5 great Netflix action movies to watch on New Year’s Day
After staying up all night to watch the ball drop, it’s no surprise if you need a pick-me-up on New Year’s Day. One great way to get your energy back up is with a high-octane action movie, and if you’re a Netflix subscriber, you have access to a massive library of quality choices.
Netflix is an extensive hub for action movies, so figuring out what to watch can be difficult. To help you out, we’ve pulled together five great Netflix action movies to watch on New Year’s Day.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
John Wick (2014)
Metacritic: 68%
Rated: R
Duration: 101m
Genre: Action, Thriller
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen
Directed by: Chad Stahelski
The biggest reason for Keanu Reeves’ extraordinary career resurrection, John Wick smashed expectations both at the box office and in its critical reception. Today, the franchise has spawned three film sequels and a TV spinoff that have combined to make it a billion-dollar franchise. There’s no better place to start than with the first film, which begins with a simple but infuriating act: The spoiled brat son of a gangster murdering a man’s dog. That man just so happened to be John Wick, one of history’s most lethal and feared assassins who went into retirement after the death of his wife. The dog had finally begun to put meaning back into Wick’s life. The dog’s murder brings a new meaning: Vengeance.
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Metacritic: 81%
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 124m
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror, Action
Stars: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada
Directed by: Takashi Yamazaki
One of the best Godzilla films of recent years, this Japanese production returns to the roots of the monster’s origin: The inevitable consequences of nuclear fallout. Set in post-World War II Japan, the country is reeling after atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki cripple the government and military. Before the country can even begin to recover, a new terror arises: Godzilla. With no military intervention on the way, civilians must band together to fight back against the relentless monster.
The Equalizer (2014)
Metacritic: 57%
Rated: R
Duration: 132m
Genre: Thriller, Action, Crime
Stars: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Another 2014 action hit that has spawned multiple sequels and a TV spinoff, The Equalizer stars Gladiator II‘s Denzel Washington as Robert McCall, a former black ops commando who has put his dark past behind him to establish a quiet life in Boston. But when he meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl being controlled by the Russian mob, McCall can’t let her suffer in silence. Coming out of a self-imposed retirement, McCall soon finds his thirst for justice awakened. When someone has the odds stacked against them, and they have nowhere else to turn, they can count on The Equalizer.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Metacritic: 69%
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 129m
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Stars: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by: Jon Watts
It’s always smart to have a family-friendly option available, and Marvel often fits the bill for family-friendly action movies. One of the few Marvel Cinematic Universe options available on Netflix, Spider-Man: Far From Home, sees Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his friends cross the pond to Europe for a summer trip. But while Peter just wants to relax, hang out with his friends, and see the sights, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has other plans. There’s a rash of attacks across the continent by giant, mysterious elemental creatures, and Fury needs Spider-Man to get to the bottom of it. Fortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. has the help of a new hero, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), who claims he knows how to fight these monsters.
The Protégé (2021) [New]
Metacritic: 48%
Rated: R
Duration: 109m
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Stars: Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton
Directed by: Martin Campbell
When she’s rescued as a child by legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson), Anna (Maggie Q) is raised in the family business, growing up to become the world’s most skilled and coveted contract killer. But when Moody is brutally murdered, Anna sets out for vengeance upon enigmatic killer Rembrandt (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice‘s Michael Keaton). Caught in a sadistic game of cat and mouse, their confrontation spirals out of control with an abundance of collateral damage as all of the loose ends of a lifetime of killing come back to haunt Anna.
