Top Gun: Maverick is the strongest place to start: it leads Rotten Tomatoes’ 2022 action-and-adventure list and ranks third on Letterboxd’s highest-rated list for the year. RRR is another standout across both. The ranking below weighs action and visual ambition, distinctiveness, story and performances, and published reception; it is an editorial selection, not a universal consensus.
How this ranking works
There is no single authoritative ranking of 2022 action films. Rotten Tomatoes’ action-and-adventure list uses an adjusted order based on Tomatometer scores as of December 31, 2022; its displayed percentages are not the sole sorting mechanism. Letterboxd’s Official List uses a different highest-rated ranking, and SlashFilm published its own authored selection. These lists are useful comparison points, not equivalent measurements.
The films below are ordered to balance genre craft and ambition with story, performances, distinctiveness and reception. Rotten Tomatoes scores are identified as its December 31, 2022 snapshot wherever listed.
The best action movies of 2022
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Top Gun: Maverick
Joseph Kosinski’s sequel is the clearest all-around recommendation in the cited rankings: it sits first on Rotten Tomatoes’ action-and-adventure list and third on Letterboxd’s highest-rated list. Rotten Tomatoes’ year-end Tomatometer snapshot is 96%. Its combination of broad appeal and strong reception makes it the best starting point if you want one pick rather than a niche subgenre.
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For a physical home-viewing option, Paramount lists a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray edition, alongside DVD and digital formats, on its official title page. Paramount Pictures also currently lists the film as streaming on Paramount+; streaming availability can vary by territory and change over time, so check the service in your region.
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RRR
S.S. Rajamouli’s action spectacle places fourth on Rotten Tomatoes’ adjusted list, with a 96% year-end Tomatometer score, and second on Letterboxd’s highest-rated action-and-adventure list. The story follows freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju joining forces against British colonialists in the 1920s. Its near-the-top position in two differently constructed lists makes it the strongest alternative to Top Gun: Maverick here.
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The Woman King
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical action drama ranks second on Rotten Tomatoes’ list, with a 94% year-end Tomatometer score. It centers on the Agojie, the all-female unit protecting the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s. It broadens this ranking beyond contemporary thrillers and spectacle-driven adventure, pairing action with a historical setting and a distinct central subject.
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The Northman
Robert Eggers’ Viking revenge story ranks third on Rotten Tomatoes’ list, with a 90% year-end Tomatometer score. The source’s critics-consensus summary highlights the film’s visual scale and Eggers’ style. It is a strong choice for viewers drawn to mythic, historically inflected action rather than a modern setting.
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Athena
Romain Gavras’ French action drama ranks sixth on Rotten Tomatoes’ list, with an 88% year-end Tomatometer score. Its placement makes it a useful pick for readers looking beyond English-language Hollywood action toward a more dramatic, internationally situated entry.
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The Lost City
This lighter adventure comedy stars Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. It ranks fifth on Rotten Tomatoes’ list, with a 78% year-end Tomatometer score. Choose it when you want action-adventure with a comic tone rather than a heavier historical or dramatic story.
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Beast
Idris Elba stars in this thriller about a father confronting a lion. It ranks eighth on Rotten Tomatoes’ list, with a 69% year-end Tomatometer score. Its survival premise offers a more contained alternative to films built around large-scale spectacle.
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Ambulance
Michael Bay’s action thriller is set across Los Angeles and ranks seventh on Rotten Tomatoes’ list, with a 68% year-end Tomatometer score. It is the pick here for viewers seeking a city-set action thriller rather than historical drama, adventure comedy or mythic revenge.
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Lou
This action thriller stars Allison Janney and Jurnee Smollett. It ranks ninth on Rotten Tomatoes’ list, with a 68% year-end Tomatometer score. The available list identifies its genre and leads but does not provide enough detail to compare its plot or action style more specifically.
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Bullet Train
David Leitch’s action film stars Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry. It ranks tenth on Rotten Tomatoes’ list, with a 53% year-end Tomatometer score. It rounds out this selection as a cast-led option, though its Rotten Tomatoes score is the lowest among the ten titles listed here.
Why other rankings look different
Letterboxd’s Official List places Everything Everywhere All at Once first, followed by RRR, Top Gun: Maverick, Stealing Raden Saleh and The Batman. That order differs from Rotten Tomatoes’ critic-score list, but the two lists do not use a shared numerical scale or matched voter population, so their positions should not be read as a direct score comparison.
SlashFilm’s December 21, 2022 ranking is another authored perspective: its selection of 15 films spans genre-pushing and nostalgic titles, with varied budgets, technical approaches and humor. The BFI/Sight and Sound 2022 poll offers wider film-culture context, drawing on 93 UK and international contributors across genres and formats; it is not an action-only ranking.
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Which one should you watch?
- For the safest all-around starting point: Top Gun: Maverick.
- For a bold action spectacle with a historical premise: RRR.
- For historical drama centered on women warriors: The Woman King.
- For mythic revenge and visual scale: The Northman.
- For a lighter adventure-comedy: The Lost City.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
