Days of Heaven.This list is regularly updated as movies rotate on and off of Amazon Prime Video. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.
Amazon has a little bit of everything on their streaming service, but they don’t have an interface that makes it particularly easy to find any of it. They also love to rotate out their selection with reckless abandon, making it hard to pin down what’s available when you want to watch a movie. It’s the kind of digital minefield that demands a guide. That’s where we come in! This regularly updated list will highlight the best films currently on Prime Video, free for anyone with an Amazon Prime account, including classics and recent hits. There’s truly something here for everyone, starting with our pick of the week.
This Week’s Critic’s Pick
*Days of Heaven
Year: 1978
Runtime: 1h 34m
Director: Terrence Malick
Terrence Malick wrote and directed one of the best movies ever made in this period drama starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, and Linda Manz. It is the story of two lovers who move to the Texas panhandle in 1916 to harvest crops and get caught up in trying to trick a dying farmer into leaving them his fortune. Lyrical and intense at the same time, it’s a legitimate masterpiece.
Days of Heaven watch on prime videoHow We Pick Our Films
Critic Brian Tallerico watches and writes about movies and TV every day. To curate this list, he dives into Prime Video’s catalogue to surface acclaimed, surprising, or otherwise noteworthy titles — using his taste and a lifetime of cinema study as his guide, instead of whatever the algorithm happens to be pushing. After triple-checking to make sure they’re still available, he watches each, organizes them by category, then writes his recommendation. We highlight more than just Oscar winners or popcorn flicks: These films present interesting ideas, made an impact on cinema, and changed our culture. Read on to find something to watch.
Drama
After Yang
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 35m
Director: Kogonada
What a beautiful movie this is. Colin Farrell stars in a near-future tale in which androids are more common. When one dies, it feels like a member of the family is gone, almost like losing a child. Farrell’s character tries to fix Yang, discovering what’s important about life along the way. It also contains a gorgeous score by Ryuichi Sakamato.
After Yang watch on prime video*Flags of Our Fathers
Year: 2006
Runtime: 2h 12m
Director: Clint Eastwood
In 2006, Clint Eastwood released a pair of excellent World War II films in Letters from Iwo Jima and this adaptation of the book of the same name by James Bradley and Ron Powers. It’s about the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, the one that led to one of the most famous photos of all time. It’s a bit hokey, but it’s also incredibly well-made, like almost all Eastwood, and a film that’s not available on streaming very often.
Flags of Our Fathers watch on prime videoThe Green Knight
Year: 2021
Runtime: 2h 9m
Director: David Lowery
An adaptation of the 14th century poem, this is one of the most visually striking films of the decade so far. David Lowery directs Dev Patel as Gawain, who sets out on a journey to face the title character. More than just a mere tale of heroism, this is a surreal, gorgeous piece of work that challenges preconceptions of fantasy dramas and feels vitally fresh.
The Green Knight watch on prime videoIn the Heat of the Night
Year: 1967
Runtime: 1h 45m
Director: Norman Jewison
Fifty years before Green Book won Best Picture, a very different portrait of race relations in the South took home that same prize. Sidney Poitier stars as a black officer who gets caught up in a murder case in the south, and Rod Steiger plays his white, Southern counterpart. Both men are breathtakingly good, and the film contains one of cinema’s most notable slaps.
In the Heat of the Night watch on prime videoMemento
Year: 2001
Runtime: 1h 53m
Director: Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan announced himself to the world with this Sundance thriller that really reshaped the indie and eventually the blockbuster landscape. Guy Pearce gives one of his best performances as a man with such severe memory loss that he has to use his body to remind himself of the details he needs to solve a mystery. It’s still so clever and riveting.
Memento watch on prime videoRaging Bull
Year: 1980
Runtime: 2h 3m
Director: Martin Scorsese
As the decade turned, one of the best American filmmakers reunited with his muse to deliver what is widely considered one of the best films of the 1980s, possibly THE best. Much has been written about the physical transformation that would win Robert De Niro an Oscar for this film, but there’s more to this story of Jake LaMotta than just that. It’s an unforgettable character study of violence, rage, and self-destruction.
Raging Bull watch on prime video*Trainspotting
Year: 1996
Runtime: 1h 34m
Director: Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle really broke through with his second film, this beloved adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novel about addiction. Ewan McGregor plays Mark Renton, the most charismatic member of a group of friends, including Spud (Ewan Bremner), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Tommy (Kevin McKidd), and the sociopathic Begbie (Robert Carlyle). Propelled by one of the best soundtracks of the ‘90s, Trainspotting has more energy than nearly anything else on Prime Video.
Trainspotting watch on prime videoHorror
A Knock at the Cabin
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 40m
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
One of the most inventive directors of his era adapted a screenplay for the first time when he tackled Paul Tremblay’s stunning 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World. Shyalaman does some bad things to the final act, but this is still worth a look for its incredible craft and an excellent performance from Dave Bautista as the leader of a group of people who believe that a sacrifice must be made to stop a pending apocalypse.
A Knock at the Cabin watch on prime videoHigh Tension
Year: 2005
Runtime: 1h 29m
Director: Alexandre Aja
This movie is bonkers. Directed by Alexandre Aja (and sometimes called Switchblade Romance) it stars Cecile de France and Maiwenn as two young woman who go to a secluded farmhouse, where they’re attached by a serial killer. The twist ending to this brutal film will likely either make it or break it for you. Note: Shudder also added a few other French Horror Wave films, including Inside and Martyrs—both essential for horror fans, neither for the faint of heart.
High Tension watch on prime videoInvasion of the Body Snatchers
Year: 1978
Runtime: 1h 55m
Director: Philip Kaufman
There’s a reason that Hollywood keeps returning to Jack Finney’s novel The Body Snatchers—it strikes at a common fear that our neighbors and loved ones aren’t who they were yesterday. The best film version of Finney’s tale is the ‘70s one with Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Veronica Cartwright, Jeff Goldblum, and Leonard Nimoy. A riveting unpacking of ‘70s paranoia, this is a truly terrifying movie.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers watch on prime videoNope
Year: 2022
Runtime: 2h 10m
Director: Jordan Peele
The genius behind Get Out and Us delivered his most controversial film in 2022, a story that blends an alien invasion with a commentary on movie-watching and spectacle in general. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer are fantastic in this story of people beset upon by an alien species that likes to watch. Brilliantly structured and gorgeously shot, Nope is blockbuster horror filmmaking at its finest.
Nope watch on prime videoPhantasm
Year: 1979
Runtime: 1h 29m
Director: Don Coscarelli
Another low-budget flick that produced an empire, Don Coscarelli’s totally bonkers 1979 film isn’t as much an influential genre classic as it is kind of unlike anything before or since. Who can forget the first time they saw Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man, one of the best horror characters of his era? The crazy plot here is secondary to the unforgettable imagery and style. There’s a reason it spawned four sequels and has a very loyal cult following 40 years later.
Phantasm watch on prime videoComedy
A Fish Called Wanda
Year: 1988
Runtime: 1h 43m
Director: Charles Crichton
Movies simply don’t get much funnier than this Oscar winner starring John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin. The story of a jewel robbery gone very wrong, the barrister who gets involved, and the fish that gets caught in the middle is regularly included on any short list of the funniest movies ever made. You know how the Academy Awards never include any comedy performances? This one won an Oscar for Kevin Kline, who is simply impossible to deny.
A Fish Called Wanda watch on prime video*Airplane!
Year: 1980
Runtime: 1h 27m
Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Movies just don’t get much funnier than this classic from David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams. Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, and Leslie Nielsen star in a parody of the disaster flicks of the ‘70s but Airplane! has far transcended its roots to become one of the most quotable and beloved comedies of all time.
Airplane! watch on prime video*Clerks
Year: 1994
Runtime: 1h 32m
Director: Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith rocked the indie filmmaking world with his comedy that was shot for almost nothing and became a worldwide hit. Films at the convenience and video stores at which Smith worked in real life with his buddies, no one could have expected that this comedy would still be influencing writers a quarter-century later.
Clerks watch on prime video*Forrest Gump
Year: 1994
Runtime: 2h 22m
Director: Robert Zemeckis
The 1995 Best Picture and Best Actor winner has become something of a punching bag in the nearly three decades since it was released, but it’s a better movie than its reputation. Tom Hanks stars as the title character, a man who stumbles through major events in world history in a film that’s much darker and more satirical than people give it credit for being.
Forrest Gump watch on prime videoHeathers
Year: 1989
Runtime: 1h 43m
Director: Michael Lehmann
Talk about a movie ahead of its time. Coming-of-age teen comedies were never quite as wonderfully cynical before this movie about four teenage girls whose lives are upended by the arrival of a new kid, played by Christian Slater. More than just seeking to destroy the damaging cliques at his new school, Slater’s character has plans for something a little more permanent in this comedy that really shaped the teen genre for years to come.
Heathers Watch on Prime video*Step Brothers
Year: 2008
Runtime: 1h 37m
Director: Adam McKay
The pinnacle of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s comedy career remains this modern classic, a movie that’s as rewatchable as anything you could possibly find on any streaming service. One of the reasons for that is the fearless joy with which Ferrell and John C. Reilly literally throw themselves into the roles of stepbrothers who start as enemies and end as family.
Step Brothers watch on prime video*Young Adult
Year: 2011
Runtime: 1h 33m
Director: Jason Reitman
Jason Reitman directs the always-great Charlize Theron in this dark comedy about a writer of young adult novels who returns to her hometown to wreak havoc. The movie is a bit inconsistent at times, but Theron (and Patton Oswalt) is simply great, especially in the way she allows her character to be genuinely unlikable. It’s a smart movie about someone who thinks she’s superior to those around her and learns maybe she’s not.
Young Adult watch on prime videoAction
*Breakdown
Year: 1997
Runtime: 1h 33m
Director: Jonathan Mostow
If you’re looking for a good, underrated thriller, look no further than this thriller about a road trip gone horribly awry. Jonathan Mostow directs the always-great Kurt Russell as a man who has some words with a truck driver and learns that road rage is never the answer. A mix of modern fears with a noir sensibility, Breakdown is a tight, effective little movie of the kind that doesn’t really make it to theaters all that often anymore.
Breakdown watch on prime videoCasino Royale
Year: 2006
Runtime: 2h 24m
Director: Martin Campbell
It’s hard to believe the most famous movie spy in history ever needed a comeback, but that’s really what happened when Daniel Craig stepped into 007’s shoes and it turned out to be one of the most acclaimed James Bond movies of all time. An origin story for the suave superspy, Casino Royale introduced new layers to the classic character, resulting in an action film that felt like it had real stakes. This is one of the best modern action movies, period, not just in the Bond franchise.
Casino Royale watch on prime videoEverything Everywhere All at Once
Year: 2022
Runtime: 2h 19m
Director: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Believe it or not, this is the first drop on a subscription streaming service for the 2023 Best Picture winner, a movie that defies categorization as it tells a story of alternate realities and butt plugs. A film that debuted at SXSW, this daring piece of work built an audience through 2022 until it won multiple Oscars, including Best Picture and Director. It’s like nothing else. Anywhere.
Everything Everywhere All at Once watch on prime video*Face/Off
Year: 1997
Runtime: 2h 19m
Director: John Woo
There are rumors that a remake of John Woo’s classic is on the horizon, so you owe it to yourself to go back and see the very high standard that project will have to meet. This is one of the best action movies of the ‘90s, a wonderfully staged blockbuster by one of the genre’s best filmmakers. And John Travolta and Nicolas Cage were near the peaks of their screen charismas as an FBI agent and terrorist who end up, well, switching faces. It’s a blast.
Face/Off watch on prime videoGoldeneye
Year: 1995
Runtime: 2h 10m
Director: Martin Campbell
The legend of 007 was in a pretty dark place in the mid-‘90s as the response to Timothy Dalton playing James Bond had been pretty much a universal shrug. Enter Pierce Brosnan in this film that revitalized the screen legend in a way that’s still going today. Brosnan’s best Bond film features the character trying to stop a rogue MI6 agent, played by Sean Bean. (Note: There are a bunch of other 007 films on Prime too from all eras.)
Goldeneye watch on prime videoThe Hurt Locker
Year: 2009
Runtime: 2h 6m
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
The director of Near Dark and Point Break became the first female Oscar winner for Best Director for a film that also won Best Picture and stands now as one of the best movies made to date about the American soldier experience in Iraq. Jeremy Renner stars as an explosives expert, the kind of guy who goes in the room that everyone else runs from, and someone brings home the trauma of what he sees overseas. As precise as the profession it captures, this movie has not one bit of fat on it, and it’s just as thrilling now as when it was released.
The Hurt Locker watch on prime videoInterstellar
Year: 2014
Runtime: 2h 49m
Director: Christopher Nolan
The most underrated film from the director of The Dark Knight and Oppenheimer remains this 2014 sci-fi epic, a film that’s better if you approach it as an emotional journey instead of a physical one. Matthew McConaughey gives one of the best performances of his career as an astronaut searching for a new home for mankind, and realizing all that he left behind to do so. It’s a technical marvel with some of the most striking visuals and best sound design of Nolan’s career.
Interstellar watch on prime videoJurassic Park
Year: 1993
Runtime: 2h 1m
Director: Steven Spielberg
An instant classic when it was released in 1993, Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur blockbuster spawned a franchise that’s still humming almost three decades later with the 2022 release of the wildly successful Dominion. The first three films in the series, including Spielberg’s sequel The Lost World, are on Prime right now.
Jurassic Park watch on prime video*Total Recall
Year: 1990
Runtime: 1h 58m
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Ah-nuld! Near the peak of his fame, the future Governor went to Mars in this landmark sci-fi film by the great Paul Verhoeven. Loosely based on a Philip K. Dick short story titled “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale,” Total Recall is about an average man caught in an uprising on Mars…or is he? Most 1990 action movies have aged poorly, but Total Recall still has something to entertain even the many Prime Video subscribers born after it was released.
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