For movie fans endlessly scrolling through streaming menus, August 2025 brings a welcome reprieve: Amazon Prime Video is serving up a buffet of action-packed blockbusters, offbeat comedies, and pulse-quickening thrillers, as highlighted in new guides from Us Weekly and Yardbarker. Whether you’re in the mood for Liam Neeson’s signature intensity, the original high-octane ride of The Fast and the Furious, or something a little more left field, this month’s lineup promises to satisfy just about every craving—no matter how specific.
Us Weekly kicked off the conversation on August 10 with a list of 12 must-watch action movies currently available on Amazon Prime Video. The timing couldn’t be better: with Neeson’s comedic turn in The Naked Gun still fresh in viewers’ minds, the streaming service has doubled down on his appeal, adding a second Neeson-led film to its roster. For fans of relentless stunts, explosive set pieces, and relentless pacing, these recommendations are a veritable treasure trove.
But Neeson isn’t the only action star in the spotlight this month. Us Weekly also spotlights the original Fast and the Furious—the film that first paired Paul Walker and Vin Diesel and launched one of Hollywood’s most enduring franchises. The magazine’s editors make no bones about it: if you’re after a night of pure adrenaline, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than this classic, which still delivers the goods decades after its debut.
For those who want to mix things up, Yardbarker offers a broader cheat sheet for the week of August 10-16, 2025. Their top 10 list, also published on August 10, covers a spectrum of genres but doesn’t skimp on action. The editors cut through the noise—no fluff, no filler—curating a slate they promise is worth your precious screen time.
Among the standouts: a wild armored truck caper starring Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, and Keke Palmer. As Yardbarker describes, what begins as a routine cash pickup quickly spirals into chaos when Palmer’s fast-talking mastermind leads her crew through a series of citywide misadventures. Directed by Tim Story, known for Ride Along and Barbershop, the film combines big personalities, rapid-fire mix-ups, and cityscapes that double as stand-ins for New Jersey. Critics may have been lukewarm, but for viewers who love star power and easy laughs, it’s a tempting pick.
Science fiction fans aren’t left out, thanks to a “screenlife” thriller starring Ice Cube. According to Yardbarker, this film flips H.G. Wells’ alien invasion tale into a desktop thriller reminiscent of Searching and Independence Day. Ice Cube plays a Homeland Security cyber-analyst who suspects the government is hiding the truth as the sky quite literally starts to fall. While reviews have been brutal—one glance at the critics’ score says it all—the film’s curiosity factor has propelled it up Prime’s Top 10 anyway. Sometimes, it seems, the weirder the premise, the bigger the draw.
Political intrigue takes center stage in another action-comedy, where Idris Elba stars as the British Prime Minister and John Cena as the U.S. President. The two must set aside their mutual disdain to face down a global conspiracy, with Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ MI6 operative adding even more international flair. Directed by Ilya Naishuller (Nobody), the movie promises globe-trotting set pieces and razor-sharp banter. As Yardbarker puts it, if Rush Hour collided with Air Force One, the result might look something like this high-concept romp.
For those who prefer their action a little more claustrophobic, Mel Gibson’s latest directorial effort stars Mark Wahlberg as a pilot tasked with transporting an Air Marshal and a fugitive across Alaska. The tension ratchets up as it becomes clear not everyone is who they claim to be. Yardbarker describes the film as “stripped-down” and “high-tension”—the kind of thriller that keeps viewers guessing until the very end. Fans of Non-Stop or The Edge will feel right at home in this icy, suspenseful ride.
International cinema also gets a nod, with a lavish French revenge fantasy starring Pierre Niney. In this adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic, Niney plays Edmond Dantès, a man betrayed and imprisoned who reemerges as the vengeful Count. With sweeping camerawork and a cast brimming with French and Italian talent, the film is tailor-made for viewers craving a period epic with serious bite.
Bollywood brings its trademark chaos to the party with Housefull 5, a comedy of mistaken identities, family feuds, and even a murder aboard a cruise ship. Akshay Kumar, Ritesh Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, and Sanjay Dutt headline this wild farce, which, as Yardbarker notes, is “bonkers”—but that’s exactly what fans of the franchise expect and love.
For something a little more cerebral, Willem Dafoe stars in a minimalist survival drama that traps his art thief character inside a luxury penthouse with no food, no escape route, and only priceless artwork for company. Yardbarker calls it “part performance art, part psychological horror,” and while it’s a slow burn, Dafoe’s mesmerizing performance makes it worth the patience.
Conspiracy thriller fans can look forward to another round of Ben Affleck’s calculating Wolff, this time joined by Jon Bernthal as his estranged brother. Together with Cynthia Addai-Robinson’s Medina, they unravel a deadly plot while dodging a hit squad. With Gavin O’Connor back in the director’s chair, viewers can expect a mix of sharp shootouts and even sharper math.
Horror aficionados, meanwhile, can get their fill with Terrifier 3, which sees Art the Clown trade Halloween for a blood-soaked Christmas. Lauren LaVera and Elliott Fullam return as survivors, but the holiday cheer quickly gives way to gore. As Yardbarker puts it, “not for the faint of heart, but slasher fans will eat it up—possibly with candy canes.”
No action roundup would be complete without Jason Statham, who stars as ex-black ops soldier Levon Cade in a gritty, relentless rescue mission directed by David Ayer. With Michael Peña and David Harbour rounding out the cast, the film promises no-holds-barred violence and Statham in peak form—scowl and all.
Prime Video’s August 2025 lineup, as curated by Us Weekly and Yardbarker, is a sampler platter of cinematic thrills. Whether you’re after high-stakes heists, international intrigue, psychological survival, or just some good old-fashioned mayhem, there’s something for everyone—and no excuse for another “meh” movie night.
With so many options, the only real challenge is deciding what to watch first.
