Binge watch season is well and truly here and if you’ve already made your way through those great but intense drama series and funny but forgettable sitcoms on Netflix, then how about hunkering down with some gripping action movies?
Netflix is one of the best streaming services when it comes to high-octane flicks with everything from ultra-violence to buddy comedy. But while the A-lister headlined actioners might dominate the algorithms, dig a little deeper and you’ll find some great movies, blending the genre with mystery, thriller and martial arts.
The Night Comes for Us (2018)
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Runtime: 121 minutes
Main cast: Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Sunny Pang, Zack Lee
Director: Timo Tjahjanto
RT score: 92%
Want action? The Night Comes for Us delivers in buckets (of blood) with the intense set pieces barely letting up from the opening titles to the closing credits.
All you need to know about the plot is that it follows Ito (Joe Taslim), an enforcer from a crime syndicate having the sort of crisis of conscience that results in legions of criminal goons being sent to take him out. Chaos ensues. The story does its job, with enough twists and turns to keep viewers on their toes, but the main reason The Night Comes for Us needs to be top of your action watch list is the beautiful carnage that bolsters the majority of its runtime.
Director Timo Tjahjanto is a legend when it comes to Indonesian action cinema (and has a fairly deft touch when it comes to horror too), embracing the region’s pencak silat class of martial arts — popularized by The Raid movies — to deliver some of the most brutal and engaging fight scenes committed to film. Stars Taslim and Iko Uwais are masters of the craft, and Tjahjanto’s breathless direction and refusal to shy away from the gory details make The Night Comes for Us a must for fans of the frantic modern action style seen in the likes of John Wick and Gangs of London. Press play, hold your breath and try not to wince.
Enola Holmes (2020)
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Runtime: 123 minutes
Main cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Sam Claflin, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: Harry Bradbeer
RT Score: 91%
If you’re looking for more family-friendly fare, you could do a lot worse than the adventures of the forgotten Holmes sibling.
Starring Millie Bobby Brown at her charming best in the title role, the film follows Enola as she travels to Victorian London in search of her missing mother (Helena Bonham Carter). Finding herself embroiled in a mystery involving a runaway Lord and country-wide stakes, Enola gives her brothers a run for their money as the premiere 1800s sleuth.
Clearly influenced by Guy Ritchie’s take on the Holmes mythos, the film is a YA treat that’s frequently hilarious, but never afraid to stray into a darker tone when it needs to. Henry Cavill and Sam Claflin make the most of their small appearances as Holmes and Mycroft respectively, while Burn Gorman is suitably hissable as the villainous Linthorn. There’s some surprisingly brutal violence among the action, so parental discretion is advised, but if you’re cuddling up for a family movie day, Enola Holmes and its sequel make for a great binge.
Carry-On (2024)
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Runtime: 119 minutes
Main cast: Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, Logan Marshall-Green, Jason Bateman
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
RT Score: 88%
Before you come for me, yes, I know it’s technically a Christmas movie, but lets not re-litigate the Die Hard debate — Carry-On is a gripping action thriller whatever the season.
Taron Egerton stars as Ethan, a TSA officer targeted by a ruthless mercenary (Jason Bateman). Contacted via a mysteriously dropped earbud, Ethan is ordered to let a specific case through the security check, or his pregnant girlfriend will be killed. Initially starting as a tense single-location-ish thriller, Carry-On soon escalates into a gripping actioner with Egerton proving his turn in Kingsman wasn’t a fluke.
Bateman is terrifyingly menacing as the charming but deadly mercenary, and as the pair are drawn closer together, it’s as much a battle of brains as it is brawn. Director Jaume Collet-Serra — the man responsible for the slew of Liam Neeson action movies that followed Taken — wrings as much tension as possible from the ultimate aim of Bateman’s villain and there’s plenty of novel fight/chase scenes. If you’re looking for something a little less intense than the first entry in this list, but still firmly aimed at an adult audience, Carry-On is a trip worth taking.
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