Best Action Movies to Stream This Week

Michael Mann’s “The Last of the Mohicans” is one of the more romantic popular action movies now available for streaming. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye, a white man adopted by the Mohican tribe, the film features stylish battle scenes against the background of the passionate relationship between Hawkeye and Cora Munro — the daughter of a British soldier — played by Madeleine Stowe. The movie was given positive reviews by 93% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 88% of audience members.

Audiences went wild for the original “Men in Black,” starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as secret agents monitoring alien presence on Earth. When adjusted for inflation, the movie grossed just under $500 million. It has a 92% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site’s Critics Consensus praising its “smart script, spectacular set pieces, and charismatic performances from its leads.”

Ridley Scott directed this epic about a former Roman general out for vengeance against the corrupt emperor who killed his family and forced him into slavery. The movie is known for its startling reimaging of ancient Rome as well as the intense gladiatorial combat scenes. The film won five Oscars, including Best Picture and a Best Actor statue for Russell Crowe. Critics gave the movie a 77% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences delivered a rating of 87%. IMDb users gave “Gladiator” an 8.5 rating out of 10.

The feature film debut from South African director Neill Blomkamp presents viewers a future in which extraterrestrials live in run-down slums in Johannesburg, South Africa. The action-packed sci-fi flick has earned approval from 90% of critics and 82% of users on Rotten Tomatoes.

Australian director George Miller returned to the Mad Max franchise to create “Mad Max: Fury Road,” which was released 36 years after the series’ first film. The movie is a wildly inventive spectacle, with numerous creatively designed vehicles and weapons that populate Miller’s post-apocalyptic world. Critics gave the movie a 97% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences delivered a rating of 85%.

The second of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films continues to follow The Bride (Uma Thurman) as she seeks revenge against a band of assassins and her former lover Bill, who all attempted to murder her. The movie was well received by critics and audiences alike, with many finding it to reach a deeper emotional level than its hyper-violent predecessor — although both films pack a punch in the violence department. “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” is also available to stream on platforms including Amazon Video and Hulu.

Howard Hawks directed this Western classic that boasted a big cast, including John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan, and Angie Dickinson. Wayne plays a sheriff who seeks help from an alcoholic, a disabled deputy, and a young gunfighter to bring a murderer to justice. Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert said, “To watch Rio Bravo is to see a master craftsman at work. The film is seamless. There is not a shot that is wrong.” Critics awarded “Rio Bravo” a 100% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences gave it a rating of 91%.

2006’s “Casino Royale” is the first James Bond film to star Daniel Craig as 007. The film is considered a reboot of the series, and classic characters such as Q and Miss Moneypenny were absent from the script. Yet the focus on other characters, such as Bond himself, is strong compared to what was seen by many as an increasingly excessive focus on gadgetry in prior Bond films. Critics gave it a 95% Freshness rating.

“The Wild Bunch” is Sam Peckinpah’s revisionist Western about a group of aging outlaws in search of their final big score in Mexico in the early 20th century. But things go wrong and turn bloody. The movie helped establish Peckinpah’s reputation for showing gratuitous violence. Though panned by some critics because of the film’s depiction of violence, the movie holds a Rotten Tomatoes Freshness rating among critics of 92%, and 91% of audiences liked the motion picture. The Oscar-nominated movie has a 7.9 rating out of 10 among more than 75,000 IMDb users.

“The Matrix” thrilled audiences upon its release with groundbreaking special effects and a compelling sci-fi narrative. The movie also breathed new life into the career of lead Keanu Reeves, who had starred in “Speed” five years earlier. Now may be a good time for fans to revisit the original Matrix before the fourth entry to the series — scheduled for a 2021 release — comes out.

Ridley Scott’s slick production of the science-fiction/detective story set in a futuristic dystopian Los Angeles influenced the look of subsequent sci-fi films. “Blade Runner” was not a box-office hit when it was released in 1982 but has since gained a cult following, and critics have hailed the film. “Blade Runner” has a 90% Freshness rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and 91% of audiences enjoyed the film. It also has an 8.1 rating out of 10 among nearly 669,000 IMDb users.

“Letters from Iwo Jima” is the story of one of the last major WWII battles in the Pacific, as told from the Japanese perspective. The film was directed by Clint Eastwood, who told the story of the battle from the American side in “Flags of Our Fathers.” Both films were hailed for humanizing the combatants. “Letters from Iwo Jima” won an Academy Award for Sound Editing and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Critics awarded the film a 91% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences gave it a rating of 86%.

Commercially speaking, “Avengers: Endgame” is by far the most successful movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, grossing nearly $860 million at the domestic box office. The Infinity Saga finale has also been highly rated by critics and users on Rotten Tomatoes, receiving positive reviews from 94% of the former and 90% of the latter. Fans can stream numerous other MCU flicks such as “The Avengers” (2012) and “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) on platforms including Amazon Video and Vudu.

The martial arts flick about a warrior searching for his stolen sword in 19th century China was a huge hit in the U.S. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won four, including Best Foreign Language Film. Currently, the movie has a Freshness rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Oscar-winning film that launched the Jurassic franchise was hailed in its Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes as a “a spectacle of special effects and life-like animatronics, with some of Spielberg’s best sequences of sustained awe and sheer terror since Jaws.” Critics and audiences alike on Rotten Tomatoes gave “Jurassic Park” a 91% approval rating, and more than 831,000 IMDb users awarded it an 8.1 rating out of 10. The film has grossed more than $357 million domestically, third highest in the franchise.

The third movie in the original Bourne trilogy, based off of Robert Ludlum’s novels, again features Matt Damon as government-trained killer Jason Bourne looking to uncover his past. The high-paced action flick won three Oscars in 2008 and received positive reviews from 92% of critics and 91% of audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Bruce Willis action flick has maintained a fantastic reputation over the 32 years since its release and is currently the 125th top rated film on IMDb. It also has a 93% Freshness rating from critics and a 94% rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Centered around NYPD cop John McClane who must combat a group of terrorists who have overtaken an LA office building, the movie is available to stream for HBO subscribers and can also be found on various other platforms.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is the first animated Spider-Man feature. The movie was praised by critics not only for its groundbreaking visuals, but also for its humor and storytelling. It took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film in 2019.

James Cameron’s “Terminator 2” is a haunting tale of post-apocalyptic possibilities and a perfect popcorn action movie rolled in one. The film received a rating of 93% from critics and 94% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Viewers can also stream the movie’s highly rated predecessor on Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Vudu, and more.

James Cameron’s sequel to Ridley Scott’s classic “Alien” is far more action-packed than its predecessor. “Aliens” is near universally appreciated and currently has a 97% Freshness rate from critics and a 94% rating from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, with many praising Sigourney Weaver in her role as tough-as-nails Ellen Ripley.

The first entry to Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings franchise — based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic books — was a massive critical and financial success. The movie grossed more than $315 million at the domestic box office and currently has a 91% Freshness rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were even more enamored, with 95% liking it.

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan found success with this cerebral thriller in which high end thieves are able to access people’s dreams to aid their crimes. The movie won four Oscars and is currently the 13th top rated movie of all on IMDb, with a rating of 8.8 out of 10 with nearly 2 million users voting. Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus describes it as “that rare summer blockbuster that succeeds viscerally as well as intellectually.”

In the first film of the franchise, Harrison Ford plays the swashbuckling archeologist Indiana Jones, who has to prevent Nazis from finding the Ark of the Covenant whose powers could make them invincible. The prototypical summer movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” received 95% Freshness rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and 96% of audiences liked the movie. Sequels “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984) and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989) can also be streamed on Netflix and Amazon Video.

“The Empire Strikes Back” is the top-rated entry in the beloved Star Wars franchise, based on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes ratings. With more than 1 million viewers rating it, the movie has a 97% approval rating on the latter site. Fans looking for even more Star Wars action can also stream “Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977) and “Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” (1983) on most of the same platforms.

The second in director Christopher Nolan’s atmospheric trilogy of the caped crusader stars Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger in his Oscar-winning performance as the Joker. The movie has an exceptional 9.0 out of 10 rating on IMDb, and it won over 94% of both critics and audience members on Rotten Tomatoes, where it’s described as “dark, complex, and unforgettable.” The other two films in the trilogy — “Batman Begins” (2005) and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012) — can also be streamed on platforms including Amazon Video and Apple iTunes.