Action with comedy makes for the best entertainment combination for cine lovers. Although there are many movies falling under this sub-genre, there are still films that shine brighter amongst the rest and have been successful in leaving lasting impressions in the minds and hearts of the audiences. Here is a list of selected 30 action-comedy movies that provide a perfect blend of action and comedy.
1. Jump Street (2012)
- Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
- Writer(s): Michael Bacall
- Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle, Ice Cube
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
21 Jump Street is an American buddy cop action comedy movie, which stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. The 21 Jump Street movie revolves around two cops Schmidt and Jenko, who are forced to disguise themselves as high school students and relive high school life in order to expose a drug cartel. Schmidt and Jenko both missed their high school proms due to personal reasons. Years later, both of them are working as police officers and are good friends of each other.
They are assigned a case to investigate the source of the drug supplier in Sagan High School. In the pursuit to reach the source of the drug ring, both of them get to relive their high school days undercover. The movie marks one of the most iconic movies in the buddy cop genre.
2. 22 Jump Street (2014)
- Director: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
- Writer(s): Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel, and Rodney Rothman
- Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Peter Stormare, Ice Cube
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
22 Jump Street is an American buddy cop action comedy movie, which stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. It is the sequel of the movie 21 Jump Street. Unlike the prequel 21 Jump Street, where the two cops played the roles of undercover high school students, in the sequel 22 Jump Street, the cops are disguised as college students to expose the source of a drug cartel. Both the movies in the series garnered huge commercial success and secured high recognition in the lists of some of the best action comedy movies.
3. Bad Boys (1995)
- Director: Michael Bay
- Writer(s): Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland, and Doug Richardson
- Cast: Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Tea Loni, Tcheky Karyo, Theresa Randle, Joe Pantoliano
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Bad Boys is an American buddy cop action comedy movie, which stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as two narcotics detectives. The spectacular action and hilarious comedy of the movie made it a huge commercial success. It became a cult in the buddy cop action comedy movies sub-genre. The movie follows the lives of two best friends Marcus and Mike, who are Miami detectives. They are assigned to investigate the drug racket.
During their investigation, they get the information that someone in Internal Affairs is a part of the cartel. The movie follows the pursuit of the cops to reveal the mole and uproot the drug racket source.
4. Bad Boys II (2003)
- Director: Michael Bay
- Writer(s): Ron Shelton and Jerry Stahl
- Cast: Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Jodi Molla, Gabrielle Union, Peter Stormare, Theresa Randle, Joe Pantoliano
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Bad Boys II is the second in the series of Bad Boys film series. The film follows the investigation spree of Mike and Marcus, two cops of the Miami Police Department narcotics division. Along with the action sequences, the movie has great comic elements that show the Tom and Jerry relationship between the two cops.
5. Bad Boys For Life (2020)
- Directors: Adil and Bilall
- Writer(s): Chris Bremner, Peter Craig, and Joe Carnahan
- Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Paola Nunez, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Jacob Scipio, Kate del Castillo, Nicky Jam, Joe Pantoliano
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Bad Boys For Life is the third action comedy movie in the series of Bad Boys film. Released this year, it continues the legacy of the franchise. The film revolves around the past of Mike, which haunts him in the present. Son of a deceased drug cartel leader has vowed to kill Mike, who is one of the victims on his hit list. Marcus gets injured on Mike’s behalf, which enrages Mike’s anger, and he sets out to track the assassin.
Mike and Marcus join hands to chase the assassin and save the victims in the hit list. After a series of failures, finally, they track down the assassin. They get the information that the assassin is closely related to Mike’s past undercover assignment. The movie has an element of thrill and drama along with action and comedy, making it worth watching.
6. The Man From U.N.C.L.E (2015)
- Director: Guy Ritchie
- Writer(s): Guy Ritchie and Lionel Wigram
- Cast: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris, Hugh Grant
- IMDb Rating:7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The Man From U.N.C.L.E is a spy film along with lots of action and comedy. The movie is set in Rome during the cold war. CIA agent Napoleon and KGB operative Illya are forced to work together to extract the nuclear weapon from a malicious terrorist group. The two anti-parties team up with the daughter of a scientist who created the nuclear weapon. This trio goes undercover to accomplish the world-saving mission.
7. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
- Director: Matthew Vaughn
- Writer(s): Jane Goldman
- Cast: Colin Firth, Samuel L Jackson, Mark Strong, Taron Egerton, Michael Caine
- IMDb Rating: 7.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%
- Streaming Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Kingsman: The Secret Service is an action spy action movie with elements of comedy. The movie is about a secret spy organization, which selects the best of best as secret agents, trains them to face malicious people that pose a threat to the whole world. Kingsman: The Secret Service movie begins with an enthusiastic young man Gary who gets selected for the secret organization after passing a series of brutal and tough tests. He is then assigned to save the world from a megalomaniac who thinks of human beings as viruses and intends to wipe out the majority of humanity.
8. Pineapple Express (2008)
- Director: David Gordon Green
- Writer(s): Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
- Cast – Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez, Danny McBride
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon
Pineapple Express is an American buddy stoner action comedy movie. The movie revolves around a rare strain of marijuana called Pineapple Express. The movie begins with Dale, a process server, and Saul, a drug dealer, witnessing a murder. They get hold of the Pineapple Express, which belongs to the assassin. The assassin gets the information about the duo possessing rare marijuana. He orders his henchmen to kill the duo. The action-comedy movie follows the life-threatening chase of the assassins after Dale and Saul, in pursuit of Pineapple Express.
9. 48 Hours (1982)
- Director: Walter Hill
- Writer(s): Roger Spottiswoode, Walter Hill, Larry Gross, Steven E. de Souza
- Cast: Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Annette O’Toole
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte star in 48 Hours, an American buddy cop action comedy movie. This movie marks the debut of Eddie Murphy, garnered lots of positive reviews, and also attained huge commercial success. The movie follows the chase of a cop named Jack after a criminal, Ganz, who is charged with murder. Jack teams up with Reggie, a prisoner, who is released for 48 hours to help Jack grab Granz, who was Reggie’s crime partner. The movie contains a series of action loaded gunfights and action sequences, enveloped with heartfelt comedy, which makes it one of the best buddy cop action comedy movies of the 80s.
10. Tropic Thunder (2008)
- Director: Ben Stiller
- Writer(s): Justin Theroux, Ben Stiller, Etan Cohen
- Cast: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Steve Coogan, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Brandon T. Jackson, Bill Hader, Nick Nolte
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Tropic Thunder is an action comedy film. The movie follows the journey of a temperamental, self-obsessed actors’ group, who are abandoned by their director, out of frustration, in the middle of a tropical forest. The group of actors, played by Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T Jackson, were supposed to shoot for a movie based on the Vietnam war.
But these inflated attitude actors irritate their director to the extent that the frustrated director abandoned them in the middle of nowhere and left. Tropic Thunder movie follows the journey of these actors through the Jungle. The movie shows a combination of parodies of various war movies, which gives the movie a comedic angle.
11. Rush Hour (1998)
- Director: Brett Ratner
- Writer(s): Jim Kouf, Ross LaManna
- Cast: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Tom Wilkinson, Chris Penn, Elizabeth Pena
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 61%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Rush Hour is an American action comedy film starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. The movie begins with a detective inspector of Hong Kong police, Lee teaming up with LAPD detective Carter for a mission of rescuing the abducted daughter of a Chinese diplomat. The movie gets its comedic angle from the struggles of Lee and Carter to work together due to their poles-apart personalities. Added with some breathtaking action sequences, Rush Hour is a treat to watch for lovers of action comedy movies.
12. Rush Hour 2 (2001)
- Director: Brett Ratner
- Writer(s): Jeff Nathanson
- Cast: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, John Lone, Alan King, Roselyn Sanchez, Harris Yulin, Zhang Ziyi
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 52%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Rush Hour 2 is the second movie in the series of Rush Hour. The film got mixed reviews and became a huge commercial success, making it the highest-grossing movie amongst the list of movies in the Rush Hour franchise. The movie follows the plot where Lee and Carter are interrupted by a murder case during their vacation. Lee pins his doubts on the Triad crime Lord Ricky Tan, as the prime suspect of the murder along with a bombing at the American embassy.
13. Rush Hour 3 (2007)
- Director: Brett Ratner
- Writer(s): Jeff Nathanson
- Cast: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Hiroyuki Sanada, Youki Kudoh, Max von Sydow
- IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 18%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Rush Hour 3 is the third film in the list of movies of the Rush Hour series. It revolves around the buddy cops Lee and Carter, who are on a mission to track an assassin involved with the Chinese triads. The movie is set in Paris, where both the cops chase the assassin, hoping to unravel the secrets of the Chinese triad. Rush Hour 3 continues the legacy of the franchise with its wholesome mix of comedic and breathtaking fighting scenes.
14. Spy (2015)
- Director: Paul Feig
- Writer(s): Paul Feig
- Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney, Jude Law
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Spy is an American action-comedy movie starring Mellissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, and many more. The movie was a huge commercial success and was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, one for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category and the other in Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category. The movie centers around 40 years old, single, desk-bound CIA employee, Susan Cooper.
Susan was assigned to assist her partner, field agent Bradley Fine. Susan got the opportunity to go as an undercover agent to infiltrate the suspected criminals’ group and extract information about a deadly suitcase nuke. The perfect comic timing twined with thrilling spy actions makes the movie one of the best action comedy movies.
15. The Heat (2013)
- Director: Paul Feig
- Writer(s): Katie Dippold
- Cast: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demian Bichir, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The Heat is an American buddy cop action comedy movie starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as cops. The Heat movie revolves around FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn and Boston Detective Shannon Mullins, who are assigned on a mission to take down a mobster in Boston. With a predictable plot, The Heat garnered mixed reviews but got high praises for the superb chemistry between the lead actors.
16. Midnight Run (1988)
- Director: Martin Brest
- Writer(s): George Gallo
- Cast: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Midnight Run is an American action-comedy movie starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. Fairing both at the box office and the critical acclamations, the movie is a cult in the genre of action comedy movies. The movie begins with Jack Walsh, who is a bounty hunter, and Eddie Moscone, a bail bondsman, teamed together for an assignment. They are assigned to bring an accountant back to Los Angeles. With its amazing comic thriller and charismatic chemistry of the lead actors, the movie is a cult in the genre of action comedy movies.
17. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
- Director: Martin Brest
- Writer(s): Daniel Petrie Jr.
- Cast: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher, Ronny Cox, Steven Berkoff
- IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Beverly Hills Cop is an American action comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. The movie centers around a street-smart cop of Detroit Police Department named Axel Foley, who is determined to solve the murder mystery of his best friend, Mikey. Mikey was working as a security guard in Beverly Hills, so Axel visits Beverly Hills to investigate the murder. The movie is a milestone in the career of Eddie Murphy and bestowed him with international stardom. The movie was an immediate blockbuster and received critical acclaim, making it one of the best movies in the genre of action comedy movies.
18. Hot Fuzz (2007)
- Director: Edgar Wright
- Writer(s): Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg
- Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
Hot Fuzz is an action-comedy movie starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Jim Broadbent. Hot Fuzz is the second movie in the list of movies in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. With an extensive cast and various cameos, Hot Fuzz movie was praised by critics for its performances, direction, and humor. The movie centers around an overachieving cop, Nicholas Angel, and his buddy cop fanboy rookie Danny Butterman.
The movie begins with a twin murder painted as an accident. Angel suspects foul play and starts the investigation. A series of murders follows afterward. The movie follows the hit and misses chase of the buddy cops in an attempt to unravel the prime suspect behind the murders. With all the critical praises garnered, the movie counts as one of the best movies in the genre of action-comedy movie.
19. Deadpool (2016)
- Director: Tim Miller
- Writer(s): Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
- Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
- Streaming Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Deadpool is an American superhero film. It is the eighth film in the X-Men film series. The movie revolves around Wade Wilson, who was enforced with his present mutant abilities and a scarred physical appearance after a series of deadly experiments conducted on him by a mysterious person. The movie follows the journey of Deadpool to hunt down the man who is responsible for his present form.
The movie presents a heart-wrenching misfortune of the main character wrapped in stomach-aching comical sequences and mind-blowing fight scenes, making it a record-breaker commercial hit. The franchise has an action-adventure video game of the same name based on the anti-hero Deadpool, developed by High Moon Studios. Game users can play games consisting of weapons and gunfights, which upgrades as the game progresses.
20. Deadpool 2 (2018)
- Director: David Leitch
- Writer(s): Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Ryan Reynolds
- Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hilderbrand, Jack Kesy
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
- Streaming Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Deadpool2 is an American superhero film. It is a sequel to Deadpool and the eleventh film in the X-Men film series. In the movie, anti-hero Deadpool, hesitant otherwise, becomes a responsible mentor to a bunch of young mutants. Under the leadership of Deadpool, the young mutants hone their abilities to face a time-traveling soldier named Cable. The film out-grossed its prequel and gained positive reviews for its cast performances and humor.
21. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
- Director: Edgar Wright
- Writer(s): Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright
- Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is an action comedy film directed by Edgar Wright. Although the Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World movie failed to achieve commercial success. It received positive reviews for its humor and visual style and became a cult following. The movie centers around a young lazy bassist named Scott Pilgrim, who has to make a mark in his profession and also fight with a total of seven evil ex-boyfriends of his current girlfriend.
22. Tango And Cash (1989)
- Directors: Andrei Konchalovsky, Albert Magnoli
- Writer(s): Randy Feldman, Jeffrey Boam
- Cast: Kurt Russell, Sylvester Stallone, Teri Hatcher, Jack Palance, Brion James, Robert Z’Dar, James Hong, Michael J Pollard, Marc Alaimo
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 30%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Tango And Cash is an American buddy cop action comedy movie starring Kurt Russell, Sylvester Stallone, Teri Hatcher, and Jack Palance. The movie is about two rival LAPD narcotics detectives named Raymond Tango and Gabriel Cash. Tango and Cash are framed for murder by a criminal mastermind. Both are determined to clear their names and join hands keeping their differences aside.
23. The Other Guys (2010)
- Director: Adam Mckay
- Writer(s): Adam Mckay and Chris Henchy
- Cast: Will Ferell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Samuel L Jackson, Dwayne Johnson
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The Other Guys is an American buddy cop action comedy movie. The movie revolves around two less honored cops of NYPD, named Allen and Terry. Allen Gamble is a mild-mannered forensic accountant, and Terry Hoitz is a hot-tempered detective. Allen and Terry are assigned a petty case of scaffolding permit violation by a multi-billionaire. During the investigation, they end up digging information about the much more serious crime of money laundering. The movie follows the cops’ trials and tribulations to expose the mastermind behind the crime.
24. Men In Black (1997)
- Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
- Writer(s): Ed Solomon
- Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Florentino, Vincent D’Onofrio, Rip Torn
- IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Men In Black is an American sci-fi action comedy film. The movie centers around a secret organization named Men in Black and its agents, who give up everything and remain anonymous for the whole world and dedicate their lives for the safety of the earth and the galaxy from extraterrestrial threats. The movie was a huge commercial hit and received three Academy Award nominations, winning the Best Makeup award. It is counted as one the best sci-fi action comedy movies, having spawned two sequels and a spin-off.
25. Men In Black II (2002)
- Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
- Writer(s): Robert Gordon and Barry Fanaro
- Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, Rosario Dawson, Tony Shalhoub, Rip Torn
- IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 39%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Men In Black II is the second film in the series of Men in Black and sequel to Men in Black. The movie begins with a murder investigation of an alien by Agent J and his neutralized partner Agent K. During the investigation; they end up digging missing information about a source of light that is responsible for the planet’s destruction.
26. Men In Black III (2012)
- Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
- Writer(s): Etan Cohen
- Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Michael Stuhlbarg, Emma Thompson
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Men In Black III is the third film in the series of Men in Black and sequel to MIB-II. The movie is about a malicious alien, the nemesis of Agent K, who intends to kill young Agent K by travelling back in time so that he can facilitate the growth of his own species. MIB III is one of the most expensive action movies and one of the expensive action-comedy films made as of 2020.
27. Men In Black: International (2019)
- Director: F. Gary Gray
- Writer(s): Art Marcum and Matt Holloway
- Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall, Laurent Bourgeois, Larry Bourgeois, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson
- IMDb Rating: 5.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 22%
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
Men In Black: International is an American sci-fi action comedy film, which is a spin-off of the MIB series. The movie revolves around Molly Wright, who witnessed her parents being neutralized by the MIB agents. She stays firm on her beliefs of the existence of aliens, which are universally perceived as delusional. In order to prove her point, she tracks down an alien and ends up working as an agent for the MIB organization.
28. Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
- Director: Jake Kasdan
- Writer(s): Jake Kasdan, Jeff Pinker and Scott Rosenberg
- Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gilan, Nick Jonas, Awkafina, Danny Glover, Danny DeVito
- IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Jumanji: The Next Level is an American fantasy adventure action comedy film and a sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. It is the third film in the Jumanji series. The movie is about a group of teenagers who are entrapped in Jumanji along with an old friend. Inside Jumanji, they have to fight against old and new avatars and villains in order to escape. The movie was a huge commercial success and garnered positive critical reviews for its plot.
29. Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
- Director: James Gunn
- Writer(s): James Gunn and Nicole Perlman
- Cast:: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Riley, Glenn Close, Benicio del Toro
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
- Streaming Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Guardians Of The Galaxy is an American superhero film based on Marvel Comics. The movie is about Peter Quill and his team members, a group of extraterrestrial criminals. Together they set on a journey to steal a powerful artifact. The movie not only received positive critical reviews but was also a huge commercial success.
Here is the list of best Action Comedy Movies. Now what you are waiting for, go grab your popcorn tub and start watching these amazing and mind-blowing movies and have an amazing and best-watching experience.
