Now that you've burned your way for all of the horror movies various streaming series have to offer--including our favorite monster, alien, slasher, and cosmic horror films--what's there to watch next? Obviously, it's time to dig through a long list of worthwhile action films.
While you're stuck at home, what better way to get your blood pumping than with a series of over-the-top, explosion-packed movies, full of car chases, shootouts, ridiculous stunts, and some of the most iconic performances of all time? What kind of world would this be without Bruce Willis in Die Hard or the Fast & Furious franchise?
Take a look below at the 34 best action movies you can stream right now, and where they're available. And you're in luck, because many of the entires also have sequels streaming for your enjoyment.
And speaking of things you should be watching, consider listening to GameSpot's weekly TV series and movies-focused podcast, You Should Be Watching. With new episodes premiering every Wednesday, you can watch a video version of the podcast over on GameSpot Universe or listen to audio versions on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and Apple Podcasts.
1. The Matrix Trilogy
Streaming on: Netflix
The game-changing movie from 1999 is available on Netflix right now and is always worth revisiting, even 21 years later. The sequels are also on the service, but we watched them again and can't really suggest you do the same.
2. 6 Underground
Streaming on: Netflix
6 Underground is a Netflix original film that finds director Michael Bay at peak-Michael Bay. It's filled with explosions, graphic violence, ridiculous car chases, and snappy dialogue. There's also probably a plot in there somewhere, buried beneath the mayhem and Ryan Reynolds making Deadpool-esque jokes.
3. Extraction
Streaming on: Netflix
Extraction is produced by Avengers: Endgame directors the Russos and stars Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth. What else do you need to know? The action-thriller casts Hemsworth as a mercenary that's been hired to rescue the kidnapped son of a drug lord. You can stream this one exclusively on Netflix.
4. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Streaming on: Netflix
No, this movie isn't regarded as highly as The Terminator, T2: Judgement Day, or even 2019's Terminator: Dark Fate. However, this underappreciated entry in the killer robot franchise is fun to watch and worth your time. Why not spend a couple of hours with it on Netflix?
5. Angel Has Fallen
Streaming on: Netflix
You might not have noticed it, but 2013's Olympus Has Fallen spawned a franchise of movies and the latest--and arguably best--is currently streaming on Netflix.
6. Minority Report
Streaming on: Netflix
What happens when you drop Tom Cruise into a futuristic techno-action movie? Minority Report sees the Mission: Impossible star playing a cop in the future, during a time when crime can be predicted ahead of time. This one's streaming on Netflix.
7. Snowpiercer
Streaming on: Netflix
It's Captain America vs. a train full of rich people! Chris Evans stars as a lower-class passenger on a train circling the globe that just so happens to be carrying what's left of human existence. He helps lead a rebellion against the upper-class passengers as he battles his way to the front of the train. Yes, it's weird. Yes, it's fantastic. Snowpiercer is streaming on Netflix now.
8. Blade Runner
Streaming on: Netflix
The Harrison Ford-starring Ridley Scott classic that inspired an equally great sequel almost 30 years later is just as good today as it was in 1982. For noir-tinged sci-fi action, it doesn't get better than this. And the version streaming on Netflix is the so-called "Final Cut," which some fans consider the definitive edition.
9. Inception
Streaming on: Netflix
Christopher Nolan's mind-bending 2010 blockbuster sees a star-studded cast (Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, and more) infiltrating targets' dreams in order to plant ideas in their minds. The deeper they get, the harder it is to escape. Maybe the whole thing makes as much sense as a fever dream, and maybe that's deliberate--either way, worth watching again.
10. Indiana Jones Quadrilogy
Streaming on: Netflix
Why watch just one Indiana Jones movie when you can watch them all? The adventures of Dr. Henry Jones Jr. are all streaming on Netflix, just waiting for you. That said, if you want to skip the fourth one--Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull--we get it.
11. Lethal Weapon
Streaming on: Netflix
Mel Gibson isn't such a popular guy these days, but that wasn't always the case, and the original Lethal Weapon is the height of his action stardom. Gibson, Danny Glover, and Gary Busey star in a peak late '80s action film (before the '90s came in and cheesed everything up, not that there's much wrong with that).
12. Inglourious Basterds
Streaming on: Netflix
Quentin Tarantino's World War 2 epic is filled with brutal violence, foul language, and revisionist history. Essentially, it's exactly what you'd expect from Tarantino.
13. Spenser Confidential
Streaming on: Netflix
Mark Wahlberg and Black Panther's Winston Duke star in this recent action mystery about a former police detective investigating a murder in Boston's criminal underworld. We haven't watched it yet, but it's streaming on Netflix and it sounds Scorsese-esque enough to warrant checking out.
14. Mortal Kombat
Streaming on: Netflix
Test your might! Yes, the 1990s Mortal Kombat movie can be silly, but it's also packed with great action and happens to be a blast to watch. There's a reboot on the way and while it may be a great movie, chances are it won't be as fun.
15. Bad Boys I and II
Streaming on: Netflix
If you saw Bad Boys For Life earlier this year before society ground to a halt, chances are it's one of your favorite movies in recent memory. Here's some good news: The first two movies in the '90s action franchise are streaming on Netflix. You're welcome.
16. The Other Guys
Streaming on: Netflix
A pair of desk jockey detectives played by Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg get tossed into the deep end in this 2010 action comedy streaming on Netflix. Cameos from Samuel L. Jackson and The Rock make it shine.
17. National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Streaming on: Disney+
More of Nicolas Cage's wackier action movies need to be available for free streaming. However, you can watch both National Treasure films right now and marvel at how easy it is to steal things like the Declaration of Independence and the President of the United States. Both films are on Disney+.
18. Kill Bill, Vol. 1 and 2
Streaming on: Hulu
As far as raw action goes, it doesn't get much better than Quentin Tarantino's two-part kung-fu revenge epic Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2. If you haven't checked them out in a while, read along with our lists of can't-miss Easter eggs--one for Kill Bill 1 and another for the sequel.
19. Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Streaming on: Hulu and Amazon Prime
It may come as a surprise to you that all of the Mission: Impossible franchise isn't streaming for free somewhere. Still, the biggest and most ridiculous installment in the series, Fallout, is on both Hulu and Amazon Prime ready for you to get lost in right this second. Watch out for those stunts.
20. I Am Legend
Streaming on: Amazon Prime
As far as post-apocalyptic action movies go, I Am Legend is surprisingly understated, especially considering the fact that it stars the king of one-liners Will Smith. Based on the 1954 novel by horror and sci-fi author Richard Matheson, I Am Legend also features a very good dog. Go stream it.
21. Logan Lucky
Streaming on: Amazon Prime
This 2017 heist movie came from "writer" Rebecca Blunt (who probably doesn't actually exist) and director Steven Soderbergh, who crafted it as a hillbilly-fied version of his Ocean's movies. The result is fantastic, not least due to a stellar cast that includes Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Seth MacFarlane, Hilary Swank, Daniel Craig, and many more.
22. District 9
Streaming on: Amazon Prime
Neill Blomkamp's sci-fi action movie District 9 has complicated DNA, part indie, part found footage, and part Halo. It's unique as far as alien invasion movies go, transforming aliens arriving over the South African city of Johannesburg into an effective metaphor for class inequality.
23. Die Hard 1-3
Streaming on: HBO Now
The first three Die Hard movies are all iconic action movies on their own. As a trilogy, though, it's hard to pass on the films that feature Bruce Willis as a cop in seemingly impossible circumstances time and time again. Do yourself a favor and binge all three, then forget parts 4 and 5 ever happened.
24. John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum
Streaming on: HBO Now
You can't go wrong with the John Wick series. The third entry has some of the most outlandish scenes yet, both in the action and the worldbuilding departments (Wick's trip into the desert is as strange as it gets). But naturally, it also has Keanu Reeves and incredible action.
25. Upgrade
Streaming on: HBO Now
This underappreciated action gem from 2018 saw Logan Marshall-Green (who is not Tom Hardy) get a smart AI cybernetic implant that takes over his body and makes him really, really good at fighting. It's melodramatic and predictable, but also awesome.
26. Alien and Aliens
Streaming on: HBO Now
Whether you prefer the sci-fi horror of Alien or the more hoo-rah action of Aliens, both movies are streaming on HBO Now. Or, do what we do: Watch both Ridley Scott's original and James Cameron's sequel.
27. Fast Five
Streaming on: HBO Now
At this point, you're either fully invested in the Fast franchise, or you've probably never seen a single one. By the time the series hit entry number 5, the action was full on, balls out insane. Most notably, Fast Five introduced the world to Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs, and we all know how that's turned out so far.
28. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Streaming on: HBO Now
What happens when you remove Dom and his family from the Fast & Furious franchise? The Rock and Jason Statham trying to out mock each other, of course. Hobbs & Shaw puts the frienemies on their own adventure together and--spoilers--there's still plenty of car chases and over-the-top stunts.
29. Armageddon
Streaming on: HBO Now
This is the classic film that asks an important question: Is it easier to teach oil drillers to be astronauts or astronauts to drill a hole in the ground? The answer may surprise you as you watch Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck float through space for some reason.
30. True Lies
Streaming on: HBO Now
This Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis action comedy from 1994 was directed by James Cameron in the filmmaker's heyday (before he got distracted trying to make like, 19 Avatar movies at once for the past decade). If you've never seen it, it's definitely worth checking out.
31. Stuber
Streaming on: HBO Now
2019's Stuber starred Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista in an action comedy that casts the former as an Uber driver who gets mixed up in more than he can handle. If this movie's excellent gag reel doesn't make you want to watch it, nothing will.
32. Total Recall
Streaming on: Tubi (ads)
Total Recall may be often remembered at this point for a certain well-endowed alien, but in 2020, 30 years after its release, Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi action thriller holds up for its twisty plot and wonderfully cheesy Schwartzenegger action.
33. Gone in 60 Seconds
Streaming on: Vudu (ads)
With a cast that includes Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Christopher Eccleston, and more, you can't go wrong with this classic 2000 heist film.
34. Road House
Streaming on: Vudu (ads)
As far as Patrick Swayze action movies, it doesn't get much better than Road House, the story of a bouncer protecting a small town bar from big business. One reason: P. Sway's shirtless, oily Tai Chi. You're welcome.
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