Movies provide us with an escape from reality and the opportunity to become immersed in realms that provide us with something that the actual world lacks. Rom-coms allow us to explore our inner romantics while also providing the comfort of knowing that a happy ending is assured. Horror films and thrillers allow us to live vicariously via peril without actually being in danger.
Films based on science fiction and fantasy may transport us to alternate realms or perhaps universes. Action movies, of course, allow us to fantasise what life would be like if there were more excitement, adventure, and, of course, explosions.
After all, nothing can beat the adrenaline rush of pure action cinema — big blockbuster films chock-full of snappy fight scenes, dramatic chase sequences, suspenseful shoot-outs, and explosions that cover every inch of the screen.
Here are the best choices to select from if you’re jonesing to see a great action movie.
1. The Casino on Amazon Prime
Director
Martin Scorsese
Star Casts
Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci
IMDb Rating
8.2/10
For all of its violence and tragedy, this is a beautiful and exuberant movie. This thriller on Netflix has a relentless soundtrack of jazz and classic rock and moments of humor and goodwill. A very popular Mafia movie The casino is superbly acted and quite astonishingly obsessive about detail, money, and the mob's decline. Greed, deception, money, power, and murder reign in this thriller movie which illustrates the dark realities of a casino gangster. A must watch if you loved watching Casino Royal.
Image Courtesy: Comingsoon.net
2. Wonder Woman 1984 on Amazon Prime
Director
Patty Jenkins
Star Cast
Gal GadotChris PineKristen Wiig
IMDb Rating
6.4 /10
The follow-up to the massive 2017 box office (& cultural zeitgeist) hit comes finally to HBO Max after sitting on the shelf for a couple of years (one year was due to the pandemic to be fair) w/a lot of fanfare but not much else when it comes to this project as a whole. We find Diana, again played by Gal Gadot, prowling the streets of DC meting out her justice under the radar (in the opening action sequence where a bunch of jewel thieves are taken down by Wonder Woman but makes sure to take out any surveillance cameras) & living a solitary life working as an art curator still pining away for the love of her life Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine.
Image Courtesy: Comingsoon.net
3. Tenet on Amazon Prime
Director
Christopher Nolan
Star Cast
John David WashingtonRobert PattinsonElizabeth Debicki
IMDb Rating
7.4/10
Tenet is an exhilarating and mind-boggling movie to watch. It's about a secret agent who embarks on a dangerous, time-bending mission to prevent the start of World War III. The film is perfectly paced, the actors bring a fluid confidence that assures the audience that at the very least the characters understand "inversion" (even if we don't fully), and the cinematography and score also hold up their weight alongside the driving narrative. Christopher Nolan is a master of lateral thinking and has set up the audience to believe in the non linear pattern as the new normal, he is the David Copperfield of Cinema.
Image Courtesy: Deenofgeek
4. Pirates of Caribbean- Salazar's Revenge on Hotstar
Director
Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
Star Cast
Jhonny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem
IMDb Rating
6.5/10
A great movie with an interesting storyline. It does an especially good job at preserving the iconic mysterious and adventurous vibe and the not-so-witty (but dead funny) humour we've all fallen in love with the Pirates of the Caribbean for. Pirates Of The Caribbean 5- Salazar's Revenge/ Dead man tells no tales is the second best film of Pirates Of The Caribbean Franchise. Because it contains a great storyline, great ending, great scenes, and a strong villain. In this film we got to see the back story of Jack Sparrow. So, go on this final voyage. The seas might get a bit rough but the pirates won’t rob you of a good time.
Image Courtesy: Medium
5. The Finest Hours on Hotstar
Director
Craig Gillespie
Star Cast
Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster
IMDb Rating
6.8/10
Based on a true story of one of the greatest sea rescues by a small coast guard boat, four men risk their lives to cross the Chatham bar in a February blizzard pushing huge surging seas to rescue seamen trapped on one-half of a tanker. Chris Pine does a great job in the role of Bernie Webber who, against all odds, takes his volunteer crew to the rescue of 32 doomed men. A heart wrenching action movie online which is of an amazing rescue that depicts the bravery and dedication of all sea-going men and the horrifying dangers of a turbulent sea under the thrall of a menacing winter storm.
Image Courtesy: The Atlantic
6. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time on Hotstar
Director
Mike Newell
Star Cast
Jake Gyllenhaal, Doug Miro, Carblo Bernard
IMDb Rating
6.6/10
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is one of the very few video game movies that didn't fall entirely in the hole of bad video games movies. Since Jerry Bruckheimer from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies helped in the making of this movie, they got the scenery down packed. Acting performances were good with a story that could've been executed a little better, but still passable. The visuals and soundtrack were great along with the action and stunts. No doubt it is one of the best action movies online.
Image Courtesy: VG247
7. Badlapur on Zee5
Director
Sriram Raghavan
Star Cast
Varun Dhawan, Yami Gautam, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
IMDb Rating
7.4/10
A well structured entertaining neo-noir from Bollywood. The plot is quite simplistic. Raghu (Varun Dhawan) leads a happy family life until an unfortunate event devastates his life completely. Seeking vengeance, Raghu descends in to vortex of crime and hellish existence to track down the person (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) responsible for his misfortune. Things get dark and edgy even as the plot constantly throws in surprises and twists making the movie an engaging roller coaster for its viewer. When checking out the best action movies online, this one should be on your must-watch list.
Image Courtesy: Deccan Chronicals
8. Shagird on Zee5
Director
Tigmanshu Dhulia
Star Cast
Nana Patekar, Mohit Ahlawat, Rimi Sen
IMDb Rating
7.1/10
Watch the film for its topicality. Shagird holds up a hard-hitting mirror on India: corrupt to the core, India: permanently scarred by the unholy nexus between tainted politicians, ruthless gangsters and dishonest cops.
Image Courtesy: Sify.com
9. Uri: The Surgical Strike on Zee5
Director
Aditya Dhar
Star Cast
Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Mohit Raina
IMDb Rating
8.2/10
Uri is a work of many achievements. It is a film about national pride without a single shot of the Indian flag. Based on the Surgical strike carried out by Indian army in 2016, the movie is indeed a pleasure to watch. It is well paced and keeps you engrossed throughout. Although the story is predictable (since we all have read about the utter successful mission) but the movie still keeps you glued. There are moments which will give goosebumps, make you laugh, will moist your eyes but surely make you feel immensely proud of our national heroes and their capabilities.
Image Courtesy: Times of India
10. Once Upon a Time in Mexico on Zee5
Director
Robert Rodriguez
Star Cast
Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp
IMDb Rating
6.5/10
Once Upon a Time in Mexico is the third in a trilogy of motion pictures (preceded by El Mariachi and Desperado) about the guitar-and-gun slinging El Mariachi. In it, unbeknownst to him, the president of Mexico’s life is in danger and a coup d’etat is in the works. Behind the plot is evil drug lord Barillo. To foil the assassination, CIA agent Sands—who is as corrupt and morally bankrupt as Barillo—seeks the assistance of Mariachi who has withdrawn into a life of solitude following personal tragedy. Though the storyline barely made any sense to an average viewer, it sure is fun to watch. So full of thrill and action that it keep you at the edge of your seat.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
11. The Avengers on Netflix
Director
Joss Whedon
Star Casts
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson
IMDb Rating
8.1/10
The plot of this gamble played by Joss Whedon and Marvel Studios surrounds around Loki plotting to invade the earth using the power of the Tesseract and an army called the Chitauri where Nick Fury brings together a group of remarkable people to see if they can become something more. Four years of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies centered around the individual Avengers members made us care about the characters before bringing them all together for the first time. Add that to a great villain, a smart script, and plenty of action scenes, and you've got yourself an action movie for the ages.
Image Courtesy: Variety
12. The Witches on Amazon Prime
Director
Robert Zemeckis
Star Cast
Anne HathawayOctavia SpencerStanley Tucci
IMDb Rating
6.5 /10
Robert Zemeckis takes a stab at Roald Dahl in this remake of the 1990 original (which was directed by the late, great Nicholas Roeg) which finds the story transplanted to the American South in the 1960’s & our protagonists now African American. Chris Rock narrates the tale when as a child he lost his parents in a car crash & his grandmother, played by Oscar winner Octavia Spencer, is tasked to care of him. One day at a hardware store, the boy is propositioned by a witch w/a piece of candy & to his shocked surprise when he tells Spencer about the incident, she doesn’t bat an eye which spurs her to instruct her grandson about her history w/witches (a neighbor was transformed into a chicken when she was a child) & the telltale signs on how to spot them.
Image Courtesy: Variety
13. V For Vendetta on Netflix
Director
James McTeigue
Star Casts
Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Rupert Graves
IMDb Rating
8.2/10
V For Vendetta is a classic action movie that also lists in the best mystery movies list. The movie is about a tale of revolution in the face of a corrupt fascist government which was a variant from the original love letter to anarchism that Moore had penned. Nothing like the source, this movie one of the good things to watch on Netflix. V for Vendetta isn’t really about Sutler and the rest of his fascist cronies, it is basically about V and Evey, and the strange seduction that characterizes their relationship.
Image Courtesy: Variety
14. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on Amazon Prime
Director
Steven Spielberg
Star Casts
Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody
IMDb Rating
8.2/10
Legendary director Stephen Spielberg proves once again that is reputation hasn’t been exaggerated. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is an intelligent story about the Crusades and some interesting history about the three knights searching for the Holy Grail. Having some of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history this action movie on Amazon Prime is the right blend of serious and funny.
Image Courtesy: Variety
15. The Raid 2 on Amazon Prime
Director
Gareth Evans
Star Casts
Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Arifin Putra
IMDb Ratings
8.0/10
For any action movie fan, this best action movie online is filled with everything from martial arts, paramilitary operations to drug lords and crooked cops. The Raid 2 has the most brutal fight scenes that have been ever filmed. Even part of this great movie on Netflix seems so real that you cannot leave the movie for even a single minute. The sheer intensity, the brutality of this film is shocking and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Image Courtesy: Variety
16. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on Amazon Prime
Director
Zack Snyder
Star Casts
Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams
IMDb Ratings
6.5/10
Accept it or not this was a gem created by the Snyder. Every scene in this movie teases you about the future of DCEU. It is a tightly packed movie with almost every conversation between characters helps in character development and teasing us about the future. This is how a movie has to be, instead of just accepting the existence of superheroes, which will never happen in real world, this movie debated the whole concept of the existence of superheroes mainly Superman. In simple words, this is one of the best action movies online right now.
Image Courtesy: Variety
17. The Night Comes For Us on Netflix
Director
Timo Tjahjanto
Star Casts
Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Joe Taslim
IMDb Ratings
7.0/10
The bloodshed of The Night Comes For Us is very cringe-worthy and even though each fight scene would make you want to close your eyes but then again you would eventually hate to miss a single scene. There are a lot of scenes in this top action movie where the whole screen in covered with dripping blood. The storyline of this action movie online is caught amidst a treacherous and violent insurrection with the gangland enforcers crime family.
Image Courtesy: Variety
18. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on Hotstar
Director
James Gunn
Star Casts
Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista
IMDb Ratings
7.7/10
After directing the first Vol, James Gunn is back with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 that shows a more mature understanding of scripting and film making. The story of this best action movie on Netflix is stronger and the characters are developed even further, this is especially shown by Yondu and Rocket. The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is bigger and even more pumped with talent. Along these things, the background music is crafter perfectly that suits each and every scene of this top action movie and the creativity is very wavy space like way.
Image Courtesy: Variety
19. Beyond Skyline on Netflix
Director
Liam O'Donnell
Star Casts
Frank Grillo, Bojana Novakovic, Jonny Weston
IMDb Ratings
5.3/10
Beyond Skyline belongs to the list of best action movies on Netflix because of its action scenes and the visuals that have been used. An entertaining Alien movie that suits best with fellow action flick fan and beer. The story of this movie shows how Corley Storms goes on a mission to save his child, meanwhile, his spaceship crashes and he makes alliances with a band of survivors to protect and reclaim his planet.
Image Courtesy: Variety
20. Black Panther on Amazon Prime
Director
Ryan Coogler
Star Casts
Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
IMDb Ratings
7.3/10
Black Panther is a very well-crafted action movie on Netflix which is directed by Ryan Coogler, and it's a watershed moment for representation in film. Not only is it culturally significant, but it boasts strong performances, a deep story, great action, and fun characters. Black Panther the 18th film in the MCU takes place a week after the Civil War. It follows Prince T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) as he returns home to his African homeland, Wakanda to become the next king.
Image Courtesy: Variety
We'll keep updating this list with all the greatest twist-filled criminal thrillers, time-loop beatdowns, and maybe even a Vin Diesel film as the year progresses.