To commemorate Godzilla Minus One, the first Japanese film in the kaiju franchise since 2016 (out December 1 in the U.S.), the New York Japan Society screened a dusky archival print of the original 1954 movie Godzilla, which I had never seen before. Earlier this month, I came to the non-profit’s snug Midtown…
Meta is to offer an ad-free subscription version of Facebook and Instagram in the European Union, EEA (European Economic Area) and Switzerland, confirming the core of a report […]
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From “Princess Mononoke” to “Shiva Baby,” here are the best hidden gems on Max you need for your next movie night.
The Max catalogue is deep. Seriously deep. Deep enough to drown in, if humans could drown in movies. Luckily, we can’t. We can only watch them! Ain’t life fun! But before you open up the massive Max library and faint from decision paralysis, take a breath. We’ve got you. And we know what you’re looking for.
You don’t need help picking a big blockbuster for a rewatch — you’re in the mood for a hidden gem. A diamond in the rough. A movie you can recommend to your friends, and they won’t go, “Yeah, Carl, we all know you like Aquaman. Enough already.” These are the under-the-radar winners, the ones with smaller budgets, the foreign hits, or the ones that simply had abysmal marketing campaigns. Each makes for a pleasant surprise and a solid pick on movie night on Max.
When you think of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, you probably think of Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro. But Miyazaki has been telling visually stunning stories for decades, and since almost all of his works are now streaming on Max, it’s time to dive a little deeper into the Ghibli catalogue. Start with Princess Mononoke, the story of a leader determined to protect her lands from human consumption. Though she may align ideologically with Pocahontas, Princess Mononoke is far more ruthless, stopping at nothing to defend her fantastical home. Caught in the middle of this fight is a young prince, Ashitaka, hoping to help both sides achieve peace before a demon’s curse kills him.
Mononoke has all the markings of a Ghibli classic — wood spirits, gorgeous animation, ruminative landscapes — but boasts a more adult tone than many of Miyazaki’s other pieces. There is blood and war and pain in this whimsical world, and the story is more complex and engaging because of it. For an added treat, the script for the English dub was written by sci fi/fantasy legend Neil Gaiman, so you can watch the English version confident nothing is lost in translation.
How to watch: Princess Mononoke is now streaming on Max.
Everything Is Copy is the best kind of love letter: one that’s effusive in its admiration of its subject, but also clear-eyed about her quirks and imperfections. Journalist Jacob Bernstein explores the life, career, and 2012 death of Nora Ephron — known to us as the writer and filmmaker behind such hit rom-coms as Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and Julie & Julia, and to Bernstein as his mother.
Interviews with family members and famous friends (including Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, and Mike Nichols), along with archival interviews and excerpts from Ephron’s own work, paint a portrait of a brilliant and ambitious spirit who lived by the motto stated in the title: “Everything is copy,” meaning everything that happens in life can be fodder for a story later on. Though you wouldn’t mistake Bernstein’s documentary for a work by Ephron herself, the film’s warmth, candor, and humor make it a fitting tribute to the icon she was.* — Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor
How to watch: Everything Is Copy is now streaming on Max.
You’re about to be able to impress film snobs at parties. Au revoir les enfants is a gorgeous and startling film about friendship, and one of the most respected movies in cinema history. Famed French filmmaker Louis Malle wrote, directed, and produced this autobiographical film about his childhood in Nazi-occupied France. The main character Julien, based on Malle himself, is a young student at a boarding school who discovers the headmaster is sheltering three Jewish boys among the student population. Julien forms a bond with one of the boys, Jean Bonnet, and the two navigate an increasingly dangerous world. Au revoir les enfants is a WWII film without any battles. We are confined to the limited landscape of the boarding school and its surrounding town, yet the horrors of war are ever present. It is both subtle and deeply moving, and it will stick with you long after viewing.
How to watch: Au Revoir les Enfants is now streaming on Max.
If you remember Time Bandits, then we are happy for you, for you truly know the meaning of joy. This insane and amazing fantasy, written by Monty Python veterans Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin, is a one-of-a-kind adventure. Eleven-year-old Kevin is asleep in his bedroom when a man on horseback bursts out of his wardrobe and rides off into a forest that disappears behind him. The following night, five small bandits tumble out of the wardrobe and take Kevin on an adventure through history, stopping by the Napoleonic Wars, Ancient Greece, and even the Titanic. John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, and Ian Holm sparkle as their historical counterparts, adding wit and gravitas to the whimsical plot. This is a film that needs to be seen to be believed — but once seen, it will quickly be beloved.
How to watch: Time Bandits is now streaming on Max.
It’s a safe bet that you haven’t seen Those Who Wish Me Dead, because almost no one did. A June 2021 debut (a very hesitant time for moviegoers) and a rushed marketing campaign earned this Angelina Jolie-led thriller the honor of being the second-worst opening of all time for a film in more than 3,000 theaters. But don’t let that sway you. This exhilarating, and somewhat insane, movie is a propulsive 100 minutes of action and suspense against the most lethal backdrop of all — the wildfires of the American West. Jolie stars as Hannah, a veteran forest firefighter spending the summer in an isolated, Montana firewatch tower, trying to get her head right after the tragedies of the previous year’s fire season. Suddenly, she finds herself in a very different film, as her path crosses with a child being chased by a pair of assassins (Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen), and she’s the only adult who can protect him. The human elements of the film are comically light in explanation and backstory, but that forces us to focus our fear on the true and ultimate threat here: an unforgiving wall of fire.
How to watch: Those Who Wish Me Dead is now streaming on Max.
This critically acclaimed sports drama (directed by Billy Crystal!) flew under the radar because it was made for HBO in 2001 — a time when TV movies were not as respected as their silver-screen counterparts. However, 61* is just as riveting and affecting as any bigger-budget sports flick, if not more so. This is both the story of Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris attempting to break Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1961 and of an unlikely friendship. The charismatic, partying Mantle and the reserved, quiet Maris make for an unusual pair, with each Yankee earning different treatment from the press while the pressure of the season takes its toll. Led adeptly by Thomas Jane and Berry Pepper, 61* is a winning film in any year.
How to watch: 61* is now streaming on Max.
Directed by Ryan Murphy, The Normal Heart is a searing emotional drama that lacks the signature camp of most Murphy vehicles — and here, that’s a good thing. Adapted by Larry Kramer from his play, Heart follows Mark Ruffalo as Ned Weeks, an openly gay writer in the ’80s who watches the growing HIV/AIDS crisis ravage his community. What sets The Normal Heart apart from other movies on the same topic is its intimacy. We witness the crisis through Ned’s eyes as his friends, neighbors, and lovers are ripped from him. Ned visits hospitals, writes stories, and fights tirelessly with the help of Dr. Emma Brookner (Julia Roberts) to bring more attention and funds to the cause, only to be met with bigotry and silence. A strong and deeply charismatic supporting cast (Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Alfred Molina, Joe Mantello, and Jonathan Groff) will make you fall in love with them, before breaking your heart. Do not be intimidated: This is a film that will leave you feeling cleaved in two, but it also imparts a quiet, warm optimism. A rare combination.
How to watch: The Normal Heart is now streaming on Max.
Worlds collide in this 2020 cringe comedy that’s been widely hailed by critics. When a Jewish college student (Rachel Sennott) dutifully attends a shiva alongside her parents, she’s prepared to field questions about her unimpressive job prospects and lack of a boyfriend. However, she’s not ready for her secret sugar daddy (Danny Deferrari) to show up, much less with his beautiful blonde wife (Dianna Agron) and their rosy-cheeked baby. Making matters even more fraught, her former best friend is slinging her serious side-eye. Something has got to give. In her remarkable debut feature, writer/director Emma Seligman creates laughs and suspense with an electrifying tapestry of observational humor, social awkwardness, jolting humiliation, and sexual tension. You’ve heard of feel-good comedies? Well, this is a feel-anxious-as-hell comedy, dragging us through each embarrassment with our harried heroine. And yet, we can’t recommend the experience highly enough.* — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor
How to watch: Shiva Baby is now streaming on Max.
A spirited spoof tipping its hat to the Spaghetti Western, this 1985 Japanese comedy was promoted as a “ramen Western.” Its central story is about a cowboy hat-wearing truck driver (Tsutomu Yamazaki), who comes across a humble ramen shop where the food is truly “terrible.” Damsel in distress Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto) begs this hardened hero to save her family’s business by teaching her to do right by ramen. So of course, he rounds up a posse to perfect her recipe. Full of physical comedy, giddy silliness, quirky characters, and charming performances, this film is a delectable delight. But writer/director Jûzô Itami brings even more to the table, spicing up this culinary tale with fantastical vignettes about the love of food. Though often ridiculous — and sometimes salacious — none of the laughs are lost in translation. But be warned: This funny film will make you hungry. The loving shots of ramen and the various speeches about its richness and wonders are ruthlessly mouth-watering. Maybe order dinner before digging in.* — K.P.
How to watch: Tampopo is now streaming on Max.
In the 1980s, Micheal Keaton was a mega-star, headlining comedies like Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice as well as Batman. Too often forgotten in this hot streak of ’80s movies was Amy Heckerling’s mafia parody Johnny Dangerously. In this 1930-set comedy, Keaton stars as the eponymous gangster, who has a smoking hot lounge singer for a wife (Marilu Henner), a snarling gun-slinger for a nemesis (Joe Piscopo), and a straight-as-an-arrow district attorney for a brother (Griffin Dunne). Full of slapstick, outrageous jokes, and some punchlines that’d make your granddad blush, Johnny Dangerously is a laugh riot. And stay through the credits for a theme song from Weird Al Yankovic. — K.P.
How to watch: Johnny Dangerously is now streaming on Max.
* denotes that the writeup comes from a previous Mashable list.
UPDATE: Oct. 25, 2023, 3:20 p.m. EDT This article has been updated to reflect the latest streaming options.
Here are the 20 saddest movies on Netflix right now. Have your tissues ready for these tearjerkers, from “Stand By Me” to “Marriage Story,” and beyond.
A great movie allows us to slip into different feelings for a bit, kind of like putting on an old, reliable coat. Sometimes, we seek something whimsical and romantic. Other times, we want a thrill that’ll give us goosebumps. Still other days, all we crave is the embrace of the warm and fuzzy. But, occasionally, you just want to slide into the sad — slipping into a tearjerker for the sopping, snot-sleeved comfort they can provide.
A good cry can be good for you. So, when you’re looking to let loose with sobs, we’ve got the perfect selection of movies for your queue.
Grab a box of tissues and check out the 20 saddest movies now streaming on Netflix.
Nicholas Sparks’s stories are basically the tear-jerking version of the scene in A Clockwork Orange where Malcolm McDowell has his eyes pried open and he’s brainwashed with images of sex and violence — they’re ruthlessly efficient in pressing every button on hand in order to wring from their audience the maximum amount of tears possible.
And this love story, told through the love letters between a soldier (Channing Tatum) and the girl (Amanda Seyfried) he left behind when he went off to war, is relentless. There’s a dying father, a dying husband, a break-up, war injuries, autistic children, Habitat For Humanity, horse stables, 9/11. It pulls out all the stops on its way to Weeps-ville. Thankfully, Tatum and Seyfried are able to convey an easy low-key decency, mitigating the soap-opera plotting with their genuine chemistry and warmth. — Jason Adams, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Dear John is now streaming on Netflix.
Screenwriters Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans took Stephen King’s novella The Body — a coming-of-age tale about four friends who go hunting for a dead teenager while evading the local bullies — and squeezed out every drop of the story’s poignancy and humor. It’s a tear-inducing snapshot of the anxieties, friendships, highs, and lows of childhood. The novella packed a powerful punch of nostalgia, and Rob Reiner’s direction channels this in its own way, placing the boys’ friendships front and center, then considering them through a thoughtful adult lens. “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12,” the grown-up narrator (Richard Dreyfuss) writes at one point. “Jesus, does anyone?”
Keep an eye out for a young Kiefer Sutherland as the brilliantly unpleasant Ace Merrill, Wil Wheaton as budding writer Gordie Lachance, Corey Feldman as the bold Teddy Duchamp, a young Jerry O’Connell as the sweet Vern Tessio, and of course, the exceptional River Phoenix as Gordie’s best friend Chris Chambers. Their performances, like the movie itself, have a well-deserved place in cinematic history.* — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor
How to watch: Stand By Me is now streaming on Netflix.
If a historical war drama is your go-to avenue for emotional catharsis but you’re tired of seeing the same stories told again and again, Niki Caro’s The Zookeeper’s Wife will be a welcome discovery. The 2017 film tells the true story of Jan Żabiński and Antonina Żabińska, a Polish couple who used their Warsaw zoo to rescue and hide 300 Jews during World War II. Soon after war breaks out in 1939, Jessica Chastain’s Antonina and her husband Jan (Johan Heldenbergh) are forced to cooperate with a Nazi zoologist (Daniel Brühl). Little does he know, the couple has begun sneaking in local Polish Jews to live in the tunnels under the zoo. It’s an emotional story about a lesser-known piece of Holocaust history, and while it drifts into sentimentality at times, both Chastain and Brühl’s performances ground the film in sincerity.* — Oliver Whitney, Contributing Writer
How to watch: The Zookeeper’s Wife is now streaming on Netflix.
Remaking an Akira Kurosawa masterpiece is not an endeavor that should be generally encouraged, but director Oliver Hermanus managed to beat those impossible odds with his masterful 2022 re-do of Kurosawa’s 1952 tearjerker Ikiru. Perhaps having a script written by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro is the only way to manage it. Giving the legendary character actor Bill Nighy his career-greatest role certainly didn’t hurt either.
Playing an all-business government worker who gets a death sentence from his doctor and decides to spend his last few months making a difference in the world, Nighy wrings a torrent of emotion out of repression, allowing us to see the sweetness long hidden beneath a hardened man’s shell. If you can make it through his rendition of “The Rowan Tree” without shattering into a million pieces, you’re made of stronger stuff than I. — J.A.
How to watch: Living is now streaming on Netflix.
A Monster Calls is a modern fable about loss, suffering, and childhood. In it, a young boy (Lewis MacDougall) copes with the prospect of losing his mother by befriending a tree monster (voiced by Liam Neeson) that tells him three illuminating stories in exchange for one story from the boy. The movie is based on the fantasy novel by Patrick Ness, who wrote the story based on an idea from Siobhan Dowd, a writer who died of cancer before writing the book herself. — Alexis Nedd, Senior Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: A Monster Calls is now streaming on Netflix.
Paddleton may be a movie about cancer — the classic tearjerker subject — but it’s also one of the best. That’s partly because it takes an anti-melodramatic approach to a topic cinema loves to exploit for tears. But it’s also because Paddleton is really about friendship and embracing the moments we have together rather than being consumed by the fear of them ending.
Michael (Mark Duplass) and his neighbor Andy (Ray Romano, in a standout dramatic performance) are best friends, and the only people in each other’s lives. That makes it especially difficult for Andy when he learns Michael has decided to end his life through assisted suicide after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. But much like co-writer/director Alex Lehmann’s previous collaboration with Duplass, Blue Jay, Paddleton takes a very naturalistic approach to such dramatic material by focusing on the day-to-day moments of the men’s sweet platonic relationship. The two spend Michael’s final days watching kung fu movies, playing a sport of their own invention, and taking a road trip. It’s hard to think of a recent film that made me openly cry as hard as Paddleton did, and one that truly earned it through genuine storytelling and heartfelt performances.* — O.W.
How to watch: Paddleton is now streaming on Netflix.
Writer-director Noah Baumbach’s tense tale of a couple ending their marriage divided audiences, with some viewers reporting they were surprised by whose “side” they ended up on. But critical reception for Marriage Story was almost universal in its praise of the story’s execution and impact. Leads Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver were singled out for their magnetic scene work. This artful depiction of intimacy remains a triumph of romantic storytelling, venturing far beyond the happily-ever-after audiences know so well. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Marriage Story is now streaming on Netflix.
Molly Shannon and Jesse Plemons star as mother and son in this semi-autobiographical movie from writer/director Chris Kelly about a young gay man who returns to his childhood home to help take care of his dying mother. Other People finds the humor and beauty in the moments that lead up to experiencing loss and features one of Plemons’ best performances. — A.N.
How to watch: Other People is now streaming on Netflix.
The Crown‘s Vanessa Kirby stars in this heartbreaking movie about a woman whose life is changed forever when her child, delivered at home, dies shortly after birth. Pieces of a Woman explores the emotional complexity of grief, marriage, and blame while telling a devastatingly real story of loss. — A.N.
How to watch: Pieces of a Woman is now streaming on Netflix.
The Sky Is Pink is told from the perspective of Aisha “Aishi” Chaudhary (Zaira Wasim), a girl who dies young and narrates the story of her parents’ lives from the afterlife. It’s based on a true story. So yeah, it’s pretty sad. This Hindi language film is one of many Indian gems on Netflix and is a sure tearjerker starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Farhan Akhtar. — A.N.
How to watch: The Sky is Pink is now streaming on Netflix.
The greatest tearjerkers often only need a single act to realize their full sobbing potential – both Terms of Endearment and Steel Magnolias are basically sweet mother-daughter dramas for three-quarters of their runtime, until sickness barges into their final acts with sudden, heart-stomping brutality. And so it goes with Luca Guadagnino‘s 2018 coming-of-age masterpiece, which is a sexy Italian summer hang-out movie for its majority as we watch 17-year-old Elio (breakout star Timothée Chalamet) and 25-year-old Oliver (Armie Hammer) fall for one another in slow, furtive steps, under the watchful eyes of Elio’s parents (Amira Casar and Michael Stuhlbarg) and those equally watchful peach trees.
And yet, as the last-act train approaches, the film effortlessly channels a palpable feeling of time being lost, of summer vanishing between our fingers, and of romance suddenly, inescapably obliterated, all before we’re anywhere near prepared. The film’s final scenes become an all-out, can-you-top-this symphony of heartbreak — Elio and Oliver say their final goodbye! Elio’s father gives his for-the-ages speech about embracing the moment! All until Elio stares into the fireplace and grabs us by the heart and squeezes every last drop we have left inside of us for good measure. — J.A.
How to watch: Call Me By Your Name is now streaming on Netflix.
A film that’s a little smothered by the very well-meaning intentions of its makers, this 2018 drama about a Baptist preacher’s gay son (Lucas Hedges) who gets sent to conversion therapy by his misguided parents (Joel Edgerton and Nicole Kidman) is very effective at what it sets out to do, which is to speak directly to LGBTQ people’s parents and tell them to get their shit together and stop traumatizing their kids.
And everyone’s excellent here – Hedges and Kidman especially will definitely make you and/or your parents cry profuse buckets. (Edgerton co-wrote and directed the film, as well as co-starring in it.) It’s just that some of us believe the perfect conversion therapy movie already exists in Jamie Babbit’s cotton-candy-colored black comedy But I’m a Cheerleader, since pointing and mocking the hetero-terrorists is the preferred method to take on this subject. But if you want a serious and straight (pun intended) take on the subject, this is your movie. — J.A.
How to watch: Boy Erased is now streaming on Netflix.
Fans of The Fault in Our Stars will like All the Bright Places, another tearjerker about teens who find love through their personal sufferings. Elle Fanning and Justice Smith deliver heartbreaking performances from a screenplay co-written by Jennifer Niven, who also wrote the novel upon which the movie is based. — A.N.
How to watch: All the Bright Places is now streaming on Netflix.
An old-fashioned and epic soap opera starring Brad Pitt at his tip-top peak beauty circa 1994, director Edward Zwick spins the decades-long tale of the three Ludlow brothers (Pitt, Henry Thomas, and Aidan Quinn) and their loves (Julia Ormond, Bert the Bear) with the sort of sweep we’re rarely treated to anymore. At least not with such adult subjects. We watch the first world war and Prohibition take their melodramatic toll on the Montana triad, alongside their father’s (Anthony Hopkins) tyranny and vicious stroke. Children are born, children die, and impossible romances with impossible beauties make us swoon. Oh, and Brad Pitt wrestles a bear, and we really had proper movies, once upon a time. — J.A.
How to watch: Legends of the Fall is now streaming on Netflix.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is based on the eponymous stage play by August Wilson. In it, Viola Davis portrays real-life blues singer Ma Rainey over the course of one day of recording for her album, during which the personal relationships between her lover, her band, and her producers spill out into a poignant examination of race, betrayal, and ownership. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom also features the late Chadwick Boseman’s final performance, for which he won a posthumous Golden Globe award. — A.N.
How to watch: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is now streaming on Netflix.
If you’re a person who was a child at any point between the years of 1968 and 2001 (and that adds up to a whole lot of people), then Morgan Neville’s 2018 documentary on the mister named Fred Rogers and the PBS children’s series Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood that he shepherded across those decades will doubtlessly have you in a puddle by the time its closing credits roll.
A portrait of Rogers’s infallible decency and kindness that landed in the thick of the decidedly indecent and unkind Donald Trump presidency, it was hard not to weep for a world where the values Rogers embodied — curiosity and generosity and goodwill toward one’s fellow person — was starting to feel forever lost. Needless to say, those worries remain acute! But Fred Rogers showed us a better way, if we’ll only hop onto that magical trolley and make-believe it can be so again. — J.A.
How to watch: Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is now streaming on Netflix.
Director Edward Berger’s Oscar-nominated 2022 remake of the 1930 Best Picture winner is a tearjerker built for Dads a la Field of Dreams! The first German adaptation of German writer Erich Maria Remarque’s 1928 book, Berger’s film is an unrelenting deluge of World War I’s myriad horrors being thrust upon one simple shell-shocked soldier, Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer) and his regiment, all detailed in claustrophobic vérité. By the end of its two-hour runtime, we feel like we’ve been pummeled into shells ourselves. Bleak and utterly exhausting, it’s about as close to being on those grim battlefields full of young men being blown to bits as most of us will ever get, thankfully. It’s 10 out of 10 hankies for dads everywhere. — J.A.
How to watch: All Quiet on the Western Front is now streaming on Netflix.
Elvire Emanuelle plays Mo, a Brooklyn teen who’s been raised in the foster care system since her father (a never-better Yahya Abdul Mateen of Candyman and Watchmen fame) got sent off to prison. When he gets out, Mo decides to join the boy’s wrestling team in order to prove herself to him, and cue the waterworks. Boasting a stellar cast that also includes Colman Domingo as Mo’s coach and Moonlight‘s Jharrel Jerome as her best friend, the fraught truths that First Match unearths about what are meant to be our closest relationships bypass most of the “inspirational sports story” cliches, instead revealing something far harder to hear. — J.A.
How to watch: First Match is now streaming on Netflix.
There is a reason that a great big cry huddle straight out of every Golden Girls episode is the central image on the poster for Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar-winning 2018 masterpiece — it’s a movie that demands a great big cry huddle! Telling the story of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), an indigenous maid to a wealthy family in Mexico City in 1970, Cuarón makes Cleo’s story of survival at the margins seem as enormous as the outer space he sent Sandra Bullock hurtling through in Gravity. — J.A.
How to watch: Roma is now streaming on Netflix.
Director Sara Colangelo’s film is a historical drama about lawyers Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros (Michael Keaton and Amy Ryan), who were charged with running the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. It was their unimaginable job to calculate how much money would be given to the people who lost loved ones during 9/11, and how to determine who would get anything at all. And if that concept in itself doesn’t already have you tearing up, just you wait. Worth, which is based on Kenneth Feinberg’s non-fiction book What Is Life Worth?: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Fund and Its Effort to Compensate the Victims of September 11th, is perhaps so far the only fictional movie about that horrible day and its aftermath that has truly worked. It does so by giving voice to the victims and their stories, and the struggle to realize what our lives truly amount to in the end. — J.A.
How to watch: Worth is now streaming on Netflix.
Asterisks (*) indicate the entry comes from a previous Mashable list.
UPDATE: Aug. 23, 2023, 5:00 a.m. EDT Originally published on April 2, 2021, this article has been revised to reflect the current selections now streaming.
The best, most exciting action movies on Netflix, from “The Old Guard” to “Jumanji,” “The Dark Knight,” “Kick-Ass,” and more!
Looking to fuel up your Netflix queue with some high-octane action?
Whether you’re a fan of wild Westerns, cunning detectives, high-swinging superheroes, ravenous zombies, or hard-core assassins, Netflix has a movie pitch-perfect for every kind of adrenaline seeker. But scrolling through the app can be a chore when all you want to do is Netflix and chill. We’ve taken out the hard step, highlighting the most stunt-stuffed, battle-powered, high-speed films the streamer has to offer.
Here, in no particular order, are the 20 best action movies on Netflix, streaming right now.
If you like your action movies with a heaping helping of cerebral sci-fi, then Dune is here to save the day.
Granted, director Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic novel takes its time more so than most action movies, focusing on the political intrigue between the various galactic forces who seek to control the desert planet Arrakis. But as protagonist Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) begins to undergo a mythic transformation, we’re thrust into a stunningly crafted world of knife duels, hostile takeovers, and space battles. Oh, and sandworms — glorious, glorious sandworms. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Dune is now streaming on Netflix.
Gil Bok-Soon (Jeon Do-yeon) is a single mother who often finds herself at odds with her teenage daughter. She’s also a highly skilled and successful assassin. Kill Boksoon is a fantastic action film that sees its main character head straight from a brutal killing to the grocery store so she can get dinner on the table. It’s one hell of a hook that sucks you in immediately. The fight scenes are hypnotic and the cinematography ambitious and exciting. It’s a gripping thriller that makes plenty of space for the complex emotional reality of its characters.* —Kristina Grosspietsch, Freelance Contributor
How to watch: Kill Boksoon is now streaming on Netflix.
I can’t tell you how many times I watched my worn-out DVD of the first chapter in Sam Raimi’s ’00s Spider-Man trilogy, but suffice it to say, I can’t remember many other 2002 films. Spider-Man introduces a perfectly earnest Tobey Maguire as trembling genius teen Peter Parker. He’s pining away for his neighbor Mary Jane Watson (a superbly savvy Kirsten Dunst) and grieving while also developing superpowers from a fateful super spider bite. Meanwhile, he’s fanning out over his best friend’s dad, industrialist Norman Osborn (the exquisitely evil Willem Dafoe); little does Peter know his idol is also the villainous Green Goblin, who will soon be throwing Spidey around in many a nail-biting, cross-city battle.
We’ve moved through two other Spider-Men since Maguire’s run, but Raimi’s film wove unforgettable scenes into cinematic history — that upside-down rain kiss can’t be beat. In fact, the film has such iconic action shots in it that Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts included several in the now-infamous meet-up scene — watching Maguire dodge those Razor Bat pumpkins in 2002 and 2021 is sheer glee for fans. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor
How to watch: Spider-Man is now streaming on Netflix.
It might be a cliche to say “This is the role they were born to play!” But when you witness the storming glory of Viola Davis as a hard-fighting general in The Woman King, that thought hits hard, fast, and repeatedly, like one’s heartbeat as this historical epic kicks into action mode.
In promoting the film, Davis has spoken openly about all the ways it’s the kind of movie that Hollywood’s supposed conventional wisdom — which caters predominantly to white and male audiences — said could never be made. Davis is a 57-year-old, dark-skinned Black woman, and she’s headlining a war movie in which she gets to be the titular protagonist and kicks slavers’ ass. As she expressed before the film’s World Premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, she’s living her dream in this film. And for us, it was exhilarating to live vicariously through her.
Inspired by the Agojie of West Africa, The Woman King explores the passions, problems, and camaraderie of this all-female band of warriors. While Davis dazzles at its center, co-stars Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, and Lashana Lynch shine alongside her. Each brings powerful charisma to a full-throated performance that keeps audiences equally riveted through scenes of battle or blossoming romance, gut-punching grief or pugnacious celebration. As she did with The Old Guard, Gina Prince-Bythewood marries action with emotion, creating sequences that make our pulses race and our hearts shudder.* —K.P.
How to watch: The Woman King is now streaming on Netflix.
Before Bong Joon-ho won Best Picture with Parasite, he delivered an icy thrill ride crowded with action and political commentary. Based on Jacques Lob’s graphic novel Le Transperceneige, Snowpiercer is set in a post-apocalyptic future where the world has entered a merciless ice age, forcing all humans to survive on a single train that races around frozen terrain. But the cheap seats are much worse than flying in coach. While those in the back of the train live in squalor and suffer from starvation, those in the front revel in luxury and splendor. This pushes a posse led by one grim man (Chris Evans) to do whatever it takes to get to the front and fight for change. Also on board this star-stuffed action movie are Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Go Ah-sung, John Hurt, and Ed Harris. — K.P.
How to watch: Snowpiercer is now streaming on Netflix.
You’ve never seen an action movie quite as bombastic or as bromantic as RRR. Director S.S. Rajamouli draws loosely from history to tell the story of Indian freedom fighters Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.). Over the film’s three-hour runtime, the two unwittingly face off in the search for a kidnapped girl, become the best of friends, and square off against villainous English colonizers.
Any of RRR‘s action sequences would be the pinnacle of a lesser action movie, but the film seems determined to outdo itself with showstopper after showstopper. Take when Raju faces down hundreds of protesters and wins, or when Bheem fights a tiger bare-handed. Would you believe me if I told you those happen within the first 20 minutes? The action — and the movie — only get more awesome from there. — B.E.
Where to watch: RRR is now streaming on Netflix.
Put ’em up, as this is hands-down one of the best action movies in the Wild West.
Directed by Jeymes Samuel, The Harder They Fall defiantly redefines the predominantly white Western, boasting an incredible cast of Black stars: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, Zazie Beetz, LaKeith Stanfield, and Delroy Lindo. A tale of heroes and villains, the film follows Nat Love (Majors) on his quest for revenge against the formidable Rufus Buck (Elba). But he’ll have to make his gunslinging way through “Treacherous” Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (Stanfield) first. Even before the opening credits roll, you’ll fall hard for this one. — S.C.
How to watch: The Harder They Fall is now streaming on Netflix.
In 1975, Steven Spielberg gave rise to the blockbuster with this iconic creature feature. Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss star as an unlikely trio of local sheriff, sea captain, and shark expert. Together, they brave the waters off Amity Island to do battle with a man-eating great white shark. Though not as action-packed as today’s blockbusters, this nerve-rattling adaptation of Peter Benchley’s beach read was scary enough to drive audiences wild and turn the tide of shark sentiment against the sea beast for decades. Yet nothing in the fear-mongering Shark Week can compete with action of man versus sea beast that goes down here. And every time you’ll be tempted to cheer when Brody snarls, “Smile, you sonovabitch!” —K.P.
How to watch: Jaws is now streaming on Netflix.
Sherlock Holmes’s much cooler little sister is an overlooked young action hero in Enola Holmes. Based on author Nancy Springer’s popular book series The Enola Holmes Mysteries, the film puts the great detective’s savvy 16-year-old sibling on the case, played with energetic spoonfuls of gumption by Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown. She’s set to solve the greatest mystery of her young life: to find her missing mother (Helena Bonham Carter) through a series of deliberately cryptic clues — all while breaking the fourth wall and confiding in the audience, thanks to Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer and His Dark Materials‘ Jack Thorne’s sharp screenplay.
Stepping into the footsteps of her famous brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and avoiding those of her stuffier misogynist brother Mycroft (Sam Claflin), Enola’s case leads her on a wild ride through Victorian-era England, with more than a few fistfights and butts to kick along the way. And lucky for you, the sequel is even better. — S.C.
How to watch: Enola Holmes is now streaming on Netflix.
Sometimes, you get the urge to watch an Oscar-nominated actor blast a bunch of dinosaurs with a laser gun. And when that urge sneaks up on you, the only cure is 65.
65 is built around the genius premise that is “Adam Driver fights dinosaurs,” and boy, does it deliver. As Mills, a pilot from a super advanced civilization from 65 million years ago, Driver crash-lands on prehistoric Earth, where he headshots a T. Rex, bludgeons a raptor, and much, much more. He also takes the time to bond with his one fellow survivor, a young girl named Koa (Barbie‘s Ariana Greenblatt). The result is a sweet “lone wolf and cub” movie full of dino-sized thrills, kills, and a very threatening asteroid. — B.E.
How to watch: 65 is now streaming on Netflix.
With this 2023 release, co-writer/director Juel Taylor pulls plenty of inspiration from Blaxploitation. John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Parris star as a drug dealer, a pimp, and a sex worker who undercover a nefarious conspiracy that’s happening underneath their neighborhood. Taylor and fellow screenwriter Tony Rettenmaier weave in wild twists, fly fight scenes, irreverent humor, and swaggering style for what our critic called “a propulsive comedy-thriller with weight.” As bold as it is star-studded, you won’t want to miss They Cloned Tyrone. And stay for the credits, trust us. —K.P.
How to watch: They Cloned Tyrone is now streaming on Netflix.
If you’re a sucker for black comedy, witty dialogue, ’70s style action, and/or odd-couple comedic duos, it doesn’t get much nicer than The Nice Guys.
Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) and Holland March (Ryan Gosling) play a pair of washed-up private investigators who reluctantly join forces to search for a missing woman (Margaret Qualley) in 1977 Los Angeles — with occasional assistance from March’s clever teenage daughter, played by Angourie Rice. Though the mystery takes the gang to the farthest reaches of the city, burrowing deep into rabbit holes and brushing up against all manner of eccentrics, it’s the unexpected chemistry between Crowe and Gosling that really keeps this engine running, and it’ll leave you wishing for more where that came from.* — Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor
How to watch: The Nice Guys is now streaming on Netflix.
This Netflix adventure has Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal coming together as a group of former Special Forces who plan an elaborate heist in South America. But after things get out of hand, their survival skills are put to the ultimate test.
Putting a talented cast in a tension-filled scenario, Triple Frontier is the type of gritty thriller that’s hard to turn away from. — Brooke Bajgrowicz, Entertainment Fellow
How to watch: Triple Frontier is now streaming on Netflix.
Blending drama with fantasy/adventure and weaving in a very real message about the horrors of the meat industry, Bong Joon-ho‘s Okja is a beautifully unique creature feature, striped with action.
The film follows Mina (Ahn Seo-hyun), the granddaughter of a farmer in South Korea who has spent the last 10 years rearing a genetically modified super-pig called Okja as part of a breeding project spearheaded by a grim U.S. corporation. This movie is dark in places, magical in others, and poignant overall, asking us to stop and reflect on the dark side of an industry the majority of us are complicit in. Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal make for an entertaining pair of villains, too.* — S.H.
How to watch: Okja is now streaming on Netflix.
There are plenty of good reasons to watch Rush, including the charismatic performances by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl as rival Formula One drivers, the dramatic story beats pulled from actual history, and the fabulous sets and costumes steeped in ’70s style (especially everything Olivia Wilde‘s character wears). But the best reason of all is the racing scenes, which director Ron Howard imbues with such a propulsive thrill that you may find yourself making race car noises (vroom, vroom) for hours afterward, like a little kid tearing into a new box of Hot Wheels on Christmas morning. Uh, not that I’d know from personal experience or anything. — A.H.
How to watch: Rush is now streaming on Netflix.
Spike Lee copters audiences back to the Vietnam War with Da 5 Bloods, a daring film that’s part drama, part war movie, and part heist flick. Named for a squad of Black U.S. Army soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division, Lee’s critically heralded 2020 joint follows this band of brothers through a treacherous war zone, then rediscovers them in a present where they’re seeking to uncover the past — and a big payday.
Sequences of brutal battles, narrow escapes, and high-tension hijinks make Da 5 Bloods an enthralling watch. Though inspired by history, it’s impossible to predict where Lee’s story will lead. Our guides on this intense journey through time, loss, war, and brotherhood are Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., and the late Chadwick Boseman. Together, they and Lee create an American war film that can’t be missed. — K.P.
How to watch: Da 5 Bloods is now streaming on Netflix.
Looking for high-octane martial arts action? Then you’re in luck, because Gareth Evans’s thriller The Raid: Redemption (and its sequel, The Raid 2) are both streaming on Netflix.
This Indonesian action masterpiece takes a relatively simple premise — a police squad raids a crime lord’s apartment block — and elevates it with shocking plot twists and some of the best fight scenes put to film. Choreographed by Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian, who also star, The Raid‘s action sequences are no-holds-barred smackdowns that will have you on the edge of your seat. They feature everything from the Indonesian martial art pencak silat to machetes and guns, making for fights that are as varied as they are brutal. — B.E.
Where to watch: The Raid: Redemption is now streaming on Netflix.
Sometimes all you want is to grab hold of that action-o-meter and crank the dial, hard, to a solid 11. Army of the Dead more than delivers on that front, opening with a musical montage of guns and exploding body parts — and it only gets gorier from there. Zack Snyder‘s story follows a band of mercenaries hired to steal $200 million from a casino in Las Vegas. The problem? Vegas has been invaded by zombies, the city is quarantined, and the military is planning to blow the entire thing up with a tactical nuclear strike. The sprawling cast includes Dave Bautista, Omari Hardwick, Hiroyuki Sanada, Garret Dillahunt, and Ana de la Reguera, as well as a digitally added Tig Notaro.
What follows is a gloriously silly romp that refuses to take itself too seriously, propelling us through a series of explosions and bullets while the story twists and turns through a 148-minute runtime that feels oh, so much shorter. — S.H.
How to watch: Army of the Dead is now streaming on Netflix.
The entirety of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is streaming on Netflix, but if you only have time to watch one movie, make it the highlight. Make it The Dark Knight.
While artfully directed high-speed car chases and hand-to-hand combat abound here, it’s the introduction of Heath Ledger’s Joker that sets this film apart. He’s chaos in clown makeup, pushing Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) to his limit with a series of attacks and moral dilemmas that terrorize Gotham. A gripping crime drama full of unforgettable sequences, The Dark Knight isn’t just the best comic book movie of all time — it’s one of the best action movies of all time, too. — B.E.
How to watch: The Dark Knight is now streaming on Netflix.
Folks looking for that summer blockbuster thrill, search no further than The Old Guard. Based on the superhero comic books of the same name, director Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s movie sucks viewers into a slick, well-crafted world of action and narrative that isn’t particularly unique but delivers its formulaic pieces with enough precision to keep you invested.
Charlize Theron crushes as the ass-kicking leader of an immortal warrior fight crew, with performances by Harry Melling, Marwan Kenzari, KiKi Layne, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Veronica Ngo, Matthias Schoenaerts, and more.* — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: The Old Guard is now streaming on Netflix.
* denotes the entry comes from a previous Mashable list.
UPDATE: Sep. 8, 2023, 5:00 p.m. EDT This post has been updated to reflect the current selection on Netflix.
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