The summer action movie season continues in June. Last weekend marked the release of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth installment in the franchise, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Meanwhile, Netflix is still riding high off Jennifer Lopez’s Atlas, which immediately shot to No. 1 in the top 10. Other action movies on the streamer include The Equalizer, Divergent, and Godzilla Minus One.
Netflix has an entire section dedicated to the action genre. The action library ranges from blockbusters and comedies to fantasy and sci-fi. This June, consider watching these three action movies, including a crime saga inspired by a television show, an entertaining police adventure, and an underrated action thriller.
Miami Vice (2006)
Michael Mann was a producer on Miami Vice, the 1980s crime series starring Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. Because of his previous experience with the material, Mann was the obvious choice to direct the 2006 feature film adaptation. Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx headline Miami Vice as James “Sonny” Crockett and Detective Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs, respectively.
Crockett and Tubbs are two undercover detectives in the Miami-Dade Police Department. After the death of one of their former informants, Crockett and Tubbs go undercover for the FBI to take down a drug organization and its leader, Arcángel de Jesús Montoya (Luis Tosar). Things become complicated when Crockett falls in love with Montoya’s employee and mistress, Isabella (Gong Li). Miami Vice is pure Mann entertainment, with sensational visuals, beautiful bold colors, and breakneck pacing.
Stream Miami Vice on Netflix.
S.W.A.T. (2003)
S.W.A.T. is the perfect Saturday afternoon movie. It’s a two-hour police thriller with good action, solid pacing, and memorable characters. No homework is required beforehand; just press play, enjoy, and continue with your day. Based on the 1975 television series, S.W.A.T. stars Colin Farrell (The Penguin) as Jim Street, a former LAPD S.W.A.T. officer thrown off the team when he and his partner (Jeremy Renner) disobeyed orders during a high-leverage situation.
Six months later, Street is convinced to rejoin S.W.A.T. at the request of Hondo Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson). Joining Street are TJ McCabe (Josh Charles), Michael Boxer (Brian Van Holt), Deacon Kaye (LL Cool J), and Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez). The team’s first assignment involves transporting a crime boss, Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez), to prison. When Montel offers a reward to anyone who frees him from custody, all hell breaks loose. The S.W.A.T. team must bunker down, rely on their training, and complete their mission, or else it could cost them their lives.
Stream S.W.A.T. on Netflix.
River Wild (2023)
Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl, Seth Cohen of The O.C., and Taran Killam of Saturday Night Live form an unlikely trio in the underrated action thriller River Wild. Joey Reese (Leighton Meester) sets out on a whitewater rafting trip with her estranged brother, Gray (Killam). Accompanying the siblings on the trip are Gray’s childhood friend, Trevor (Adam Brody), and a few tourists. The trip starts swimmingly as the group ventures through the rapids and down the river.
After an injury to one of the group members, Trevor reveals a sinister side that threatens the trip. The vacation then becomes a fight for survival. The only way out is to go forward and paddle through the dangerous rapids. As a standalone sequel to 1994’s The River Wild, River Wild is a tight 90-minute thriller, with compelling action and an effective heel turn from Brody.
Stream River Wild on Netflix.
