10 best Netflix original action movies that’ll keep you glued to the screen

Since its inception as one of the premier streaming services, Netflix has been home to some of the best and most iconic action flicks of the past decade.

From big blockbusters that attracted massive viewership to the more under-the-radar gems, these ten action movies are the finest Netflix has to offer.

The 10 best action films on Netflix right now

10. The Big 4

From the phenomenal action director Timo Tjahjanto, The Big 4 is just one of the many action films the filmmaker has produced for Netflix. However, unlike his other movies, The Big 4 is as much comedy as action.

The story revolves around four former assassins who emerge from retirement to help a cop solve a mysterious murder. While boasting Tjahjanto’s trademark brutal combat and fight choreography, The Big 4 has an air of lightheartedness and charm that helps it stand out from Netflix’s other offerings in the action genre.

9. Extraction

Regarding the most “popular” action movie on Netflix, Extraction is undoubtedly in that conversation. The Chris Hemsworth-starring flick made quite a splash when it was released in 2020. While it may not be without shortcomings, it’s a cut above the rest.

As the title suggests, Extraction follows Tyler Rake (played by Hemsworth), a mercenary tasked with rescuing the kidnapped son of a jailed crime lord. While Hemsworth gives a solid performance, director Sam Hargrave's action sequencing and filming make Extraction well worth a watch.

8. The Decline

While Netflix’s action collection is dominated by primarily American movies, they’re hardly the only offerings Netflix has filled its genre library with. In the case of 2020's The Decline, Canada was the home country of a quality action picture.

From director Patrice Laliberté, The Decline tells the story of Antoine, a paranoid man who joins a survivalist training program in rural Nord-du-Québec. What follows is a tale of intrigue, suspense, and dynamic filmmaking. The less said, the better; it’s best to just watch the film without prediction.

7. Havoc

Gareth Evans is arguably one of the greatest action filmmakers of all time. His masterful Raid franchise is often cited as one of the best action movies ever. As such, any subsequent work by the director will face hauntingly insurmountable comparisons.

2025’s Havoc is far from a flawless movie and doesn’t come close to the perfection Evans once achieved. However, it’s still a great and high-octane action film, with Evan’s direction as sharp and vivid as ever. Havoc is an easy recommendation when coupled with multiple powerful performances spearheaded by Tom Hardy.

6. Spectral

The 2016 sci-fi action flick Spectral was initially supposed to be released in theaters under Universal, but was shelved for unknown reasons. Then Netflix came along and scooped up the movie to be released exclusively on their platform. Suffice it to say, Universal fumbled the bag.

Spectral is set in a war-plagued Moldova, where invisible entities start appearing and unleashing annihilation on both sides. Starring James Badge Dale, Max Martini, and Emily Mortimer, it is smooth science fiction action excellence that’s as visionary as it is thrilling.

5. Carry-On

Not all action films are cut from the same cloth. Many may be the edge of your seat and in-your-face, constant thrill rides, but others are more quaint, focusing on smaller-scale stories. Carry-On is one such movie that is as much a bottled thriller as an action movie.

Starring Taron Egerton, who delivers a fantastic performance, Carry-On follows Ethan Kopek. On Christmas Eve, the young TSA officer is forced to permit a nerve agent to be let onto an airplane. As one can assume, the rest of the story is full of suspense, with each moment filled with that uneasy feeling of impending doom that makes Carry-On a riveting watch.

4. The Shadow Strays

Timo Tjahjanto is back again, this time with a film more typical of Indonesian action cinema, which has become one of the best sub-genres in filmmaking. Releasing in 2024, The Shadow Strays takes everything that’s great about the action and crime genres and combines them into something truly special.

The film focuses on a young assassin played by Aurora Ribero who is suspended after botching a job. She then finds herself in the company of an eleven-year-old boy whom she develops a protective fondness for. As one might expect with Tjahjanto in the director’s chair, The Shadow Strays is violent, striking, and utterly masterful in every aspect of filmmaking.

3. Rebel Ridge

Director Jeremy Saulnier’s style is atypical of most directors. His stories tend to be more particular, with a touch of satirical dark edge and excessive brutality that is both hard to stomach and impossible to look away from. In comparison, his latest feature film, Rebel Ridge, is a rather straightforward narrative compared with his previous works.

A former US Marine, Terry Richmond (portrayed by Aaron Pierre), finds himself facing off against a corrupt police force in an attempt to bail out his imprisoned cousin. When combining Pierre’s magnificent performance and Saulnier’s slickly shrewd direction, Rebel Ridge is just a solid piece of action cinema well worth anyone’s time.

2. The Night Comes For Us

The first of Timo Tjahjanto’s Netflix action movies is his best work and easily one of the finest action films of the 2010s. Featuring everything that makes the Indonesian action style so awesome and an all-star cast, The Night Comes For Us has so much going for it.

Boasting three of the most accomplished action performers around in Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, and Julie Estelle, The Night Comes For Us is a riveting display from the opening scene to the end credits. Following a former crime enforcer turned guardian of a young girl, The Night Comes for Us is hard-hitting and superbly constructed in every facet.

1. The Killer

David Fincher is unquestionably one of the modern masters of filmmaking. His imprint is seen in his collection of iconic movies and across the entertainment media. So it’s hardly surprising that it would be an excellent adaptation when he decided to turn Alexis Nolent’s French graphic novel into a movie for Netflix.

The Killer stars Michael Fassender as the main assassin who, after screwing up up a hit, goes on a killing spree against the very people who hired him. While it may not be as grandiose as other action films, its skillful precision makes The Killer so good. Every performance, every shot, every scene is designed with utmost finesse and brilliance. It's a bona fide action classic.