On the hunt for some new streaming recommendations after watching Netflix's new French thriller "Ad Vitamn"? We can help.
Rodolphe Lauga's "Ad Vitam" arrived on the streaming service on Friday, January 10, and it's become one of the streamer's most popular titles in the days since. At the time of writing, "Ad Vitam" is Netflix's No. 1 movie, fending off the likes of family favorite "Despicable Me" and the "Rush Hour" trilogy, which has taken over the top 10.
While it's not the most original action movie I've ever seen, "Ad Vitam" manages to deliver in the action department, serving up solid action setpieces as hero Franck (Guillaume Canet) is sucked into a conspiracy tied to his painful past. If you like simple, straightforward action with a personal edge, it's a decent watch.
If you've already watched "Ad Vitam" on Netflix and want to follow it up with another high-octane feature, here are five more great action thrillers that you can watch right now, and where you can currently stream them.
'Athena' (2022)
Romain Gavras' "action-tragedy" "Athena" isn't quite as straightforward a thriller as "Ad Vitam," but this French action effort is absolutely worth a watch.
"Athena" turns a lens on social issues within Paris' "banlieue" communities, as seen through the standoff between residents of the "Athena" apartment block and the French police. Following the death of their youngest sibling, three brothers find themselves divided by the conflict.
Opinions vary on how well "Athena" makes its sociopolitical arguments, but it's been widely celebrated for electrifying, immersive action sequences, which place you right at the heart of the action.
Watch on Netflix
'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015)
![Mad Max: Fury Road - Official Main Trailer [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hEJnMQG9ev8/maxresdefault.jpg)
"Mad Max: Fury Road" might not look all that similar to "Ad Vitam" on the surface, but if you're looking for more Netflix action movies, "Fury Road" is the movie you should stream next.
George Miller's blistering 2015 blockbuster is, quite frankly, one of the most thrilling action thrillers I've ever seen. It's a completely exhilarating chase across the post-apocalyptic wastes, with Max (Tom Hardy) and Furiosa (Charlize Theron) scrambling to escape the forces of tyrannical warlord, Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). If you're looking for more action, you simply cannot do better than this. And if you love it, the similarly thrilling prequel "Furiosa" is also available on Netflix, too.
Watch on Netflix
'Monkey Man' (2024)
Dev Patel added another string to his bow last year when he made his directorial debut with "Monkey Man," a brutal revenge thriller that sees an anonymous young man clapping back against the corrupt upper classes of India.
Having earned a meager living taking beatings as a monkey mask-wearing brawler in an underground fighting ring, "Kid" (Patel) infiltrates a debauched den frequented by his target, and fights his way inside to finally confront his enemies. It's darker and bloodier than "Ad Vitam," sure, but this is filled with thrilling action that should more than satisfy.
Watch on Prime Video
'Rebel Ridge' (2024)
Jeremy Saulnier's "Rebel Ridge" was one of Netflix's very best movies of last year, and as another action-thriller driven first and foremost by incredibly personal stakes, it's perfect to double bill with "Ad Vitam" (it's definitely the better movie, of the two).
Here, we meet Marine veteran Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), who arrives in Shelby Springs, Louisiana looking to post bail for his cousin and to buy a truck so they can start earning a living. En route, he's rammed and detained by two officers who seize all his money, and so begins a brush with small-town law enforcement corruption that inevitably explodes into a violent standoff. It's smart, personal, well-executed stuff.
Watch on Netflix
'Taken' (2008)
"Taken" is the most obvious recommendation after "Ad Vitam," precisely because it's a similar sort of set-up: Like the French action movie, "Taken" sees an elite family man getting tangled up in a conspiracy that involves his loved ones.
Here, we meet former CIA officer, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson). When his teenage daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) and her best friend are kidnapped by a gang of Albanian traffickers on a trip to Paris, Bryan draws on his very particular set of skills to track her down, committing to finding and killing the kidnappers in that now-iconic scene.
Watch on Max
