You know what gets our blood pumping? A great action flick. The explosions, the car chases, the high-stakes heists, the crazy fight choreography— all the hallmarks of a cinematic adrenaline rush. Live vicariously through your favorite heroes (or villains) by streaming the best action movies on Netflix, which includes movies coming in June 2020. We’ve also included a few standout thrillers and suspense movies.
Looking for even more films to stream online? We’ve found the all-around best Netflix movies, Amazon Prime movies, and movies on Hulu.
Crime
The Irishman (2019)
This story follows Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran (Robert Deniro), a former labor union official and hitman as he recalls his past. With an emphasis on the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), this biographical crime drama is worth a watch.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Main Cast: Robert Deniro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci
IMDb Rating: 7.9
6 Underground (2019)
We’re tentatively filing this new Michael Bay movie under “crime” because the characters operate outside of the law, but they aren’t exactly criminals. Ryan Reynolds plays a badass billionaire who recruits other badasses to his cause: toppling a dictatorship. The catch? This team is technically dead, meaning they all faked their deaths to operate off the grid. The action is surprisingly brutal.
Director: Michael Bay
Main Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Melanie Laurent, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
IMDb Rating: 6.1
Public Enemies (2009)
Based on true events, this biographical film follows criminal John Dillinger’s most interesting exploits, which range from bank robberies to a jail escape. It’s set during the Depression era and gives us a somewhat historical look (at least for Hollywood) at how the FBI pursues one of the more notorious names in American crime. Look for it on Netflix come May 16.
Director: Michael Mann
Main Cast: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard
IMDd Rating: 7.0
Bad Boys (1995)
Bad Boys 3 (aka Bad Boys for Life) dropped earlier this year. If you haven’t seen it yet, or you forgot some major plot points from the previous movies, catch up with Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett by watching Bad Boys 1 and 2, both streaming now on Netflix.
Director: Michael Bay
Main Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence
IMDb Rating: 6.9
The Other Guys (2010)
While we’re already talking about funny action movies, let’s chat about The Other Guys. This Will Ferrell production is as hilarious as it is action-packed, with a dash of social commentary. It’s hard to beat the opening scene. If you haven’t seen it, we won’t ruin it.
Director: Adam McKay
Main Cast: Will Smith, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Keaton
IMDb Rating: 6.6
Triple Frontier (2019)
This action-adventure movie follows a crew of ex-military Americans who plan on robbing a known cartel member and setting themselves up with the retirement funds their jobs did not provide.
Director: J.C. Chandor
Main Cast: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam
IMDb Rating: 6.4
The Night Comes for Us (2018)
This relatively recent new-noir action flick also comes from Indonesia. Ito, a deadly and powerful gangster, has a 180-degree change of heart after he rescues Reina, a young girl, from the remains of her massacred village. The resulting carnage — and there’s a lot of carnage — revolves around one man battling his former gang members to save one girl and, in some ways, himself.
Director: Timo Tjahjanto
Main Cast: Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Joe Taslim
IMDb Rating: 7.0
War
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
In an alternate history, we watch as Shosanna, a Jewish woman who lost her family, and a group of Amerian soldiers led by the quotable Lieutenant Aldo Raine, hunt Nazis and, ultimately, Hitler himself.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Main Cast: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth
IMDb Rating: 8.3
Hostiles (2017)
This western war drama is set in 1892 after nearly two decades of fighting between the U.S. and Native American tribes. The story follows a legendary Army Captain as he reluctantly agrees to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous lands.
Director: Scott Cooper
Main Cast: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi
IMDb Rating: 7.2
Comic Book
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
The second installment in the Ant-Man series takes place in the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War. As he struggles to bring balance back to his life, Scott Lang must put the suit back on once again to fight side by side with The Wasp.
Director: Peyton Reed
Main Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña
IMDb Rating: 7.1
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
As far as animated Marvel movies go, Spider-Verse is one of the best so far. In a string of parallel universes, teenager Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) finds himself becoming Spider-Man. Aided by the Spider-Men — and woman — from other timelines, he must learn to be like Peter Parker.
Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey
Main Cast: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld
IMDb Rating: 8.4
Sin City (2005)
Based on Frank Miller’s popular comics, this film follows four tales of crime. A muscular brute looking for the person responsible for the death of his gal, a man who decides to take law enforcement into his own hands, a cop who risks his life to protect a girl, and a hitman looking for cash. The black and white atmosphere provides that nice noir feel, but the rest is all action.
Directors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez
Main Cast: Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis
IMDb Rating: 8.0
Martial Arts
Ip Man (2008)
The Ip Man series is the story the real-life Chinese martial artist, Ip Man (also known as Yip Man), who is credited with bringing the practice of Wing Chun to the global stage. The three movies highlight different parts of his life, from his education in Wing Chun to the legacy of his own teaching in Hong Kong (which included Bruce Lee as one of his pupils). The Grandmaster (2013) is another interesting take on the legend of Ip Man and Ip Man 4: The Finale hit theaters in December 2019.
Director: Wison Yip
Main Cast: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam
IMDb Rating: 8.0
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
The acclaimed movie has it all: Hand-to-hand combat, swordplay, drama, romance, intrigue, and more. If you haven’t seen it yet, definitely add it to your queue. If you’ve already seen it, add it to your queue anyway; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon stands up to repeated viewings. Act fast, because it’s leaving Netflix at the end of April
Director: Ang Lee
Main Cast: Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Yang
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Bloodsport (1988)
Army Captain Frank Dux goes completely AWOL and travels to Hong Kong to become the champion of a secret martial arts contest. The fights are brutal and there’s no guarantee of survival within any of these fights. As Jean-Claude Van Dammes breakout role, this movie is a great way to dig into the action star’s roots.
Director: Newt Arnold
Main Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Avres
IMDb Rating: 6.8
Science Fiction and Fantasy
Train to Busan (2016)
Train to Busan, which hails from South Korea, is one of the more refreshing zombie films to come out in recent years. The makeup effects are convincing and the terror palpable. Watch as divorced father Seok-Woo struggles to protect his daughter and other passengers from a swarm of zombies as they all travel by train to the city of Busan, a supposed safe zone. An American remake and a South Korean sequel are both in the works.
Director: Sang-ho Yeon
Main Cast: Yoo Gong, Yu-me Jung, Dong-seok Ma
IMDb Rating: 7.5
The Matrix (1999)
This classic sci-fi film follows the story of a computer hacker (Keanu Reeves) that suddenly learns that he is actually living in a computer simulation. When a group of renegade humans manages to pull him out of the life he had become accustomed to, he realizes he has been prophesized as the chosen one to aid in the survival of mankind against the machines. We’ve found even more sci-fi movies on Netflix if you’re looking for something similar. Act fast, because the series is leaving at the end of June.
Directors: The Wachowski Brothers
Main Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
IMDb Rating: 8.7
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
This comedy movie isn’t exactly your traditional action film, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for it in the genre. The story follows Scott Pilgrim, an aspiring guitarist, as he falls for a girl named Ramona Flowers. However, to be with her, he must first defeat her seven evil exes in a battle to the death.
Director: Edgar Wright
Main Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Equilibrium (2002)
If you’re in the mood for a dystopian action drama, Equilibrium is here to deliver. Set in the middle of a totalitarian regime, peace is maintained amongst the populace with a drug that removes emotions. Books, Art, and music are all strictly forbidden and punishable by death. With some of the coolest gunfights you’ll ever see, this is a must-watch movie.
Director: Kurt Wimmer
Main Cast: Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Emily Watson
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Classics
Dirty Harry (1971)
If you’re feeling lucky, you need to watch the first movie that kicked off the series starring Clint Eastwood. It’s an iconic film that made being a dirty cop seem cool. As far as classic movies go, you don’t want to skip this one. This one is also leaving at the end of April
Director: Dong Siegal
Main Cast: Clint Eastwood, Andrew Robinson, Harry Guardino
IMDb Rating: 7.7
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The entire Indiana Jones series — the original trilogy and the less-than-satisfactory fourth installment — are available on Netflix. Obviously, you should start with Raiders of the Lost Ark, but whether you follow Indy from The Last Crusade on to The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull … well, that’s up to you.
Director: Stephen Spielberg
Main Cast: Harrison Ford
IMDb Rating: 8.4
Patriot Games (1992)
More Harrison Ford? Yes, please. Ford portrayed Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy’s famous CIA desk jockey turned spy, in two hits from the ’90s. While John Krasinski is the latest actor to pick up the character’s mantle for an Amazon Prime series, the original Patriot Games still holds up.
Director: Phillip Noyce
Main Cast: Harrison Ford, Sean Bean, Anne Archer
IMDb Rating: 6.9
Bond Binge
GoldenEye, Die Another Day, Tomorrow Never Dies, and The World Is Not Enough — all starring Pierce Brosnan as Bond — are on Netflix. What do you think about a 007 marathon? We’re not going to say that GoldenEye is our favorite, but we did include a link to where to watch below (it is our favorite).
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