The action-comedy is one of the best hybrid genres available and it is a genre that is playful. The genre was not there until the late 1980s when movies like Lethal Weapon started releasing and the scene started getting big. Want to know the best 31 action-comedy movies? We have the whole list ready for you!
The visual styles of the movies are really different. Comedy films can really make you laugh and with mix of action, the film gets really spicy. The films that made the Action-comedy genre famous were The Drunken Master, Kingsman The Secret Service, Kung Fu Hustle, and Bad Boys.
Bad Boys is a buddy cop genre film, which has both action and comedy at the same time. All these movies kept these genres alive for the past 20 years. The superhero films are also adding a lot of humor to them, for example, Suicide Squad and Deadpool which are also action comedies.
The films are really entertaining which grips the attention of the audience and that is one of the best parts of the action-comedy genres. In this article, we will share with you the best 31 best action comedy films which will help you to find the best film for you all.
31 Best Action Comedy Movies:
31. The Brothers Grimsby (2016)
- Director: Louis Leterrier
- Writer(s): Sacha Baron Cohen
- Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Penélope Cruz
- IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 36%
- Streaming Platform: YouTube and Amazon Prime Video
The Brothers Grimsby Plot:
Norman an alcoholic reunites with his lost brother Sebastian after 28 years. But soon he discovers that he has to save the world from a terrorist attack with his little brother, Sebastian who is a deadly assassin.
30. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
- Directors: Stephen Chow
- Writer(s): Stephen Chow, Kan- Cheung Tsang, Xin Huo, Man Keung Chan.
- Cast: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Xiaogang Feng, Zhihua Dong, Tze- Chung Lam, Danny Kwok- Kwan Chan, Qiu Yuen, Siu- Lung Leung, Kai- Man Tin, Hark- On Fung, Suet Lam, Shengyi Huang, Chi Ling Chiu.
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
About Kung Fu Hustle:
In 2004 Kung Fu Hustle was released as an action-comedy film and it was directed by Stephen Chow, and he also starred in this film. The story revolves around a gang that is murderous. However, the village in which they live is poor with unsung heroes.
The place also has some gangsters who are fierce and are still trying to find their own identities. The film has an amazing cast, and the performance of every actor has been really great in the movie.
The movie Kung Fu Hustle’s plot is really gripping which can hold the audience and the movie also has a long-lasting effect. The movie Kung Fu Hustle has been a hit worldwide the movie’s budget was really high, and the movie has been made in a very stylish way.
29. Bad Boys (1995)
- Director: Michael Bay
- Writer(s): Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland, and Doug Richardson.
- Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Tcheky Karyo, Tea Loni, Joe Pantoliano, and Theresa Randle.
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
About Bad Boys:
Bad Boys was released in the year of 1995 and fall under the buddy cop genre which was directed by the famous director Michael Bay. The movie has actors like Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
The story of the movie Bad Boys revolves around two detectives in the narcotics department. The names of the two detectives are Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett. The movie was a huge commercial success.
The main message of the movie was to show people the source of the drug racket. The job of the two detectives was to investigate the source of the drug racket. During the investigation, they found out that someone from, the internal source was involved in the drug cartel.
28. Suicide Squad (2016)
- Director: David Ayer
- Wirter(s): David Ayer, John Ostrander
- Cast: Ike Barinholtz, Will Smith, Jaime FitzSimons, Margot Robbie, Bambadjan Bamba
- IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 26%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video.
About Suicide Squad:
The movie Suicide Squad was released in the year of 2016. The movie was an American Superhero movie that was based on the DC Comics team of supervillains. The name of the comic book was also Suicide Squad. Warner Bros. was the distributor of this film.
The movie was directed by David Ayer, and it has an amazing cast with really talented actors. In the film, the story revolves around Amanda Waller who ran a secret agency of government. Amanda Waller recruits’ super-villain who were imprisoned, to operate a black ops mission which was dangerous. In Suicide Squad King Shark reads the Persian poem Rumi.
27. The Other Guys (2010)
- Director: Adam McKay
- Writer(s): Adam McKay, Chris Henchy
- Cast: Derek Jeter, Will Ferell, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Larnell Stovall, Jalil Jay Lynch, Ray Stevenson, Samuel L. Jackson
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video
About The Other Guys:
The Other Guys movie was released in the year of 2010. The movie is an American buddy cop genre comedy film. Adam Mckay directed this movie. Chris Henchy co-wrote the movie. The movie’s cast is amazing and has actors like Will Smith, Michael Keaton, Mark Wahlberg, and Samuel L. Jackson.
The film was released in the United States on 6th August 2010. The movie was released and the movie received positive reviews from the critics. The movie made $170 million all over the world.
26. The Gentlemen (2019)
- Director: Guy Ritchie
- Writer(s): Guy Ritchie, Marn Davies, Ivan Atkinson, Lauren Bond
- Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Matthew McConaughey, Jeremy Strong, Michelle Dockery, Colin Farell, Lyne Renee
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
About The Gentlemen:
The Gentlemen was released in the year 2019. The film falls under the action-comedy genre and Guy Ritchie directed it. The story was co-developed by Marn Davies and Ivan Atkinson. The film has an amazing cast which includes actors like Matthew McConaughey and Charlie Hunnam.
The story of the movie revolves around a highly profitable marijuana empire that was tried to be sold by an American ex-pat in London. The movie is really good with an amazing plot and cast.
25. Kingsman The Secret Service (2014)
- Director: Matthew Vaughn
- Writer(s): Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman, Mark Millar, Dave Gibbons
- Cast: Colin Firth, Adrian Quinton, Jonno Davies, Mark Strong, Jack Davenport, Samantha Womack, Alex Nikolov, Mark Hamill, Velibor Topic.
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Streaming Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
About Kingsman The Secret Service:
The film Kingsman: The Secret Service was released in the year of 2014 and falls under the genre of action spy comedy film. Matthew Vaughn directed this movie which was taken from the screenplay of Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman. Kingsman film series’ is based on a comic book which also had the same name.
The comic was written by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin gets recruited as a secret agent in an organization of secret spies where he sees a lot of struggles and faces a lot of challenges when he starts looking for an eco-terrorist called Richmond Valentine.
24. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
- Director: Martin Brest
- Writer(s): Danilo Bach, Daniel Petrie Jr.
- Cast: John Ashton, Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, James Russo, Steven Berkoff, Jonathan Banks, Gilbert R. Hill, Joel Bailey, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot.
- IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
About Beverly Hills Cop:
Beverly Hills Cop‘s release date is December 5, 1984. Martin Brest directed this movie. Daniel Petre Jr. wrote this movie. The character of Axel Foley was played by Eddie Murphy who was a smart street cop of Detroit who visited Beverly Hills, California, to investigate his best friend’s murder case. The supporting cast of the film consists of Ronny Cox, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, and Paul Reiser.
23. Hot Fuzz (2007)
- Director: Edgar Wright
- Writer(s): Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright
- Cast: Martin Freeman, Simon Pegg, Bill Nighy, Joe Carnish, Robert Popper, Chris Waitt, Billie Whitelaw, Eric Mason, Nick Frost
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
- Streaming Platform: YouTube
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
About Hot Fuzz:
Edgar Wright the movie called Hot Fuzz and it came out in the year 2007. The movie is a buddy cop action comedy genre. The movie has an amazing cast. The story of the movie revolves around two policemen who investigate a series of deaths in West Country village which were mysterious.
22. Kick-Ass (2010)
- Director: Matthew Vaughn
- Writer(s): Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman
- Cast: Aaron Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, Christopher Mintz- Plasse
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Streaming Platform: YouTube
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%
About Kick-Ass:
The movie Kick-Ass was released in the year of 2010. It falls under the black comedy superhero genre. Kick-Ass was directed by Matthew Vaughn. The movie took inspiration from the comic book of the same name. The story of the movie revolves around Dave who is a comic book geek who wants to become a real-life superhero, Kick-Ass.
21. Free Guy (2021)
- Director: Shawn Levy
- Writer(s): Zak Penn, Matt Lieberman
- Cast: Jodie Corner, Ryan Reynolds, Lil Rel Howery, Joe Keery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Taika Waititi.
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Streaming Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
Shawn Levy directed Free Guy, which is an American action comedy film. The movie’s release date is 13th August 2021. The movie has an amazing cast which consists of some great talented actors like Joe Keery and Ryan Reynolds.
Free Guy Plot:
The story of the movie is about a man who discovers himself as a nonplayer character in a very big online game. He slowly finds out that the CEO of the gaming company stole a player’s source code.
20. The Lego Movie (2014)
- Director: Christopher Miller, Phil Lord
- Writer(s): Christopher Miller, Phil Lord
- Cast: Will Ferrell, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
About The Lego Movie:
The Lego Movie‘s release was in the year of 2014. The movie is a computer-animated adventure comedy film. Christopher Miller and Phil Lord directed and wrote this film. The movie is based on a line of Lego construction toys.
An ordinary individual named Emmet is to be the Special and has got the responsibility to save the world of Lego from Lord Business’s cruel ways to destroy the Lego world.
19. Midnight Run (1988)
- Director: Martin Brest
- Writer(s): George Gallo
- Cast: Charles Grodin, Robert De Niro, Yaphet Kotto, Dennis Farina, John Ashton, Richard Foronjy, Joe Pantoliano
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
- Streaming Platform: YouTube
Midnight Run is an American action comedy film that was released in the year of 1988. Martin Brest directed the movie, and it had an amazing cast that consisted of actors like Charles Grodin and Robert De Niro. The supporting cast is Yaphet Kotto, Philip Baker Hall, John Ashton, and Dennis Farina.
Midnight Run Plot:
A mafia accountant named Jonathan Mardukas was on the run. A bounty hunter named Jack Walsh wants to find Jonathan in order to get the huge fee. Now he wanted to find out about Jonathan before others find him.
18. Drunken Master (1978)
- Director: Woo-Ping Yuen
- Writer(s): See- Yuen Ng, Lung Hsiao
- Cast: Jackie Chan, Jeon-Lee Hwang, Sin-Tin Yuen, Dean Shek, Linda Lin, Kau Lam.
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
In 1978 Drunken Master was released as a Hong Kong martial arts comedy film. Yuen Woo-Ping directed this movie. The movie had actors like Jackie Chan, Hwang Jang- Lee and Yuen Siu- Tien. The film was a huge success at the Hong Kong box office.
Drunken Master Plot:
The story is about a naughty young boy whose name was Wong. He learned a special kind of martial arts from his alcoholic teacher in order to prevent assassins.
17. Pineapple Express (2008)
- Director: David Gordon Green
- Writer(s): Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, Judd Apatow
- Cast: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Kevin Corrigan, Danny McBride, Gary Cole, Craig Robinson.
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Pineapple Express is an American stoner comedy film that was released in the year of 2008. David Gordon directed this movie. Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen co-wrote the movie. James Franco and Seth Rogen gave amazing performances as actors.
Pineapple Express Plot:
The plot of the movie revolves around a guy named Dale, who is in the process server to pot-smoking, and Saul was his drug dealer. Both Dale and Saul had to save their lives after Dale drops his stash at the place where a cop who was corrupt witnessed them and they also saw a murder of an Asian man who was a drug lord.
16. The Bounty Hunter (2010)
- Director: Andy Tennant
- Writer(s): Sarah Thorp
- Cast: Gerard Butler, Jennifer Aniston, Christine Baranski
- IMDb Rating: 5.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 12%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
About The Bounty Hunter:
In 2010 The Bounty Hunter movie was released. Andy Tennant was the director of this film. Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler starred in this movie. The story was about a bounty hunter who hired a person to get back his ex-wife.
15. The Nice Guys (2016)
- Director: Shane Black
- Writer(s): Anthony Bagarozzi, Shane Black
- Cast: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Keith David, Kim Basinger
- IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
About The Nice Guys:
In 2016 the movie called The Nice Guys was released. The film was an American neo-noir buddy action-comedy genre. The movie was directed by Shane Black. The film had an amazing cast which consists of Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Matt Bomer, Kim Basinger, Keith David, and Margaret Qualley.
In the movie, the story shows a girl named Amelia, who hires Healy to put March. They try to put a detective who was trying to seek her.
14. Tropic Thunder (2008)
- Director: Ben Stiller
- Writer(s): Ben Stiller, Etan Cohen, Justin Theroux.
- Cast: Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, Steve Coogan, Bill Hader, Tom Cruise, Brandon T. Jackson
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
About Tropic Thunder:
In 2008, the movie called Tropic Thunder was released. The movie was an action comedy film. Ben Stiller directed this movie. The screenplay was written by Etan Cohen and Justin Theroux. The film had some of the greatest actors like Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson.
The story revolves around a film crew who were shooting for a movie that had a high budget. The crew of the film was forced to become soldiers whom they were playing as characters of the film. In the film, they will be shown as getting attacked by poppy-growing gangs a drug dealer due to their identities.
13. Rush Hour (1988)
- Director: Brett Ratner
- Writer(s): Ross LaManna, Jim Kouf
- Cast: Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan, Tzi Ma, Ken Leung, Rex Linn, Tom Wilkinson, Elizabeth Pena
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The movie Rush Hour was released in the year of 1998. Brett Ratner directed this movie and the movie’s cast included actors like Jackie Chan, Tzi Ma, and Jackie Chan. The movie collected $244.4 million from the box office.
Rush Hour Plot:
The story of the movie revolves around the young daughter of a Chinese consul who was kidnapped; because of this, a detective from Hong Kong named Lee makes a team with a LA detective called Carter.
12. Deadpool (2016)
- Director: Tim Miller
- Writer(s): Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese
- Cast: Morena Baccarin, Ryan Reynolds, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hilderbrand, Ed Skrein, Gina Carano
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
- Streaming Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
The Deadpool movie was released in the year of 2016. Tim Miller was the director of this film with an amazing cast that included actors like Ryan Reynold, Ed Skrein, and Morena Baccarin.
Deadpool Plot:
The story of the movie revolves around a scientist named Ajax who does experiments on Wade for the treatment of curing cancer and gave him powers to heal. Unfortunately, the experiment went wrong, and Wade was disfigured for that reason he wanted to take revenge. Deadpool is a superhero who has the power to “break the fourth wall”.
11. Due Date (2010)
- Director: Todd Philips
- Writer(s): Alan Freedland, Todd Philips, Alan R. Cohen, Adam Sztykel.
- Cast: Zach Galifianakis, Robert Downey Jr., Juliette Lewis, Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan.
- IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 39%
- Streaming Platform: YouTube
The movie Due Date was released in the year of 2010 and was directed by Todd Philips. The movie’s cast included actors like Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Juliette Lewis, Jamie Foxx, and Michelle Monaghan.
Due Date Plot:
The story of the movie revolves around Peter Highman who has to reach L.A. for his own child’s birth. Now while going to L.A., he met with Ethan with whom he had to travel. Ethan was an aspiring actor who always gets into big trouble.
10. Shaolin Soccer (2001)
- Director: Stephen Chow
- Writer(s): Tsang Kan- cheung, Stephen Chow
- Cast: Patrick Tse, Zhao Wei, Stephen Chow, Ng Man- tat, Danny Chan Kwok- Kwan
- IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The movie Shaolin Soccer was directed by the famous director Stephen Chow who also wrote the film alongside Tsang Kan- Cheung. The cast of the movie was amazing, and the movie has an IMDb rating of 7.3/10.
Shaolin Soccer Plot:
The story of the movie revolves around a follower of Shaolin who gets his five childhood friends together for using their skills of martial arts to play football and the main aim was to make Shaolin Kung Fu popular.
9. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
- Director: Edgar Wright
- Writer(s): Edgar Wright, Michael Bacall
- Cast: Kieran Culkin, Michael Cera, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was released in the year of 2010 and the movie was directed by Edgar Wright. Universal Pictures is the movie’s distributor. The box office collection of this film was $49.3 million
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Plot:
The story of the movie is about Scott Pilgrim who meets Ramona and immediately Scott falls in love with her. But when he meets an ex of her in a competition of band and then he understands that in order to impress her he needs to deal with all her exes.
8. The Blues Brothers (1980)
- Director: John Landis
- Writer(s): John Landis, Dan Aykroyd
- Cast: Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Ray Charles, Carrie Fisher, Aretha Franklin, Henry Gibson
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The Blues Brothers is a comedy film that was released in the year of 1980. The movie’s director is John Landis. Universal Pictures was the distributor of this film.
The Blues Brothers Plot:
The story of the film revolves around two brothers, Jake and Elwood Blues, who finds out that their orphanage, will be torn down. Due to this reason, the blues brothers go out to perform as an R & B band to raise money.
7. The Last Dragon (1985)
- Director: Michael Schultz
- Writer(s): Louis Venosta
- Cast: Julius Carry, Taimak, Christopher Murney, Faith Prince, Glen Eaton, Leo O’Brien
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 59%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The movie The Last Dragon‘s director is Michael Schultz. The movie’s cast was amazing, and all the actors did a great job in the movie. The movie was released in the year of 1985 and the critics’ review of the film was both positive and negative.
The Last Dragon Plot:
The story of this movie is about a fighter who is young. The name of the fighter is Leroy Green, and he tells his master to attain the martial arts’ last level. Now he falls in love with a girl called VJ whose life is at risk due to a video arcade mogul.
6. Spy (2015)
- Director: Paul Feig
- Writer(s): Paul Feig
- Cast: Jason Statham, Melissa McCarthy, Miranda Hart, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Allison Janney, Bobby Carnavale.
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
- Streaming Platform: YouTube
The Spy is an action comedy film which was directed by Paul Feig. The movie was released in the year of 2015. The star cast was amazing with action heroes like Jason Statham and the beautiful Melissa McCarthy.
Spy Plot:
The movie’s story is about a CIA analyst, Susan Cooper, a high-tech equipment expert. But she becomes a spy when one of the agents’ compromises.
5. Free and Easy (1930)
- Director: Edward Sedgwick
- Writer(s): Paul Dickey, Al Boasberg, Richard Schayer
- Cast: Anita Page, Buster Keaton, Robert Montgomery
- IMDb Rating: 5.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: No Score yet
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
About Free and Easy:
Free and Easy is one of the oldest films on the list. The movie’s release date was March 22, 1930. The movie had an amazing cast which included Buster Keaton, who was a legend in terms of acting. This film was Buster Keaton’s first leading role.
4. Cop Out (2010)
- Director: Kevin Smith
- Writer(s): Mark Cullen, Robb Cullen
- Cast: Adam Brody, Bruce Willis, and Tracy Morgan
- IMDb Rating: 5.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 18%
- Streaming Platform: YouTube
Cop Out Plot:
The movie is about a cop in NYPD, James Monroe. A gangster steals James’s basketball card. The movie is very good with an amazing cast which includes Bruce Willis.
3. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
- Director: Jay Roach
- Writer(s): Mike Myers
- Cast: Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Mimi Rogers
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
About Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
The movie is about a person from a cryogenically frozen spy who is British. The movie is great fun to watch as the plot is really funny.
2. Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)
- Director: Paul Mazursky
- Writer(s): Leon Capetanos
- Cast: Nick Nolte, Elizabeth Pena, Bette Midler
- IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
- Streaming Platform: YouTube
Down and Out in Beverly Hills Plot:
The movie is about a homeless man, Jerry. Now he wonders outside nouveau- rich Beverly Hills’ backyard. The couple Dave and Barbara Whittman try to save Jerry from drowning in the pool of their house.
1. Rush Hour 2
- Director: Brett Ratner
- Writer(s): Jeff Nathanson
- Cast: Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan, Alan King
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 52%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Rush Hour 2 Plot:
The movie is about Lee and Carter’s vacation which turns out to be a nightmare for them due to a crime lord. The movie also reveals a dark secret of Lee.
