The best action movies on Amazon Prime right now
There are always action movies on Amazon Prime Video, just not necessarily the ones you’ve been looking for. Because of films coming and going, the action lineup can be a little erratic on Prime Video, especially when even flicks like the latest James Bond movie, No To Time Die, don’t stick around for long.
One new addition that won’t be going anywhere else is Prime Video’s remake of Road House. Action lovers will also enjoy Payback, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and The Covenant. Those are just a few of the titles on our list of the best action movies on Amazon Prime Video right now. To find the rest, just keep scrolling down.
If you’ve already burned through the Amazon Prime catalog, we’ve also put together a list of the best action movies on Netflix, the best action movies on Disney+, and the best action movies on Hulu.
Road House (2024) [New]
Metacritic: 59%
IMDb: 6.3/10
Rated: R
Duration: 121m
Genre: Action, Thriller
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Conor McGregor
Directed by: Doug Liman
Road House may have skipped theaters, but there’s no shortage of action in this remake of the 1989 original starring Patrick Swayze. Jake Gyllenhaal headlines the new film as Dalton, a former UFC fighter running from his past who gets a chance to turn his life around when Frankie (Jessica Williams) hires him to be the new head bouncer at her road house bar.
Dalton is so good at his job that he runs afoul of local crime boss Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen), who’s trying to take Frankie’s land as part of a larger scheme. When Dalton won’t back down, an even more formidable enforcer, Knox (Conor McGregor), is sent to put him in his place. And this is one fight where even Dalton’s skills will be sorely tested.
Payback (1999) [New]
Metacritic: 46%
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rated: R
Duration: 100m
Genre: Action, Drama, Crime
Stars: Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello
Directed by: Brian Helgeland
The posters for Payback said “get ready to root for the bad guy.” It’s not so hard when the bad guy is going up against people who are even worse than he is. Action icon Mel Gibson plays Porter, a career criminal who was double-crossed by his partner, Val Resnick (Gregg Henry), who also convinced Porter’s wife, Lynn (Deborah Kara Unger), that he was cheating on her. Together, they leave Porter for dead, and Val steals the money that he and Porter had previously taken from the Chinese Triad.
But leaving someone for dead is not the same thing as making sure they’re dead. Porter takes the time to recover, and when he returns, he’s going to make sure there’s hell to pay. Val’s just one of the top names on his hit list, and Porter won’t stop coming until his revenge is complete.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) [New]
Metacritic: 94%
IMDb: 7.9/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 120m
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Action, Romance
Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-fat, Zhang Ziyi
Directed by: Ang Lee
In 2000, director Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon brought martial arts action films even more into the mainstream than ever before. One of the big reasons why this film resonated with audiences all over the world was the unconsummated love story between Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) and Yu Shu Lien (Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s Michelle Yeoh), two legendary warriors who can’t admit their feelings for each other.
When Mu Bai attempts to retire, his sword, Green Destiny, is stolen by Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei), the woman who killed his master several years earlier. Jade Fox has also taken on an apprentice of her own, Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi), a young woman whose skills may even exceed Jade Fox’s. Both Mu Bai and Shu Lien see Jen’s potential to become a greater warrior, but they can’t protect her from the choices that she makes for herself.
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (2023) [New]
Metacritic: 63%
IMDb: 7.5/10
Rated: R
Duration: 123m
Genre: War, Action, Thriller
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Sean Sagar
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Bonds of brotherhood are formed in battle, even though Master Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) doesn’t initially care for his new interpreter, Ahmed (Dar Salim), during the war in Afghanistan. The Covenant reveals Ahmed’s heroism when he risks his own life to see Kinley to safety after the latter is injured by Taliban fighters.
Ahmed’s bravery is not rewarded by the U.S. government, which refuses to evacuate him and his family even as the Taliban hunts him down to get revenge. When Kinley discovers this injustice, he returns to Afghanistan to repay the debt that he has to Ahmed.
Fast X (2023)
Metacritic: 56%
IMDb: 5.8/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 142m
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Stars: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
After nine movies, there’s an aura of invincibility around Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). Even in Fast X, Dom survives things that no ordinary human could withstand, and his cars continue to defy the laws of physics and reason. So the only thing that can bring Dom down is a villain who is even more over the top than he is.
Aquaman star Jason Momoa fills that void in Fast X as Dante Reyes, the previously unrevealed son of one of Dom’s late enemies. Dante likens himself to the devil, and he lives up to that by stealing the private army of Cipher (Charlize Theron) and then targeting Dom, Dom’s wife, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), their son, Brian Marcos (Leo Abelo Perry), and the entire Fast Saga “family.” And unlike previous villains in the franchise, Dante doesn’t seem to make many missteps.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
Metacritic: 42%
IMDb: 6.0/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 127m
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Peter Cullen
Directed by: Steven Caple Jr.
You won’t miss the Bay-hem in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. This movie is not without its flaws, but the action is far more comprehensible than in any of Michael Bay’s Transformers flicks. The film has a lot to juggle, as it continues the light reboot from Bumblebee while also introducing Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman) and his prehistoric-inspired Maximals from Transformers: Beast Wars.
Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) and Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) are the unwitting humans who find themselves caught up in the war between the Autobots and the evil Terrorcons who serve Unicron (Colman Domingo), a planet-eating Transformer who is bigger than most worlds. Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) may not be willing to fully trust his new human allies, but Mirage (Pete Davidson) is very eager to befriend Noah, and their bond carries the film.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Metacritic: 78%
IMDb: 8.3/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 131m
Genre: Action, Drama
Stars: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
No less than Steven Spielberg has claimed that Top Gun: Maverick saved Hollywood by pulling in blockbuster numbers that rival the pre-pandemic box office. Spielberg may be exaggerating a bit, but this is by far the biggest hit of Tom Cruise’s career and a sequel to one of his most iconic films.
Thirty years after Top Gun, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) is still just a captain and a flight instructor, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Yet even Maverick may have lost a step as he tries to train a new generation of Top Gun pilots. One pilot in particular, Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), proves to be particularly difficult for Maverick to deal with because he blames Pete for the death of his father, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), in the previous film.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Metacritic: 72%
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 134m
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy
Stars: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith
Directed by: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
The Dungeons & Dragons franchise gets another chance on the big screen in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and it’s one of the most charming fantasy films to come along in ages. Star Trek’s Chris Pine stars as Edgin Darvis, a bard and a professional thief who was betrayed by one of his companions, Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), and imprisoned alongside his best friend, Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez).
When Edgin and Holga escape, they discover the true scope of Forge’s treachery, and they realize that they can’t retrieve Edgin’s daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman), without help. That’s why they recruit their former partner, Simon Aumar (Justice Smith), and a shape-shifting tiefling druid, Doric (Sophia Lillis), for an audacious scheme to rob Forge and bring down his evil allies, the Red Wizards.
Samaritan (2022)
Metacritic: 45%
IMDb: 5.7/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 102m
Genre: Action, Drama, Science Fiction
Stars: Javon Walton, Sylvester Stallone, Dascha Polanco
Directed by: Julius Avery
Seeing as we’ve already seen wave after wave of actors getting the cape-and-cowl treatment, it was only a matter of time before the superhero story found its way to someone like Sylvester Stallone. The movie to do so is Samaritan, and while it’s pretty par for the course in terms of narrative scope and set pieces, it’s certainly not the worst blending of sci-fi action and drama we’ve ever seen. The story follows Sam Cleary (Javon Walton), a 13-year-old kid who is watching the world around him crumble. Crime is rampant, heroes are hard to come by, and the end times seem to be drawing near. But perhaps all is not lost. Mr. Smith (Stallone) could actually be Samaritan, a superhero who was the white knight of Sam’s stomping grounds a long time ago. And it’s up to the persistent and hopeful Sam to convince Mr. Smith to become a hero once more.
Jolt (2021)
Metacritic: 48%
IMDb: 5.6/10
Duration: 91m
Genre: Action, Comedy
Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Stanley Tucci, Bobby Cannavale
Directed by: Tanya Wexler
In Jolt, Kate Beckinsale’s Lindy Lewis has a bit of a problem keeping her intermittent explosive disorder under control. The short version is that she’s prone to fits of extreme violence at a moment’s notice. While trying to maintain some sense of normalcy, Lindy goes on a date with Justin (Jai Courtney). But when Justin is murdered, Lindy realizes that the police will do nothing to solve the case. So she takes it upon herself to dispense justice, one beating at a time, until she gets some answers.
Tom Clancy's Without Remorse (2021)
Metacritic: 41%
IMDb: 5.8/10
Rated: R
Duration: 109m
Genre: Action, Thriller
Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Jodie Turner-Smith
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
After nearly three decades in development hell, Tom Clancy’s novel, Without Remorse, was finally adapted with Michael B. Jordan in the leading role as John Kelly, the leader of an elite team of U.S. Navy SEALs. Following a mission that unwittingly pits them against Russian operatives, John and his team face deadly reprisals months later on American soil. John is the only survivor of an attack that also claims the life of his wife, Pam Kelly (Lauren London). After murdering one of the men responsible, John bargains his way out of prison to help capture the last surviving assassin, Victor Rykov (Brett Gelman).
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Metacritic: 45%
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 138m
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Adventure
Stars: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons
Directed by: Chris McKay
As the title implies, The Tomorrow War isn’t about a conflict in the present. But it is very much a problem that the modern world can’t ignore. When Lt. Hart (Jasmine Mathews) travels back in time to warn the people of Earth about an alien invasion, she also reveals that humanity is losing the war. Recruits are badly needed to come back to the future and fight the alien horde. Chris Pratt’s Dan Forester is one of many who answer the call to action, but he’s not the only member of his family who gets roped into the war. Yet once they get to the future, Dan and the new recruits find themselves ill-prepared for the full scale of the threat.
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Metacritic: 44%
IMDb: 7.8/10
Rated: R
Duration: 108m
Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars: Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus
Directed by: Troy Duffy
Don’t let that low Rotten Tomatoes score fool you. Boondock Saints is a cult classic action flick that has been embraced by fans for over two decades. A pre-Walking Dead Norman Reedus stars as Murphy, with Sean Patrick Flanery as his brother, Connor MacManus. The MacManus brothers become overnight sensations when they kill Russian mobsters in self-defense. FBI special agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe) declines to charge the brothers, both of whom come to believe that God wants them to eliminate all of the evil men in Boston. That’s much easier said than done, as the brothers soon find themselves well over their heads in a bloody crusade.
