Suspense. Excitement. Action. Thriller movies give us scenes where every choice has a consequence and every moment counts. The genre combines strategic plotting with relentless momentum. So, looking for an engaging cinematic experience? Compare TV has expertly compiled 20 best action thriller movies that offer suspense and fast-paced momentum. What made our list were cunning spy thrillers, high-stakes heist thrillers, raw survival thrillers, and more.
Viewer opinions and what is currently trending are two factors that help us provide a clear and credible guide. This list of the top 20 best action thriller movies helps you navigate what’s on offer. Discover films that will truly hold your attention and find where you can start streaming them for your next suspenseful night in.
What are the best action thriller movies to watch now?
A factual approach is what we follow when picking these movies, plue, we give you all the details needed for a transparent review. But how else did we choose them? We created this list of the best 20 action thriller movies by reflecting on the opinion of viewers and what’s currently trending in online communities – we carefully examine audience ratings and take note on what films are frequently chosen to be streamed.
In looking at these elements, we identify action thriller movies that have received positive reviews from critics and are also resonating with today’s audience. And from the genre and the cast to the streaming service where it’s available and the title, as well as a concise synopsis, the director, and its runtime, we cover everything needed to help you choose.
Happy Gilmore 2
Comedy •Sport •Drama
Overview
Happy Gilmore isn’t done with golf — not by a long shot. Since his retirement after his first Tour Championship win, Gilmore returns to finance his daughter’s ballet classes.
Director
Kyle Newacheck
Duration
115 minutes
The Iron Claw
Drama •Sport
Overview
The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.
Director
Sean Durkin
Cast
Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Holt McCallany, Maura Tierney
Duration
133 minutes
Happy Gilmore
Comedy •Sport
Overview
Failed hockey player-turned-golf whiz Happy Gilmore — whose unconventional approach and antics on the green courts the ire of rival Shooter McGavin — is determined to win a PGA tournament so he can save his granny’s house with the prize money. Meanwhile, an attractive tour publicist tries to soften Happy’s image.
Director
Dennis Dugan
Cast
Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Frances Bay, Allen Covert
Duration
92 minutes
The Karate Kid
Drama •Sport •Action •Family •Adventure •Kids
Overview
Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, Lucille, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of high school students, led by Ali’s ex-boyfriend Johnny, who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo under ruthless sensei, John Kreese. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi, an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate for self-defense and, later, preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.
Director
John G. Avildsen
Cast
Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove, Randee Heller
Duration
127 minutes
Bend It Like Beckham
Comedy •Drama •Romance •Sport
Overview
Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.
Director
Gurinder Chadha
Cast
Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Shaheen Khan
Duration
108 minutes
Next
Sci-fi •Action •Thriller •Adventure •Mystery •Reality •Sport
Overview
Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson has a secret which torments him: he can see a few minutes into the future. Sick of the examinations he underwent as a child and the interest of the government and medical establishment in his power, he lies low under an assumed name in Vegas, performing cheap tricks and living off small-time gambling “winnings.” But when a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles, government agent Callie Ferris must use all her wiles to capture Cris and convince him to help her stop the cataclysm.
Director
Lee Tamahori
Cast
Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel, Thomas Kretschmann, Jim Beaver
Duration
96 minutes
Creed
Drama •Sport •Action •Adventure
Overview
The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.
Director
Ryan Coogler
Cast
Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashād, Andre Ward
Duration
133 minutes
Challengers
Drama •Romance •Sport •Comedy
Overview
Tennis player turned coach Tashi has taken her husband, Art, and transformed him into a world-famous Grand Slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she signs him up for a “Challenger” event — close to the lowest level of pro tournament — where he finds himself standing across the net from his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.
Director
Luca Guadagnino
Cast
Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor, Darnell Appling, Bryan Doo
Duration
132 minutes
She’s the Man
Romance •Comedy •Sport
Overview
Viola Hastings is in a real jam. Complications threaten her scheme to pose as her twin brother, Sebastian, and take his place at a new boarding school. She falls in love with her handsome roommate, Duke, who loves beautiful Olivia, who has fallen for Sebastian! As if that were not enough, Viola’s twin returns from London ahead of schedule but has no idea that his sister has already replaced him on campus.
Director
Andy Fickman
Cast
Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Vinnie Jones, David Cross
Duration
105 minutes
Ford v Ferrari
Drama •Action •Sport •Adventure
Overview
American car designer Carroll Shelby and the British-born driver Ken Miles work together to battle corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.
Director
James Mangold
Cast
Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Jon Bernthal, Caitríona Balfe, Josh Lucas
Duration
146 minutes
Friday Night Lights
Drama •Action •Sport •Adventure
Overview
A small, turbulent town in Texas obsesses over their high school football team to an unhealthy degree. When the star tailback, Boobie Miles, is seriously injured during the first game of the season, all hope is lost, and the town’s dormant social problems begin to flare up. It is left to the inspiring abilities of new coach Gary Gaines to instill in the other team members — and, by proxy, the town itself — a sense of self-respect and honor.
Director
Peter Berg
Cast
Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Garrett Hedlund, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez
Duration
118 minutes
Rollerball
Sci-fi •Action •Adventure •Sport
Overview
In a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game.
Director
Norman Jewison
Cast
James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck, Moses Gunn
Duration
125 minutes
Rush
Drama •Sport •Action •Adventure
Overview
A biographical drama centered on the rivalry between Formula 1 drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda during the 1976 Formula One motor-racing season.
Director
Ron Howard
Cast
Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Pierfrancesco Favino
Duration
123 minutes
Moneyball
Drama •Sport
Overview
The story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to put together a baseball team on a budget, by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.
Director
Bennett Miller
Cast
Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt, Robin Wright
Duration
133 minutes
The Hill
Drama •Sport •History
Overview
The story of Rickey Hill, who overcomes his physical disability and repairs his relationship with his father in a quest to become a major league baseball (MLB) player.
Duration
121 minutes
Goon
Comedy •Drama •Sport
Overview
Doug Glatt, a slacker who discovers he has a talent for brawling, is approached by a minor league hockey coach and invited to join the team as the “muscle.” Despite the fact that Glatt can’t skate, his best friend, Pat, convinces him to give it a shot, and Glatt becomes a hero to the team and their fans, until the league’s reigning goon becomes threatened by Glatt’s success and decides to even the score.
Director
Michael Dowse
Cast
Seann William Scott, Marc-André Grondin, Alison Pill, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber
Duration
92 minutes
Space Jam
Kids •Comedy •Animation •Family •Sci-fi •Sport •Fantasy
Overview
With their freedom on the line, the Looney Tunes seek the help of NBA superstar Michael Jordon to win a basketball game against a team of moronic aliens.
Director
Joe Pytka
Cast
Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight, Theresa Randle, Manner Washington, Eric Gordon
Duration
84 minutes
I, Tonya
Comedy •Drama •Sport
Overview
Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the sport is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.
Director
Craig Gillespie
Cast
Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Julianne Nicholson, Paul Walter Hauser, Bobby Cannavale
Duration
115 minutes
Icarus
Documentary •Sport
Overview
While investigating the furtive world of illegal doping in sports, director Bryan Fogel connects with renegade Russian scientist Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov—a pillar of his country’s “anti-doping” program. Over dozens of Skype calls, urine samples, and badly administered hormone injections, Fogel and Rodchenkov grow closer despite shocking allegations that place Rodchenkov at the center of Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping program.
Director
Bryan Fogel
Cast
Bryan Fogel, Dave Zabriskie, Don Catlin, Grigory Rodchenkov, Scott Brandt
Duration
121 minutes
The Club
Drama •Comedy •Sport
Overview
The club buys a talented young player, Geoff, for a record sum of money. The team members do not like their new star and friction develops immediately. Game after game is lost until Geoff begins to realize that there is more at stake than just his own career.
Director
Bruce Beresford
Cast
Jack Thompson, Graham Kennedy, Frank Wilson, John Howard, Harold Hopkins
Duration
95 minutes
Frequently asked questions
A relentless race against time. High-stakes scenes. Suspense. These are the key elements of action thrillers. A gripping plot drives the action, and typically the hero must overcome dangerous challenges. Protagonists also need to outsmart cunning opponents, and navigate a world where a single mistake can be fatal.
In our list, we focus on films that combine the physical spectacle of action with the psychological tension of a thriller. Even though a pure action film might be all about the stunts, we left nothing out. For instance, we highlight movies where the suspense and plot twists are just as important, if not more important, as the explosions.
Several key sub-genres feature in this genre and our expert list. Spy thrillers, for instance, involve espionage and deception, often with political stakes. Heist thrillers, on the other hand, reveal a plot in which there’s a complex plan to successfully pull off a major crime, with every step raising the tension. And a survival thriller puts a character against a relentless, often natural, force.
Even though action thrillers often contain intense sequences and conflict, we can say that violence isn’t always the key part. The core of the genre is suspense. And that means viewers anticipate danger and the strategic moves of the characters. We rank films that use these elements as a tool for storytelling – such films create a credible sense of urgency without relying on shock value alone.
Seen all 20 movies already? You’ve got great taste! But no worries, the world of action thrillers is vast, and other films fit these sub-genres. Don’t forget to check back for updates, as our list changes with new releases and shifts in public opinion. We always keep an eye on what’s trending, so new recommendations are constantly available here.
Offering a powerful escape from reality, action thrillers are very popular. You’ll almost feel as though you’re in high-pressure situations, but without the real-world risk. Showing us what the characters are made of in term of brains and brawn, where a hero’s cunning is as valuable as their strength, these movies are the perfect entertainment for a world that moves fast.
It definitely can, as many films bring together the suspenseful nature of a thriller with the character-focused storytelling of a drama. These hybrid films often have more complex characters and deeper themes, as they build suspense from personal dilemmas and emotional stakes, not just physical danger. It’s a gripping combination that can lead to some truly unforgettable viewing.
Public sentiment is a credible way of knowing which films are truly resonating with audiences. We track what’s being discussed and celebrated by viewers across Australia. Our ranking uses audience ratings, comments on social channels, reviews in communities, and what films are consistently being streamed to create a living, trustworthy guide to the best action thrillers on offer.
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