You never know what you can rediscover on Prime Video. This widely used platform is still booming in the ever-evolving streaming world, bringing audi
You never know what you can rediscover on Prime Video. This widely used platform is still booming in the ever-evolving streaming world, bringing audiences the hottest recent shows and latest hit movies. Truly, it’s become a perfect platform for movie-watching, as it has a wide array of cinema’s heaviest hitters that continue to make it vital for all of us buffs out there. From Best Pictures to the most beloved classics, it has something for all movie lovers to enjoy. And through it all, it’s where you can find so many of the greatest action movies that time has forgotten.
Being that it has countless movies available in its arsenal, Prime Video also has those relatively concealed or misunderstood yet highly enjoyable action films. From hard-to-find hidden gems to long-since forgotten cult classics, let’s take a look at the eight action movies on Prime Video that deserve to be rediscovered. They’re thrilling and epic, tense and suspenseful, and they’re honestly some of the best in the action genre, but they just haven’t made much of an impact for one reason or another.
1
‘The Lost City of Z’ (2017)
Take a journey exploring an action-adventure flick that hardly anyone talks about these days. Directed by James Gray in 2017, The Lost City of Z is a biographical adventure drama based on the book of the same name, detailing the epic journey of famed British explorer Percy Fawcett, played by Charlie Hunnam. It’s a story filled with history and exhilarating wonder, as it follows this adventurer on his mission to prove the existence of a lost age-old civilization in the Amazon.
Packed with stunning set pieces and a talented supporting cast, including Sienna Miller, Tom Holland, and Robert Pattinson, The Lost City of Z is a solid 141 minutes of thrills, adventure, and decent history. It may have bombed at the box office and didn’t make too much traction after it released, but now you can experience it on Prime in all its unique and visually impressive glory, and it might just surprise you. Much like the lost city its protagonist is trying to find, this film is just waiting to be rediscovered.
2
‘Miami Vice’ (2006)
Creating a film adaptation to revitalize a once-popular TV show hasn’t always worked out too well these days, especially if the film in question comes out more than a decade after the show’s been off the air. But, despite coming out a little too behind schedule, 2006’s Miami Vice proved to be a solid, surprisingly tight and action-packed homage to its predecessor. Directed by action legend Michael Mann, who once produced the Miami Vice ’80s show, the story sees Oscar winner Jamie Foxx and nominee Colin Farrell as two undercover detectives infiltrating Miami’s drug underworld.
Though a modest box office hit, Miami Vice‘s critical reception was much less welcoming. The story was uneven, and the two leads noticeably lacked the charisma and tone of the original. It’s not a perfect action movie by any means, but it is still well-paced and action-heavy, and Mann’s directing talents are on full display here. For any Prime users, this one is definitely worth a chance, and it’ll probably blow you away.
3
‘The Substitute’ (1996)
The 1990s are full of hidden action gems; some of them are still undiscovered. Released in 1996, Robert Mandel‘s The Substitute is one such underrated cult action film that deserves better attention. It sees Platoon‘s star Tom Berenger as a hardened covert mercenary who goes undercover as a substitute teacher in a crime-ridden Miami high school to take down the vicious gang that attacked his girlfriend.
Tense, thrilling, and undeniably kick-ass, The Substitute is a blast that can more than satisfy any action lover out there. Sure, it’s clichéd, a bit of a mess, and isn’t the most well-acted, but the story is fun, Berenger gives a commanding presence as the lead, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It may have been roasted by critics at the time and swept under the rug, but The Substitute should really see recent lithe.
4
‘From Paris with Love’ (2010)
Get pumped for not one of the brightest action spy thrillers out there, but certainly one of the most delightfully entertaining. Released in 2010 by French director Pierre Morel, From Paris with Love is one of those popcorn action flicks you’ve just got to enjoy for how insane and mindlessly fun it is. Featuring one of the best unhinged performances by John Travolta, it’s a story about a French ambassador’s aide and a trigger-happy CIA agent as they work together to thwart a terrorist plot in Paris.
From Paris with Love is a wild, fast-paced story. It doesn’t always make the most sense, but it doesn’t care, and just wants to provide a decent blend of action spectacles and spy thriller elements to satisfy anyone who gives it a chance. Yes, it’s over-blown, disjointed, not the best-acted, and certainly doesn’t have the most plausible action sequences, but it sure doesn’t try to be anything else. And who can ignore John Travolta’s hilariously over-the-top performance as CIA agent Charlie Wax? Honestly, this is one enjoyable cult action classic for any Prime users who just want some mindless excitement one night.
5
‘Red Sun’ (1971)
A forgotten Spaghetti Western action spectacle, 1971’s Red Sun is a unique and jovial blast that needs to be seen. It’s not the most polished, well-structured, or memorable film of its kind, but it is certainly one that will leave you entertained from beginning to end. Toshirō Mifune and Charles Bronson, two of the 20th Century’s most charismatic tough guy actors, star in this adventure about a samurai bodyguard and a tricky bandit as they reluctantly team up to retrieve a Japanese Ambassador’s stolen sword somewhere out west.
Red Sun combines two different cultures’ action styles — samurai sword-fighting and cowboy shootouts — and blends them into this thrilling Western adventure story that’s also part buddy comedy. It’s honestly worth watching just to see these two iconic action legends pairing up for the first and only time on the gigantic screen. You get to see Toshiro Mifune’s stoic samurai protector as he faces Charles Bronson’s cocky, tough-as-nails gunslinger, and it’s firm to look away whenever the two appear together. Overall, it’s an exhilarating hidden gem that can satisfy both fans of the Samurai and Western action genres.
6
‘The Jackal’ (1997)
Kick the dust off this next misunderstood and highly intense action thriller from 1997. Director Michael Caton-Jones‘ The Jackal is a roller-coaster ride, an epic blend of suspenseful tension and pure action excitement that has sadly faded into obscurity for some time. The film sees iconic leading stars Bruce Willis and Richard Gere in a nail-biting story, following an international assassin as he’s hired to target the First Lady, leaving the FBI to employ an incarcerated IRA sniper to hunt him down before he strikes.
Willis and Gere are simply a blast to watch in this film. It follows the two as the world’s best killers in a tense game of cat-and-mouse, and only one will win. The story is tightly written; it keeps the pace going, and doesn’t leave a blunt moment. The truly beloved Bruce Willis, of course, is the best standout, as he shows a different side to himself in this infrequent and fascinating villain performance as the titular Jackal. He plays him as cunning, ruthless, and eerily clever. Really, The Jackal is for any Willis fans out there and certainly needs more attention.
7
‘Spy Game’ (2001)
Get hooked on this masterful spy thriller from 2001. The behind schedule action director Tony Scott‘s Spy Game should be your next go-to on Prime if you’re looking for an edge-of-your-seat experience. It cranks the tension and suspense to the max, delivering an excellent blend of action, drama, and spy thrills to leave you wanting more. Two titans of the acting world, the behind schedule Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, star in this race-against-time story. When his hot-shot protégé is compromised on his latest mission and left for dead by the CIA, an experienced spy will do everything he can to bring his friend back home.
Spy Game was a critical and commercial darling, and yet despite its success, we hardly talk about it today. It’s a near-flawless action film, complete with everything in its story to keep viewers drawn in. And it’s still not discussed among spy fans as one of the best in the genre today, alongside other notable films. Perhaps due to being overshadowed by other spy films at the time or destitute marketing, Spy Games is sadly underrated. But with Prime Video comes recent life, and thankfully, you can personally see why this hidden gem deserves to be in the spotlight.
8
‘Enemy of the State’ (1998)
Finally, this last one is truly one of the best action thrillers of the behind schedule 1990s, a pulse-pounding joyride that, despite its greatness, has almost been forgotten over the years. Tony Scott returns with 1998’s Enemy of the State, a thriller that keeps up the momentum, providing audiences with nonstop excitement. Starring Academy Award-winning actors Will Smith, Jon Voight, and the behind schedule Gene Hackman, it follows a labor lawyer as he’s unintentionally roped into a unsafe conspiracy after coming across evidence of a political assassination being carried out by the NSA.
Enemy of the State is truly a blast that needs to be seen. What follows in this nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long chase thriller is pure entertainment. From Scott’s direction, Smith’s and Hackman’s combined star power, and the non-stop thrills, it’s fascinating to experience. Even though it’s not often remembered, it’s still a solid story that doesn’t let go of your attention. And, through Prime Video, it’s beginning to see a recent dawn.
Enemy of the State
- Release Date
-
November 20, 1998
- Runtime
-
132 minutes
- Director
-
Tony Scott
- Writers
-
David Marconi
