The 50 best action movies you can stream right now

“Extraction” is a brand-new action movie that hit Netflix this year. Chris Hemsworth stars as a man on a mission...a very violent mission. Apparently people are eating it up on Netflix, so if you want to see what the fuss is about, check it out.

All three of the “John Wick” films are available, but you have to start with the first one. While we warn you that there is a downer of a scene involving a dog, after that it becomes a really slick, violent action film. Keanu Reeves kills it in the lead role, and he also kills a ton of dudes during the film. You can stream it on demand with Sling, the USA app or the Fubo app.

You may know it as “Live, Die, Repeat” because there was an attempt to rebrand it after it was released. Tom Cruise is a great action star, but this movie is a twist on his usual persona. Cruise doesn’t play a real hero; he plays a reluctant guy who finds himself in a loop where every time he gets killed he returns to a point in the past and does it all over again. Think of it as a violent “Groundhog Day.” “Edge of Tomorrow” is also on the USA app.

“The Nice Guys” is a lot of things. It’s a period piece. It’s a buddy comedy. However, it’s also an action film about two men, an enforcer and a private eye investigating a missing person’s case. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are great in this funny, unflinching action flick. Check it out on HBO.

When movies based on a YA series were all the rage, “The Hunger Games” was at the top of the heap. There ended being four films, but “The Hunger Games” starts off the series. It also helped turned Jennifer Lawrence into a true movie star. See it all begin with the Freeform app.

Did you see Best Picture winner “Parasite?” Well Bong Joon-ho has some action movies to his name as well. “Snowpiercer” has an insane premise about all of humanity living on a train perpetually traveling around the world. It’s a bonkers movie, but if you liked “Parasite,” give it a shot on Netflix.

It’s been a while, but “Jurassic Park” still holds up. The dinosaurs don’t look ridiculous, even though CGI technology has improved a lot. Plus, the storytelling is just really sharp in Steven Spielberg’s epic blockbuster. “Jurassic Park” is on the Freeform app as well.

There was reason for skepticism about a new “Jumanji” movie without Robin Williams over 20 years after the original. And yet it worked out so well. “Welcome to the Jungle” is much more of an action flick than the first, as we see the people actually in the game. One of them is Dwayne Johnson, so you know it’s an action film. You can watch it with the FX app or on demand with Sling.

Kurt Russell is one of the kings of the action movie, especially in the ‘80s. This sci-fi action film takes place in a dystopian future where New York has been turned into a prison. When the president is kidnapped, Snake Plissken, an inmate, has to save him or die trying. You can watch “Escape From New York” on Peacock.

As an action movie, there may be no better film than “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” It’s a rollicking adventure with laughs and iconic moments. It helped turn Harrison Ford into an even bigger star. He was already Han Solo, but Indiana Jones is his own thing. Steven Spielberg did it again. Give it a watch on Netflix.

You can catch a bunch of the James Bond films streaming, and they offer you different flavors of action film. Some are cheesy and campy, but the Daniel Craig ones are quite serious. His first film in the series is “Casino Royale,” which helped revitalize interest in Bond after the final Pierce Brosnan movie. Craig’s first Bond adventure is on HBO and DirecTV.

Even if you haven't seen the first three "Mad Max" movies, you can still check out "Fury Road." It stands on its own, or rather races headlong on its own. There are few action movies as propulsive as this one. It feels like it never lets up until the very end. Witness with ads with TNT on demand.

Tom Cruise’s first “Mission: Impossible” movie came out way back in 1996. Over 20 years later, Cruise made the sixth film in the series and is somehow doing even crazier stunts. Cruise has been an action star for years, but he hasn’t slowed down at all. “Fallout” isn’t just all big stunts, though. It’s a solid action movie. Check it out on Amazon Prime or Hulu.

Do you like a good car chase? Well “Ronin” has one of the more underrated car chases in film history. It’s not a great movie, or an action classic, but it definitely has its supporters. After all, it stars Robert De Niro, and like we said, it does have those car chases. You can watch it on Amazon Prime, or for free with ads on Tubi.

Tom Cruise is back again. There’s a lot of crazy sci-fi stuff in this film. It’s about a dystopian future where people are arrested for committing future crimes, but can the system be gamed? That’s what Cruise is forced to face. “Minority Report” can be watched on Showtime or Fubo.

“Alien” is a cramped horror movie. “Aliens” is a big, bombastic action film. That’s what happens when James Cameron takes over as the director. A lot of people prefer Cameron’s action film to the original, though. It’s on HBO and something called EROS.

“Game Night” is a kind of a throwback action comedy about people in over their heads. Some average folks think they are partaking in a game night, but in fact the action they are seeing is real. So are the bullets. You can watch it with a Cinemax subscription through Amazon.

“Tombstone” is based on some real folks, including Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. It also features an indelible Old West moment: the gunfight at the OK Corral. The best reason to watch “Tombstone” is to see Val Kilmer as Holliday. You can see that bonkers performance with a Showtime subscription.

James Cameron once again turns a sequel to a horror movie into an action film. In this one, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator isn’t the villain but the hero. Also, Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor is now much tougher — which is lucky, because the villain is made of liquid metal. Come with me and watch “Judgment Day” on Showtime if you want to live.

Kudos to Christopher Nolan for getting a trippy blockbuster made and doing it based on an original idea. It’s easy to have all sorts of crazy action moments and fight scenes when the movie mostly takes place in dreams. You can’t always wrap your head around it, but the action is all there. Stop dreaming and watch “Inception” on Netflix or with the TNT app.

Zombie movies tend to be horror films, and “Train to Busan” is definitely that. However, the Korean movie is also an action film. The humans in the movie aren’t just holed up in a house. They are on the run from a zombie horde, and it’s interesting to see a Korean take on the zombie film. You can watch “Train to Busan” all over the place. It’s on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hoopla, and Shudder, or you can watch it with ads on Vudu, Tubi, or Crackle.

What do we need to say? This is one of the seminal action films. It changed the genre. It turned Bruce Willis into a star. It made Alan Rickman a household name. Even if you’ve seen “Die Hard” a dozen times before, you know you want to watch it again. You can do it with HBO or DirecTV.

“District 9” briefly made us believe Neill Blomkamp was the next big director. It’s an action film that got Oscar love. Made without stars, the film is part mockumentary, part traditional action film. Aliens have come to Earth and have been placed into a ghetto in South Africa. This doesn’t work out for either side, and something has to give. “District 9” is on Netflix.

What if children stopped being born? What would the world devolve into? That’s where “Children of Men” begins, but then something incredible happens. Clive Owen stars as a man who has to reluctantly protect the future of humanity. There’s also an incredible one-shot fight scene. “Children of Men” is on Showtime, Fubo, and DirecTV. Don’t watch it with your kids.

Oh, you know, just a movie starring “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as a man in a world where aliens have infiltrated all positions of influence, and you can see their real form only with magic sunglasses. A tale as old as time. John Carpenter’s film is pared down quite a bit. You don’t see fight scenes like the one between Piper and Keith David. If you like your action films gritty, though, “They Live” delivers. Consume it on Starz. 

Batman had gotten campy, and not in the fun ‘60s way, thanks to Joel Schumacher. Christopher Nolan took over and made Batman grittier than he had ever been in the world of film. Even the fun of Tim Burton’s movies was gone. That makes Nolan’s series the best as action movies, though. The first of the bunch is “Batman Begins,” and you can see it on Hulu.

We were supposed to see a sequel to "Top Gun" in 2020, but instead we will have to wait to see Maverick back in the cockpit. Until then, the original Tom Cruise vehicle is still here for us. Just brace yourself for what happens to Goose. Take the highway to the danger zone on Amazon Prime or Hulu.

This film isn’t technically part of the MCU, so we included it. Also, it’s good to get an animated action movie on the list. Worlds collide, literally, as multiple spider people, and also one Spider-Ham, find themselves in the same universe. The stylization is wild, and the movie is funny and exciting in equal measure. Enter the Spiderverse on Netflix.

Submarines are so cramped, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good action film involving a sub. Jack Ryan has never seen his cinematic universe really take off, maybe because, like, four different people have played him in movies. Here, though, Alec Baldwin plays him in his action star prime, and Sean Connery is also excellent, even if he does play a Lithuanian with a surprisingly Scottish-sounding accent. No need to hunt for “The Hunt for Red October.” It’s on Showtime and Starz.

Eventually, Harrison Ford would play Jack Ryan. Here, though, he’s Dr. Richard Kimble, a man on the run after being wrongfully convicted of murder. On his tail is Tommy Lee Jones, who won an Oscar for his performance. Join the chase with Showtime or DirecTV.

Tony Scott makes frantic movies, oftentimes too frantic. “Enemy of the State” is really kinetic, and it can feel like overload. However, it’s a political thriller starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman. That carries a lot of weight, especially since Hackman retired from acting so many years ago. Check it out on Cinemax’s app or DirecTV.

Speaking of Hackman, he stars, and excels, as Popeye Doyle in “The French Connection.” This is the rare action movie to win an Oscar for Best Picture. Oh, and it’s definitely an action movie, and it features maybe the most iconic car chase ever. Check it out on Starz.

It seems like a bad idea to get too close to a massive tornado in real life. Fortunately, we can live vicariously through “Twister.” Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt lead an impressive cast of storm chasers, including a flying cow that has become pretty iconic in and of itself. Chase the storm with DirecTV or on Fubo.

Of course we’re talking about the original. Did anybody bother with the remake? How can you improve upon Keanu Reeves as an FBI agent going undercover among bank robbers, who also love extreme sports, led by Patrick Swayze? Simply put, you can’t. “Point Break” is on DirecTV.

The TV show “21 Jump Street” was a pretty straightforward action procedural about undercover cops. The movie takes that premise, adds a heaping helping of comedy and gives the action a big-movie budget. It’s a clever enough parody that also works as an action film. You can watch it with Starz or the USA app.

Apple TV+ is still trying to get in on the whole original content thing. They got a few Emmy nominations, and one win, for "The Morning Show," and now they have their first notable exclusive movie as well. That would be "Greyhound," a World War II military thriller starring Tom Hanks. Hey, if Hanks is involved it can't be too bad.

You could call "Crawl" a horror movie, but it also definitely has some  action elements to it. There's a bit of a monster movie element to it,  but the monster isn't like, say, "The Meg." No, it's a cadre of gators  that are threatening a woman and her dad during a storm. It's an all  killer, no filler flick that's definitely worth a watch on Amazon Prime  or Hulu.

Edgar Wright made his bones in England riffing on pop culture with his TV show “Spaced.” He became a known name in the United States with his riff on zombie films with “Shaun of the Dead.” Well “Hot Fuzz” is basically his take on a Michael Bay action flick. It has all that bombast but with a heaping helping of irony and commentary. Check it out on Starz or DirecTV.

We might not call the second volume of Quentin Tarantino's movie an "action" movie, but "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" definitely is. It's also extremely violent, naturally, and features a lot of references to other movies. If you like kung fu films at all, or the movies of Bruce Lee, you'll notice a lot of homages in this story of revenge. You can watch  it on Sling, or on Pluto TV with ads.

After co-directing “John Wick,” David Leitch decided to try and do the same thing with Charlize Theron. There’s more backstory and depth to “Atomic Blonde,” which is a period piece espionage film. Don’t worry, though. There’s still plenty of fighting, violence and gunplay. Oh, and a pretty killer soundtrack. “Atomic Blonde” is on Sling and the FX app.

Gina Carano was a recently retired MMA fighter. Steven Soderbergh decided he wanted to see what would happen if he made her the star of an action movie, didn’t have her say much and surrounded her with talented actors she could beat up. The result was “Haywire,” which works more than it doesn’t. Carano’s starring debut is on Netflix, but it’s also for free with ads on Tubi and Pluto TV.

Pop quiz hot shot: Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock are on a bus that  can't go below 50 miles per hour or it will explode. Dennis Hopper chews  scenery as the villain. What do you do? You watch "Speed" on USA or  Sling, obviously.

“Midnight Run” is one of the best buddy comedies, but it’s also a good action film. The story is simple. Robert De Niro is a bounty hunter. He picks up Charles Grodin, who skipped bail after stealing money from the mob. De Niro has to get him back to L.A. — if he doesn’t get so annoyed with Grodin that he kills him first. In their cross-country journey we get a ton of action, making this an excellent action comedy. Be sure to watch it on Cinemax or DirecTV, or else you may end up unpopular with the Chicago police department.

Jake and Elwood Blues are musicians, but for musicians they do a lot of damage. Their primary goal is to save the orphanage they grew up in. Along the way they get in an awful lot of car chases and car crashes. Basically everybody is chasing after them, but they still find time for musical performances from the likes of Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. Watch it on Sling.

Ang Lee knows how to make a beautiful movie. While “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” was never going to win Best Picture 20 years ago — the Academy wasn’t ready for that — it still got a ton of love. After all, the martial arts fight scenes are incredible. The “wire fu” of the movie has to be seen to be believed. To stream it, check it out on CBD or IMDbTV with ads.

“Independence Day” is super cheesy and far from a great movie. It’s also dumb fun to watch over the summer. After all, aliens blow up the White House. That still looks crazy. Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith star. Bill Pullman gives a stirring speech. Randy Quaid is surprisingly good. When the Fourth of July is approaching, there are worse movies to watch. Have some summer fun watching “Independence Day” on demand with Sling.

Any movie in the original Jason Bourne trilogy is worth a watch, but if  you haven't seen them you need to start with the first one. Hell, if you  just want to watch one of them, "The Bourne Identity" is the best of  the bunch regardless. Matt Damon starts in the frenetic, kinetic action movie about an elite assassin with amnesia.

James Mangold is the master of the modern Western. His most famous is “Logan,” which is basically Marvel meets “Shane.” “3:10 to Yuma” is a remake of a largely forgotten film, but if you watch Mangold’s take with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, you won’t forget it. The storytelling is just so riveting. Get ready to grip your seat while watching it on Peacock.

You can skip the remake, but you shouldn’t skip the original “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.” Walter Matthau plays a man trying to thwart the hijacking of a subway car. Robert Shaw is the ringleader of the criminals. Oh, and if you ever wanted to see the face of Wilson from “Home Improvement," he plays one of Shaw’s squad as well. Watch it with Hoopla.

We end with a movie that’s just pure action. Basically every scene is either a fight or a car chase. Burt Reynolds stars as a man with a simple goal: Get some beer from Texas to Atlanta, breaking liquor laws, in 28 hours to win a bet. Hey, whatever excuse you need for some fancy driving. “Smokey and the Bandit” is available with Starz and Fubo.