Best war, documentary, & action shows on Netflix, ranked.
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- #895#895
NetflixDavid Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
2020 · Movie · 1h 23mDocumentary · Biography
3 EmmysThe story of life on our planet by the man who has seen more of the natural world than any other. In more than 90 years, Attenborough has visited every continent on the globe, exploring the wild places of our planet and documenting the living world in all its variety and wonder. Addressing the biggest challenges facing life on our planet, the film offers a powerful message of hope for future generations.
Netflix - #1093#1093
NetflixCrash Landing on You
2019–2020 · Series · Korean · 1 seasonAction · Comedy · Drama
The absolute top secret love story of a chaebol heiress who made an emergency landing in North Korea because of a paragliding accident and a North Korean special officer who falls in love with her and who is hiding and protecting ...
Netflix - #1293#1293
NetflixThe Elephant Whisperers
2022 · Movie · Tamil · 41mDocumentary
1 OscarBomman and Bellie, a couple in South India, devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu, forging a family like no other that tests the barrier between the human and the animal world.
Netflix - #1393#1393
NetflixAlchemy of Souls
2022–2023 · Series · Korean · 2 seasonsAction · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Set in a fictional country called Daeho, it is about the love and growth of young mages as they overcome their twisted fates due to a forbidden magic spell known as the "alchemy of souls", which allows souls to switch bodies.
Netflix - #1592#1592
NetflixPrime VideoThe Untamed
2019– · Series · Mandarin · 1 seasonAction · Drama
Two talented disciples from respected clans meet during their youth and form a close affinity, only to be separated by dire circumstances. Sixteen years later, can they unravel the tragedy of the past to solve the mysteries of the...
NetflixPrime Video - #1891#1891
NetflixJim Gaffigan: Obsessed
2014 · Movie · 1hDocumentary · Comedy
Jim Gaffigan bursts back on the scene with this eagerly anticipated fourth comedy special. Dubbed the "King of Clean Comedy" by The Wall Street Journal, Jim's obsession with all things food comes to fruition on "Obsessed" as he ta...
Netflix - #3190#3190
NetflixPrime VideoStargate SG-1
1997–2007 · Series · 10 seasonsAction · Drama
Set after the events of the Stargate (1994) movie, the series follows SG-1, one of many secret military teams of soldiers and scientists who travel through a gateway to other planets and fight against dangerous aliens to protect e...
NetflixPrime Video - #3690#3690
NetflixChef's Table
2015–2024 · Series · 7 seasonsDocumentary · Biography
Chef's Table goes inside the lives and kitchens of six of the world's most renowned international chefs. Each episode focuses on a single chef and their unique look at their lives, talents and passion from their piece of culinary ...
Netflix - #3790#3790
NetflixCity of Joy
2016 · Movie · 1h 14mDocumentary · Crime · Drama
This film follows the first class of students at a remarkable leadership center in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a region often referred to as "the worst place in the world to be a woman." These women have been through...
Netflix - #4189#4189
NetflixWeak Hero
2022– · Series · Korean · 2 seasonsAction · Drama · Thriller
Yeon Shi-eun is a model student, who ranks at the top at his school. Physically, he appears like a weak boy, but, by using his smarts, tools, and psychology, he fights against violence that takes place inside and outside of his sc...
Netflix - #5189#5189
Netflix1917
2019 · Movie · 1h 59mWar · Action · Drama
3 OscarsApril 6th, 1917. As an infantry battalion assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.
Netflix - #5389#5389
NetflixJulie and the Phantoms
2020– · Series · 1 seasonAction · Comedy · Drama
Julie is a teenage girl who finds her passion for music and life with the help of a high-concept band of teen boys "The Phantoms" who have been dead for 25 years. Julie, in turn, helps them become the band they were never able to be.
Netflix - #6188#6188
NetflixWinter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom
2015 · Movie · 1h 42mDocumentary · History
A documentary on the unrest in Ukraine during 2013 and 2014, as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich.
Netflix - #7587#7587
NetflixCamp Confidential: America's Secret Nazis
2021 · Movie · 36mDocumentary · Animation
At the height of WWII, a group of young Jewish refugees are sent to a secret POW camp near Washington, D.C. The recent refugees soon discover that the prisoners are no other than Hitler's top scientists.
Netflix - #7787#7787
NetflixStay on Board: The Leo Baker Story
2022 · Movie · 1h 12mDocumentary
Follows celebrated competitive skating icon Leo Baker as they try to make space for themselves in the gendered world of pro sports and build a more inclusive skate culture, which leads them to doing the punkest thing imaginable.
Netflix - #8087#8087
NetflixTurning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War
2024– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
The series chronicles the creation of the atomic bomb and the spread of nuclear arms over the following decades. It continues past the dissolution of the Soviet Union to Vladimir Putin's ascent and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Netflix - #8987#8987
NetflixDhurandhar: The Revenge
2026 · Movie · Hindi · 3h 50mAction · Crime · Thriller
Jaskirat Singh Rangi descends deeper into his alias as Hamza Ali Mazari, rising through Karachi's criminal hierarchy to claim the feared title "Sher-e-Baloch" while balancing loyalty, betrayal, and survival in a ruthless underworld.
Netflix - #9786#9786
NetflixLenox Hill
2020– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Biography
An intimate look at the lives of four doctors - two brain surgeons, an emergency room physician, and a Chief Resident OBGYN - as they navigate the highs and lows of working at the renowned Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
Netflix - #10086#10086
NetflixLead Me Home
2021 · Movie · 39mDocumentary
More than 500,000 people are homeless in the US. A few of these real-life stories give the audience a rare, in-depth look at the scale, scope, and diversity of the problem while questioning uninformed attitudes and outmoded policies.
Netflix - #10686#10686
NetflixThe End of the F***ing World
2017–2019 · Series · 2 seasonsAction · Comedy · Crime
James is 17 and is pretty sure he is a psychopath. Alyssa, also 17, is the cool and moody new girl at school. The pair make a connection and she persuades him to embark on a road trip in search of her real father.
Netflix - #11286#11286
HuluNetflixArthdal Chronicles
2019–2023 · Series · Korean · 4 seasonsAction · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
"Arthdal Chronicles" depicts the birth of civilization and nations in ancient times. It is a story of mythical heroes--their struggle, unity, and love of people living in a virtual land called Arth.
HuluNetflix - #11485#11485
NetflixThe Trials of Gabriel Fernandez
2020– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
Filmmaker Brian Knappenberger investigates the tragic death of an 8-year-old California boy who endured horrific abuse by his mother and her boyfriend, along with the fractured and complex systems that failed to protect him.
Netflix - #11685#11685
NetflixThe Stringer: The Man Who Took the Photo
2025 · Movie · 1h 43mDocumentary · Biography · History
A two-year investigation uncovers a scandal behind the making of one of the most-recognized photographs of the 20th century. Five decades of secrets are unraveled in the search for justice for a man known only as "the stringer."
Netflix - #12485#12485
NetflixSunderland 'Til I Die
2018–2024 · Series · 3 seasonsDocumentary · Sport
Highlights the unfailing passion Sunderland residents have for their beloved football club, taking viewers through the highs and lows of SAFC's 2017-18 season in the Championship following its relegation the previous year.
Netflix - #15184#15184
NetflixJamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was...
2024 · Movie · 1h 8mDocumentary · Comedy
A stand-up special with Jamie Foxx performing before an Atlanta crowd. Containing songs and anecdotes, the main topic is his time away from the limelight while undergoing a medical emergency in 2023.
Netflix - #15884#15884
NetflixElena
2013 · Movie · Portuguese · 1h 20mDocumentary · Biography · Drama
Elena, a young Brazilian woman, travels to New York with the same dream as her mother, to become a movie actress. She leaves behind her childhood spent in hiding during the years of the military dictatorship. She also leaves Petra...
Netflix - #16584#16584
NetflixAlice in Borderland
2020–2025 · Series · Japanese · 3 seasonsAction · Drama · Horror
Arisu - a listless, jobless and video-game-obsessed young man - suddenly finds himself in a strange, emptied-out version of Tokyo in which he and his friends must compete in dangerous games in order to survive.
Netflix - #17783#17783
NetflixThe Last Days
1998 · Movie · 1h 27mDocumentary · War
1 OscarIn late 1944, even as they faced imminent defeat, the Nazis expended enormous resources to kill or deport over 425,000 Jews during the "cleansing" of Hungary. This Oscar-winning documentary, executive produced by Steven Spielberg,...
Netflix - #18583#18583
NetflixPrime VideoTeen Wolf
2011–2017 · Series · 6 seasonsAction · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
An average high school student and his best friend get caught up in some trouble causing him to receive a werewolf bite. As a result they find themselves in the middle of all sorts of dramas in Beacon Hills.
NetflixPrime Video - #19682#19682
NetflixStruggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski
2018 · Movie · 1h 55mDocumentary · Biography
This documentary chronicles the life of Polish-American artist Stanislav Szukalski (1893-1987) from his early years in Chicago, to his time in Poland and Los Angeles, and his artistic and political contributions to the world.
Netflix - #19782#19782
NetflixThe Deepest Breath
2023 · Movie · 1h 48mDocumentary · Action · Sport
A champion and expert safety diver seemed destined for one another. Despite different paths taken, they meet at the pinnacle of the free-diving world, experiencing the thrilling rewards and inescapable risks of chasing dreams thro...
Netflix - #20582#20582
NetflixFire in Paradise
2019 · Movie · 39mDocumentary
On 8th November, 2018, a fire broke out in California near the town of Paradise. Over the course of a few hours, the Camp Fire grew into the country's deadliest wildfire in over a century. Through first-hand footage of the disaste...
Netflix - #21382#21382
NetflixAlma Matters: Inside the IIT Dream
2021– · Series · HindiDocumentary
In a "nation of middle-class" the IIT dream involves clearing the world's toughest public exam for guaranteed lifelong success. Life is not an exam though. It's a hustle, one that nobody trains them for. The result? Eternal tumult.
Netflix - #21682#21682
NetflixHeadspace Guide to Meditation
2021– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Animation
Over the course of eight animated episodes, Andy Puddicombe—former Buddhist monk and co-founder of the globally beloved Headspace meditation app—takes viewers through the benefits and science behind meditation.
Netflix - #22082#22082
NetflixPatton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping
2016 · Movie · 1h 5mDocumentary · Comedy
1 EmmyPatton Oswalt takes the stage in San Francisco, where he talks about San Franciscans, the difficulties of being PC, fatherhood, his worst stand up experience, and the worlds most horrific Birthday Clown.
Netflix - #23981#23981
NetflixWild District
2018–2019 · Series · Spanish · 2 seasonsAction · Crime · Drama
Jhon Jeiver, a lethal guerrilla fighter who escapes from the jungle after the signing and referendum of the Colombian Peace Agreements, arrives in Bogotá escaping from his past, and tries to reinsert himself into society.
Netflix - #24381#24381
NetflixNumber 24
2024 · Movie · Norwegian · 1h 51mWar · Biography · Drama
Young apprentice Gunnar Sønsteby from Rjukan decides to resist Nazi-Germany on the day of the invasion to later become the leader of the "Oslo-gang" carrying out countless daring acts of sabotage making him Norway's greatest war h...
Netflix - #24681#24681
Disney+NetflixWinning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks
2010 · Movie · 1h 8mDocumentary · Biography · History
A film that explores the rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and New York as seen through the eyes and actions of Reggie Miller star player of the Indiana Pacers.
Disney+Netflix - #25281#25281
NetflixDear Santa
2020 · Movie · 1h 24mDocumentary · Family
'Dear Santa' shines a light on the 100-year-old 'Operation Santa' Program of the United States Postal Service. Each year, hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa arrive at Post Offices around the country. Through Operation Santa...
Netflix - #25681#25681
NetflixHow to Train Your Dragon
2025 · Movie · 2h 5mAction · Comedy
As an ancient threat endangers both Vikings and dragons alike on the isle of Berk, the friendship between Hiccup, an inventive Viking, and Toothless, a Night Fury dragon, becomes the key to both species forging a new future together.
Netflix - #26281#26281
NetflixSnabba Cash
2021– · Series · Swedish · 2 seasonsAction · Crime · Drama
The entrepreneurial jet set and the criminal world are more brutal, chaotic, and ruthless than ever. When these two worlds collide, loyalty, friendships, and business partners will be tested in the never-ending quest for easy money.
Netflix - #26581#26581
NetflixThe Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox
2024– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
The 2004 Red Sox team broke an 86-year drought, overcame a 3-0 series deficit and won the franchise's first World Series title since 1918. A historic comeback by the team that lifted one of baseball's longest curses.
Netflix - #27980#27980
NetflixThe Gospel According to André
2018 · Movie · 1h 33mDocumentary
This intimate portrait for André Leon Tally, a fixture in the world of fashion, takes viewers on a journey from André’s roots growing up to becoming one of the most influential tastemakers and fashion curators of our times.
Netflix - #28380#28380
NetflixPrime VideoThe Wrecking Crew
2008 · Movie · 1h 41mDocumentary · History
A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew", a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys and Bing Crosby.
NetflixPrime Video - #28680#28680
NetflixThe Ba***ds of Bollywood
2025– · Series · Hindi · 1 seasonAction · Comedy · Drama
An entertaining ride through the adventures of an ambitious outsider navigating the glitzy yet tricky world of Bollywood, with self-aware humor, cameos, and larger-than-life characters for a tongue-in-cheek take on Indian cinema.
Netflix - #28880#28880
NetflixMission Blue
2014 · Movie · 1h 35mDocumentary · Drama
Feature documentary about legendary oceanographer, marine biologist, environmentalist, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle and her campaign to create a global network of protected marine sanctuaries.
Netflix - #30380#30380
NetflixUntold: Malice at the Palace
2021 · Movie · 1h 8mDocumentary · Crime · Sport
A brawl broke out near the end of a game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons on November 19, 2004. Nearly 17 years later, we re-examine that night and all the consequences that came from it.
Netflix - #30480#30480
NetflixLast Samurai Standing
2025– · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAction · Drama · History
In 1878, 292 samurai gather for a battle royale lured by a 100 thousand yen prize. Wooden tags are given; the last survivor reaching Tokyo wins. Shujiro Saga participates to save his sick family. A dangerous game of survival unfolds.
Netflix - #31280#31280
NetflixIn the Dark
2019–2022 · Series · 4 seasonsAction · Crime · Mystery
Murphy is a hard-living, hard-drinking, disaffected twenty-something. She's also blind. Her life comes crashing down when she stumbles upon what she's sure is the lifeless body of her closest friend in the alley outside her apartm...
Netflix - #31680#31680
NetflixThe Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52
2021 · Movie · 1h 36mDocumentary · Action
THE LONELIEST WHALE is a cinematic quest to find the “52 Hertz Whale,” which scientists believe has spent its entire life in solitude calling out at a frequency that is different from any other whale. As the film embarks on this engrossing journey, audiences will explore what this whale’s lonely plight can teach us — not just about our changing relationship to the oceans, but to each other. Executive Produced with Leonardo DiCaprio and Adrian Grenier.
Netflix - #32480#32480
NetflixTo Kill a Tiger
2023 · Movie · 2h 8mDocumentary
Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
Netflix - #32880#32880
NetflixAmerican Factory
2019 · Movie · 1h 50mDocumentary
1 OscarIn post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class...
Netflix - #32980#32980
NetflixPrime VideoAlan Partridge: Alpha Papa
2013 · Movie · 1h 30mAction · Comedy · Crime
When famous DJ Alan Partridge's radio station is taken over by a new media conglomerate, it sets in motion a chain of events which see Alan having to work with the police to defuse a potentially violent siege.
NetflixPrime Video - #33279#33279
NetflixThe Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society
2018 · Movie · 2h 4mWar · Drama · Romance
In the aftermath of World War II, a writer forms an unexpected bond with the residents of Guernsey Island when she decides to write a book about their experiences during the war. Then she learns the secret they are afraid to reveal.
Netflix - #33479#33479
NetflixJack Whitehall: Travels with My Father
2017–2021 · Series · 5 seasonsDocumentary · Comedy
Follows Jack Whitehall as he embarks on the trip of a lifetime with his father, Michael. The two set off on a journey across South East Asia to partake in a series of adventures, mishaps and escapades with two very different persp...
Netflix - #33679#33679
NetflixThe Night Agent
2023– · Series · 3 seasonsAction · Drama · Thriller
Low-level FBI agent Peter Sutherland works in the basement of the White House manning a phone that never rings - until the night it does, propelling him into a conspiracy that leads all the way to the Oval Office.
Netflix - #35579#35579
NetflixLockwood & Co.
2023– · Series · 1 seasonAction · Drama
Lucy, a girl with psychic abilities, joins two boys, Anthony and George, at the ghost-hunting agency Lockwood and Co. to fight the deadly spirits plaguing London, doing their best to save the day without any adult supervision.
Netflix - #36179#36179
NetflixAmerican Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing
2023– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime · History
Follows the tragedy in which terrorists detonated a bomb at the Boston Marathon's finish line; they carried out the attack by placing two homemade pressure-cooker bombs that resulted in three fatalities and numerous injuries.
Netflix - #36279#36279
NetflixUpgrade
2018 · Movie · 1h 40mAction · Sci-Fi & Fantasy · Thriller
Set in the near-future, technology controls nearly all aspects of life. But when the world of Grey, a self-labeled technophobe, is turned upside down, his only hope for revenge is an experimental computer chip implant.
Netflix - #36379#36379
NetflixNeal Brennan: Blocks
2022 · Movie · 1h 3mDocumentary · Comedy
Follows Neal Brennan as he talks about the emotional and cultural issues that make him feel like something's wrong with him in a humorous way, from drugs and alcohol, liberalism, to his small chances of finding real love.
Netflix - #36779#36779
NetflixKhakee: The Bengal Chapter
2025– · Series · Hindi · 1 seasonAction · Crime · Drama
After a respected officer's death in early 2000s Bengal, IPS Arjun Maitra confronts powerful gangsters and corrupt politicians in his mission to bring law and order to a region gripped by crime and chaos.
Netflix - #36979#36979
NetflixE-Team
2014 · Movie · 1h 28mDocumentary · War
When atrocities are committed in countries held hostage by ruthless dictators, Human Rights Watch sends in the E-Team (Emergencies Team), a collection of fiercely intelligent individuals hired to document war crimes and report the...
Netflix - #37979#37979
NetflixThe Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel
2026 · Movie · 1h 33mDocumentary · History
Gritty, formative years of the Los Angeles band, and the influence of original guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died in 1988. It features interviews with bandmates Flea and Anthony Kiedis who discuss the band's early evolution.
Netflix - #38378#38378
NetflixRurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno
2014 · Movie · Japanese · 2h 18mAction · Drama
Kenshin Himura goes up against pure evil Makoto Shishio who is attempting to overthrow the Meiji government. The fate of the country hangs in the balance as Kenshin Himura takes up the sword that he vowed to never draw again.
Netflix - #38878#38878
NetflixThe Confession Tapes
2017–2019 · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
A critical look into some true crime cases where American law enforcement made up for lack of actual physical evidence by using devious psychological tactics during interrogation in order to extract confessions from naive suspects.
Netflix - #39178#39178
NetflixThey'll Love Me When I'm Dead
2018 · Movie · 1h 38mDocumentary · Biography
In the final fifteen years of the life of legendary director Orson Welles, he pins his Hollywood comeback hopes on a film, The Other Side of the Wind (2018), in itself a film about an aging film director trying to finish his last ...
Netflix - #39278#39278
NetflixRurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends
2014 · Movie · Japanese · 2h 14mAction · Drama
Shishio has set sail in his ironclad ship to bring down the Meiji government and return Japan to chaos, carrying Kaoru with him. In order to stop him in time, Kenshin trains with his old master to learn his final technique.
Netflix - #39478#39478
Disney+HuluNetflixPeacockPrime Video60 Days In
2016– · Series · 9 seasonsDocumentary · Crime · Reality
"60 Days In" offers an unprecedented look at life behind bars at Indiana's Clark County Jail. Seven ordinary people volunteer to live among its general population for 60 days, without fellow inmates or staff knowing their secret.
Disney+HuluNetflixPeacockPrime Video - #39578#39578
NetflixSean Combs: The Reckoning
2025– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
A revealing look at Sean 'Diddy' Combs' journey from music mogul to high-profile sexual offender, featuring footage and insider accounts that expose both his groundbreaking success with Bad Boy Entertainment and the troubling shadows behind his empire.
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