What's On? For the Action Junkie
If you’re on the hunt for an adrenaline rush, check out these Netflix recommendations that will get your heart pumping.
- Ip Man (2008)
If you’ve ever wondered how Bruce Lee mastered martial arts, this biopic is about his mentor, the legendary Ip Man. Donnie Yen, who you may recognize from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), is one of China’s most prolific actors and martial artists who stars as the eponymous grandmaster. Balancing the gravity of the story’s setting, as much of it takes place in war-torn China in the 1930s, with thrilling fight choreography and the emotional journey that Ip must embark on, this movie delivers the whole package for any movie enthusiast.
- Léon: The Professional (1994)
This is maybe the most bittersweet action movie you’ll see, starring Natalie Portman as Mathilda in her film debut and French icon Jean Reno as Léon. It explores the burgeoning friendship between the pair as they are forced together by the tragic murder of Mathilda’s family by a corrupted cop, played with a truly manic energy by Gary Oldman. However, Léon struggles to balance the new addition to his life with his rather off-putting career: being a hitman for a New York mobster. But with Mathilda bent on avenging her family, Léon must try to keep her out of harm’s way.
- Free Fire (2016)
It’s silly, it’s gritty, and it’s one wild ride. The story follows a member of the IRA, an Irish paramilitary, as he meets up with gang members to conduct an arms deal. Naturally, with tensions running high between everyone in attendance, things are bound to go awry. With a talented ensemble cast, featuring the likes of Cillian Murphy, who you may recognize from TV series Peaky Blinders, Brie Larson, and Jack Reynor (pre-Midsommar) this movie makes a strong case for a one-location setting. It limits escape routes, forces characters to interact with another, and bumps up the tension exponentially, making this a fun and suspenseful action movie to watch on a Friday night!
- Snowpiercer (2013)
If you love intense action or pondering on dystopias, Snowpiercer is the movie for you. Within the confines of a single train are the last dregs of humanity, forced on board by the release of a chemical into the atmosphere that has left the Earth a desolate, icy wasteland. However, the train’s class structure is wildly unjust, and those in the back of the train must fight back against their oppressors in order to improve their situation. Directed by Bong Joon-Ho (who you may remember from his historic Oscar win for Parasite) in his first English language film, Chris Evans gets to flex his acting and axe-wielding skills as the leader of the revolutionary movement. Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, and Song Kang-Ho portray fellow revolutionaries that battle through the traincars to make it to the front.
- Charlie’s Angels (2000)
Known girlbosses Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Barrymore brought camp back during the turn of the century when they released their movie adaptation of Charlie’s Angels, a popular TV show that got its start in the ‘70s. The Angels, a trio of elite crime-fighting women sponsored by anonymous millionaire Charlie, are assigned to the case of tech tycoon Eric Knox (Sam Rockwell), whose designs have been stolen by rival Roger Corwin (delightfully, Tim Curry). Going undercover with Bosley (Bill Murray), Charlie’s liaison between himself and the Angels, they conspire to steal back Knox’s tech, protect their identities, and squeeze in some time for a personal life along the way.
