Action backdrop

Action movies

Explosive stunts, high-speed chases, and adrenaline-pumping battles where heroes face impossible odds.

Subgenres include: Epic Action, Vehicle-Driven Action, One-Person Army.

Kidnapping Mr. Heineken

1201. Kidnapping Mr. Heineken

Drama Action Crime Thriller Mystery
6.1

20151h 35min

Belgium, United Kingdom

Director: Daniel Alfredson

The true story of the kidnapping of Freddy Heineken, the grandson of the founder of the Heineken brewery, and his driver. They were released after a ransom of 35 million Dutch guilders was paid.

Themes

Group dynamics under pressure, Family involvement consequences, Abduction for payoff, Risk and exposure decisions, Ransom as leverage, Capture driven outcomes

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Run All Night

1202. Run All Night

Action Crime Thriller One-Person Army Organized Crime
6.6

20151h 54min

United States, Spain

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon has seen better days. Longtime best friend of a mob boss, Jimmy is haunted by the sins of his past—as well as a dogged police detective who’s been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. But when Jimmy’s estranged son becomes a target, Jimmy must make a choice between the crime family he chose and the real family he abandoned long ago. Now, with nowhere safe to turn, Jimmy has just one night to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie and to see if he can finally make things right.

Themes

Loyalty under threat, Cycles of violence, Power and coercion, Duty versus survival, Family vs crime allegiance, Vigilantism and accountability, Past crimes shaping present

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Chappie

1203. Chappie

Crime Action Science Fiction AI Sci-Fi Epic Action
6.8

20152h

United States, South Africa

Director: Neill Blomkamp

Every child comes into the world full of promise, and none more so than Chappie: he is gifted, special, a prodigy. Like any child, Chappie will come under the influence of his surroundings—some good, some bad—and he will rely on his heart and soul to find his way in the world and become his own man. But there's one thing that makes Chappie different from any one else: he is a robot.

Themes

Surveillance and control, Ai autonomy through manipulation, Ethics of creation under profit, Deception shaping loyalties, Humans vs machines, Debt-driven coercion and crime

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Everly

1204. Everly

Thriller Action One-Person Army Revenge Thriller
5.1

20151h 33min

United States, Serbia

Director: Joe Lynch

After she betrays a powerful mob boss, a woman matches wits and weaponry with a legion of killers who are out to collect the bounty on the heads of her and her family.

Themes

Family under threat, Violence as currency, Survival through resistance, Betrayal under coercion, Autonomy under duress, Crime-world power dynamics

Available on

Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Gunman

1205. The Gunman

Action Drama Crime One-Person Army Psychological Drama
5.8

20151h 55min

France, Spain

Director: Pierre Morel

Eight years after fleeing the Congo following his assassination of that country's minister of mining, former assassin Jim Terrier is back, suffering from PTSD and digging wells to atone for his violent past. After an attempt is made on his life, Terrier flies to London to find out who wants him dead -- and why. Terrier's search leads him to a reunion with Annie, a woman he once loved, who is now married to an oily businessman with dealings in Africa.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Justice versus corporate interests, Corporate security overreach, Betrayal within mercenary networks, Resource-driven violence, External manipulation by firms

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

1206. Kingsman: The Secret Service

Crime Comedy Action Adventure Spy Action
7.7

20152h 9min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Matthew Vaughn

The story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

Themes

Mentorship under pressure, Technology as weapon, Elite vs street talent, Private power versus public risk, Loyalty under selection, Global threat response

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Hulu
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Tracers

1207. Tracers

Action Epic Action
5.6

20151h 34min

United States

Director: Daniel Benmayor

Wanted by the mafia, a New York City bike messenger escapes into the world of parkour after meeting a beautiful stranger.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Loyalty under pressure, Illicit economies, Organized crime pressure, Debt coercion, Mentorship and belonging

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Wild Card

1208. Wild Card

Thriller Crime Action Organized Crime Revenge Thriller
5.6

20151h 32min

United States

Director: Simon West

When a Las Vegas bodyguard with lethal skills and a gambling problem gets in trouble with the mob, he has one last play… and it's all or nothing.

Themes

Money as leverage, Risk and consequence, Urban crime economy, Gambling addiction under pressure, Crime and protection dynamics, Autonomy versus coercion

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

After the events of Justice League: War, Ocean Master and Black Manta have declared a war against the surface in retaliation of the aftermath of Apokoliptian-tyrant Darkseid's planetary invasion. Queen Atlanna seeks out her other son, Ocean Master’s half-brother Arthur Curry, a half-human with aquatic powers with no knowledge of his Atlantean heritage, to restore balance. Living with powers he doesn’t understand and seeing the danger around him, Curry takes steps to embrace his destiny, joining the Justice League, and with his new teammates he battles to save Earth from total destruction.

Themes

Alliance under pressure, Interrealm conflict, Legacy vs legitimacy, Power and sovereignty, Duty vs destiny, Heritage and belonging

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Blackhat

1210. Blackhat

Crime Thriller Action Organized Crime Computer Threat Thriller
5.5

20152h 13min

United States

Director: Michael Mann

Nicholas Hathaway, a furloughed convict, and his American and Chinese partners hunt a high-level cybercrime network from Chicago to Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Jakarta. As Hathaway closes in, the stakes become personal as he discovers that the attack on a Chinese nuclear power plant was just the beginning.

Themes

Technology as weapon, Betrayal under pressure, Race against time, Cross border pursuit, Rogue networks, Conspiracy and deception

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.