161 Best Action Movies to Watch (Page 11)

If you’re in the mood for on-screen fighting and high-speed chases, you’ve come to the right genre. From crime thrillers to sci-fi and comedys, here are the best action movies available to stream now.

Read also:

151. The Abyss, 2023

Not to be confused with James Cameron’s 1989 film, The Abyss isn’t the worst disaster film, but it could have been so much more. Inspired by the earthquake that actually happened in the real life town of Kiruna, there’s an important story here about worker safety, responsible mining, improving emergency protocols, and preserving the environment. However, like plenty of disaster movies, the film plays out in the most predictable ways, attaching a frankly irrelevant family drama that takes time away from the terrifying, claustrophobic nightmare that could have been. It does have decent effects, and even some decent scenes, but The Abyss is more interested in using the real life earthquake to manufacture drama, rather than actually looking into the manmade disaster.Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Actor: Angela Kovács, Edvin Ryding, Felicia Truedsson, Jakob Hultcrantz Hansson, Jakob Öhrman, Kardo Razzazi, Katarina Ewerlöf, Peter Franzén, Tintin Poggats Sarri, Tuva Novotny
Director: Richard Holm
Rating: R

Read also:

152. Spy Kids: Armageddon, 2023

The Spy Kids movies have always been knowingly corny, which hasn't changed for this latest installment—it's just that it also has an odd lack of color and personality to its generic action movie shenanigans. This is especially disappointing given the film's focus on video games, which it only seems to understand in their most surface level terms. And because there's a lack of definition in the movie's rules and logic, the plot progresses without any weight or sense of mounting excitement. These are just people going through the motions toward some unclear message about the value of honesty and kindness, which never really factor into the actual adventure and keep the status quo firmly unchanged.

Genre: Action, Action & Adventure, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Science Fiction

Actor: Billy Magnussen, Connor Esterson, D.J. Cotrona, Everly Carganilla, Gina Rodriguez, Jersey Johnston, Joe Schilling, Neal Kodinsky, Patricia Vonne, Solar Dena Bennett, Zachary Levi

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Rating: PG

Read also:

153. Role Play, 2024

After a strong first act that has lots of fun playing with fake identities donned by its characters (and with a particularly entertaining supporting turn from Bill Nighy), Role Play slows down significantly and only ends up spinning its wheels. In its attempt to inject some more drama into the central relationship between Anna (who goes by Emma with her family) and Dave, the film articulates itself awkwardly, overemphasizes the obvious, and loses precious time for the plot develop in interesting ways. By the third act, Role Play practically teleports itself into entirely new circumstances, where the emotional stakes are neither high enough or clear enough to begin with.

Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance

Actor: Angus McGruther, Bill Nighy, Connie Nielsen, Cornell Adams, David Oyelowo, Dominic Holmes, Erkan Sulcani, Jade-Eleena Dregorius, Jonathan Failla, Julia Schunevitsch, Kaley Cuoco, Lucia Aliu, Moritz Berg, Reagan Bryan-Gudgeon, Rudi Dharmalingam, Simon Delaney, Sonita Henry, Stacy Thunes, Steffen Jung, Stephanie Levi-John

Director: Thomas Vincent

Rating: R

Read also:

154. The Equalizer 3, 2023

While at first it seems like this third installment in Antoine Fuqua's series of Denzel Washington star vehicles is setting itself up to be a more serious and thoughtful story of personal absolution, it gradually becomes clear that The Equalizer 3 has no story to tell. Very, very little happens in this movie, and all the time we spend with Washington (still somehow compelling, even when he's on autopilot) drinking tea and chatting with locals doesn't lead to any character relationships worth caring for. Fuqua and screenwriter Richard Wenk seem to want to create a sense of familiarity with this Italian town, through which we should ideally see the things Robert McCall grows to value in his violent life. But even the prettiest landscapes (shot by Robert Richardson) can't make up for how empty and misjudged the writing is.

There are approximately two short action scenes in The Equalizer 3, neither of which has the clockwork precision of the fights in the first film, or the environmental inventiveness of the climax of the second film. And while an action movie can aspire to something beyond its action, the fact that this installment has abandoned it completely is a genuinely perplexing choice.

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller

Actor: Adolfo Margiotta, Agostino Chiummariello, Andrea Dodero, Andrea Scarduzio, Arcangelo Iannace, Beatrice Aiello, Bruno Bilotta, Dakota Fanning, Daniele Ornatelli, Daniele Perrone, Danilo Capuzi, David Denman, Dea Lanzaro, Denzel Washington, Diego Riace, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Gaia Scodellaro, Gianluigi Scilla, Giovanni Scotti, Lucia Zotti, Luigi Catani, Marco Giuliani, Mariarosaria Mingione, Marta Zoffoli, Mauro Cremonini, Melissa Leo, Niccolò Senni, Remo Girone, Salvatore Ruocco, Simona Distefano, Sonia Ammar, Valerio Da Silva, Zakaria Hamza

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Rating: R

Read also:

155. Jagun Jagun: The Warrior (2023)

It would be unfair to focus only on Jagun Jagun's obvious budget limitations (relative to the blockbusters churned out from the United States), when there's clearly still much creativity at work here. Impressively lived-in production design, solid fight choreography, and a go-for-broke lead performance by Lateef Adedimeji ensure that there's always something worth looking at—not an easy feat when a movie is constantly looking for the most cost-effective ways to pull off its admittedly complex vision.

Unfortunately, the choppiness of the filmmaking here really just catches up with the movie's sincere attempts at storytelling; inconsistent sound, poor editing, and lots of awkward staging make Jagun Jagun more of a chore to watch than anything. And it doesn't help that the story they're telling—while compelling in its broad strokes of revenge, betrayal, and the endless cycle of war—often gets caught up in scenes that lack momentum. We're lucky to be able to see more African films on major streamers, but this is one that still seems to be trying to imitate an established style instead of finding its own voice.

Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy

Actor: Bukunmi Oluwashina, Femi Adebayo, Ibrahim Yekini Itele, Lateef Adedimeji, Odunlade Adekola

Director: Adebayo Tijani, Tope Adebayo

Read also:

156. Bionic, 2024

The premise is really exciting to jump into: Paralympic domination feels original, but the cartoonish crime underbelly is not at all the best wrinkle to add to the initial idea. The sports and family drama side of the action feels grounded, full of heart, and far from being fleshed out to a satisfying degree. In contrast, the dark world side of the action has a Hollywood emptiness to it, which is ironic because the premise is heavy enough on its own, only to be overcrowded by this sci-fi noise. It could do without a lot of the elements, but maybe all the bloat is intentional to move the story away from a political conversation and into a safer albeit uneventful one.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction

Actor: Bruno Gagliasso, Christian Malheiros, Danton Mello, Erika Januza, Gabz, Guta Ruiz, Jessica Córes, Klebber Toledo, Miguel Falabella, Nill Marcondes, Paulo Vilhena

Director: Afonso Poyart

Rating: R

Read also:

157. The Thundermans Return, 2024

Though it'll likely have more to offer for those who enjoyed the original Nickelodeon series that ran from 2014 to 2018, The Thundermans Return still does mournfully little with its feature length. There are some promising ideas here relating to what one's responsibility should be as members of a family, but any heart in the story is buried underneath weak attempts at action and painfully stilted humor—which is only made worse by the laugh track running through much of the film. Even in the oversaturated arena of American superhero movies, this one doesn't have relatable enough characters for teenagers and older kids to relate to, nor does it have enough mindless, poorly shot action for the younger kids.Genre: Action, Action & Adventure, Comedy, Family, Kids, Science Fiction, TV Movie
Actor: Adam Kulbersh, Addison Riecke, Anushka Rani, Aubrey K. Miller, Audrey Whitby, Brady Amaya, Brandon Papo, Brittany Bardwell, Chevonne Hughes, Chris Tallman, Christina Correll, Christina Offley, Dana Snyder, Daniele Gaither, Diego Velázquez, Fletcher Sheridan, Guy Moon, Harvey Guillén, Helen Hong, Jack Griffo, Jake Borelli, James Hong, Jamie Kaler, Jamieson Price, Jeff Meacham, Jennifer Hale, John Sanders, Kenny Ridwan, Kira Kosarin, Laura Louise, Malcolm Foster Smith, Maya Le Clark, Michael Wayne Foster, Paul F. Tompkins, Robin Atkin Downes, Rosa Blasi, Tanner Stine, Valerie Loo
Director: Trevor Kirschner

Read also:

158. Confidential Informant, 2023

Despite a solid premise that should lead to compelling drama—about men scarred by war and the morally grey inner workings of the police—Confidential Informant devolves into a half-baked thriller that's as dull as its title. Flat direction, a lack of connective tissue between scenes, and an unfortunately visible lack of production resources suck the life out of the script and from the actors' performances. There's clearly a foundation to be built upon here, but the film makes a crucial mistake in trying to have its cake and eat it too: it wants to deliver all the (unsatisfying) thrills of an antihero police procedural, but it just doesn't have the money or the creativity to do this, on top of being a character drama. And so any tension that it tries to build up deflates by the end, its characters nothing but hollow shells, stuck in a story that that never gives them a chance to be anything more interesting.

Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller

Actor: Arielle Raycene, Dominic Purcell, Erik Valdez, Jon Lindstrom, Kate Bosworth, Meadow Williams, Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl

Director: Michael Oblowitz

Rating: R

Read also:

159. Millennial Hunter (2023)

Satire or not, 70 minutes of jokes about demographic cohorts is a lot to sit through. But if it is satire, it only leans into exaggeration. There is no irony or humor, and there's definitely no commentary on anything substantial. And a boomer dad going on a millennial killing spree would only be a funny premise for a 5-minute short, which this film, unfortunately, isn't. And although it's set in the modern day, the generalizations and jokes feel tired, dated, and uninspiring. Yes, there's inter-generation beef, and some of it is ridiculous, but a little commentary on why the divides exist would have made up for the lack of chuckles and saved us all some time.

Genre: Action, Animation, Comedy

Actor: Carmen Christopher, Chris Parnell, Eudora Peterson, Rachel Pegram, Sam Taggart

Director: Sam Taggart

Read also:

160. Colonials, 2024

Filmmaking is a difficult thing. And there are countless filmmakers—the directors of this film included—who have strong ideas and just need the right time and support to have their vision realized. But there's no other way around it: Colonials was not ready to leave the pre-production phase, much less ready to be released on streaming. Non-existent production values, embarrassing visuals, unfinished sound design that leaves most of the actors muffled and unintelligible, incoherent world building, dumb action, and terrible performances—there really isn't anything worth checking out here. That the film has the gall to tease a potential sequel feels cruel.Genre: Action, Science Fiction
Actor: Allie Ayers, Daniel Roebuck, Greg Kriek, Jamie Bernadette, Jennifer Willis, Jeremy John Wells, Jon Provost, Louise Barnes, Mike Ferguson, Sean Kanan
Director: Andrew Balek, Joe Bland

Read also:

161. Sheroes, 2023

There is a germ of an idea here, and executed well, Sheroes had the potential to be camp and crude and unapologetically fun in the way only films about female friendship can be (see: Girls Trip, Booksmart, Bridesmaids). Instead, with what looks like a negative production budget and zero commitment from the cast, the resulting film is unwatchably bad. The needle drops are excessive, the cinematography is straight out of a stock image site (what a waste of Thailand’s vibrant beauty!), and the acting, if you can call it that, is wholly unbelievable, with perhaps Isabelle Fuhrman and Skai Jackson standing out as the only exceptions. The chemistry of these so-called friends feels canned, making their montages of supposed fun look stiff and stilted. We’re supposed to believe these girls who can’t even hug right are friends? They’re out here dipping in the pool and sipping beers while thinking of ways to save their tied-up-in-the-middle-of-nowhere friend, so again I ask, we’re supposed to believe they're best friends? Let’s be real, because this film surely isn’t.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime

Actor: Isabelle Fuhrman, Jack Kesy, Joseph Angelo, Kelly B. Jones, Prinya Intachai, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Sasha Luss, Skai Jackson, Wallis Day

Director: Jordan Gertner

Rating: R

Read also:

1 … 7 8 9 10 11