The 7 best Netflix action movies to watch right now From Netflix

The Harder They Fall

Trumpeted by Netflix as a 'new-school western', The Harder They Fall in fact takes the staples of old-school westerns (bandits, bank jobs, train robberies, rowdy taverns, shootouts) but blends them all together in a manner that feels fresh and vibrant. Towns populated by Black people are painted in vivid hues, while an all-white town is literally that – stores built with pale wood and streets coated with sawdust shavings like snowflakes. Director Jeymes Samuel is a stylist, given to arresting compositions and whizz-bang set-pieces, but he isn't afraid to let his magnificent actors simply lock eyes and jaw.

Red Notice

Early in Netflix's globe-trotting romp Red Notice, a priceless artifact is revealed to be a clever fake by the application of a fizzy drink. You won't need sugary beverages to catch writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber's comedy-thriller out, because it's exactly what it seems to be: a starry and undemanding caper, with Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot sticking like fingerprints to character type. 

Reynolds plays master art thief Nolan Booth, whom we first encounter pursued by Johnson's FBI profiler John Hartley for stealing said artifact. Various twists, turns, surprise incarcerations, and quips about Johnson's physique later, Booth and Hartley reluctantly unite to best the Bishop (Gadot), the super-thief who routinely outwits them. Will these relative rookies-in-crime manage to make their moves before the Bishop calls checkmate?

Army of Thieves

Set six years before zombie heist movie Army of the Dead, Army of Thieves focusses on the nervous Ludwig Dieter, played by Matthias Schweighöfer, who also directs the movie. We're in the early days of the zombie outbreak and Ludwig is just starting his safecracking days when he's hired by a mysterious woman to carry out a heist with a ragtag bunch of aspiring thieves. The cast also includes Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel and British comedian Guz Khan, while Zack Snyder executive produces. This one's a fun flick that's essentially part-Fast and Furious, part-comedy actioner that will sate any fans of Army of the Dead.

The Old Guard

Charlize Theron headlines this popular graphic novel adaptation, a glorious mash of fight sequences and fantasy lore that plays the part of a modern-day actioner. The Old Guard follows a band of do-gooding mercenaries, led by Theron's Andy, who also happen to be immortal. Through the ages, they've managed to keep their heads down and dispense with vigilante justice undetected, but the advent of technology soon makes that impossible.

Not content to rely solely on its cool "unstoppable warriors" schtick – that's unveiled in an early show-stopping sequence – the movie kicks serious ass on every front. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood showcases her flair for marrying together a tight story with likable characters. Oh, and it’s got a romance for the ages, too.

The Siege of Jadotville

(All Image credit: Netflix)

The Siege of Jadotville is inspired by the experiences of the 157-strong Irish Army during their 1961 UN peacekeeping mission in Congo. It's hard to believe that Jamie Dornan, he of Fifty Shades, can deliver on the dramatic action front but he's at the top of his game as Commandant Pat Quinlan in this Netflix Original. He leads his 150 men into battle with a world-weariness that seems baked-in, taking them on a life-changing mission to hold steady a fort from 3,000 Congolese troops.

Part of director Richie Smyth's plan to toughen up his actors before shooting was to ensure that their experiences felt real. He made all of them attend a soldier training camp... and boy, does it show. That's how you bring a layer of emotional truth to a movie like this. 

The Wandering Earth

Watching Chinese box-office smash The Wandering Earth, it seems as if its screenwriter mainlined every '90s Hollywood disaster movie then promptly declared "Hold all the beers in the world." The sweaty-browed machismo of American popcorn entertainment is nothing compared to what's being dubbed China's first proper sci-fi blockbuster. The story somehow surpasses them all. 

Earth is in dire straits as the sun is on the cusp of dying out, making life on the planet uninhabitable. Scientists pepper the Earth's surface with 10,000 rocket thrusters, enabling Earth to be directed to a new star system…  as long as they also avoid pesky Jupiter's gravity. It's ambitious-as-hell yet director Frank Gwo and his team somehow juggle the superb ensemble cast along with a series of showy visuals for an at-times arresting disaster actioner. 

Code 8

We're in a post-MCU world now where the superhero schtick is no longer counterculture. As a result, we're now getting more fun, straight-to-streaming pics like Code 8, set in a world where roughly 4% of the population is born with abilities. Alas, this circumstance is sadly not met with excitement by the majority of citizens who cower away from "Powers", including Connor (Robbie Amell), a twenty-something labourer struggling to pay for his mother's medical bills. He harnesses his electrokinetic powers and joins forces with a criminal gang, in order to raise the cash. 

Arrowverse heroes and real-life cousins Robbie and Stephen Amell co-star, after having raised the financing for the film through Kickstarter. It's their on-screen dynamic that truly sells it, with the older Amell playing the thuggish crook who enlists Connor. Writer-director Jeff Chan hardly has the type of budget typically tossed at superhero fare, yet this grittier take on an X-Men-esque world delivers plenty of compelling action sequences.