If it seems like this presidential election has been going on for years, it’s because it has. So even though the cycle will end on November 5, there’s still another election just four years away… and it will probably start in 2026. If you need a break from all of that political noise, who could blame you?
Fortunately, there are better ways to get your blood pumping on Election Day than just watching the news. We’ve picked out five of the best action movies to stream this Election Day. And some of these films rank among the very top of the genre.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Midnight Run (1988)
A generation of movie fans may not be that familiar with Midnight Run, but this is one of the definitive buddy action comedies ever made. Robert De Niro stars as Jack Walsh, a former police officer whose career ended in disgrace after he refused to accept bribes from a mobster. Now working as a bounty hunter, Jack gets the chance to earn enough to start over if he can deliver Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas (Charles Grodin), an accountant who crossed Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina), the same mob boss who destroyed Jack’s life.
Capturing Jonathan was the easy part. Keeping him alive for this cross-country trip is the real challenge, because Jimmy’s put such a big price on Jonathan’s head that Jack doesn’t know who he can trust except the man he’s handcuffed to.
Watch Midnight Run on Netflix.
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
Gerard Butler had one of his biggest action hits in Olympus Has Fallen, a film that features him as former Secret Service agent Mike Banning. Mike used to be the loyal guardian of President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart), until an accident prevented him from saving the president’s wife. When a North Korean terrorist, Kang Yeonsak (Rick Yune), seizes the president and most of his senior staff, Mike is at the White House and among the defenders who fight back.
As the situation gets desperate, and Kang attempts to unleash a nuclear weapon on the United States, Mike takes it upon himself to save the president even if it means laying down his own life.
Watch Olympus Has Fallen on Fubo.
White House Down (2013)
Would you believe there were two movies about the president being held hostage in the same year? White House Down definitely has a lot of similarities with Olympus Has Fallen, but there are differences as well. For example, John Cale (Deadpool & Wolverine‘s Channing Tatum) has never been a Secret Service agent, but it is his dream. Cale’s hopes are dashed by an old friend, Carol Wilkes-Finnerty (Maggie Gyllenhaal), shortly before President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx) is taken captive by terrorists.
Cale seizes his moment and rescues the president right away. However, he can’t get out of the White House as long as his own daughter, Emily Cale (Joey King), is somewhere in the building that has now been compromised by terrorists.
Watch White House Down on Netflix.
Air Force One (1997)
You’ve seen action heroes all of your life, now meet the action president! Harrison Ford gets to do Harrison Ford things in Air Force One, Wolfgang Petersen’s 1997 action thriller. President James Marshall (Ford) is a former soldier and helicopter pilot who has ascended to his nation’s top office. Because of that, James becomes the target of a rogue Russian terrorist, Egor Korshunov (Slow Horses star Gary Oldman), who intends to hold the president as a hostage to secure the release of his leader.
James has the chance to escape Air Force One before the terrorists seize the plane. But with his own staff and family trapped on board, James decides to stay behind and take matters into his own hands. Whenever anyone says “Die Hard on a plane,” they’re basically talking about this film. It’s also an entertaining, if cornball, movie in its own right.
Watch Air Force One on Xumo.
The Fugitive (1992)
We’re closing out this list with a Harrison Ford double feature. We kind of had to because The Fugitive is streaming for free, and it’s one of the all-time great action thrillers. Ford plays against type as Dr. Richard Kimble, a man who is accused of murdering his wife, Helen (Sela Ward), and sentenced to death. Thankfully, a freak accident gives Richard the chance to escape and attempt to clear his name.
Richard knows he’s innocent and that the real killer was an elusive one-armed man (Andreas Katsulas). Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) doesn’t really care about that. As far as Gerard is concerned, Richard is just another fugitive on the run. And he’ll do everything he can to bring Richard back into custody, even if he has to shoot him.
Watch The Fugitive on Tubi.
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