55 Best Movies Streaming On Netflix

You could watch nothing but movies on Netflix every day for a year and still not run out of things to watch. The streaming service is absolutely packed with options, from the latest romantic comedies to horror films to award-winning movies from major studios. There's truly something for everyone — but what if you're the viewer who's out to find the best of the best? Whether you're an aspiring cinephile looking to pad out your film education or you're just looking to fill some holes in your viewing history, these are the 55 best movies you can watch on Netflix right now.

Updated on July 5, 2022: Netflix makes changes to its catalogue every month, adding some films while removing others. We'll be keeping this list updated to reflect the best movies you can find on the service at this very moment. Be sure to check back every month for the very best in Netflix cinema.

"Apocalypse Now" is the legendary Francis Ford Coppola's epic statement on the Vietnam War. A brutal journey that takes its grizzled soldiers into the heart of a very particular darkness, this classic film is heightened by visual ambition and tremendous acting. Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando are especially terrific in the film, and Coppola has never been more dynamic than he is in the direction of this film's battle scenes.

• Starring: Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Marlon Brando
• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Year: 1979
• Runtime: 153 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

Though best known for comedy films like "Big" and "A League of Their Own," Penny Marshall also directed this tremendous drama, based on a true story from the legendary Dr. Oliver Sacks. Starring Robin Williams as a fictionalized version of Sacks, "Awakenings" tells the tale of a group of comatose patients who are restored to awareness by an experimental treatment. It's a compelling, dramatic powerhouse, driven by wonderful central performances.

• Starring: Robin Williams, Robert De Niro, Julie Kavner
• Director: Penny Marshall
• Year: 1990
• Runtime: 121 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

Famously unsuccessful upon its original release, "Blade Runner" has since become one of the best-known and most celebrated science fiction films of all time. The story of a futuristic detective who must hunt down a group of rogue artificial humans, it's a visual masterpiece with plenty of thematic power thrown in. There are moments in this film that will never leave you, as much for their emotion as for their beauty.

• Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer
• Director: Ridley Scott
• Year: 1982
• Runtime: 117 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

Nearly 40 years after the original "Blade Runner" film arrived and promptly began building itself a place in sci-fi history, director Denis Villeneuve joined with original star Harrison Ford to craft a follow-up film about how the world has changed in the decades after Rick Deckard's last appearance. Featuring wonderful central work by Ryan Gosling as a new Blade Runner trying to solve a case with uncomfortable ties to his own life, the film lives up to its predecessor with some truly astonishing visuals, a great score, and more of the emotional gut punches that make the first movie so memorable.

• Starring: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas
• Director: Denis Villeneuve
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 163 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Based on the true story of lovers-turned-criminals Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, "Bonnie and Clyde" was infamous upon its 1967 release for its graphic violence. While said violence might not mean as much to modern audiences, the film still holds up as a tragicomic depiction of romance gone horribly wrong. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are fantastic in the central roles, Penn's direction remains a brilliant dissection of the Barrow Gang's rise and fall, and even decades after it was released, you still sort of hope the inevitable ending's not coming.

• Starring: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard
• Director: Arthur Penn
• Year: 1967
• Runtime: 111 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

The film that made Paul Thomas Anderson's name as an auteur, "Boogie Nights" chronicles the rise and fall of Dirk Diggler, a young busboy who's discovered by a director looking to make his masterpiece and thus catapulted into the glamorous world of 1970s adult movies It's a fast-paced, pleasure-driven industry, but what goes up must come down, and Anderson chronicles the meteoric trajectory of one man and his circle of friends with witty, magnetic intensity. It still ranks among his best movies.

• Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds
• Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
• Year: 1997
• Runtime: 152 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

"Bram Stoker's Dracula" tells a familiar tale to anyone who's seen an earlier "Dracula" adaptation or read Stoker's original novel. But somehow, this film sill feels brand new, thanks to Coppola's distinct vision. A lavish production of the famous vampire's macabre story, this film is packed with iconic costumes, beautiful sets, and visual effects that remain jaw-dropping, even in the age of omnipresent CGI. With all that in mind, though, it's still the lead performance from Gary Oldman that'll stick in your head forever.

• Starring: Winona Ryder, Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins
• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Year: 1992
• Runtime: 128 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%

One of Steven Spielberg's most playful films, "Catch Me If You Can" purports to tell the true story of Frank Abagnale, a teenaged conman who jet-sets across the United States pulling off scheme after scheme, even as an FBI agent is in hot pursuit. Featuring fantastic lead performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks and a scene-stealing turn by Christopher Walken, it's Spielberg's chance to fly through 1960s America with his trademark sense of wonder, and it remains a blast of a movie.

• Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Year: 2002
• Runtime: 140 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

The first film in the horror franchise inspired by the supposedly true-life adventures of Ed and Lorraine Warren remains one of the most successful — and one of the scariest — genre films of the 2010s. The inaugural "Conjuring" follows Ed and Lorraine's attempts to purge dark forces from a creepy farmhouse, saving the family who lives there in the process, and the story is helped along constantly by director James Wan's knack for terrifying jump scares. Throw in the romantic, warm chemistry between Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, and you've got a modern horror classic.

• Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor
• Director: James Wan
• Year: 2013
• Runtime: 111 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Guillermo del Toro turned his knack for the supernatural to pure gothic romance with this sumptuous film, which follows a young woman's journey to uncovering the dark secrets of her new husband's dilapidated mansion, despite his sister's attempts to keep dead things buried. Gorgeously shot, impeccably designed, and packed with memorable visuals, it's an underrated entry in del Toro's filmography that deserves more attention.

• Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain
• Director: Guillermo del Toro
• Year: 2015
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%

One of the best films of the 2020s so far, "Da 5 Bloods" tells the story of a group of Vietnam veterans who return to the jungle decades after the war in an effort to reclaim a treasure they hid before coming home. As their hunt begins, it's clear that much more is eating at them than just a desire to strike it rich. Old memories make the journey ever more difficult, even as present difficulties come to light. Anchored by incredible performances from Delroy Lindo and Clarke Peters, "Da 5 Bloods" is a reminder that we're not done making great movies about America's time in Vietnam just yet.

• Starring: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters
• Director: Spike Lee
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 156 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

After the success of "Batman Begins," Christopher Nolan needed to go even bigger for his 2008 sequel. Through some bold casting choices and a uniquely ambitious Batman story, he managed it. "The Dark Knight" remains a superhero epic in every sense of the word, telling a globe-hopping story that still manages to stay anchored in Gotham City. Heath Ledger remains incredible in his Oscar-winning role as the Joker, whose attempt to crush Batman's sanity by attacking those he loves  is as brutal as it is entertaining. But Christian Bale is almost equally dynamic in the title role. Moreover, the film's central stunts remain jaw-dropping.

• Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Year: 2008
• Runtime: 152 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Though it might be the most divisive film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises" still packs a punch a decade after its release. Set years after "The Dark Knight," the film begins with Batman in retirement, then follows his reluctant return as a villain named Bane lays siege to Gotham City, reshaping and possibly dooming it in the process. Operatic in its scope and relentless in its pursuit of the mammoth ending the trilogy deserves, "The Dark Knight Rises" remains a colossal superhero movie achievement.

• Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway
• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Year: 2012
• Runtime: 165 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

Four friends leave the city to go on a relaxing canoe trip in the Georgia countryside. What's supposed to be a getaway to the wonders of nature soon turns nightmarish, as they're forced to confront backwoods horror and their own primal selves. Directed with cringe-inducing intensity by John Boorman and featuring frightening performances to match, "Deliverance" remains one of the most essential survival thrillers in all of cinema. It's the kind of movie that'll make you think twice about your vacation plans.

• Starring: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty
• Director: John Boorman
• Year: 1972
• Runtime: 109 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

In this Western-tinged tale (which is more accurately described as a "Southern"), a man named Django escapes slavery and becomes a bounty hunter to get revenge on his former masters and reunite with his long-lost wife. Jamie Foxx is great in the title role, but Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio still manage to steal scenes from him. Throw in some of the most off-the-wall violent action sequences of Tarantino's career, and you've got a must-see.

• Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio
• Director: Quentin Tarantino
• Year: 2012
• Runtime: 165 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Eddie Murphy reminded fans everywhere that he's more than just a guy who's great at funny voices with this electric biopic. Based on the life of Rudy Ray Moore, the comedian who decided to become a self-made blaxploitation star with "Dolemite," this film chronicles Moore's efforts to make and release the first film, against all odds. It's hilarious, but also a deeply moving story of a man who had to keep betting on himself, even when everyone else stopped believing. Murphy is great in the title role, but Wesley Snipes very nearly steals the whole movie.

• Starring: Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Kodi Smit-McPhee
• Director: Craig Brewer
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

After years of genre blockbusters, Christopher Nolan turned his lens on World War II with this film. But instead of documenting a great battle, he decided to portray a legendary moment of survival. "Dunkirk" is, essentially, the story of one big tactical retreat, in which thousands of British soldiers must battle the odds and escape across the English Channel so they can fight another day. In Nolan's hands, it becomes an unforgettably tense struggle to preserve the tenacity of the human spirit.

• Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Harry Styles, Kenneth Branagh
• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 106 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Well before she was an MCU star, Hailee Steinfeld starred in this coming-of-age comedy about a teenage girl whose entire life is upended when her best friend makes a decision that changes everything about their relationship. Funny, emotional, and driven by scene-stealing work from Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick, it's a terrific look at the awkward places our minds go at the border between childhood and adulthood.

• Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner
• Director: Kelly Fremon-Craig
• Year: 2016
• Runtime: 104 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Set in a world where the water supply is quickly depleting, "Fast Color" offers a refreshing take on superhero stories. At its core, it's a kind of supernatural road movie: We follow a young woman with strange powers on the run from government forces who'd like to harness her gifts. What sets "Fast Color" apart, though, is the emotional stakes it builds up alongside the physical ones, eventually creating a gripping family saga about realizing who you're meant to be.

• Starring: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lorraine Toussaint, Saniyya Sidney
• Director: Julia Hart
• Year: 2018
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Sean Baker's "The Florida Project" is, like his later success "Red Rocket," a vivid and evocative portrait of a very specific kind of life. This film follows a group of kids and adults who all live in a motel near Disney World — which they never get to visit, because of their poverty. Over the course of the film, we follow their various emotional and financial struggles as they try to make ends meet and prove they can survive, even in a world that keeps trying to knock them down. Filled with beautiful visuals and memorable performances, it's an indie gem.

• Starring: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite
• Director: Sean Baker
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 111 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

This classic war film is perhaps best remembered for R. Lee Ermey's supporting performance as a brutal drill sergeant who pushes his recruits to their absolute limit. But the recruiting portion of the film, and the emotional torment that goes along with it, is only half the story. As the recruits head to Vietnam, the movie becomes even more impactful and visually stunning, creating a fully realized portrait of a tumultuous era in American life.

• Starring: Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio
• Director: Stanley Kubrick
• Year: 1987
• Runtime: 116 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

The true story of New York gangster Henry Hill, "Goodfellas" is one of Martin Scorsese's finest films, and it remains one of the prime examples of his exuberant filmmaking style. Narrated by Hill — played here by Ray Liotta — the movie chronicles his rise through the ranks of a crime organization, then subsequent fall as drugs, greed, and double-crosses send it all crashing down. It's got a killer soundtrack, great performances, and stellar editing from the great Thelma Schoonmaker.

• Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Year: 1990
• Runtime: 146 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

If an old-school, all-out adventure film is what you're looking for, "The Guns of Navarone" remains an impeccable choice. The story of an elite group of Allied commandos tasked with destroying the titular guns, this film follows the full length of the mission to Navarone. The commandos face setbacks, are forced to improvise, and eventually work to break into a near-impregnable German fortress. While the stars are a major draw, the splendid ensemble cast adds to the fun in a big way.

• Starring: Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn
• Director: J. Lee Thompson
• Year: 1961
• Runtime: 158 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

The story of two brothers who take to robbing banks to pay off family debts amid the financial crisis of the 2000s, "Hell or High Water" is an unforgettable movie experience for many reasons. For one thing, it's an incredible action film that thrills viewers through its twisty cat-and-mouse game. For another, it's full of incisive commentary on ordinary people suffering through the maneuvering of the financial elite. And then, of course, there's the way the cast makes the film feel like a classic Western, despite its present-day setting. It's a success on a great many levels.

• Starring: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges
• Director: David Mackenzie
• Year: 2016
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

One of the most effective horror films of the 2020s so far, "His House" follows a pair of Sudanese refugees as they arrive in London and are placed in government-sponsored housing. Once there, they find they're not alone in the house — a supernatural presence lives right beside them, and it's not happy. This haunting touches off a series of revelations tied to their escape from their homeland that neither person wants to face. It's a chilling, socially relevant film that also features some extremely effective jump scares.

• Starring: Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, Matt Smith
• Director: Remi Weekes
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 93 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Before his blockbuster breakthrough with "Thor: Ragnarok," writer-director Taika Waititi was making acclaimed films in his home country of New Zealand. One of his best is this little adventure gem about an orphan boy forced to flee to the wilderness with his reluctant foster father after a personal tragedy rocks them both. Beautiful, funny, and filled with moments of shocking poignance, it's a rewarding journey that proves just how much Waititi has to offer on a character-building level.

• Starring: Julian Dennison, Sam Neill, Rima Te Wiata
• Director: Taika Waititi
• Year: 2016
• Runtime: 101 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

"Hush" is one of those horror films that takes a very simple concept and executes it to absolute perfection. It follows a deaf writer living in a secluded house in the woods who suddenly finds herself prey to a masked killer. The killer has managed to isolate her by stealing her phone, disabling her car, and basically making everything around her terrifying. If she's going to survive, she must rely on her imagination and sheer force of will. Driven by a great central performance from Kate Siegel, "Hush" is an intimate and very effective exercise in suspense.

• Starring: Kate Siegel, John Gallagher Jr., Samantha Sloyan
• Director: Mike Flanagan
• Year: 2016
• Runtime: 81 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Charlie Kaufman is known for his twisting, often surreal narratives, and "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" continues that trend in a very memorable way. On the surface, it's the story of a young woman who travels to meet her boyfriend's parents while having second thoughts about the nature of their relationship. As the story goes on, the writing, pacing, and power of the performances suggest something else at work. It's a beautifully executed piece of psychological tension, with a great central performance by Jessie Buckley.

• Starring: Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette
• Director: Charlie Kaufman
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 134 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

In between Batman movies, Christopher Nolan decided to make a science fiction film about a group of thieves who execute heists in the realm of dreams. After years of taking things out of the human mind, they now have to figure out how to pull off their most daring job yet: Putting an idea into someone's brain. Featuring stunning visual effects, a great ensemble cast, and an ending that will have you talking for days, "Inception" remains a winning sci-fi blockbuster.

• Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page
• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Year: 2010
• Runtime: 148 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

This film chronicles the decades-spanning story of Frank Sheeran, the reputed mob hitman who made a career out of killing and eventually worked his way into the halls of American power. A spectacular achievement, "The Irishman" pours everything Scorsese knows about American crime cinema into its epic runtime, creating a powerful character drama about a man who sees his own redemption slowing slipping away. It's a masterpiece.

• Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci
• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 209 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

One of the best horror films of the 2010s, "It Follows" tracks a group of young adults who all find themselves in the orbit of a strange entity that seems to pass from person to person via sexual transmission. It kills whoever it's pursuing, if the person in question is unlucky enough to get caught. A funny, surprising, and often terrifying take on sexual experience and how it changes you, "It Follows" remains a thoroughly effective horror film.

• Starring: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto
• Director: David Robert Mitchell
• Year: 2014
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut is recognized as one of the best films of 2021 for good reason. Leda, a successful professor, goes on vacation and has an unexpected encounter with a family, which makes her remember her own traumatic experiences of early motherhood. "The Lost Daughter" is an intimate, remarkable drama that manages to articulate many things often left unsaid about parenting. Olivia Colman is, as always, fantastic, and Dakota Johnson turns in work that proves she's one of the finest actors of her generation.

• Starring: Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley
• Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
• Year: 2021
• Runtime: 121 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

This veiled meditation on Scientology and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, "The Master" follows a drifting World War II veteran who forms an unlikely friendship with a celebrated author and speaker. As their bond deepens, the veteran is granted a front-row seat to the often unsettling foundation of a new movement that comes to grip 20th century America. Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman turn in some of the best work of their respective careers.

• Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
• Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
• Year: 2012
• Runtime: 137 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

"Marriage Story" charts the unraveling of a marriage between a director and an actress, and the resulting legal and personal battles that spin out of their divorce. It's an attempt to take an even-handed look at how these kinds of things can end, which means it's both brutal and brilliant. "Marriage Story" is particularly distinguished by spectacular performances from Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Laura Dern, who hold absolutely nothing back.

• Starring: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern
• Director: Noah Baumbach
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 137 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

One of the best legal thrillers of the 21st century, "Michael Clayton" stars George Clooney as the title character, a fixer for a high-powered law firm who begins the story trying to get himself out of an unexpected debt. As he tries to maneuver within his firm, he soon finds something much more dangerous, and is catapulted into the center of a cover-up that could have lethal consequences. The film is worth it for Tom Wilkinson's performance alone.

• Starring: George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson
• Director: Tony Gilroy
• Year: 2007
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

The legendary Monty Python comedy troupe began their post-TV phase by sending up the Arthurian legend of the quest for the Holy Grail. Starring the Pythons themselves as iconic heroes, every cast member plays multiple characters. What results is a hilarious and endlessly quotable film about the Knights of the Round Table that's just as memorable now as it was in 1975.

• Starring: John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin
• Director: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
• Year: 1975
• Runtime: 92 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

The Oscar winner for best picture of 1964 remains an enduring classic for a number of reasons. Central to the appeal of "My Fair Lady," of course, is the magnificent Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, a young woman who catches the eyes of an academic who decides to mold her into the perfect lady — only to fall in love with her in the process. But if Hepburn's performance isn't enough, there's always the songs, the costumes, the production design, and, of course, Rex Harrison speak-singing his heart out.

• Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway
• Director: George Cukor
• Year: 1964
• Runtime: 170 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Headlined by what might be Jake Gyllenhaal's best film performance ever, "Nightcrawler" tells the story of a Los Angeles drifter who becomes an unlikely freelance cameraman for a local news station led by a ruthless producer eager for more ratings. Starting with little more than a camcorder and desperation, he quickly becomes a prowler on the hunt for the city's darkest crimes, out to capture footage no one else will get, no matter what it takes. It's a tense, darkly funny descent into ruthless voyeurism.

• Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton
• Director: Dan Gilroy
• Year: 2014
• Runtime: 117 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Bong Joon-ho first caught the eye of many American viewers with 2020's "Parasite." If you're one of the many people looking back through his filmography for things to watch, "Okja" is a great place to start, or to continue that journey. This meditation on consumerism and the environment peers through the lens of one girl's friendship with a giant, adorable pig creature. It's as emotionally affecting as it is clever.

• Starring: Ahn Seo-hyun, Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal
• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Based on the comic book of the same name, "The Old Guard" follows a group of mercenaries who've found, over the course of many, many centuries, that they apparently can't die. So, they turn their years of skills into the chance to do something good ... only to find that their latest assignment is a double cross that could mean the end of their whole operation. Packed with fantastic action, "The Old Guard" is a thrilling action gem.

• Starring: Charlize Theron, Chiwetel Ejiofor, KiKi Layne
• Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

This legendarily unfinished Orson Welles film was finally completed, 48 years after film first rolled, in 2018, by Welles' longtime friend Peter Bogdanovich. The meta-narrative follows an aging filmmaker who invites a group of artists and friends to his desert home to screen a still-in-the-making work. This allows Welles to satirize Hollywood of the 1960s and 1970s in a way that still resonates. For a long time, this was the holy grail of cinephiles everywhere, and now, it's at your fingertips.

• Starring: John Huston, Bob Random, Peter Bogdanovich
• Director: Orson Welles
• Year: 2018
• Runtime: 122 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

Daniel Day-Lewis retired from acting after making this film, and if it remains his last role forever, it's a thrilling way to go out. The story of an eccentric dressmaker who takes a waitress as his muse and eventual lover, "Phantom Thread" is a haunting portrayal of genius, romance, and obsession. It's arguably Anderson's most visually beautiful film, and some might argue the best movie he's ever made.

• Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville
• Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 130 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

The 2021 Oscar winner for best director gives filmmaker Jane Campion a chance to pick apart the machismo-driven culture of the American West. The story of a pair of cattle baron brothers who are very different men at their core, "The Power of the Dog" evolves over the course of its runtime into a deconstruction of toxic masculinity, closeted sexuality, and the boundaries of human cruelty. It's a stunning film, and a welcome addition to Netflix's original movies catalog.

• Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirsten Dunst
• Director: Jane Campion
• Year: 2021
• Runtime: 126 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Tom Hanks played against his nice guy type in this beautifully directed film about a Depression-era mob enforcer who's forced to skip town with his young son when the family he works for starts to come apart at the seams. Along the way, they find themselves on the run from a terrifying hitman, all as the father and son learn more than a few things about each other. A gorgeous, bittersweet film with a crime drama hook, "Road to Perdition" is an underseen gem in Hanks' long career.

• Starring: Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law
• Director: Sam Mendes
• Year: 2000
• Runtime: 116 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

Alfonso Cuaron's ode to his Mexico City childhood, "Roma" captures the life of a housekeeper to a wealthy family that seems to be falling apart around her. All the while, she does her best to live her own life and find her own way. A beautiful, black-and-white throwback of a movie, it's both moving and thrilling in its sense of scope, emotion, and perspective.

• Starring: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Marco Graf
• Director: Alfonso Cuaron
• Year: 2018
• Runtime: 135 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

One of Steven Spielberg's finest cinematic achievements, "Saving Private Ryan" follows a unit of Army Rangers as they conduct a mission to rescue a young private whose brothers have all died in the war. Headlined by Tom Hanks in one of his best performances, it's both a brutal look at the cost of war and a stunning visual journey into hand-held action chaos.

• Starring: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Matt Damon
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Year: 1998
• Runtime: 169 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

David Fincher's legendary, methodical approach to filmmaking gets a workout in this grimy, spooky mystery that follows a pair of detectives as they hunt down a killer whose crimes are inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins. Featuring intricately designed murder scenes, great performances from Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, and reveals that just get more twisted as the film goes on, "Seven" still has the power to send chills down your spine after all these years.

• Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow
• Director: David Fincher
• Year: 1995
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

The film that launched Spike Lee's career as one of the most vital American filmmakers, "She's Gotta Have It" unfolds like a modern "Rashomon." The story of one woman juggling three men in her life, "She's Gotta Have It" examines how each of them see her, and how it all ties into her own search for freedom. It remains a legendary cinematic landmark, and a film essential to both Lee's career and the American independent film movement at large.

• Starring: Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, Spike Lee
• Director: Spike Lee
• Year: 1986
• Runtime: 84 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

David Fincher brings his moody, methodical style of filmmaking to this dramatized account of the founding of Facebook, with celebrated screenwriter Aaron Sorkin handling scripting duties and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross tackling the score. Jesse Eisenberg is ferocious in his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg as an egotistical college kid in search of validation, though even this stand-out performance can't eclipse Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake's adept scene-stealing. This film remains a fascinating look at how a few people can change the world, and what that does to us.

• Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
• Director: David Fincher
• Year: 2010
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

Funny, unpredictable, and visually unforgettable, Boots Riley's "Sorry To Bother You" is a relentlessly satirical look at American commercialism, the telemarketing industry, and racism both overt and casual. The story of a young man who finds sudden and very strange success with the use of a "white voice" at a mysterious corporation, it's a film with something wild lurking around every corner.

• Starring: LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler
• Director: Boots Riley
• Year: 2018
• Runtime: 112 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

After tackling the life of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin turned his attention to Apple legend Steve Jobs. The results are stunning. The story of Jobs' life told through backstage scenes at three important product launches, this film features amazing work by Michael Fassbender in the title role, brilliant direction from Danny Boyle, and an outstanding supporting cast that includes Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels. It's a master class in making a movie about people talking both visually interesting and emotionally dynamic.

• Starring: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen
• Director: Danny Boyle
• Year: 2015
• Runtime: 122 minute
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Paul Schrader wrote a film that was, at its core, about loneliness, and Martin Scorsese turned it into an American classic. The story of a lonely cab driver who befriends and eventually fights to save an underage sex worker, "Taxi Driver" remains a breakthrough moment in Scorsese's career, an all-time great De Niro performance, and one of the best New York City movies ever made. This vivid chronicle of a certain time and place is as brutal as it is compelling.

• Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd
• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Year: 1976
• Runtime: 114 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

In his feature directorial debut, "Hamilton" maestro Lin-Manuel Miranda creates yet another passion project: An adaptation of a one-man show by "Rent" creator Jonathan Larson about aging, ambition, and feeling like your life is about to blow up. Andrew Garfield turns in what might be the performance of his life, the musical numbers are predictably fantastic, and the film just might move you in ways you didn't think possible.

• Starring: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Vanessa Hudgens
• Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Year: 2021
• Runtime: 121 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

Josh and Benny Safdie turn their unique lens on the story of a fast-talking jewelry dealer who happens to be deep in debt and in way over his head with a gambling problem. The result is one of the most taut experiences you're ever likely to have with a movie. Adam Sandler is incredible in the leading role, but the real star of "Uncut Gems" is the relentless tension, which will have you nervously laughing right up until the film's final moments.

• Starring: Adam Sandler, LaKeith Stanfield, Julia Fox
• Director: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 134 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan tried to recapture some of their "Sleepless in Seattle" magic with this romantic comedy from "Sleepless" creator Nora Ephron, and lightning did indeed strike twice. Based on the classic film "The Shop Around the Corner," "You've Got Mail" pits Hanks and Ryan against each other as two rival bookstore owners who also happen to be unknowingly falling in love with each other via anonymous online messaging. It's a tough needle to thread, but the combination of the cast and Ephron's witty writing make it work.

• Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey
• Director: Nora Ephron
• Year: 1998
• Runtime: 119 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 69%