With Netflix's library changing and updating on a monthly basis, movies come and go from the service.
With that in mind, here's the best action movies on Netflix as of right now.
'Wanted'
Timur Bekmambetov might be more interested in screenlife movies now - that's those movies completely set on a computer screen - but once upon a time, he made absolutely whacked-out action movies with Angelina Jolie and James MacAvoy. 'Wanted' might not be everyone's cup of tea, but you can't deny the cracking choreography or the over-the-top action it provides for. Just look at this.
'Underworld'
It wasn't always so that vampire stories were romances or vehicles for thinly-veiled religious themes. Once upon a time, vampire movies were ridiculous action rampages where people wore lots of leather. 'Blade' was one, and 'Underworld' was the other. Kate Beckinsale led a cast of reliable British actors in this absolutely daft-but-entertaining horror-actioner that had way too many slow-motion moments, but also had a cracking early aughts metal soundtrack. If you're in the mood for some nostalgic silliness, this is as good a turn as any.
'Black Hawk Down'
Up there with some of the best of his later work, Ridley Scott directs this Hollywoodised retelling of the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, wherein two US helicopters were shot down in the Somali city and eventually resulted in a bloody skirmish that lasted for nearly 24 hours. The ensemble cast includes Ewan McGregor, William Fichtner, Tom Sizemore, Jason Isaacs, Eric Bana, Josh Hartnett, a pre-fame Tom Hardy, and Sam Shepard in his Hollywood phase, but it's really Ridley Scott's sharp direction that pulls the whole thing together.
'John Wick: Chapter Two'
Although we can't deny that the first 'John Wick' started it all and has an elegant simplicity to it that's worth preserving, 'John Wick: Chapter Two' had some excellent sequences and the continuation of the story felt genuinely earned. The expanding cast hold their own against Keanu Reeves, with Common and Ruby Rose more than able to tussle with Baba Yaga. The final hall of mirrors scene is just spectacularly well-edited.
'Constantine'
Speaking of Keanu Reeves, one movie he did that never got the flowers it deserved was 'Constantine'. Based on the comic of the same name, Reeves played the role with all of the cynicism intact and featured a rich cast of diverse talent. Without a doubt, Peter Stromare turning up as the Devil himself in the final scene to steal the whole thing out from underneath everyone is a highlight. Take a look.
'End of Watch'
Found-footage is usually just kept to horror movies and supernatural thrillers, but 'End of Watch' managed to take the genre and place it inside a standard cop action movie. It helps, of course, that you've got the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Frank Grillo, and Anna Kendrick in the cast and a strong air of authenticity about it. Gyllenhaal and some of the cast went on twelve-hour ride-alongs with the LAPD. Gyllenhaal even witnessed a murder during a drug bust on one of his ride-alongs. Anyway, the action is solidly plotted and shot, and the found-footage concept works well. It's surprising it hasn't been duplicated since, but maybe it's just because cops and body-cams conjures up different ideas nowadays?
'RRR'
Although you initially associate Bollywood with big sweeping romances and musical numbers, there's been quite a few action movies over the years from the Indian subcontinent that have been worth watching. 'RRR', however, is the first to truly break through and cross over with Western audiences. Taking in elements from the armed revolutions against British colonialism in India and the early independence movement, not to mention folklore and fantasy, 'RRR' is utterly mad-cap action on a scale that the likes of John Woo and Michael Bay could only hope to achieve.
'Heat'
Michael Mann's magnum opus pairs Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro in a fight to the death across the sprawling metropolis of '90s Los Angeles. If you've never watched 'Heat' before and you're always wondering why we're going on about all the time, just do us all a favour and go watch it. You will not regret it, and if you do, come back and we'll give you a full refund. If nothing else, you'll get to see Al Pacino at his best and most wilded-out.
'Rush Hour'
It's a crying shame that Jackie Chan's most notable work with mainstream audiences is 'Rush Hour', because the fact is he's done incredible work prior to this and after it. Still and all, 'Rush Hour' is a cracking mid-nineties action comedy and while it might aged horribly in some parts, it's still got enough charm and verve to keep you coming back to it.
'The Last of the Mohicans'
It's about the closest you'll ever see acting legend Daniel Day-Lewis coming to doing an action movie, but honestly, when it's this good, he probably doesn't need to repeat himself. Michael Mann again directing an action classic, this time with a historical sweep to it as it takes in the French and Indian War of the 1750s. The swirling music, the gorgeous cinematography, Day-Lewis' towering performance all matches the spectacular action setpieces to create one of the finest historical action movies of all time.
