death. Well, what happens next? You will definitely wanna see it!  

Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm

Best Action Scene: The final mission itself is a masterclass in tension, with the pilots having to navigate surface-to-air missiles, fifth-gen enemy fighters, and the treacherous canyon terrain. In one harrowing scene, Maverick’s jet is hit, and he’s forced to eject behind enemy lines.

7. John Wick 3

This third John Wick movie really takes the action up several notches! The storyline picks up right after the events of Chapter 2, with John being excommunicated and declared excommunicado by the High Table for his actions. 

This puts a hefty $14 million bounty on his head, with every assassin gunning for him. He forms an uneasy alliance with the mysterious Bowery King, the underground ruler of the city’s underworld.

Together, they take on the High Table – the shadowy international assassin’s guild that Wick used to work for.

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne

Best Action Scene: I loved the scene of the knife fight between Wick and the formidable Zero in a hallway of glass display cases. John takes on these twin assassins in a lengthy, brutal battle where everything from knives to axes to more exotic blades gets used. The details of the choreography are just mind-blowing.

8. 13 Hours

Based on the 2012 Benghazi attack, the movie follows a team of six ex-military operators hired as private security contractors protecting a covert CIA compound in Libya.

When the compound is attacked by Islamist militants, the team disobeys stand-down orders and goes against protocol to try and save their comrades.

John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, and the rest of the cast give fantastic performances as the heroic contractors. You really feel the strong bond between these warriors who put their lives on the line for each other and their countrymen.

Cast: John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, Pablo Schreiber, Max Martini

Best Action Scene: The extended 13-hour siege at the CIA base is a masterclass in realistic, hard-hitting action. The contractors have to fend off waves of heavily armed militants with dwindling ammunition and resources. 

9. Birds of Prey

Well, this one is my favorite one. The movie takes place after the events of Suicide Squad, with Harley Quinn newly single after breaking up with the Joker. 

She gets caught up in a convoluted plot involving a young pickpocket named Cassandra Cain, who swallows a diamond containing encoded accounts for a vicious crime lord known as the Black Mask.

What I loved is how the movie embraces Harley’s unrepentantly zany, fourth-wall-breaking antics. The fight choreography is wildly creative, like when she takes on a bunch of goons using her signature baseball bat as well as her pet hyena!

Cast: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez

Best Action Scene: After Black Mask kidnaps a young family, the Birds of Prey crew has to stage an assault on the Gotham City police station he’s using as a hideout. This leads to an awesome, extended fight that demonstrates their teamwork as they cut through Mask’s security detail with lethal efficiency.

10. Fast & Furious 8

Dominic fan? Well, this 8th sequel definitely keeps things over the top and ridiculously action-packed! 

The storyline kicks off with Dominic Toretto turning his back on his family and going rogue after being coerced by this brilliant cyber-terrorist Cipher. Her leverage over him is something deeply personal that I won’t spoil.

The chase crisscrosses the globe from Havana to the Arctic Barents Sea as they try to stop Cipher from unleashing a deadly virus.

Cast: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham

Best Action Scene: The centerpiece has to be the crazy zombie car sequence in the Arctic. As Cipher hacked the crew’s cars one by one, they took on a mind of their own and started attacking the team in a relentless onslaught. 

11. The Equalizer 3

The story kicks off with McCall living a quiet life in Italy, trying to move on from his former life as a CIA black ops agent. But he gets violently pulled back in when members of his old team start getting systematically hunted down one by one by a mysterious assailant.

Soon, McCall realizes the attacks are retribution for an off-the-books assassination mission years ago that went horrifically wrong. 

Determined to protect the few remaining members of his old crew, he returns to the States to settle the score.

Cast: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Melissa Leo

Best Action Scene: The standout has to be the extended battle through the winding streets and stairwells of Naples. 

12. Da 5 Bloods

Da 5 Bloods follows four aging African American veterans – Paul, Otis, Eddie, and Melvin – who reunite decades after the Vietnam War. 

They dub themselves the “Bloods,” both for their skin color and their unbreakable brotherhood forged in battle.

The Bloods return to modern-day Ho Chi Minh City with a daring mission – to find the remains of their revered squad leader, Norman, who was killed in action. They also discover the gold bars they stole during an ill-fated CIA operation. 

But this isn’t just a treasure hunt. The Bloods are still haunted by the trauma and injustice of being asked to risk their lives for a country that treated them as second-class citizens. 

Cast: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis

Best Action Scene: When they have to fight against other soldiers, it’s intense and scary.

13. Real Steel

This sci-fi sports drama takes place in the near future where human boxing has been replaced by robot boxing. 

You will meet  Charlie Kenton, a former boxer who now operates a run-down robot fighter. Things take an unexpected turn when Charlie’s estranged 11-year-old son, Max, comes into his life.

Max discovers an old sparring robot named Atom in a junkyard and convinces Charlie to give it a chance. Against all odds, Atom starts winning fights with Max controlling its movements using a unique “shadow mode” that mimics human boxing moves.

But what really makes Real Steel special is the heart and the emotional journey that Charlie and Max go through. 

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie

Best Action Scene: One of the most intense fights is against the formidable Twin Cities robot, where Atom is nearly destroyed before making a comeback by mimicking Charlie’s classic boxing moves. 

14. Triple Frontier

Well, here is something if you are into army fights. Triple Frontier follows a group of five former U.S. Army Delta Force operators who reunite for one last high-stakes heist. 

The mastermind is Santiago “Pope” Garcia, a private military advisor working in Colombia. He gets intel from an informant about a drug lord named Lorea, who keeps $75 million in cash at his remote jungle hideout. 

The action really kicks into high gear when the team starts executing their heist. What I loved about Triple Frontier is how it explores the darker side of the heist and what greed does to these men.

Cast: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund

Best Action Scene: The part where they escape in the helicopter is full of tension.

15. The Harder They Fall

The Harder They Fall is a must-watch for fans of the Western genre and action movies alike. This Western revenge story is about outlaw Nat Love seeking revenge against the man who killed his parents years ago. 

The film is notable for its predominantly Black cast, including Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, and LaKeith Stanfield, among others. 

Nat rounds up his gang, including his love interest, Stagecoach Mary, to take down the ruthless Buck and his crew.

Well, Nat is a compelling anti-hero, driven by his traumatic past with Buck, while Buck himself is a charismatic yet menacing villain you can’t help but be drawn to.

Cast: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King

Best Action Scene: Wait till the final showdown. It is an excellent fight in the town of Redwood, with the gangs engaging in an all-out war. 

Final Thoughts

Alright, let’s wrap this up! I have listed excellent action flicks streaming on Netflix right now. 

My top recommendations? Well, the John Wick sequences alone make them worth the price of a Netflix subscription. And for some newer action hotness, check out Dune and Fast & Furious 8.

Of course, you classic action fans can’t go wrong revisiting The Grey Man, Top Gun Maverick, and The Equalizer sequel. True all-timers that still hold up today.

No matter what you pick, Netflix has you covered when you need that action fix. 

Stay tuned for the fresh list of action movies on Netflix. Happy streaming, action junkies!