Five of the best action films and where to stream them - including Christmas classic Die Hard

With Die Hard back in cinemas in the run-up to Christmas, we're looking at the best action films to enjoy this festive season.

Bruce Willis stars in Die Hard.

Charismatic heroes, pantomime villians, big explosions, fights and confusing plots - all components of the perfect action film.

As the annual debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas film (it is) gets underway, we're looking at five of the best you can stream at home.

Die Hard (Disney+)

It seems like a cliche to say that Die Hard is the best action film of all time but it's difficult to see past it. As New York cop John McClane, Bruce Willis is the perfect wise-cracking action hero. He's upstaged only by Alan Rickman's fiendish baddie Hans Gruber, whose criminal gang are attempting an audacious heist in a high-tech LA skyscraper.

The Raid (Netflix)

Gareth Evans' 2011 Indonesian thriller is basically 101 minutes of fighting - and what majestic fighting it is. The story is elegantly simple, with a police team battling their way through an apartment block to get to a ruthless drug lord. It showcases the martial art of 'penchak silat' to thrilling effect, with astonishing athleticism from leading man Iko Uwais.

Speed (Disney+)

Whoever came up with the plot for Speed - a bomb on a bus will explode if it drops below 50 miles an hour - must have been pretty pleased with themselves. Dennis Hopper is the insane high-concept bomber, while Keanu Reeves is the cop trying to foil him with the help of plucky passenger Sandra Bullock - proving two heroes can be better than one.

John Wick (Now Cinema)

This is the first of four (equally brilliant) films featuring Keanu Reeve's former professional killer who just wants to relax, enjoy retirement and mourn his late wife. When a gang of mobsters steal his car and kill his beloved dog he find himself sucked back into the dark underworld where he used to ply his trade.

Face/Off (Disney+)

Nicolas Cage and John Travolta have great fun co-starring in John Woo's stylish 1997 blockbuster. An FBI agent and a criminal end up swapping faces and identities via a plot too ludicrous to go into here. It means you have the joy of watching Cage act like Travolta and vice versa - along with a succession of balletic action set pieces.