The 2006 action flick The Sentinel has become a global Netflix hit by scoring the second spot on the streamer’s Top 10 movie most-watched movies list, with close to 8 millions views worldwide in the past week.
The Sentinel stars Michael Douglas as a secret service agent who must clear his name when he’s framed for an assassination attempt on the President. Much like Netflix’s latest action flop Back in Action, The Sentinel doesn’t make it onto our best Netflix movies list with its 34% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics.
If this “convoluted and unsatisfying drama” (as The Guardian describes it) wasn’t an action-packed adventure for you, then here are three better action thrillers rated by critics with over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes to watch instead.
Rebel Ridge
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- RT score: 96%
- Age rating: R
- Length: 132 minutes
- Director: Jeremy Saulnier
- Where to watch: Netflix (globally)
In Rebel Ridge, ex-Marine Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) confronts a web of corruption when his attempt to post his cousin’s bail spirals into violence with the town’s local police chief. What comes next is explosive action that’s reminiscent of a small-town Western along with gripping contemporary social drama.
Carry-On
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- RT score: 87%
- Age rating: PG-13
- Length: 120 minutes
- Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
- Where to watch: Netflix (globally)
Taron Egerton becomes a modern-day action hero in this festive thriller as he plays young TSA agent Ethan. While working the nightmare Christmas Eve shift, Ethan’s day turns into a full-blown nightmare when a mysterious passenger (Jason Bateman) blackmails him into letting a dangerous package slip through the scanner and onto a busy flight. Carry-On brings some classic Die Hard action with car crashes and gun fights, but if you’re craving more heart-pounding life-and-death situations, then here are three more action movies with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes to watch next.
Oldboy
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- RT score: 82%
- Age rating: R
- Length: 120 minutes
- Director: Park Chan-wook
- Where to watch: Netflix (US); Sky (UK); Shudder (AUS)
Loosely adapted from the Japanese manga of the same name, Oldboy follows Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), who is kidnapped and held captive in a hotel room for 15 years. When he’s finally released, he goes on a violent spree to seek revenge against his captor. TechRadar’s Lucy Buglass writes that this skilful assassin movie is “a masterpiece that will haunt you long after the final credits roll.”
