What are we watching tonight?

Action from the 2020s: the best movies

24 action films from the 2020s, ranked by audience rating. The best of the decade, and it still holds up tonight. Updated 25 September 2026

Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall leads with 9.2 out of 10, ahead of Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (9.2). Ratings range from 8.1 to 9.2. All were released between 2020 and 2026.

Find my film in 2 questionsSwipe through films

What to know before choosing

An action film is judged on its twenty minutes too many. Almost all of them can shoot a chase; few know when to stop. The best-rated here are the ones with a clear stake, an antagonist you understand and a running time held in check — that is what audiences punish when they rate, far more than the effects budget. Be wary of very high ratings sitting on few votes: the genre attracts niche audiences who rate generously. The vote floor applied here exists for exactly that.

The current decade is the hardest to judge: its films have not finished gathering votes, and a film under two years old is almost always overrated against what it will be worth in five. The vote floor corrects part of that effect, never all of it. Read this list as a snapshot, not as a settled ranking.

Frequently asked questions

How were these 24 films chosen?

They come from the TMDB catalogue, filtered on audience rating and on a minimum number of votes — without that second filter, a film rated 9 out of 10 by eleven people would outrank a classic. No place is for sale: no platform, distributor or studio can enter this list other than by being well rated.

Which film in this list is rated highest?

Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall (2026), with 9.2 out of 10 from 375 audience votes.

Where can I watch these films?

Taro eira shows, film by film, which platforms carry it in the UK and at what price — subscription, rental or purchase. The per-platform lists are further down this page.

Are there any recent releases in this selection?

19 of the 24 films came out since 2021. The rest are older, which is expected: a film needs a few years to gather enough votes to be judged at all.

Do I need an account?

No. Taro eira is free, asks for no account and no subscription, and the two-or-three-question flow works without installing anything.

See also

How this list is built

Films come from the TMDB catalogue, filtered on audience rating and vote count, then cross-checked against real availability in the country. No paid placement, no partnerships. How we choose the films.

Find my film in 2 questions

Film data and posters: TMDB. This app uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.