Last Updated: July 21st
You can’t have the lights and cameras without the action, and Hulu‘s bringing it with its lineup of thrilling blockbusters.
The streaming platform is full of high-octane film fuel, with dark comedies about teenage girls on a rampage, comic book heroes protecting their cities, and high-speed heists set to banging soundtracks. Whatever your fancy, there’s something to get your heart pumping and your blood racing here.
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The Art of Self Defense (2019)
Run Time: 104 min | IMDb: 6.7/10
Jesse Eisenberg stars in this offbeat comedy about a young man taking control of his life. Eisenberg plays Casey, a timid accountant who begins taking karate classes after being assaulted by a motorcycle gang. With the help of his mysterious Sensei, Casey starts to become more masculine, more confident, and more aggressive, which leads to all kinds of issues in his personal and professional life. The film takes some twists and turns we won’t spoil here, but it’s a wonderfully dark, comedic take on the perils of toxic masculinity, and Eisenberg feels like the perfect guide into such a bizarre world.
A Quiet Place (2018)
Run Time: 90 min | IMDb: 7.6/10
John Krasinski’s breakout horror flick has made its way to Hulu. The film stars Krasinski and his wife, Emily Blunt, as a couple trying their best to raise their family in the middle of an apocalypse where the slightest sound might attract other-worldly creatures intent on hunting them down and killing them. It’s a thrilling turn for both actors, with twists you don’t see coming and a satisfying ending.
Warrior (2011)
Run Time: 140 min | IMDb: 8.2/10
Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton star in this gritty MMA-inspired family drama. Hardy and Edgerton play estranged brothers who meet in the ring decades after their family was torn apart by drug use and their father’s (and excellent Nick Nolte) abuse. Hardy plays Tommy, a war vet running from a terrible experience overseas. Edgerton plays Brendan, a high school science teacher participating in underground fighting rings to make some extra cash. The two square off in the ring, where more than just blows are traded.
Destroyer (2018)
Run Time: 121 min | IMDb: 6.4/10
Karyn Kusama’s crime thriller beats the sh*t out of Nicole Kidman, in the best possible way. Kidman plays Erin Bell, an LAPD detective charged with investigating the murder of a John Doe. In flashbacks, we learn Erin’s personal connection to the case, the tragedy she’s suffered, and her own compliance in certain criminal activities. All the while, she’s roughing up former gang members and threatening money launderers. It’s a gritty, dark, unapologetic look at a flawed anti-heroine.
Assassination Nation (2018)
Run Time: 108 min | IMDb: 5.9/10
Suki Waterhouse and Odessa Young star in this angst-filled tale of teenage revenge. The flick follows four high school girls who go on a rampage in their quiet, small town after a data hack reveals damning information about the town’s residents. The girls take on ex-boyfriends, past abusers, would-be-rapists, and other misogynistic a-holes with nail guns and katanas and all kinds of armed weaponry. It’s a dark comedy paired with high-octane action.
Akira (1988)
Run Time: 124 min | IMDb: 8.1/10
Loosely based on the ground-breaking manga of the same name, Akira is considered a landmark in Japanese animation, as well as one of the best animated films ever produced. Set in a dystopian future in 2019, a teenager named Tetsuo gains tremendous telekinetic powers after a motorcycle crash, eventually going mad with power before bringing the military-industrial complex to its knees. A live-action adaptation has been in the works in some form since 2002, but remains in development purgatory for the time being.
Creed II (2018)
Run Time: 130 min | IMDb: 7.2/10
Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, and Tessa Thompson return for round two of this boxing drama reboot. Still training with Rocky Balboa, Adonis Creed (Jordan) tries to bounce back after a dangerous beatdown, resolving to face off against the son of Viktor Drago, the man who killed his father. The film’s tension is heightened, the hits more violent, and Jordan is as confident as ever in his leading man status.
Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018)
Run Time: 127 min | IMDb: 7.8/10
Tom Cruise is joined by Superman himself, Henry Cavill in this latest installment in the action franchise. Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt who leads his IMF team but is joined by Cavill’s CIA Agent, August Walker, who’s tasked with monitoring the group after a mission gone wrong. Hunt is tracking some missing plutonium before a terrorist group called The Apostles can weaponize it against the world but he’s thwarted by a surprising enemy.
True Grit (2010)
Run Time: 110 min | IMDb: 7.6/10
Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon play tough Western cowboys on a quest for revenge in this remake from the Coen brothers. Hailee Steinfeld plays a teenage girl named Mattie Ross who enlists the help of U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn to track down her father’s killer. Damon’s LaBoeuf goes along for the ride and the two men survive shootouts and high-speed horse chases to deliver their own unique brand of justice.
American Ultra (2015)
Run Time: 96 min | IMDb: 6.1/10
Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg reteam for this action-comedy about a stoner couple targeted by a black ops division. Eisenberg plays Mike, an underachiever who lives with his girlfriend Phoebe (Stewart). Turns out, Mike is a government agent who has no memory of his training. When he’s activated — two guys start f*cking with his car and he kills one of them with just a spoon — he and his girlfriend uncover a bigger government conspiracy that they might be too high to survive.
