Do you know what makes our hearts race? A fantastic action film. Explosions, vehicle chases, high-stakes heists, and insane fight choreography – these are all characteristics of a cinematic adrenaline rush.

If you too are an action movie lover, check out our list of the best action movies on Netflix that you can stream in 2021.

10 Best Hollywood Action Movies

Be it Tom Cruise or The Rock himself, there are so many iconic Hollywood action actors and movies. So, to help you shortlist the best of the lot, we’ve put together a list of the best Hollywood action thriller movies on Netflix.

1. Total Recall

• Director: Paul Verhoeven
• Main Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside
• IMDb Rating: 7.5

This early 1990s film is an excellent place to start if you want to see more classics. The plot revolves around Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who has a recurrent dream in which he travels to Mars. He attempts to find out more about his dream by reaching out to a company that studies dreams with the help of memory implants.

Naturally, Quaid recalls that he is a covert operative tasked with overthrowing the wicked Mars regime. This is one of the greatest Arnold Schwarzenegger films now available on Netflix.

2. Mad Max

• Director: George Miller
• Main Cast: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne
• IMDb Rating: 6.9

A tiny and damaged police squad in muscle vehicles is the only institution of law in a bleak near-future, but they have been confronted by a roving motorcycle gang of maniacs who believe they control the planet.

With no form of civilization remaining, it’s up to these leather-clad stunt drivers to keep the populace in order, yet in a world without a system, evil reigns supreme. If you enjoy the apocalyptic theme, you should see this sci-fi film, which brilliantly captures the conflict between a yearning for peace and the brutal reality of their existence.

3. The Departed

• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Main Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson
• IMDb Rating: 8.5

An undercover detective, William Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), infiltrates an Irish mafia in Boston commanded by the legendary Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) since the same police agency has its own spy named Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon).

The two infiltrators must do everything they can to avoid being found while also seeking ways to expose their colleagues. Based on the true story of the Boston Winter Hill Gang, this film loosely retells the story of Irish-American criminal boss Whitey Bulger and his FBI partner, John Connolly, who was important in Bulger’s long-term escape of capture.

4. The Night Comes for Us

• Director: Timo Tjahjanto
• Main Cast: Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Joe Taslim
• IMDb Rating: 7.0

This Indonesian new-noir action film is also very recent. After rescuing Reina, a little girl, from the ruins of her slaughtered town, Ito, a vicious and powerful mobster, undergoes a 180-degree turn of heart. The ensuing violence — and there’s a lot of it — centers on one man fighting his former gang mates in order that will save one girl and, in certain ways, himself.

5. Extraction

• Director: Sam Hargrave
• Main Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Bryon Lerum, Ryder Lerum
• IMDb Rating: 6.7

Extraction is a great experience and one of the greatest action pictures of last year, with a lot of violence and enormous explosions. The stakes grow dramatically when black-market mercenary Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is recruited to save an imprisoned warlord’s kid, while more and more local weapons dealers and traffickers become aware of the situation.

It’s quite an achievement to realize experienced stunt coordinator/first-time director Sam Hargrave’s vision, which makes it a candidate for one of the finest Chris Hemsworth films if you exclude Marvel.

6. Underground

• Director: Michael Bay
• Main Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Mélanie Laurent, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
• IMDb Rating: 6.1

While this may not be the greatest Ryan Reynolds film or any “greatest of” category for that point, if you’re acquainted with Michael Bay’s work, it’s a fantastic visual extravaganza.

Six people with remarkable abilities are hand-picked to erase their pasts and devote their life to thwarting the plans of supervillains, free of the constraints that might otherwise cause a world war.

7. The Old Guard

• Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
• Main Cast: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts
• IMDb Rating: 6.7

If you’re searching for something fresh to watch on Netflix, The Old Guard is a good choice. The narrative follows Andy (Charlize Theron), a warrior who has been defending the mortal world for millennia, and her clandestine gang of eternal mercenaries.

8. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

• Director: Chia-Liang Liu
• Main Cast: Chia-Hui Liu, Lieh Lo, Yue Wong
• IMDb Rating: 7.7

When the Manchu emperor ruins his school, wrecks his village, and murders his father, San Te (Chia-Hui Liu) flees to a Shaolin temple to master Kung Fu and find peace. In 30 minutes, this film, which is considered one of the finest kung fu films of all time, goes past all of that material and onto the Kung Fu instruction.

After eventually arriving at the temple, he is recruited as a monk for learning, despite his protests. The rest of the video is devoted entirely to Kung Fu and the 35 chambers that must be completed in order to become a master, each chamber training the arms, hands, legs, eyes, intellect, and so forth.

9. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

• Director: Edgar Wright
• Main Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin
• IMDb Rating: 7.5

This comedic picture isn’t your typical action film, however, that doesn’t imply it doesn’t have a place in the category. Scott Pilgrim, an ambitious bass guitarist, falls in love with Ramona Flowers in the tale. To get together with her, nevertheless, he should first fight her seven wicked ex-wives in a fight to the death.

10. The Outlaw Josey Wales

• Director: Clint Eastwood
• Main Cast: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Chief Dan George
• IMDb Rating: 7.8

The Outlaw Josey Wales, a late 1970s western adapted on Forrest Carter’s novel, provides a unique perspective on the post-civil war environment. Jumping right into the action (spoiler warning), a renegade party of Union soldiers murders Josey Wales’ (Clint Eastwood) family and burns down his house.

Wales seeks vengeance after teaming up with certain confederate troops, who are basically rebels now that the war is finished. Josey, the only one who does not submit, goes to Texas to begin a new life, but the reward on his head is too high to just part ways from.

5 Best Bollywood Action Movies

Most of the best action movies on Netflix in India use a variety of elements, including martial arts, large explosions, as well as a lot of slow motion. And, unlike the majority of their American equivalents, they’re really entertaining. Here’s a breakdown of five good movies that are now available on Netflix.

1. Haider

• Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
• Star Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Tabu, Shraddha Kapoor
• IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

In this movie, we saw some of the finest performances in Bollywood, as well as a riveting narrative and stunning cinematography. Haider has become one of those amazing Bollywood movies that has the ability to quickly take you to another world. This film’s appeal is in a class of its own, completely apart from usual Masala flicks. This fantastic film is also available on Netflix.

2. Udta Punjab

• Director: Abhishek Chaubey
• Star Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor
• IMDb Rating: 7.8/10

Udta Punjab, like other Bollywood films on Netflix, has its fair share of admirers and detractors. Take this with a grain of salt, and you won’t be able to ignore the narrative. Because it’s more of a true story than a fairy tale.

Udta Punjab is edgy, compelling, and undeniably a must-see for both Bollywood aficionados and sceptics. The screenplay of the film is fantastic, and it’s one of those films that weirdly inspires you, even if that’s not what you expected when you went in.

3. DevD

• Director: Anurag Kashyap
• Star Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahie Gill, Kalki Koechlin
• IMDb Rating: 8/10

DevD is much less of a Bollywood movie and more of a work of art, with exceptional photography and superb, realistic performances. The plot is inspired by the original Devdas, but it is set in the present day, with its own modern ups and downs.

Known for a fact this is among the finest Bollywood movies on Netflix and it’s a beautiful film that we’d suggest to everyone.

4. Madras Cafe

• Director: Shoojit Sircar
• Star Cast: John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri, Raashi Khanna
• IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

Madras Cafe is a critically underappreciated Bollywood film that deserves a lot more attention and acclaim for its intelligent, compelling writing and excellent execution as among the greatest political blockbusters to grace the silver screen.

It’s an engrossing recounting of true events, supported by spectacular images, a heartbreakingly beautiful soundtrack, and the capacity to make you shiver in anticipation. Without a doubt, this movie is definitely one of the best action- thriller movies on Netflix.

5. Paan Singh Tomar

• Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
• Star Cast: Irrfan Khan, Mahie Gill, Rajesh Abhay
• IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

An adaption of the legendary sportsman, Paan Singh Tomar released in 2012 narrates the story of a soldier who won a gold medal in the Indian National Games, before becoming a rebel and fighting against the system.

A provincial steeplechase winner, the grandson of a Dacoit or “Baaghi,” as Paan chooses to call it, an army officer wants to participate in army athletics since there are no dietary restrictions. The intriguing story expands on it and takes you on a whirlwind tour through his life, tickling you, inspiring you, and finally asking you some very unpleasant questions.

Conclusion

Action has always been a fan favourite among movie lovers, primarily because of the rush it gives you. Now that you have the list of the best action movies on Netflix, get ready to be wowed with amazing sequences!