Looking for action? Oh, are you ever in the right place. This guide includes 46 of the best action movies streaming now on Paramount+, from the Mission: Impossible, Top Gun, and Transformers movies, to some big Star Trek energy from the Kelvin Timeline.
The list covers spy thrillers, sci-fi, historical epics, racing movies, and full-throttle adventure, and features stars like Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Angelina Jolie, Chris Pine, Mark Wahlberg, and Dwayne Johnson. So, yeah, something for everyone. So, you ready for more than a few dozen thrill rides? Let’s get to it.
Key facts
- Total movies: 46
- Where to watch: Paramount+
- Featured franchises: Mission: Impossible, Top Gun, Indiana Jones, Transformers, Gladiator, Terminator, Star Trek, and Rambo
- Featured stars: Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Angelina Jolie, Chris Pine, Mark Wahlberg, and Dwayne Johnson
- Genres represented: Action, spy, sci-fi, adventure, historical, military, racing movies
No. 1-8 Mission: Impossible movies
Tom Cruise has played IMF agent Ethan Hunt since 1996, taking the character from Brian De Palma’s original Mission: Impossible through missions involving the Syndicate, nuclear weapons, and the artificial intelligence known as the Entity. The series is also punctuated by Cruise performing stunts such as climbing the Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol, hanging from an Airbus A400M in Rogue Nation, and riding a motorcycle off a cliff in Dead Reckoning. Start with the 1996 movie to follow Hunt’s story from the beginning, or jump to Fallout for Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, and a helicopter chase through the mountains. All eight Mission: Impossible movies are streaming now on Paramount+.
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- Mission: Impossible (1996)
- Mission: Impossible II
- Mission: Impossible III
- Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
No. 9-10 Top Gun movies
Tom Cruise stars as Navy pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell across two generations of Top Gun: Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick. Tony Scott’s 1986 movie follows Maverick through an elite fighter pilot school, where he competes with Iceman and flies alongside his radar intercept officer, Goose.
Top Gun: Maverick brings him back decades later to train pilots for a new mission, including Goose’s son, Rooster, played by Miles Teller. Director Joseph Kosinski filmed the sequel’s flight sequences with actors inside aircraft to capture the physical effects of flying. Both Top Gun movies are streaming now on Paramount+.
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No. 11-12 Gladiator movies
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator follows Roman general Maximus (Russell Crowe) after Commodus murders his family and forces him into slavery. Maximus becomes a gladiator and eventually returns to Rome to face Commodus in the Colosseum. The movie won five Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe. Gladiator II continues the story with Paul Mescal as Lucius, who enters the arena after Rome invades his home. Denzel Washington plays the scheming Macrinus, and Pedro Pascal stars as Roman general Marcus Acacius. Both Gladiator movies are streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW:
- Gladiator (2000)
- Gladiator II
No. 13-15 Rambo movies
Sylvester Stallone (Tulsa King, Rocky) stars as Vietnam War vet John Rambo in the film series launched with 1982’s First Blood. The first three Rambo moves are available to stream now on Paramount+: That’s the crackerjack First Blood, followed by the amped-up action of 1985’s Rambo: First Blood Part II and 1988’s Rambo III.
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Note: 2008’s Rambo and Rambo: Last Blood are not streaming on Paramount+.
No. 16-19 Indiana Jones movies
Harrison Ford plays archaeologist Indiana Jones in four available movies on Paramount+. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark sends Indy after the Ark of the Covenant before Nazi agents can recover it. Temple of Doom takes him to India, The Last Crusade pairs him with his father (Sean Connery), and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull introduces Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams. Steven Spielberg directed all four movies, with George Lucas helping create the character and stories. The first four Indiana Jones movies are streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW:
- Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Note: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is not streaming on Paramount+.
No. 20-26 Transformers movies
The Transformers movies bring the Autobots and Decepticons to Earth, beginning with Michael Bay’s 2007 movie starring Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky. The series later shifts to Mark Wahlberg’s Cade Yeager in Age of Extinction, Hailee Steinfeld’s Charlie Watson in Bumblebee, and Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback in Rise of the Beasts. Transformers One rewinds the clock entirely, following Orion Pax and D-16 on Cybertron before they become Optimus Prime and Megatron. Seven Transformers movies are streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW:
- Transformers
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- Transformers: Age of Extinction
- Bumblebee
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
- Transformers One
Note: Transformers: The Last Knight is not streaming on Paramount+.
No. 27-29 Terminator movies
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the T-800 across three Terminator movies streaming now on Paramount+. In James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, a reprogrammed T-800 protects John Connor from Robert Patrick’s liquid-metal T-1000 while Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor tries to prevent Skynet from being created. Terminator Genisys changes the original timeline, with Emilia Clarke playing Sarah and Schwarzenegger playing the T-800 she calls Pops. Terminator: Dark Fate follows Judgment Day directly and brings Hamilton and Schwarzenegger together again to protect Dani Ramos from the Rev-9. Three Terminator movies are streaming now on Paramount+.
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Note: 1984’s The Terminator, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and Terminator Salvation, are not streaming on Paramount+.
No. 30-32 Star Trek movies from the Kelvin Timeline
The Kelvin Timeline begins with J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, and introduces Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, and Zoe Saldaña as Uhura. The alternate timeline allows Kirk, Spock, and Uhura, along with the rest of the U.S.S. Enterprise crew to meet under different circumstances from their Prime Timeline counterparts. Star Trek Into Darkness sends the crew after a rogue operative calling himself John Harrison (who turns out to be Khan), played by Benedict Cumberbatch, while Star Trek Beyond strands them on a planet controlled by Idris Elba’s Krall. The three Kelvin Timeline Star Trek movies are streaming now on Paramount+.
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No. 33-34 The Running Man moves
The Running Man movies don’t belong to a traditional film series, per se: Rather, they consist of two awesome movies that are separate takes on the same source material: Stephen King’s 1980s novel of the same name (originally published under King’s pen name Richard Bachman).
The Running Man (1987)
In this version, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Ben Richards, a man forced to compete on a televised competition where convicted criminals are hunted by professional killers known as stalkers. Richard Dawson plays host Damon Killian, who manipulates footage and turns the competition into television entertainment. Richards fights contestants including Subzero, Buzzsaw, Dynamo, and Fireball while trying to expose the government behind the show.
WATCH NOW: The Running Man (1987)
The Running Man (2025)
Edgar Wright directs this adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, with Glen Powell starring as Ben Richards. Richards enters the televised competition The Running Man, where contestants are pursued by professional hunters while the public watches.
WATCH NOW: The Running Man (2025)
No. 35 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Angelina Jolie plays archaeologist and adventurer Lara Croft in this adaptation of the Tomb Raider video games. Lara searches for the two halves of the Triangle of Light, an artifact that can control time, while trying to keep it away from the Illuminati. Daniel Craig plays rival archaeologist Alex West, and Jon Voight plays Lara’s father, Lord Richard Croft. The story moves through Croft Manor, Cambodia, and Siberia as Lara solves puzzles and fights for the artifact. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is streaming now on Paramount+. (Want more? 2003’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life is also streaming on Paramount+.)
WATCH NOW: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
No. 36 Total Recall
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Douglas Quaid, a construction worker who visits Rekall to have memories of a trip to Mars implanted in his mind. The procedure reveals that Quaid may have already lived another life, sending him to Mars as he tries to determine which memories are real. Paul Verhoeven combines the mystery with gunfights and practical effects, backed by a cast that includes Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside. Total Recall is streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: Total Recall
No. 37 Jack Reacher
Tom Cruise plays former military investigator Jack Reacher, pulled into a case after a sniper is accused of killing five people in Pittsburgh. Reacher works with attorney Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike) and discovers evidence pointing toward a larger conspiracy. Werner Herzog plays the Zec, while Jai Courtney appears as assassin Charlie. Christopher McQuarrie directs the adaptation of Lee Child’s novel One Shot, combining the investigation with hand-to-hand fights and a car chase through Pittsburgh. Jack Reacher is streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: Jack Reacher
No. 38 Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Chris Pine plays Edgin Darvis, a thief who escapes prison and sets out with Holga, played by Michelle Rodriguez, to reunite with his daughter. Their plan brings together a party that includes Regé-Jean Page’s paladin Xenk, Justice Smith’s sorcerer Simon, and Sophia Lillis’ druid Doric. The group faces Hugh Grant’s Forge, the Red Wizard Sofina, magical traps, and creatures taken from the tabletop game. No D&D knowledge required to enjoy this heist. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
No. 39 Patriot Games
Harrison Ford plays former CIA analyst Jack Ryan, who intervenes in an assassination attempt while visiting London with his family. His actions make Ryan and his family targets of Sean Miller (Sean Bean), a member of an IRA splinter group. Ryan returns to the CIA to identify the people pursuing him and stop another attack. James Earl Jones plays Adm. James Greer, a role he also played in The Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger. Patriot Games is streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: Patriot Games
No. 40 Shooter
Mark Wahlberg plays former Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger, who is recruited to help prevent an assassination and then framed when the attack takes place. Swagger goes on the run while investigating who set him up, with Michael Peña as FBI agent Nick Memphis and Danny Glover as Col. Isaac Johnson. Director Antoine Fuqua leans into sniper tactics and surveillance as Swagger works to clear his name. Shooter is streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: Shooter
No. 41 Love and Monsters
Dylan O’Brien plays Joel Dawson, who has spent seven years underground after giant creatures force survivors of an apocalypse into bunkers. Joel leaves his colony to travel 80 miles across the surface and find Aimee (Jessica Henwick), his high school girlfriend. Along the way, he learns how to survive encounters with oversized insects and amphibians and travels with a dog named Boy. The movie earned an Academy Award® nomination for visual effects. Love and Monsters is streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: Love and Monsters
No. 42 Minority Report
Tom Cruise stars as John Anderton, the head of a police unit that uses three people known as Precogs to predict murders before they happen. When the system predicts that Anderton will kill a man he does not know, he runs from his own department and investigates how the prediction was made. Steven Spielberg directs, with Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, and Max von Sydow in supporting roles. The action grows from the movie’s central question about whether someone can be guilty of a crime that has not happened. Minority Report is streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: Minority Report
No. 43 The Mechanic
Jason Statham plays Arthur Bishop, an assassin who specializes in making his assignments look like accidents. After the death of his mentor Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland), Bishop begins training Harry’s son Steve, played by Ben Foster. Their partnership changes as Steve learns what happened to his father. Simon West directs the remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson movie, with the action built around Bishop’s planning and Steve’s less controlled approach. The Mechanic is streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: The Mechanic
No. 44 Days of Thunder
Tom Cruise plays NASCAR driver Cole Trickle, who joins a racing team led by crew chief Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall). After a crash leaves Cole injured, he works with Dr. Claire Lewicki (Nicole Kidman) before he is back behind the wheel. Michael Rooker plays rival driver Rowdy Burns, whose relationship with Cole changes after the accident. Tony Scott directs with Robert Towne as the screenwriter, reuniting Cruise with producer Jerry Bruckheimer after Top Gun. Days of Thunder is streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: Days of Thunder
No. 45 Faster
Dwayne Johnson plays Driver, who leaves prison after serving 10 years and begins tracking down the people responsible for his brother’s death. Billy Bob Thornton plays a detective following Driver’s trail, while Oliver Jackson-Cohen plays a hitman hired to stop him before he finishes the job. Johnson spends most of the runtime behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Chevelle, working his way down a list one name at a time while gradually revealing what happened during the robbery that sent him to prison. Faster is streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: Faster
No. 46 The Contractor
Chris Pine plays James Harper, a Special Forces sergeant who loses his military career and joins a private contracting operation to support his family. A mission in Berlin goes wrong, leaving Harper wounded and pursued by the organization that hired him. Ben Foster plays Harper’s friend Mike, while Kiefer Sutherland plays the contractor who recruits them. The movie follows Harper as he tries to return home while learning why the mission failed. The Contractor is streaming now on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: The Contractor
Why fans love action movies
Good action movies aren’t just chases and explosions; they’re built on stakes. Ethan Hunt has to complete a mission, Maverick has to train a team of pilots, Maximus has to survive the arena, and Sarah Connor has to protect John from the T-1000. Strip away the spectacle and most of these movies are really about someone trying to protect what matters most to them, whether that’s a family, a country, or a crew.
A spy thriller and a historical epic don’t look alike on the surface, but Mission: Impossible and Gladiator run on the same engine: a character with everything to lose, running out of time to stop that from happening.
Watch now on Paramount+
Paramount+ has action movies from franchises including Mission: Impossible, Top Gun, Transformers, Indiana Jones, Gladiator, Star Trek, Terminator, and Rambo, along with standalone movies such as Total Recall, Minority Report, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Explore the movie pages and related franchise guides to find your next watch.
Availability of titles is subject to change.
The Movie Club Collection
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