Skip to main content

3 action movies on Netflix you need to watch in October

Netflix continues to bolster its action content with the passing of each month as new films arrive to entertain the streamer’s at-home audience. From historical epics like Gladiator and Saving Private Ryan to action thrillers like The Fast and the Furious and Luther: The Fallen Sun, Netflix offers a variety of films to satisfy all action lovers.

We handpicked three action films that should be saved to your Netflix queue and watched in October. These action films include the fourth entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise, an epic saga starring Viola Davis, and the first superhero film in a trilogy that changed the genre.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Tom Cruise hangs off the side of the Burj Khalifa in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.
Paramount Pictures

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol changed the direction of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Before Ghost Protocol, the Mission: Impossible franchise focused on espionage and spy stories. The formula flipped in the fourth film, as stunts and action sequences became the points of emphasis. When Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the IMF agency are blamed for a bombing at the Kremlin, the U.S. president activatesthe “Ghost Protocol,” which disavows the IMF.

Ethan and his team are forced to go rogue to stop the next attack and clear the agency’s name. The lasting memory from Ghost Protocol is the sequence when Cruise scales the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which made our list of death-defying stunts in movies.

Stream Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol on Netflix.

The Woman King (2022)

Viola Davis leads a group of female warriors in the movie The Woman King.
Ilze Kitshoff / Sony Pictures Releasing

An elite group of female warriors fight to protect their kingdom against a new enemy in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King. In 1823, the West African kingdom of Dahomey is protected by the Agojie, an all-female army of highly skilled fighters. The Agojie are led by their fierce leader, General Nanisca (Viola Davis), who trains the next generation of warriors. One of those newcomers is Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), an inexperienced, but persistent young girl who quickly gains the respect of her peers.

Trouble is on the horizon when Portuguese slave traders arrive off the coast and team with the Agojie’s rivals, the Oyo, leading to a violent confrontation and brutal fight to the death scenario. The Woman King is a satisfying historical epic and a throwback to a film that Hollywood doesn’t make much anymore.

Stream The Woman King on Netflix.

Batman Begins (2005)

Christian Bale and Cillian Murphy in Batman Begins
Warner Bros. Pictures

All great trilogies have a starting point, and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy kicked off in 2005 with Batman Begins. The origin story of Bruce Wayne starts with the death of his parents, after which butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) becomes the orphan’s guardian. Over a decade later, Bruce (Christian Bale) leaves Gotham after failing to bring his parents’ killer to justice.

While traveling the world, Bruce is trained by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) and the League of Shadows. Bruce leaves the League of Shadows when he rejects their proposal to destroy Gotham, feeling he can save the crime-ridden city through other means of justice. For Bruce, his solution is to fight as Batman, the masked vigilante intent on saving Gotham from the criminal underworld.

Stream Batman Begins on Netflix.

Editors' Recommendations

Dan Girolamo
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
3 underrated movies on Paramount+ you need to watch in December
Kaya Scodelario in Crawl.

Paramount+ doesn't always have the great movie selection of its rivals, and it doesn't help when many of its best films are reserved only for the premium tier, Paramount+ with Showtime. That's why our picks for the three underrated movies on Paramount+ you need to watch in December are available on all tiers. It's the only way that seems fair.

This month, our choices include films by director Francis Ford Coppola and his daughter, Sofia Coppola, as well as a rare natural horror film that uses actual creatures instead of inventing some supernatural threat. But if you're looking for more options, check out our round-up of everything new on Paramount+ in December.
Crawl (2019)

Read more
3 great Will Ferrell Christmas movies to watch in December
Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell sing and dance in Spirited.

Will Ferrell has been making audiences laugh since his time on Saturday Night Live in the late 1990s. Ferrell left SNL and provided comedy fans with a string of instant classics in the 2000s, including Old School, Anchorman, Wedding Crashers, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers. Amid that treasure trove of adult comedies, Ferrell found time to cross into holiday comedies and star in three Christmas movies.

The obvious Ferrell-led Christmas movie to watch in December is Elf, where the actor plays a human raised by elves who travels to New York City to meet his biological father. However, two more of Ferrell's Christmas movies should be on your list of things to watch in December. One is a sequel to a 2015 comedy and the other is a musical adaptation of an iconic Christmas story.
Elf (2003)

Read more
3 great Christmas action movies you should watch right now
Robert Downey Jr. in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Christmas movies have become so numerous that they touch upon all genres. Almost all of the Hallmark and Lifetime TV Christmas movies are now romance films, while Christmas horror flicks are also on the rise as traditional heartwarming holiday stories fall by the wayside. But there's nothing we enjoy more during the holiday season than Christmas action movies.

Not every Christmas action movie can live up to the legend of Die Hard, but these films manage to pull off the rare feat of pulling at the heartstrings while also providing thrills and excitement. So for this holiday season, these are the three great Christmas action movies that you should watch.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Read more