We’ve set ourselves the task of avoiding Marvel and Star Wars entirely in our mega-list of the best action flicks on Disney+. There’s just too many vital standalone movies to highlight here!
Scroll to see every bus-racing, terrorist-besting, Pandora-saving, French-connecting action movie that deserves to be seen on Disney’s streaming service.
Aliens (1986)
Watch on Disney+When Ridley Scott introduced us to the xenomorph, no two viewers could quite agree on the powerful allegory being made—as great and claustrophobic as the sci-fi-horror was. When James Cameron had a second crack at the canon, it was in the form of a more straightforward, ‘Nam-inspired sci-fi-action blockbuster, with a cast of badass marines rather than spaceship-bound science nerds. Both are terrific, but only Aliens has the epic, mist-cloaked catharsis of that final Alien Queen fight sequence: “get away from her, you bitch.”
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Watch on Disney+80s Orientalism and machismo in all its sweaty, muscular glory. This John Carpenter joint throws everything at the wall and we love what sticks, with mythical baddies and Kim Cattrall as a green-eyed princess in a tower. Kurt Russell flexes his mullet as the action-movie guy who thinks he’s the main character, but only really comes through in one epic knife fight at the very end of the film.
Commando (1985)
Watch on Disney+The first Ahnold flick on this list and certainly not the last. Made back when R-rated movies were blitzing the box office every weekend, this very predictable action blockbuster has Schwarzennegger rescuing his daughter Alyssa Milano from bitter mercenary pals from his army times. He’s got a ridiculous name (John Matrix) and some ridiculous lines to spout just after killing baddies (“Let off some steam, Bennett”, he tells one foe after impaling him on a hot pipe).
Con Air (1997)
Watch on Disney+I have had it with these motherf**king convicts on this motherf**king plane!! Nic Cage’s stringy mullet leads an all-star cast, with Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Dave Chappelle, Danny Trejo, and John Malkovich as sinister crooks taking over a prison transport plane. The cutesy ballad “How Do I Live” feels totally out of place here but who cares when everything else is so meme-abley entertaining (“why couldn’t you put the bunny back in the box?”).
Die Hard (1988)
Watch on Disney+This 80s hit makes action-filmmaking look easy: just come up with a novel location, set it at Christmas for no particular reason, and give us one of the most like-able everyman heroes and most intimidating villains ever. Simple! Die Hard continues to satisfy with every rewatch, putting Bruce Willis through so many painful obstacles that you feel his ultimate triumph in your gut.
Enemy of the State (1998)
Watch on Disney+Here’s one of the neatest action thrillers of the 90s, made by an 80s supergroup of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Top Gun director Tony Scott. Will Smith and Gene Hackman have great chemistry as a Hitchcockian wrong man and a powerful NSA communications expert (could be his same character from The Conversation??). But there’s also some wild supporting appearances, with everyone from Jack Black to Regina King.
Free Solo (2018)
Watch on Disney+This list’s only non-fiction action movie. The Oscar-winning climbing documentary gives us both a dogged action hero in the biologically fearless Alex Honnold, and a play-by-play of the guy’s momentous sporting achievement. You’ll come away simultaneously feeling like you know everything about free solo climbing, and also that you will absolutely never attempt it in your lifetime.
The French Connection (1971)
Watch on Disney+It’s wild that a grim, cynical film like this could win Best Picture once upon a time. Gene Hackman is merciless as the unpleasant detective “Popeye” Doyle, doing whatever it takes to hunt down a French heroin smuggler. William Friedkin nails the claustrophobic, doomed feeling of a city on the brink, and the subway stair shootout still hits hard.
The Incredibles (2004)
Watch on Disney+Pixar’s superhero romp makes the most of its action scenes by really showcasing each member of the gifted Parr family’s abilities. The stretchy mum gets a hilarious infiltration scene between closing doors: speedy kid Dash runs on water to evade capture: and super-strong dad Bob has to battle a huge robot, as well as the weight of his own mid-life crisis. A great introduction to the powers of action choreo and storytelling for kids.
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Watch on Disney+Ridley Scott goes on an epic crusade in this historical battle drama. As with many of the director’s films, the cinematic cut is not considered the best version of Kingdom of Heaven, so seek the director’s cut if you can. Orlando Bloom stars as a Jerusalem noble facing the slaughter and glory of the Battle of Hattin.
The Last Duel (2021)
Watch on Disney+We only get into the titular fight sequence of this thorny period drama in the final act, but there’s plenty of pillaging and Medieval soldier scenes before then to convey that damn, the dark ages were a pretty grim and unpleasant time to be alive. Action isn’t the main meal here, though, with Jodie Comer’s assaulted wife of a brutish knight (Matt Damon) bearing the brunt of Ridley Scott’s bleak characterisation of masculinity and suppression.
Logan (2017)
Watch on Disney+Hugh Jackman’s last turn (probably) as The X-Men’s wild card Wolverine. Both he and Patrick Stewart’s doddering Professor X are haunted by memories of better days—the only mutant that seems to have been born in more than 20 years is the vicious young Laura (Dafne Keen), now being hunted by the evil lab Transigen. A funereal superhero movie from James Mangold.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Watch on Disney+Is Peter Weir’s wonderful, historical, nautical adventure really action-y enough to make this list? We put forward the tense ship invasion finale, Paul Bettany’s wince-inducing scene of self-surgery, and the action genre’s pet themes of teamwork, duty, and masculinity. Russell Crowe plays the maverick Captain “Lucky Jack”, admirably guiding his men through amputations, discoveries of neat new animals on the isle of Galapagos, and some very cute cello-violin duets.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Watch on Disney+Of course Disney’s live-action version of their own rickety theme park ride is available on their streaming platform, bringing some old-fashioned swashbuckling to the CGI-heavy action category. Director Gore Verbinski thought up some genuinely imaginative setpieces and character-driven action moments, with Johnny Depp’s introductory arrival on land via a sinking mast coming to mind. All the sequels can be found on Disney+ too, but we won’t judge ye for just enjoying the first one, matey.
Prey (2022)
Watch on Disney+The original Predator films are sadly unavailable on Disney+, but fear not: this recent sleeper hit is a standalone tale of terror, with an all-new Comanche Nation warrior hero taking on the jowly alien bad guy. It’s about as fresh and distinct as a prequel/sequel/remake can be, forging its own visual language while matching the viscera and adrenaline-pounding chase sequences of the 80s franchise. Let’s get Amber Midthunder into another action franchise, please.
Prometheus (2012)
Watch on Disney+Elegiac and icky in equal measure, Ridley Scott’s return to the Alien universe has some cracking action moments in it, where you’re not quite sure whether you’re rooting for the very dumb human crew or the mythic critters picking them off. I’ll never forget seeing Charlize Theron running away from a towering space donut, before it tips over and smooshes her into the alien soil.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Watch on Disney+Rod Serling’s original Planet of the Apes kept its shocking, apocalyptic surprise until the end, leaving it to this modern prequel series to explain just how humanity could become dominated by intelligent chimps. These apes, led by Andy Serkis in a career-best motion capture performance, bring real primal atmosphere to the San Francisco-set tale that ends on a prophetic pandemic note.
The Rock (1996)
Watch on Disney+Speaking of San Francisco, the city’s under threat by nerve gas unleashed on prison island Alcatraz in this goofy, thrilling Michael Bay hit. Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery make a great, hammy team as they try to take down Ed Harris’ embittered team of rogue Marines. Connery has microfilm proving JFK’s real assassin, and Cage’s name is Dr Stanley Goodspeed: action dumbness bliss.
The Rocketeer (1991)
Watch on Disney+Zooming via jetpack from the 30s to the early 90s, Joe Johnston’s retrofuturist adventure has sweeping style and a wonderful climactic setpiece. It all goes down on a Nazi airship, with Timothy Dalton as the evil Sinclair, Jennifer Connelly as an enchanting damsel in distress, and Terry O’Quinn as Hollywood innovator Howard Hughes. Still undersung as a Disney standalone action flick, we think.
Speed (1994)
Watch on Disney+No action hit of the 90s made as much use of a ticking time-bomb set-up as Jan de Bont’s Speed, introducing us to Sandy Bullock and making a clean-cut Keanu even more of a star. Dennis Hopper is the sneering madman watching his bus plan go boom, and the ever-escalating thrills play out with nerve-shredding precision.
Starship Troopers (1997)
Watch on Disney+A gutsy, shameless action movie that makes you feel shame for enjoying it so damn much. Paul Verhoeven’s experience growing up in wartime Europe makes the dark, propagandistic elements of this vicious satire undeniable, even as the vacant-eyed cast of hotties seem to be playing it straight. The intergalactic scenes of alien bugs swarming to annihilate the jugheads are heavy in CGI and dread, after shocking military training moments already deadened us inside.
Taken (2008)
Watch on Disney+Liam Neeson has a very particular set of skills, namely revitalising his career in mid-life to only play gritty avenger dads. When his daughter is kidnapped whilst on a European vacation, retired CIA agent Brian hops on a flight and cracks skulls together to get the answers he needs. Luc Besson and Pierre Morel know just how to shoot a violent urban odyssey, and Neeson gives some neat John McClane energy.
Tombstone (1993)
Watch on Disney+The ultimate “dudes rock” Western. Kurt Russell, a career-best Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, and Bill Paxton sport wild mustaches as the gun-slinging heroes of the OK Corral showdown, in a time where justice and freedom were still up in the air for any bold enough cowboys to nab ‘em. The gunfights and horseback galloping are epic, but so are the well-scripted exchanges between these burly men.
TRON: Legacy (2010)
Watch on Disney+I could really give or take the limp character drama in this sequel to Disney’s before-its-time 80s sci-fi film. If it weren’t for Daft Punk’s too-cool soundtrack, you could almost mute the movie and just enjoy its heightened graphic style, all glowing motorcycle chases and futuristic fight scenes. Jeff Bridges even chucks on a layer of de-aging mo-cap to get into the kinetic battles.
Titles are added and removed from his page to reflect changes to the Disney+ catalogue. Reviews no longer available on this page can be found here.
