When you're in the mood for an action movie, Netflix has plenty to stream. Great, except that so many of their action titles are no-name, forgettable schlock. So we've done some of the heavy lifting by highlighting the best of the best currently available in the genre. Who do you want to see duke it out? Take your pick, from gangsters to gladiators, robots to ninjas, schoolkids to superheroes.
Cue that suiting-up pre-battle montage and start streaming, because here are some of the best action movies Netflix has to offer. (Availability subject to change.)
1. "13 Assassins" (2010) R
From director Takashi Miike ("Audition," "Ichi the Killer") comes this action-packed, samurai spectacular about 13 assassins on a suicide mission. Dig that 45-minute battle scene!
2. "48 Hrs."(1982) R
A cop (Nick Nolte) and a criminal (Eddie Murphy) have 48 hours to round up two cop-killers in this fast-paced action comedy classic.
3. "Assault on Precinct 13" (1976) R
Before John Carpenter gave us "Halloween" and "Escape From New York," he wrote and directed this gritty thriller (loosely based on "Rio Bravo") about cops at a nearly abandoned police precinct besieged by a mob of violent criminals.
4. "The Avengers" (2012) PG-13
The assembling of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America could have gone so wrong, but instead it went oh-so-right. Superhero movies don't get any better than this.
5. "Battle Royale" (2000) R
Long before "The Hunger Games" there was this controversial, ultra-violent Japanese film in which junior high school students are taken to a remote island, fitted with electronic explosive collars, and ordered to fight each other to the death.
6. "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984) R
Detroit cop Alex Foley travels to Beverly Hills to nail the crime czar who killed his friend, leading to, of course, one big shootout.
7. "Big Trouble in Little China" 1986 (PG-13)
One of the greatest team-ups in movie history, Kurt Russell and John Carpenter, are at it again in this supernaturally charged action flick that was sadly under-appreciated when it came out.
8. "Centurion" (2010) R
Neil Marshall ("Dog Soldiers," "The Descent") takes us to the 2nd Century as Romans, led by Michael Fassbender and Dominic West, fight off Pict tribesman, including a mute, deadly tracker (Olga Kurylenko).
9. "The Chinese Connection" (aka "Fist of Fury," "The Iron Hand") (1972) R
If you've only seen Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon," you owe it to yourself to watch one of his best action films, where he goes up against drug smugglers to avenge the death of his teacher. Remade with Jet Li as "Fist of Legend."
10. "Clear and Present Danger" (1994) PG-13
Harrison Ford returns as Jack Ryan in this thriller set in Colombia. The ambush scene, in which Ryan must battle his way out of a narrow, enclosed street as assassins rain down gunfire and explosives, is a doozy.
11."Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000) PG-13
One of the most beautiful films ever shot and one of the rare martial-arts films with two swoon-worthy love stories. Not to mention the breathtaking fight scene between Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang.
12. "The Crow" (1994) R
In Brandon Lee's final role (like his father, Bruce Lee, he died far too young), he plays a musician who is murdered and returns from the grave to exact revenge on his killers. Based on the graphic novel.
13. "Dredd" (2012) R
Karl Urban takes over the role of futuristic cop from Sylvester Stallone: He's got to take down a vicious crime boss (Lena Headey) in her fortress-like, inner-city highrise.
14. "Face/Off" (1997) R
John Woo's gleefully over-the-top flick (his best American film) has John Travolta and Nicolas Cage literally trading faces. There are shootouts, prison riots, daring escapes, more shootouts and an epic boat chase -- not to mention an action sequence accompanied by "Over the Rainbow."
15. "Gladiator" (2000) R
Russell Crowe is Maximus Decimus Meridius: The general who became a slave who became the most badass gladiator of all time in this glorious, bloody epic.
16. "The Heroic Trio" (1993) R
This Hong Kong offering has not one but three ass-kicking women: Anita Mui as knife-throwing Wonder Woman, Maggie Cheung as the tough-as-nails Thief Catcher and Michelle Yeoh as Invisible Girl, who's forced to steal babies for an evil demon.
17. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (2013) PG-13
One year after the first Hunger Games, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) returns to the arena to face new dangers and a growing threat from the Capitol.
18. "Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster" (2010) R
Martial-arts masters Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung face off in this sequel, with a series of fights in different styles as they try to top the other, leading to a brutal, "King of the Ring" boxing match.
19. "Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2" (2003/2004) R
Uma Thurman is the Bride, brutally taking revenge on the assassins who left her for dead in Quentin Tarantino's blood-soaked love letter to the martial arts.
20. "Let the Bullets Fly" (2012) UR
Chow Yun-Fat stars in this period action comedy that became the highest grossing film in China thanks to its eye-popping violence and laughs that need no translation.
21. "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (1998) R
Guy Ritchie's dazzling film debut, starring Jason Statham and Jason Flemyng as Cockney lads who decide to target a drug dealer to pay off a debt to a ruthless gangster. Mix-ups, double-crosses, hatchet attacks and shootouts galore.
22. "Mad Max" (1979) R
It doesn't feature anything like the grueling truck chase of its sequel, "The Road Warrior," but this raw indie still boasts plenty of "guzzeline," as we see road cop Mel Gibson go from happy family man to the embittered loner of cinema legend.
23. "Man of Tai Chi" (2013) R
For Keanu Reeves's directorial debut about a young martial-arts (Tiger Chen), he turned to the best, bringing in acclaimed fight choreographer from "The Matrix," Yuen Woo Ping.
24. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Black Pearl" (2003) PG-13
Against all odds, this movie based on the Disneyland attraction was ridiculously good, with Johnny Depp's now career-defining turn as Jack Sparrow and Orlando Bloom showing he's as deft with a sword as he is slinging arrows at Orcs.
25. "Rescue Dawn" (2006) PG-13
Werner Herzog directed this based-on-a-true-story account of a pilot (Christian Bale) shot down in the Vietnam War who makes an incredible escape, trekking through miles of jungle for nearly a month until he was rescued.
26. "Skyfall" (2012) PG-13
Is it the best Bond yet? It's definitely action-packed, featuring not one but two spectacular train sequences and a tense, terrific final standoff with villain Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem).
27. "Supercop" (1992) R
One of Jackie Chan's most popular and well-reviewed movies, featuring a climactic fight aboard a speeding train. You can also stream Chan's "The Legend of Drunken Master."
28. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991) R
Robert Patrick is icily perfect as the T-1000 killing machine and the special effects still look great, even 20 years on. And how much do we love Linda Hamilton's upgrade from waitress to buff, kick-ass mercenary? We would kill for her arms!
29. "Tombstone" (1993) R
A sprawling Western with an all-star cast in a satisfying telling of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday (a never-better Val Kilmer) and the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
30. "The Untouchables" (1987) R
Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) recruits three incorruptible men to take down the notorious Al Capone (Robert De Niro) in this must-see crime classic.
31. "Valhalla Rising" (2009) NR
Mads Mikkelsen (TV's"Hannibal") is the mute captive One Eye, who is tied to a stake and forced to fight in this ultra-bloody Viking epic from "Drive" director Nicolas Winding Refn.
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