The best action movies on Hulu include some of the most epic and thrilling entries in the genre. Hulu carries a strong library of content, rivaling every other streaming service out there. Fans looking for any type of movie will have plenty of options to choose from. However, those looking for pulse-pounding thrills and intense action sequences are especially in luck as the best action movies on Hulu show the heights the genre can reach with some amazing entries.
While action movies can sometimes be dismissed as mindless popcorn entertainment, many of these movies on Hulu highlight the brilliance in action storytelling. They range from movies that are part of huge franchises to small standalone adventures. They also feature some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, like Tom Cruise, Margot Robbie, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as the best directors in the business, from Oscar-winning icons like James Cameron to newcomers like Cathy Yan. The result is a terrific collection of action movies available on Hulu now.
10 Taken (2008)
Liam Neeson’s action movie career surprised a lot of people as the Oscar-nominated actor was known more for prestigious dramas. However, Taken took Neeson’s career in a completely new direction as he proved he was not too old to throw down in fight scenes and shootouts. Taken stars Neeson as Bryan Mills, a loving father who learns his daughter has been kidnapped while on vacation in Europe and sets out with his “particular set of skills” to get her back.
The movie benefits from the simple emotional backbone of a father doing whatever it takes to keep their child safe. This also makes it immensely satisfying to see Neeson fight his way through hordes of villains, making it clear they took the wrong man’s daughter. While the sequels proved a franchise was unnecessary, the original remains a solid and tight action ride.
9 Birds Of Prey (2020)
Superhero movies can often feature action sequences along with fantasy or sci-fi elements. However, Birds of Prey cements itself fully in the genre as a high-octane and chaotic action movie. The return of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is at the center of it as she deals with life now that her relationship with Joker is done and finds herself teaming up with some other hard-hitting women in order to take on a vicious gangster.
The hard-R rating for the movie gives it a lot of freedom to get wild with its action and that makes for some terrific sequences, from Harley’s attack on a police station to the climactic funhouse brawl. Robbie continues to shine in the role of Harley, fully committing to the eccentric anti-hero. The movie also wisely stands on its own amidst the confusion of the DCEU at the time, making it just a fun and zany action flick.
8 Kick-Ass (2010)
Kick-Ass is another R-rated comic book movie that chooses hardcore violence over superpowers and stoic heroes. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, the movie stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a young high schooler who decides to don a green and yellow costume and become a crime-fighter. However, he soon finds the real world of gangsters and murderers makes being a crime fighter much more dangerous than he imagined.
The movie has a lot of fun poking fun and paying homage to the comic book genre with a more grounded and brutal look at what a real life crime-fighter would be like. It is a bloody and bone-crunching experience that doesn’t go easy on the audience. At the center of the movie’s best action is Nicolas Cage as Big Daddy and Chloe Grace Morëtz as Hit Girl, a father and daughter crime-fighting team that showKick-Ass how it’s done.
7 Dredd (2012)
Following the Sylvester Stallone version in the ’90s, fans had largely given up hope on a new Judge Dredd movie. However, with the help of sci-fi veteran Alex Garland as writer (and rumored director), Dredd took a low-budget approach to the character and this unique sci-fi world that was a surprise hit with audiences. Karl Urban steps into the role of Judge Dredd, the futuristic cop who shows no mercy or restraint in punishing those who break the law.
While attempting to arrest a dangerous drug lord, Dredd and a new recruit find themselves trapped in a compound filled with dangerous henchmen. The movie offers gory kills and an unforgettable action hero with Urban perfectly capturing Dredd’s lack of humanity while still being fun to watch. The film’s box office failure put an end to hopes of a franchise, but it remains proof Dredd can be brought to the big screen effectively.
6 True Lies (1994)
James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger have collaborated on some timeless action movies in the past, but True Lies remains their most underrated movie together. Schwarzenegger stars as an international spy who hides his world-saving adventures from his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) only for his professional life and personal life to become unexpectedly entangled.
True Lies might seem less ambitious than Cameron’s other projects, but that doesn’t stop the Oscar-winning filmmaker from delivering some huge and exciting action sequences. From shootouts to a terrific bridge sequence to a chase scene with Schwarzenegger on a horse, Cameron is having a lot of fun. It is also the funniest Cameron movie by far with the two leads perfect playing the broad comedic beats of the script while still maintaining the action intensity.
5 Mission: Impossible III (2006)
The Mission: Impossible movies have gradually cemented themselves as the best spy movie franchise around, but the series was once on much shakier ground. Mission: Impossible II was a box office hit but a critical failure, making many question the world needed the continued adventures of Ethan Hunt and the IMF. Luckily, Mission: Impossible III came along to prove there was still a lot of excitement to be had. The movie finds Hunt retired as a field agent and getting ready to settle down in a new life only to be dragged back into the world of international espionage.
The sequel marked the directorial debut of J.J. Abrams who injects the movie with a fast-paced energy and fun tone, never taking itself too seriously. Cruise continues to fully commit to the franchise while Philip Seymour Hoffman provides the franchise’s best villain. Though the action in Mission: Impossible movies would only get better from here, the well-staged and intense sequences stand comfortably among the franchise’s great set-pieces.
4 Ip Man (2008)
The Hong Kong action movie scene was at its height in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with it going on to influence American action movies. However, Hulu features a more recent and brilliant action movie with Ip Man which also serves as a fascinating biography. Donnie Yen stars in the movie as Yip Man, the legendary martial artist who was the first person to teach Wing Chun.
Ip Man is a very interesting action movie as it functions as a very typical biopic with genre conventions and expectations, only to explode into amazingly choreographed and elaborate fight sequences that rank among the best in modern cinema. Yen remains one of the best action stars of all time and the role fits him wonderfully, showing off his amazing skills. The Ip Man franchise is available on Hulu and the first movie is the perfect introduction to this world.
3 Aliens (1986)
Another James Cameron action movie ranks as one of the best on Hulu and another reason why audiences should never bet against the filmmaker. Following Alien‘s success as a taught and suspenseful sci-fi horror movie, Cameron’s Aliens sequel took the franchise in a completely new direction, expanding it into a full-blown sci-fi action movie with the results proving to be surprisingly brilliant. It sees the return of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, waking up from cryosleep decades later and joining a group of marines in investigating a colony that’s been attacked by the deadly xenomorphs.
Cameron uses Ridley Scott’s template as a style for the movie while still using his own approach to a much different movie. It is a crowd-pleasing action movie that is still chilling and intense in the right places. It features a new wonderful ensemble of supporting characters while Weaver gets to go full-blown action hero in her Oscar-nominated role.
2 Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
It had been 30 years since the last Mad Max movie when George Miller finally continued the franchise with Mad Max: Fury Road. Despite the long wait and the fact that franchise star Mel Gibson was replaced with Tom Hardy, the fourth movie ended up being one of the greatest action movies of the 21st century. Further confusing the Mad Max timeline, the new movie finds the lone hero teaming with a rogue warrior who seeks to free the imprisoned wives of a malicious warlord.
The movie is basically an extended chase sequence and Miller ensures that it is the wildest and most intense chase sequence ever put on film. The scale of the movie and what Miller is able to pull off boggles the mind and makes for a truly epic cinematic experience. Hardy is effective in an almost wordless performance while Charlize Theron is essentially the lead character as Furiosa, a character that proved such a hit that she will get her own spinoff prequel.
1 Die Hard (1988)
Not only is it one of the best action movies ever made, but Die Hard is one of the best Christmas movies ever made, making it a favorite watch for fans every year. Yet it remains a movie that never gets old no matter how many times it is watched. Bruce Willis announced himself as the next great action star as John McClane, a New York City cop who finds himself at a Los Angeles Christmas party that is taken over by armed villains, led by the intelligent and ruthless Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman).
John McTiernan directs the smart and tight script that puts McClane as the lone hero who can save the day. Willis plays the role of a man who would rather not be in this situation but will do his best to stop the bad guys. Meanwhile, Rickman steals the show as a charismatic and sophisticated villain opposite Willis’s everyman hero. The set-up allows for some great sequences of McClane taking the enemies out one by one which is why so many action movies that followed used the Die Hard template.
