The Best Action Movies on Amazon Prime Video in 2022

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The selection of movies on Amazon Prime Video can be daunting, especially when it comes to the highly variable action genre. Here are 10 reliably entertaining action movies that you can stream on Amazon Prime Video.

Update, 7/18/22: We’ve reviewed our picks, and we’re still confident these are the best action movies you can stream for free with an Amazon Prime account.

Apocalypto

On the surface, Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto sounds like an inaccessible cinematic experiment, set in the 16th-century Yucatan (in what would later be Mexico) with dialogue entirely in the ancient Mayan language. But Gibson puts together a thrilling action movie in this unfamiliar setting, telling a recognizable story about a desperate man racing to save his family. That man is fighting against members of a literally cutthroat rival tribe, running through the thick, unexplored jungle, but the emotional and narrative stakes remain universal and timeless.

Highlander

The multi-faceted movie/TV franchise about immortal warriors began with the original Highlander, starring Christopher Lambert as a 16th-century Scottish clansman now living in 1985 New York City. Lambert’s Connor MacLeod fights other immortals in a battle to be the last one standing and win the mysterious “prize.”

The fight scenes combine old-fashioned swordplay with sci-fi effects, and the action takes place across centuries. Sean Connery hams it up as Connor’s mentor, Clancy Brown makes for a menacing villain, and the soundtrack of Queen songs gives the story a suitably epic feel.

Honest Thief

It may not be the best movie from Liam Neeson’s late-career action-star period, but Honest Thief is a solid thriller with a reliably compelling performance from Neeson. Neeson plays Tom Dolan, a notorious bank robber, who plans to go legit for the sake of his new girlfriend Annie (Kate Walsh). But the FBI agents who take his case decide to eliminate him and take his money, so he has to clear his name while protecting Annie. There are some exciting chases and tense confrontations, and Neeson brings gravitas to the B-movie concept.

RELATED: How to Stream Liam Neeson’s Action Thriller Movies

JCVD

Jean-Claude Van Damme shows another side of his personality in the self-aware action drama JCVD. As the title implies, Van Damme plays a version of himself, an action star whose glory days are behind him. The movie’s version of Van Damme is out of work and stuck in a custody battle with his ex-wife.

But when he inadvertently stumbles into the middle of a hostage situation at a bank, he gets the chance to prove himself as a real-life hero. The movie combines a meditation on celebrity and Van Damme’s own onscreen persona with a satisfying, well-crafted thriller.

Jolt

Amazon original movie Jolt stars Kate Beckinsale as a woman with an unusual affliction: She has intermittent explosive disorder, which causes her to essentially Hulk out when she gets angry, leaving paths of destruction in her wake. She controls her condition via a custom rig that delivers electric shocks, but when the first man in years she’s allowed herself to get close to is killed, she goes on a rampage against the criminals responsible.

The movie has a playful tone and plenty of absurd action sequences, and Beckinsale is a delight as the misanthropic protagonist.

RELATED: The 10 Best Original Movies on Amazon Prime Video for 2022

Skyfall

The best of the five movies starring Daniel Craig as British superspy James Bond, Skyfall combines top-notch action with an unexpectedly personal story for both Bond and his MI6 boss, M (Judi Dench). Javier Bardem plays one of the scariest Bond villains, who possesses insider knowledge that he uses to bring down M and MI6. As Bond grapples with his past and his place in a changing world, he remains loyal to M, taking down his adversaries in action sequences that are both stylish and meaningful.

Speed

Jan de Bont’s Speed features one of the best high-concept pitches ever: A terrorist plants a bomb on a city bus that will detonate if the bus slows to below 50 miles per hour. Within this delightfully absurd premise, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock star as the only people aboard the bus who can thwart the terrorist and save the passengers’ lives. De Bont keeps up constant suspense, placing new obstacles in the way as the bus careens around Los Angeles, always just a moment away from disaster.

RELATED: The 10 Best Action Movies to Stream for Free in 2022

Star Trek Into Darkness

The second movie in the rebooted Star Trek movie series, Star Trek Into Darkness continues director J.J. Abrams’ action-oriented approach to the sci-fi franchise. He presents a new version of classic Trek villain Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch), facing off against Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the rest of the Enterprise crew. Abrams destroys an entire city in the finale, but he balances the large-scale action with a timely, serious story about covert warfare and personal vengeance.

The Terminator

While barely saying a word, Arnold Schwarzenegger embodies one of the all-time great action-movie antagonists as the title character in The Terminator. He plays a cyborg sent from the future to kill waitress Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) before she can give birth to humanity’s future savior. James Cameron’s combination of big sci-fi ideas and gritty action launched a major franchise, but this scrappy first installment presents a straightforward vision that remains viscerally exciting.

RELATED: The Best Original TV Series on Amazon Prime Video in 2021

Top Gun

Tom Cruise established his position as one of the world’s biggest movie stars with bombastic military action movie Top Gun. He plays Navy pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who’s accepted for training at an elite flight school. Maverick competes with his fellow trainees in thrilling aerial sequences from director Tony Scott, but then sets aside that competition for a climactic mission. As cheesy as it is exhilarating, Top Gun soars on its stars’ charisma and Scott’s kinetic, aggressive filmmaking.





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