Sometimes you just need to watch someone kick some ass onscreen for a few hours—that’s where the best action movies come in.
The entire genre usually makes people think of a man who looks like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson driving a sports car off a skyscraper while shooting a gun at a blimp, and we’ll never fault you for going back to Indiana Jones, James Bond, or any other heartthrob-y, muscled-up classic. But most days we like our action movies with a lot more women kicking ass, and thankfully, the true best action movies out there feature just that.
From Wonder Woman to Birds of Prey, there are plenty of women who kick as much ass as any man. Hell, Mad Max: Fury Road isn’t even about Mad Max (sorry, Tom Hardy); it’s about Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron (who, by the way, has three movies on this list).
As Mrs. Incredible once asked, “Settle down? I’m at the top of my game. I’m out there with the big dogs. Girls, come on. Leave the saving of the world to the men? I don’t think so.”
Whatever your taste, we know you’ll find something exciting, interesting, and even funny on our roundup of 60 of the best action movies that also happen to have strong women throwing the punches. (And when you’re done with this list, check out the best mystery movies.)
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The Harder They Fall (2021)”,”brand”:{“name”:””},”id”:”61a522dae78e0f10c66e10a4″,”index”:0,”contentType”:”photo”,”offers”:[],”offersLength”:0,”component”:”gallery_slide_component”,”image”:{“altText”:”Image may contain Hair Human Person Clothing Apparel Furniture and Chair THE HARDER THEY FALL from left Zazie Beetz…”,”caption”:”One of the best action movies on Netflix, The Harder They Fall is perfect if you’re in the mood for a classic Western. And while there are several great fight scenes in this movie about cowboys, lawmen, and outlaws in the 19th-century American West, the best ones belong to Regina King and Zazie Beetz.nAvailable to stream on Netflix“,”contentType”:”photo”,”credit”:”Netflix/ Everett Collection”,”segmentedSources”:{“sm”:[{“height”:213,”width”:320,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/61a522dae78e0f10c66e10a4/master/w_320,c_limit/MCDHATH_ZX014.jpg”},{“height”:426,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/61a522dae78e0f10c66e10a4/master/w_640,c_limit/MCDHATH_ZX014.jpg”}],”md”:[{“height”:426,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/61a522dae78e0f10c66e10a4/master/w_640,c_limit/MCDHATH_ZX014.jpg”},{“height”:852,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/61a522dae78e0f10c66e10a4/master/w_1280,c_limit/MCDHATH_ZX014.jpg”}],”lg”:[{“height”:681,”width”:1024,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/61a522dae78e0f10c66e10a4/master/w_1024,c_limit/MCDHATH_ZX014.jpg”},{“height”:1363,”width”:2048,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/61a522dae78e0f10c66e10a4/master/w_2048,c_limit/MCDHATH_ZX014.jpg”}],”xl”:[{“height”:852,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/61a522dae78e0f10c66e10a4/master/w_1280,c_limit/MCDHATH_ZX014.jpg”}],”xxl”:[{“height”:852,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/61a522dae78e0f10c66e10a4/master/w_1280,c_limit/MCDHATH_ZX014.jpg”}]}}}” data-testid=”GallerySlideWrapper”>
Netflix/ Everett Collection
The Harder They Fall (2021)
One of the best action movies on Netflix, The Harder They Fall is perfect if you’re in the mood for a classic Western. And while there are several great fight scenes in this movie about cowboys, lawmen, and outlaws in the 19th-century American West, the best ones belong to Regina King and Zazie Beetz.
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The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)”,”brand”:{“name”:””},”id”:”5fde2551dea6de4314519628″,”index”:1,”contentType”:”photo”,”offers”:[],”offersLength”:0,”component”:”gallery_slide_component”,”image”:{“altText”:”THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME from left Kate McKinnon Mila Kunis Sam Heughan 2018.”,”caption”:”If you want to laugh while on the edge of your seat, follow these two best friends who are decidedly not special agents as they get caught up in the world of espionage. Exes, man, they can really mess up your life. This Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis buddy comedy was directed by Susanna Fogel, who cowrote this script as well as another best-friend flick you may have heard of called Booksmart.nAvailable to rent on Amazon Prime Video“,”contentType”:”photo”,”credit”:”Hopper Stone/SMPSP”,”segmentedSources”:{“sm”:[{“height”:227,”width”:320,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/5fde2551dea6de4314519628/master/w_320,c_limit/MCDTHSP_EC044.jpg”},{“height”:454,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/5fde2551dea6de4314519628/master/w_640,c_limit/MCDTHSP_EC044.jpg”}],”md”:[{“height”:454,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/5fde2551dea6de4314519628/master/w_640,c_limit/MCDTHSP_EC044.jpg”},{“height”:909,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/5fde2551dea6de4314519628/master/w_1280,c_limit/MCDTHSP_EC044.jpg”}],”lg”:[{“height”:727,”width”:1024,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/5fde2551dea6de4314519628/master/w_1024,c_limit/MCDTHSP_EC044.jpg”},{“height”:1454,”width”:2048,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/5fde2551dea6de4314519628/master/w_2048,c_limit/MCDTHSP_EC044.jpg”}],”xl”:[{“height”:909,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/5fde2551dea6de4314519628/master/w_1280,c_limit/MCDTHSP_EC044.jpg”}],”xxl”:[{“height”:909,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.glamour.com/photos/5fde2551dea6de4314519628/master/w_1280,c_limit/MCDTHSP_EC044.jpg”}]}}}” data-testid=”GallerySlideWrapper”>
Hopper Stone/SMPSP
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
If you want to laugh while on the edge of your seat, follow these two best friends who are decidedly not special agents as they get caught up in the world of espionage. Exes, man, they can really mess up your life. This Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis buddy comedy was directed by Susanna Fogel, who cowrote this script as well as another best-friend flick you may have heard of called Booksmart.
