30 Best Action Movies On Hulu

Hulu is one of the top streaming platforms out there, and they have an extensive catalog of films that'll match your every desire. Whether it's a cheesy romance or a terrifying horror flick, Hulu is a one-stop-shop for movie lovers. And there's definitely no shortage of action films on the site, so if you're a fan of the genre, this might is a platform you should consider browsing through. 

Not only does Hulu have a long list of action flicks from big studios, but they're also growing their own catalog of original movies in the genre as well. If you're a fan of car chases, hand-to-hand combat, and fiery explosions, we suggest checking out any of the incredible action films on this list. 

Updated on December 30, 2021: When it comes to movies with fist fights and insane stunts, Hulu is constantly changing its catalog. In order to keep things current, we'll be updating this list each month so you can stay informed on all the crazy action happening over on Hulu.

A remake of the classic 1963 film of the same name, "13 Assassins" is about a group of 19th-century Japanese warriors burdened with eliminating a tyrannical lord who's ruthless and murderous to his own people. These assassins are the best samurai Japan has to offer, but will they be good enough to bring down the lord and his loyal gang of bodyguards? From the wonderfully demented mind of Takashi Miike, "13 Assassins" offers up some truly glorious battle scenes, and it's a must-see for fans of samurai cinema.

• Starring: Kôji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya
• Director: Takashi Miike
• Year: 2011
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Ridley Scott is among the greatest filmmakers of his generation. He's versatile, too: Scott has helmed dusty road movies ("Thelma and Louise"), dystopian sci-fi ("Blade Runner"), and swords-and-sandals epics ("Gladiator"). He tackles dark, gritty police thrillers in "Black Rain." Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia play New York City officers who witness a murder and arrest the suspect, only to find themselves pulled into the seedy world of the Yakuza. These American cops bring their man back to Japan for a murder trial, but he escapes, forcing them to work in an environment both hostile and unfamiliar.

• Starring: Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura
• Director: Ridley Scott
• Year: 1989
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 50%

Movies about machine gun-toting super-soldiers who wage war against America's enemies were all the rage in the '80s. "Commando," an over-the-top, action-packed, mega-warrior flick encapsulates the genre. Schwarzenegger plays John Matrix, a retired Special Forces operative trying to live a quiet life with his daughter. When his former comrades start turning up dead and his daughter is kidnapped, however, he is thrust back into service. Matrix takes off for the wilds of Latin America to kill the bad guys, rescue his daughter, and regain his peace.

• Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano
• Director: Mark L. Lester
• Year: 1985
• Runtime: 90 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 69%

Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool, and after the disaster that was "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," he got a second shot at the character in 2016. This time, Deadpool's mouth wasn't sewn shut, he was breaking the fourth wall, and he was taking superhero movies into raunchy, R-rated territory, all with that delightfully snarky Reynolds charm.

As for the plot, the film finds Reynolds as Wade Wilson, an assassin who gets horribly mutilated after a sadistic science experiment. One positive note — now, he can heal almost instantly. Doesn't matter what you do — stab him, shoot him, drop him off a building — the Merc with a Mouth will keep on coming. And that's a real handy skill to have when you want revenge on the people who turned you into Freddy Krueger.

Of course, the plot is just an excuse to see Wilson/Deadpool slo-mo murder people to Juice Newton songs, irritate B-team members of the X-Men, give questionable life advice to an impressionable taxi cab driver, and slice up any fool who dares step in his way.

Deadpool hits Hulu on November 15.

• Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Karan Soni
• Director: Tim Miller
• Year: 2016
• Runtime: 108 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Based on the famous "Judge Dredd" comic books, "Dredd" follows the titular executioner as he ruthlessly passes judgment in a very violent city. However, Dredd soon finds himself paired with a rookie who has psychic abilities, and the two wind up inside a high-rise apartment complex in the hunt for a callous drug lord. But once she gets wind of their arrival, the drug lord shuts down the building and orders her goons to take the judges out, resulting in a fight for survival as the officers climb higher and higher up the tower. With Alex Garland's tight screenplay, Karl Urban's gruff performance as the helmet-wearing anti-hero, and some of the most beautiful slo-mo action scenes ever filmed, "Dredd" is a violent little gem that's definitely worth a watch. 

• Starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey
• Director: Pete Travis
• Year: 2012
• Runtime: 96 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%

The ultimate YA sci-fi adaptation, "The Hunger Games" is an action-packed thrill ride, a tender romance, and a smart examination out how powerful institutions use propaganda and entertainment to keep the masses under control. As for the plot, Katniss Everdeen lives in the continent of Panem, which is ruled by the tyrannical President Snow. Every year, Panem's various districts are forced to send tributes to fight in the Hunger Games, televised death matches that serve as punishment for a past rebellion.

Things take a terrible turn when Katniss' younger sister is chosen to fight in the Games. Knowing the girl will never survive, Katniss volunteers as tribute. Now, the hunter will have to learn how to navigate the tricky world of the Capitol, all before being thrust into the do-or-die Hunger Games. But as she fights for her life, Katniss finds herself becoming a revolutionary symbol. With a powerhouse performance from Jennifer Lawrence, "The Hunger Games" is the first entry in a solid franchise, which can be found on Hulu.

• Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
• Director: Gary Ross
• Year: 2012
• Runtime: 142 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

A veteran accused of murdering five people in a vicious sniper attack asks for one man after he's arrested: Jack Reacher. A former military police officer, Reacher vows to prove the man's guilt. Along the way, he uncovers an even bigger secret behind the murders and becomes the target himself as he gets nearer to finding out the truth. Come for Tom Cruise fighting like five guys, stay for Werner Herzog's terrifying villain.

• Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall
• Director: Christopher McQuarrie
• Year: 2012
• Runtime: 127 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 63%

When a well-respected general is court-martialed and sent to a maximum-security prison known as "the Castle," a power struggle commences inside. The general rallies his fellow inmates to fight against their tyrant warden, who hasn't shied from killing prisoners in the past. Only one man can rule the Castle, but who will come out on top? Ignore the not-so-great Rotten Tomatoes score because this prison flick is an underrated action classic.

• Starring: Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo
• Director: Rod Lurie
• Year: 2001
• Runtime: 131 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 52%

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, especially during the apocalypse. That's true for poor Joel Dawson anyway. After giant monsters take over the world, Joel finds himself holed away in a bunker, totally single and surrounded by loving, monster-fighting couples. The only thing that gets him through the day are occasional radio chats with Aimee, his old girlfriend who's in a colony about 80 miles away.

Desperately lonely, Joel sets off into the wild to reunite with Aimee, even though he has zero survival skills. Along the way, he meets a friendly dog, a very capable father/daughter duo, and scores and scores of monsters — from a mutant frog to giant ants to some very scary sand gobblers. But if he can survive the journey, true love is waiting on the other side ... right?

The creatures here are pretty darn impressive, with the film earning an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. But what's truly amazing is Brian Duffield's screenplay, which makes every character compelling and dynamic, from our lovestruck protagonist to his canine sidekick.

• Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker
• Director: Michael Matthews
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 109 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Set in the late '70s, "The Nice Guys" follows Jackson Healy (an enforcer with a heart of gold) and Holland March (a drunken private investigator trying to solve cases an raise a daughter). Both men are hired to investigate the death of adult film star Misty Mountains, and their journey to find the truth leads them to a bigger conspiracy, along with a ton of laughs and a fair amount of blood. Gosling and Crowe have remarkable chemistry in this buddy-cop film, one that's been vastly underrated for too long.

• Starring: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice
• Director: Shane Black
• Year: 2016
• Runtime: 116 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

World War II pilot Maude Garrett joins the crew of a B-17 with some mysterious cargo. She's questioned incessantly about what she's brought on board, but she stays vigilant in keeping it a mystery. Not too long after takeoff, the crew becomes wary after something unknown and dangerous looms in the clouds. Determined to keep her secret, Maude steps forward to protect her crew and her cargo at the same time. What's lurking outside the plane is sure to surprise you, as is what's in Maude's secret satchel.

• Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Beulah Koale
• Director: Roseanne Liang
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 83 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%

The past looms large for Admiral James T. Kirk. The desk jockey is getting up in age, and the glory days seem no more than a wistful memory. But the past isn't always so rosy, something Kirk learns the hard way when one of his greatest enemies returns for some ice cold revenge.

Nearly two decades after being abandoned by Kirk on a deserted planet, homicidal warlord Khan Noonien Singh escapes his prison and gets his hands on the Genesis Device — a piece of tech that could terraform uninhabitable worlds ... or destroy anyone in its path. With Khan on the loose, Kirk takes command of the Enterprise, and along with his right-hand Vulcan, Captain Spock, he engages in one last match with his old nemesis.

While it does help to watch the episode "Original Series" episode "Space Seed" beforehand (which you can find on Hulu), "The Wrath of Khan" totally works as a standalone film. As for the action, the spaceship duels feel like grand naval battles. Plus, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Ricardo Montalban are all giving career-best performances.

• Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban
• Director: Nicholas Meyer
• Year: 1982
• Runtime: 113 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

After "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," the time-traveling franchise kind of fell off a cliff with poorly received installments like "Salvation" and "Genisys." But here's a little secret ... "Dark Fate" is actually pretty good.

In this 2019 flick, a new terminator known as the Rev-9 is sent back in time to eliminate a seemingly random woman. However, the woman is temporarily saved by a hybrid cyborg human who was sent back in time to rescue her, but this futuristic hero can't keep doing it on her own. Knowing nothing beats the classics, the hybrid finds help from original characters Sarah Connor and the T-800, and all three work together to keep the woman alive for the most important of reasons.

• Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
• Director: Tim Miller
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 128 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%

"The Warriors" is a time capsule of the grimy, gritty, crime-drenched New York City of the 1970s. But it's also an ancient story, as a seedy retelling of Xenophon's "Anabasis." No longer a tale of Ancient Greek mercenaries on the march, this film follows the Warriors, a Coney Island gang trying to make it back home after a middle-of-the-night summit of New York's criminal clans ends in violence and chaos. A rival gang pins the blame for it on the Warriors, which means they've got to square off against almost every other group, including the Boppers, Lizzies, Rogues, and Baseball Furies.

• Starring: Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright
• Director: Walter Hill
• Year: 1979
• Runtime: 90 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

If you like some scares with your action, look no further than "You're Next," a hilarious and horrific flick that features both razor-sharp screenwriting and tons of razor-sharp weapons.

The well-to-do Davison family decides it's time for a get-together at their remote mansion. Little do they know there are three masked killers lurking about, armed with all manner of weapons and lacking anything like empathy or remorse. However, the killers themselves are in for quite a surprise, as one of the Davisons has brought along his girlfriend, Erin, who knows a thing or two about battling masked assassins.

Yeah, things definitely get bloody, and there are quite a few twists and turns along the way to keep you on your toes. And if you've ever wondered about the lethal abilities of things like screwdrivers or kitchen appliances, well, prepare to have your questions answered. Also prepare to have "Looking for the Magic" stuck in your head forever.

• Starring: Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Barbara Crampton
• Director: Adam Wingard
• Year: 2011
• Runtime: 86 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%