How many hours have we all lost the endless streaming scroll? Aiming for a little kickback, you end up perusing title after title, intent on finding just the right movie, ultimately unsure what to choose in the face of overwhelming options. Fret not, the Collider staff did all that scrolling for you, scanning through the catalogue in search of the best picks for an entertaining night in. Now, we’ve put together a wide-ranging list of the best movies streaming on Amazon Prime Video right now.
What’s more, we’ll be updating the list regularly with additional picks, so you won’t run out of viewing material any time soon. The list spans genres, decades, and ratings, so there should be a little something for everyone, but if you can’t find what you’re looking for below (and you’re a multi-platform streamer), be sure to check out our picks for the best tv shows and best movies on Netflix.
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
Director: Sergio Leone | Run Time: 99 minutes | Genre: Spaghetti Western
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volonté
There was a time when the movie western was on its way out, Clint Eastwood was known almost exclusively for his television work, and the idea of adapting a samurai movie into a western was still relatively fresh. All that changed when A Fistful of Dollars first hit screens in 1964. Directed by the legendary Sergio Leone, this spaghetti western movie is widely considered to be among the best films in its genre and possibly one of the greatest movies ever made. Loosely (and unofficially) based on Akira Kurosawa’sYojimbo, the movie follows the now-familiar story of a stranger coming to a strange town. But unlike the goody-two-shoes heroes who dominated 1950s westerns, Clint Eastwood’s mysterious protagonist is an anti-hero who chooses to pit two warring factions against each other so that he can profit off of both. A Fistful of Dollars eventually spawned a trilogy with sequels For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, collectively known as the Dollars Trilogy, and cemented Eastwood’s place in the history of cinema. This is a film that’s historically and culturally significant, with a plot that’s still as engaging now as it was when it first came out.— Remus Noronha
The Courier (2021)
Director: Dominic Cooke | Run Time: 111 minutes | Genre: Historical Spy Drama
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Merab Ninidze, Rachel Brosnahan, Jessie Buckley, Angus Wright
For most people, Benedict Cumberbatch is either Sherlock Holmes or Doctor Stephen Strange. Yes, the actor has made quite a name for himself in major franchise movies but to limit him to those roles would be to ignore some of the best performances Cumberbatch has given over the course of his stellar career. Whether it’s his not-entirely-historical take on Alan Turing in The Imitation Gameor the complex rancher he plays in The Power of the Dog, Benedict Cumberbatch has shown that he has the chops to play intricate, well-written characters with real and complicated lives. In The Courier (originally titled Ironbark), the actor takes on the role of Greville Wynne, a real-life British businessman who was recruited by intelligence officers to serve as a messenger, communicating with a valuable Soviet spy in Moscow. Unlike most spy dramas, The Courier is more concerned with the harsh realities of being a Cold War spy than the good vs evil narrative that you usually see in the genre. The fact that the story is based on true events just makes you feel even more for the movie’s two protagonists, as played brilliantly by Cumberbatch and co-star Merab Ninidze. This movie is a must-watch for fans of spy fiction and period stories, especially those interested in knowing more about the behind-the-scenes operations that kept the nukes from falling during the volatile Cold War years. — Remus Noronha
The Lost City (2022)
Directors: Adam Nee, Aaron Nee | Run Time: 112 minutes | Genre: Romantic Adventure Comedy
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe
Not to be confused with another similarly titled entry on this list, The Lost City is a hilarious romantic adventure comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. A surprise summer hit, the movie stars Bullock as a reclusive writer who is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire and forced to hunt for a long-lost treasure. She also receives some unexpected help in this endeavor from her cover model, played by Tatum. The movie’s two leads have excellent chemistry, with Bullock playing the embittered novelist and Tatum the enthusiastic himbo to absolute perfection. The Lost City also stars the ever-delightful Daniel Radcliffe as the movie’s villain, a role that the Harry Potter actor plays with charm and cartoonish evil. It’s a fun popcorn movie that’s perfect for a night in, and the experience is raised to a whole other level by a Brad Pitt cameo that’s easily one of the actor’s best comedic performances in recent times.— Remus Noronha
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Director: Anthony Minghella | Run Time: 139 minutes | Genre: Psychological Thriller
Cast: Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel of the same name, The Talented Mr. Ripley was nominated for five Academy Awards. The movie features one of Matt Damon’s most memorable roles as he plays the titular con-man. Tom Ripley (Damon), a young pianist of straitened means, is tasked with traveling to Venice to meet Dickie, a wealthy heir, and convince him to return to his father in the US. However, once Tom meets Dickey, he becomes obsessed with the rich young man and uses increasingly dangerous methods to assume his identity. The film is unsettling and suspenseful, with a strong homoerotic subtext and a sense of tension that never lets up, even till the very end— Remus Noronha
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