While there are great and terrible movies in every genre, it can be especially difficult to tell a great action movie from a terrible one just by looking at the titles. Max, which has an expansive library of great movies across a bunch of different genres, can make the task of finding great action movies pretty difficult.
If you’re looking for great action, then we’ve designed a list that will be perfect for you. These three movies are the ideal titles to check out on Max this May, and they prove that even within the broad genre of action, you can find a bunch of different corners that contain pretty different kinds of movies.
Furious 7 (2015)
The story of the Fast & Furious movies has only become more and more complicated with each passing movie, but Furious 7 is in some ways the platonic ideal of what these movies should be. The film follows Dom and his crew as they face off against Deckard Shaw, who is out for revenge following the death of his brother in a previous film.
Furious 7 is ridiculous, over the top, and ultimately incredibly sincere, and it’s that bizarre combination that makes the movie effective. The final five minutes, in which Dom says goodbye to Brian, and we say goodbye to Paul Walker, are some of the most moving in the history of blockbuster filmmaking.
You can watch Furious 7 on Max.
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Although The Hunt for Red October is undoubtedly an action movie, it’s also in some ways a political thriller. Adapted from a Tom Clancy novel of the same name, the film follows Jack Ryan as he investigates a rogue nuclear submarine that is headed straight for American waters.
Although the movie is ostensibly about Jack Ryan, though, Sean Connery’s Russian submarine captain really steals the show as he continues to take assertive action without making his motives entirely clear. John McTiernan made plenty of great action movies over the course of his career, but Hunt for Red October may be the most thrilling.
You can watch The Hunt for Red October on Max.
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Hayao Miyazaki is one of the great animation directors in the history of the medium, but he’s best known for making quiet, pastoral films about the beauty of nature. Occasionally, though, Miyazaki will make something slightly more action-forward, and that’s exactly what Princess Mononoke is.
The film tells the story of a young girl raised by wolves who is sworn to defend the forest, which finds itself under threat by townspeople who want to bring industry to their region. While there’s plenty of battles in Mononoke, the film never loses its focus on the central theme of environmentalism that is core to so much of Miyazaki’s work.
You can watch Princess Mononoke on Max.
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