There are so many great action movies to choose from starring A-listers as well as newcomers. A good action movie gets you pumped as you live vicariously through the stars who drive, fight, and charm their way through dangerous situations.
Jason Statham and action movies go hand in hand, and this month, three action movies on Amazon Prime Video you need to watch in January 2025 include two films in which he stars. That’s no surprise since he always brings the heat — and the box office success. Once you finish enjoying The Fall Guy, an action comedy that’s also coming to Amazon Prime Video this month, take a look at these older action flicks.
Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new movies to stream this week, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Safe (2012)
In the action thriller Safe, Jason Statham is Luke Wright, an ex-police officer who is also a cage fighter. When a fight is fixed but he wins it anyway when he wasn’t supposed to, the head of the Russian mafia orders the murder of Wright’s pregnant wife in retaliation, along with anyone else who is close to him. Angered and depressed, Wright abandons his life to become homeless. But when he meets a young Chinese woman named Mei (Catherine Chan) who is on the run from the same enemies, he has a reinvigorated sense of life, fueled by the need to both protect and avenge.
If you’re looking for a formulaic, predictable action movie, Safe is, well, a safe choice. Our reviewer says the film “packs a punch” and “manages to deliver the goods when it comes to the precisely choreographed, gritty fight scenes that Statham is so great at performing.”
Stream Safe on Amazon Prime Video.
Walking Tall (2004)
Rising from wrestler to one of the most bankable (and highest-paid) movie actors in Hollywood, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars in this vigilante action movie that highlights his dominating presence in a way fans will love. He stars as Chris Vaughn in Walking Tall, a former U.S. Army Special Forces serviceman who returns home to find that an old school friend is running a shady casino there, with plenty of power and influence within the community. Vaughn is almost killed for trying to report the casino’s misdeeds, but he won’t give up that easily and promises to clean up the town. That starts with being elected as the new sheriff.
Now that he’s literally the new sheriff in town, Vaughn is ready to make sweeping changes and flex his muscles in more ways than one. Walking Tall, which also stars Johnny Knoxville, Neal McDonough, Kevin Durand, and Cobie Smulders, is corny fun that is high on entertainment value. It even spawned two direct-to-video sequels.
Stream Walking Tall on Amazon Prime Video.
War (2007)
If it’s action you seek, it doesn’t get much better than Jet Li. Or perhaps it does when you add Jason Statham to the mix. While most critics did not like War, audiences were all for it, if for no other reason than the enthralling choreographed fight scenes and testosterone-filled moments of violence and anger. Set in San Francisco, it’s about FBI agent John Crawford (Statham), who mourns the death of his former partner Tom Lone (Li) at the hands of a notorious assassin known as Rogue who is working for the Japanese yakuza.
There are twists in War that bring the plot into focus, and themes of friendship, honor, and trust. If you’re just looking to pump your fists in the air at epic fight scenes from two of the best in the genre, War delivers. James Berardinelli of ReelViews puts it best: “This isn’t great cinema, but it adequately fills a niche. Those who like their action loud and bloody won’t be disappointed.”
Stream War on Amazon Prime Video.