Top 3 Action Thrillers on Netflix That Might Slip Under Your Radar
AMPed Up Action on Netflix:
Grab your popcorn, because these underappreciated action flicks on Netflix are sure to get your blood pumping! From a French revenge thriller to a gory, guns-blazing South Korean film, here are three adrenaline-pumping movies you've been missing out on.
'The Ballerina' (2023)
In the world of action films, no taste is sweeter than revenge, and Jang Ok-ju (played by Jeon Jong-seo from "The Call") is on a mission to get hers after her best friend Choi Min-hee (Park Yu-rim) takes her own life. With a final wish for revenge against the sex trafficker Choi Pro (Kim Ji-hoon), Ok-ju takes justice into her own hands with brutal results.
"The Ballerina," directed by Lee Chung-hyun, has a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was the most-watched non-English film on Netflix when it debuted in October 2023. Rohan Naahar of The Indian Express called it a "bone-crushing thriller" that substitutes plot in favor of "pure vibes."
Stream 'The Ballerina' on Netflix now
'Spectral'
In this 2016 sci-fi action movie, written and directed by Nic Mathieu, US forces are engaged in a civil war-torn Moldova when a new, supernatural threat emerges: an invisible entity that kills anyone it touches. James Badge Dale stars as DARPA scientist Mark Clyne, and Emily Mortimer portrays CIA operator Fran Madison. With Max Martini, Bruce Greenwood, and Clayne Crawford in supporting roles, this suspenseful film is a must-watch for action enthusiasts.
Jodi Smith of Pajiba said of the movie: "Instead of going for huge stars, awkward and unneeded backstories, and bloat, 'Spectral' manages to pack in just what a viewer needs to enjoy the plot and journey placed before them."
Stream 'Spectral' on Netflix now
'Nightwatch'
Dubbed the "John Wick on the Riviera" by Vulture critic Bilge Ebiri, this Julien Leclercq-directed action movie centers on Klara (Olga Kurylenko), a highly-trained French soldier who returns home to Nice from serving in the Middle East, traumatized by her experiences. But when her sister Tania (Marilyn Lima) is horribly raped and left in a coma, Klara uses her military skills to pursue the men responsible for the attack.
Though some critics have pointed out clichés in the lean-and-mean script (co-written by Leclercq and Matthieu Serveau), Decider reviewer Johnny Loftus praises the film for its "balancing of emotional trauma against the darker forces of vigilantism," adding that it "doesn't forgive Klara's drastic actions, but it illustrates pretty well how she got there."
Stream 'Nightwatch' on Netflix now
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- "If you're a fan of movies-and-tv that offer a dose of entertainment, don't miss out on these underrated Netflix action movies such as 'The Ballerina', 'Spectral', and 'Nightwatch'."
- "Stream 'Spectral' and 'The Ballerina', among other action flicks available on Netflix, for a blend of entertainment and adrenaline-pumping scenes to satisfy your cinematic desires."
