The 15 best Christmas action movies (Not 'Die Hard')

It's sort of impossible to make a list like this one and not include the recent David Harbour romp, Violent Night. Is Santa cooler when he's an undying Viking? Maybe. But if you need a movie that clearly combines Christmas with lots of fighting and blood, Violent Night fits the bill.

Violent Night streams on Peacock.

14. Die Hard 2 (1990)

Okay, so we're cheating a little bit already with the whole "No Die Hard" thing. And yet, Die Hard 2 , like the previous film, also takes place on Christmas Eve. And, because so much of the movie is about family and, oddly, difficult travel around the holidays, there's something even more relatable about this Bruce Willis classic than the original.

Die Hard 2 streams on Hulu.

13. Rocky IV (1986)

The fight between Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) and Drago (Dolph Lundgren) literally takes place on Christmas Day. Plus, Rocky does a ton of his training in the snow, like a regular boxing version of Santa Claus.

Rocky IV is available to rent on Prime Video, Fandango, and elsewhere.

12. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

The excellent and memorable crime thriller The Long Kiss Goodnight features Samuel L. Jackson and Geena Davis in a story of memory loss and nearly non-stop action. Like many Shane Black-directed action films (including the next one on the list), the story takes place at Christmastime.

The Long Kiss Goodnight streams on Tubi.

11. Iron Man 3 (2010)

Yep! You forgot that Iron Man 3 takes place around Christmastime! There are Christmas decorations everywhere, and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is doing a lot of soul-searching, not unlike a Marvel Universe version of Scrooge.

Iron Man 3 streams on Disney+.

10. Reindeer Games (2000)

As action flicks from the early 2000s go, Reindeer Games might be one that feels the most like a '90s movie. Starring Ben Affleck as an ex-con trying to make it home for Christmas, it's hard not to love the audacity of this one. An early Charlize Theron action flick, which makes a good case for some of her bigger and more badass movies in the future.

Reindeer Games streams on Pluto TV and Paramount+.

9. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Wow! It's another Shane Black movie! (And another one with Robert Downey Jr.!) This 2005 crime thriller also stars Val Kilmer and is perhaps the funniest film (funnier than Home Alone?) on this list. Yes, it takes place at Christmastime, and yes, it's just as good as it was twenty years ago.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang streams on the Roku Channel

8. Star Trek Generations (1994)

Released just before Thanksgiving in 1994, Star Trek Generations was a crossover event that found Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Captain Kirk (William Shatner) crossing time and space to stop a mad scientist. Along the way, Picard slipped into a dimension called the Nexus, which gave him the nicest and strangest Christmas ever.

Star TrekGenerations streams on Paramount+.

7. Batman Returns (1992)

This one isn't even a little bit debatable. Batman Returns clearly takes place at Christmastime; there's a massive tree, snow, and candy canes everywhere. Is it the darkest Christmas action movie? Well, probably not, but both in 1992 and now, it's a gothic, almost twisted Dickens vibe, certainly makes it unforgettable.

Batman Returns streams on HBO Max.

6. The World Is Not Enough (1999)

Look, there's a character literally named Christmas Jones (Denise Richards), and Bond (Pierce Brosnan) even makes a pun about her name. The movie seems to end on New Year's Eve, implying that the rest of the action of the movie took place around Christmastime.

The World Is Not Enough streams on Prime Video.

5. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Yep, we're putting two Home Alones on this list, back-to-back. Technically, you could say Lost in New York is a family movie, but the amount of chase scenes alone makes it an action movie.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York streams on Disney+.

4. Home Alone (1990)

Yes, the original, and the best, perhaps the best contribution that Home Alone gave to the action movie genre is the mobster movie watched by Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin). This famous black-and-white movie, Angels with Filthy Souls, was not, in fact, an actual classic mobster film, but instead, a movie created for Home Alone, specifically. Home Alone gave us much, but the line "Keep the change, you filthy animal," may be its greatest gift to the world.

Home Alone streams on Disney+.

3. Ghostbusters II (1989)

Forget the conventional wisdom that Ghostbusters II is somehow bad because it's not better than the 1984 original. Ghostbusters II has a hilarious premise, a fantastic soundtrack, and some unforgettable one-liners. ("Everything you're doing is bad, I want you to know this.") The film takes place around Christmastime and ends on New Year's Eve. What else could you want?

Ghostbusters II is available to rent on Amazon, Fandango, and elsewhere.

2. Silent Night (2023)

This Joel Kinnaman-led movie is a bloody and deeply dark revenge movie. Directed by action legend John Woo, the stylised violence of Silent Night is one of a kind. And, as a one-man arsenal, Kinnaman is incredible.

Silent Night streams on Starz.

1. Three Days of the Condor (1975)

The late Robert Redford has never been better than in the spy thriller Three Days of the Condor. Taking place at Christmastime in New York City, Redford's character, codename Condor, is on the run, trying to figure out who betrayed him and whom he can trust. Faye Dunaway becomes his unwitting companion, as the pair tries to save themselves from the clutches of, well, everyone. In this wonderful, and sometimes romantic film, the true meaning of Christmas is the spy friends we made along the way.

Three Days of the Condor is streaming on MGM+.