Genre: Drama, Mystery
Actor: Conor MacNeill, Danielle Macdonald, Diarmaid Murtagh, Francis Magee, Greg Larsen, Jamie Dornan, Mark McKenna, Nessa Matthews, Olwen Fouéré, Victoria Haralabidou
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-packed movies available to stream now.
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Actor: Conor MacNeill, Danielle Macdonald, Diarmaid Murtagh, Francis Magee, Greg Larsen, Jamie Dornan, Mark McKenna, Nessa Matthews, Olwen Fouéré, Victoria Haralabidou
Genre: Action, Crime
Actor: Ben Yuen Foo-Wah, Chen Yi-wen, Cherry Hsieh, Ethan Juan, Gingle Wang, Huang Di Yang, Lee-zen Lee, Ming Che Lee, Nelson Shen, Peggy Tseng, Troy Liu, Yi-Jung Wu, Yu An-Shun
Director: Wong Ching-Po
There's a reason why despite little marketing and only a handful of stars to its name, The Night Agent became the most-watched series on Netflix upon its release. The show is a solid political thriller that recalls the likes of 24, Jack Reacher, and the Bourne series; beneath layers of top secrets and twists is a well-known (and well-liked) formula supercharged with pure action and thrills. It even finds a surprise star in Gabriel Basso, who provides a star-making turn as the simple but rootable Peter Sutherland.
Sure, it's not the most complex thriller out there, but The Night Agent deserves a spot on your to-watch list for the familiar rush, bingeable suspense, and impressive performances it delivers.
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Actor: D.B. Woodside, Enrique Murciano, Eve Harlow, Fola Evans-Akingbola, Gabriel Basso, Hong Chau, Luciane Buchanan, Phoenix Raei, Sarah Desjardins
Animated in every sense of the word, The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a fun and lively watch for anyone of any age. On the surface, it’s about a tech company’s AI going haywire as it turns against humans and takes over the world (an obvious and much-deserved dig at Big Tech). It also immediately stands out as an energetic and inventive film bursting with love for the animation genre.
But at its core, it's about family and learning to love them even and especially when the going gets tough. Teenager Katie and her father Rick are at that precarious moment in their relationship where everything they do seems to annoy the other, while Katie's mother Linda tries and fails and tries again to keep the peace. The Mitchells are filled with love, but they’re not quite sure how to express it to each other, and it's both funny and relatable how it takes a literal apocalypse for them to realize that. This is a family story elevated by dynamic animation and a bizarro storyline. Expect it to go off the rails in the best possible way.
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Drama
Actor: Abbi Jacobson, Adam Wylie, Alex Hirsch, Alison Rich, Andrew Morgado, Ashley Peldon, Beck Bennett, Blake Griffin, Caitlin McKenna, Charlyne Yi, Chrissy Teigen, Conan O'Brien, Danny McBride, Doug Nicholas, Elle Mills, Eric André, Fred Armisen, Greg Levitan, Grey DeLisle, Griffin McElroy, Illya Owens, Jay Pharoah, Jeff Rowe, Jim Pirri, John Legend, Juan Pacheco, Justin Shenkarow, Lex Lang, Lisa Wilhoit, Madeleine McGraw, Maya Rudolph, Melissa Sturm, Michael Rianda, Michelle Ruff, Mike Rianda, Natalia del Riego, Natalie Canizares, Olivia Colman, Sasheer Zamata, Shane Sweet, Todd Hansen, Will Allegra, Zeno Robinson
Director: Jeff Rowe, Michael Rianda, Mike Rianda
The Artful Dodger’s leads might literally come from a Charles Dickens novel, but there’s something more playful about the way it deals with its historical social issues. Where Oliver Twist would change his fortune with fairytale-like goodness, former pickpocket Jack Dawkins aims to carve it out through quick amputations, which give him some status, though no wealth, and gambling bets, which risks his limbs. While the narrative isn’t as complex as the social criticism Dickens is known for, the series is undeniably entertaining with its novel approach, even if it pokes fun a little too often at the actual horrific hygiene practices of the 1800s.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Damon Herriman, David Thewlis, Maia Mitchell, Miranda Tapsell, Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Director: Jeffrey Walker
You just wouldn't expect yet another superhero show from The CW to carry the sort of emotional weight typically reserved for prestige melodramas, but Superman & Lois gets close. In contrast to recent darker portrayals of the Man of Steel, this series allows Clark Kent to remain a nerdy, wholesome dad, whose greatest challenges come from the problems he can't solve with his powers. In fact, some of the superheroics only slow the show down from doing what it does best: navigating different relationships within the Smallville community, exploring various conflicts that can still pop up in a loving marriage, and looking at how Clark and Lois's kids deal with the secrecy around having (or not having) powers.
Strong, character-focused writing and mature, measured performances help put Superman & Lois above a number of its superhero contemporaries. It still falls victim to cheesy situations and occasional stretches of monotony (especially in the second season), but its dedication to human drama over action set pieces and expanding its lore makes it easy to be moved by their most personal problems. This is what DC has needed all this time.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Alex Garfin, Chad L. Coleman, Dylan Walsh, Elizabeth Tulloch, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Sofia Hasmik, Tayler Buck, Tyler Hoechlin, Wolé Parks
With Marvel and DC monopolizing the superhero landscape with high budgets, big-name actors, and CGI graphics, Shin Kamen Rider feels like a breath of fresh air. Also known as Shin Masked Rider in other territories, the adaptation recalls the campy costumes and over-the-top action of the original 70s tokusatsu series. It’s fun, if a little bit silly, and slightly unhinged, albeit with a more modern polish. The bizarre action sequences tend to be paired with old 70s rock, blood oversplashing, motorcycle stunts, and exaggerated expressions, especially from the villains. It’s a fitting love letter for the series’ 50th anniversary.
Genre: Action, Drama, Science Fiction
Actor: Kanata Hongo, Ken Yasuda, Masami Nagasawa, Mikako Ichikawa, Minami Hamabe, Mirai Moriyama, Moriyama Mirai, Nanase Nishino, Nao Ōmori, Shinya Tsukamoto, Shuhei Uesugi, Sosuke Ikematsu, Suzuki Matsuo, Takumi Saitoh, Tasuku Emoto, Tori Matsuzaka, Toru Nakamura, Toru Tezuka, Yutaka Takenouchi
Director: Hideaki Anno
While it might not be the most inspired story featuring the titular caped crusader—nor is it a particularly Christmas-y tale—Merry Little Batman still stands out just for how bright and warm its versions of these characters are. In this Gotham, crime is literally pushed aside for once, and that odd sense of holiday isolation takes over for the heroes and villains of the city. It's all pretty silly when you give it more thought, but the film wholeheartedly embraces its tone, resulting in a Home Alone-esque adventure that moves briskly and is loaded with great visual gags and throwaways zingers. It could stand to have a more substantial emotional center, but for what it is, this is consistently entertaining holiday viewing for all ages.
Genre: Action, Animation, Comedy, Family
Actor: Brian George, Bumper Robinson, Chris Sullivan, Courtenay Taylor, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams, David Hornsby, Dolph Adomian, Fred Tatasciore, James Cromwell, Keith Ferguson, Luke Wilson, Michael Fielding, Natalie Palamides, Reid Scott, Roger Craig Smith, Yonas Kibreab
Director: Mike Roth
Genre: Action & Adventure
Actor: Aju Makita, Kengo Kora, Kento Kaku, Tae Kimura, Yosuke Eguchi
Genre: Drama, War
Actor: Alex Høgh Andersen, Charlotte Munck, Dar Salim, Dulfi Al-Jabouri, Petrine Agger, Pilou Asbæk, Pilou Asbæk, Søren Malling, Søren Malling, Tuva Novotny
Director: Tobias Lindholm
Remakes are a dime a dozen, but Prime Video’s Spanish reinterpretation of Zorro gives justice to the masked vigilante. With the sword fights, the vengeance, and the romance, the ten-episode series sticks close to the swashbuckler’s origin story, but explores certain nuances of the era that haven't been a focus, until now. This Zorro is more involved with the people of Los Angeles, not just the Spanish colonial inhabitants, but also the Native Americans, and he fights against the injustice that they face. It makes for a more grounded adaptation than the ones previously, but Zorro still feels just as exciting in this rodeo.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama
Actor: Andrés Almeida, Chacha Huang, Cristo Fernández, Dalia Xiuhcoatl, Elia Galera, Emiliano Zurita, Joel Bosqued, Luis Tosar, Miguel Bernardeau, Paco Tous, Peter Vives, Renata Notni, Rodolfo Sancho
Genre: Animation
Actor: Koki Uchiyama, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Ryota Suzuki, Shoya Chiba, Yuichi Nakamura, Yuma Uchida
With an accounting mistake leading to being stranded in the desert, it’s hard to predict where VIVANT would lead us to. As corporate employee Yusuke tries to undo his supposed accounting error, he gets into a series of surprising events including having to negotiate with a terrorist, being accused of a bombing, and escaping to a Japanese embassy… and that’s just in the first episode. But rather than feeling overly complicated, the story feels exciting, like something akin to a spy thriller, with its large-scale sets, multi-country stakes, and the mystery of a secret organization. Vivant feels totally unexpected and out of left field, but it’s definitely a unique and entertaining watch.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Fumi Nikaido, Hiroshi Abe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Masato Sakai, Tori Matsuzaka
Director: Katsuo Fukuzawa
The Outfit doesn’t need to do a lot to be as sleek and surprising as it is. In fact, much of the film takes place in a single place while consisting of only a few (albeit memorable) characters. It’s deceptively simple, but the tricks it hides up its sleeves are plentiful and pleasurable. It’s a well-made and even better-performed gangster movie. Led by a quietly powerful Mark Rylance (who plays Leonard, the tailor with hidden depths), the actors are serious enough to lend it gravitas but easygoing enough to make it light on its feet.
All in all, The Outfit is an agile action film with twists that will keep you at the edge of your seat right till the very end.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Dylan O'Brien, Johnathan McClain, Johnny Flynn, Mark Rylance, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Scoop Wasserstein, Simon Russell Beale, Zoey Deutch
Director: Graham Moore
As is sometimes the case with multi-genre shows, Paper Girls starts off slow and gives us a lot to process at the onset. But if you give it some time, the eight-episode series delivers both on the sci-fi and drama fronts. Sure, it could benefit from a bigger CGI budget, but the world it imagines about timekeepers and time benders is inspired and intriguing, certainly worth exploring as much as we do the lore behind shows like Doctor Who and Loki.
That said, the series is at its best when it centers on its mundane leads, the titular paper girls. The conversations they engage in and the epiphanies they have are gut-wrenching, not only because of their sentiment but also because of their truth. These 12-year-olds are confused and anxious and awkward and lonely—preteen girls on the brink of adolescence. The show doesn’t shy away from those qualities and parallels their volatility with sci-fi elements. The result is a nicely balanced story, equal parts thrilling and touching. It’s the perfect watch for people who enjoy fares like Back to the Future, E.T., and Stranger Things, which are themselves perfect blends of the sci-fi and coming-of-age genres.
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Science Fiction
Actor: Adina Porter, Fina Strazza, Riley Lai Nelet, Sofia Rosinsky