Now is a great time to get an Amazon Prime subscription and start watching movies. Much like Netflix, Prime Video can be unnecessarily difficult to navigate. If you don’t already know what movies or Amazon Prime TV shows you’re looking for, you really only have the app’s suggestions to go off of. To help you out, we’ve slogged through thousands of movie titles to find the best movies on Amazon Prime in October 2021.
If you’re looking for more than just what movies are on Amazon Prime, we’ve also found the best Netflix movies, Hulu movies, Disney+ movies, and documentaries to stream right now.
Added to the list this month
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Die Hard1988 -
The Report2019
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The Social Network2010
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Platoon1986
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Die Hard (1988) new
Genre
Action, Thriller
Stars
Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia
Directed by
John McTiernan
132m
“Yippee-Ki-Yay, mother*******.” One of the most quotable and best-ever action flicks is Die Hard: a movie with fantastic villains, Bruce Willis in his prime, and the only full-on action movie to ever be considered a Christmas movie. No, it’s not technically a Christmas movie but it takes place during a corporate Christmas party at Nakatomi Plaza.
The Report (2019) new
Genre
Biography, Crime, Drama
Stars
Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm
Directed by
Scott Z. Burns
119m
An incredible Amazon Original chock full of award-worthy performances from the leading actors, The Report is a chillingly accurate telling of the highly questionable torture conducted by the CIA following the 9/11 attacks. Based on the true story of the investigational findings from Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones (Adam Driver), he uncovers some horrible information about the merciless and sometimes unprovoked torture tactics exercised on captured Muslims in a CIA black site.
The Social Network (2010) new
Genre
Biography, Drama
Stars
Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
Directed by
David Fincher
120m
A telling and informative tale that may be one of the best movies of a generation, The Social Network exposed the drama behind the creation of Facebook. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin wrote the script for this film, technically based on Ben Mezrich’s The Accidental Billionaires but he has stated that he had written almost 80 pages before the book was even released. Released less than 10 years after Facebook’s big boom, this film — however profound and scandalous — was just the tip of the scandal iceberg, which merits murmurs of a sequel to portray the last 20 years of insanity.
Platoon (1986) new
Genre
Drama, War
Stars
Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe
Directed by
Oliver Stone
120m
Full of iconic scenes continually referenced in pop culture, Platoon is a war movie about the many things that can go wrong in the human mind when pushed to its limit. A young man (Charlie Sheen) with a longing for glory enlists in the Vietnam war but quickly realizes the many costs, as his cohort begins to turn on each other over how they respectively treat the locals. As this film progresses, it reveals itself as more of a psychological thriller than a war movie, blurring the lines between good and bad in a scarring way.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) new
Genre
Action, Adventure, Comedy
Stars
Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston
Directed by
Wes Anderson
119m
One of the more serious movies from writer/director Wes Anderson, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is still quite high on the quirky scale even for our famously quirky creator. When marine biologist/documentarian/ship captain Steve Zissou loses his mentor to the legendary jaguar shark, he makes it his mission to hunt and kill the creature while, of course, documenting it all. The reason the movie is bleak is the main character, Steve Zissou (played wonderfully by Bill Murray), who provokes a strange sort of curiosity if the viewer chooses to look a little deeper and see his many life failures.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Genre
Biography, Crime, Drama
Stars
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken
Directed by
Steven Spielberg
141m
Based on the very real exploits of former con-man Frank Abagnale Jr., Catch Me If You Can is a crime drama that details his early life and causes of his mischief. Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) is neither a doctor, a pilot, nor a lawyer, but it makes the forged checks he cashes all over the country that much more believable. Fun and charming are two words that could be used to describe this film, but the performances are what really make it one of the best Steven Spielberg movies ever.
Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014)
Genre
Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Stars
Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Tracy Ann Oberman
Directed by
Peter Chelsom
114m
A lovely and pleasant affirmation of life, Hector and the Search for Happiness plays to Simon Pegg’s strengths in a great way. When Hector (Simon Pegg) starts treating his job in psychiatry as just the daily grind, he decides he must find out what happiness means by searching the globe for it himself before he can give it to others. Delightfully British and intensely charming, this film is a great tale of life, love, and happiness.
Honey Boy (2019)
Genre
Drama
Stars
Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe
Directed by
Alma Har'el
94m
Loosely based on the life of once child actor and now tabloid target Shia LaBeouf, Honey Boy is a gripping and emotional tale riddled with fantastic performances. A 12-year-old boy starts to make it in Hollywood on a hit comedy show, causing his alcoholic and abusive father to push him forward in his own manipulative way. Fun fact: Shia himself chose to portray his own father in the film, despite telling his father that Mel Gibson would portray him to get him to sign off on the film’s creation.
The Manual Streaming Roundup
Minority Report (2002)
Genre
Action, Crime, Mystery
Stars
Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton
Directed by
Steven Spielberg
145m
For fans of the sci-fi genre, Steven Spielberg teams up with action superstar Tom Cruise for a futuristic action drama that blows audiences away. Set in futuristic 2054 Washington, D.C., police employ psychic technology to see and stop crime before it even happens. Any fan of sci-fi should check this movie out if you also enjoy seeing Cruise kick some ass and do all his own stunts, mixed with the smooth sci-fi visual effects that make it into a spectacle for its time.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Stars
Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer
Directed by
David Fincher
158m
Before watching this film, be forewarned that it has some very disturbing and graphic scenes. Don’t get it twisted, the revenge is swift and just, but the shock is surely the darkest of all of the David Fincher films and among the most affecting in film history. A journalist at the likely end of his career teams up with an anti-social hacker, agreeing to look for the member of a big and wealthy family who has been missing for 40 years. The highlight of this film is its unique story and its incredible cast, all of which do well to creep you out in a lingering way.
Sound of Metal (2019)
Genre
Drama, Music
Stars
Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci
Directed by
Darius Marder
120m
An Amazon original and a breakout starring role for Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal is an intensely dramatic film of a man torn between two lives as he loses his hearing. After hearing the distressing news that his condition will only worsen, he tries not to go back into his ways of heavy drug use and the rock star lifestyle he has come to know and love. Winner of best film editing and best sound editing at this year’s Oscars, it was also nominated for a handful of other awards including best picture.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova, Tom Hanks
Directed by
Jason Woliner
95m
In a shockingly ridiculous social experiment of a movie, Sacha Baron Cohen takes his classic Borat character back to the screen in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Borat is released from prison in his home country of Kazakhstan under one condition: return to America and redeem Kazakhstan by giving the vice president a great gift. Loose plot aside, this film goes to new lengths of shock with the help of Tutar (Maria Bakalova), Borat’s daughter and “gift” to the vice president. Nominated this year for best adapted screenplay and best actress in a supporting role, Bakalova is instrumental to the hilarity of this raunchy sequel, acting at times alone opposite normal people unaware of the movie’s production.
Highlander (1986)
Genre
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars
Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown
Directed by
Russell Mulcahy
116m
If you’re looking to experience one of the most 80s movies ever made, look no further than this for a somewhat corny but timeless epic that has been forever referenced in pop culture since its premiere. Russell Nash aka Connor MacCleod (Christopher Lambert) is the Highlander: An immortal warrior among a handful of others destined to battle throughout the centuries, only defeated by decapitation. Featuring a rock-operatic soundtrack and the excellent, spine-chilling villain, Kurgan played by the under-appreciated Clancy Brown, Highlander might make your list of favorites (given you enjoy ’80s films).
Guns Akimbo (2019)
Genre
Action, Comedy, Thriller
Stars
Daniel Radcliffe, Samara Weaving, Ned Dennehy
Directed by
Jason Lei Howden
98m
One of the few Daniel Radcliffe films following his career in the Harry Potter series, this film runs the exact opposite direction from family entertainment and headfirst into blood and carnage. An unconfident, office-working internet troll messes around on the wrong comment thread, resulting in his unwilling recruitment into a modern-day gladiator fight with the city as its battlefield. With some fun and original special effects and plot devices, Guns Akimbo gives Radcliffe an opportunity to expand and explore his acting range.
Pumping Iron (1977)
Genre
Documentary, Sport
Stars
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Matty Ferrigno
Directed by
George Butler, Robert Fiore
86m
In a distinctive and career-forming documentary, we follow the journey of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his younger years, absolutely destroying the competition in the bodybuilding universe. Focused on the lifestyle and multiple divisions of bodybuilding competitions (including a narrative of Lou Ferrigno’s younger years), this documentary provides a glimpse into the unique world that these supermen live and breathe. Though it’s not one of the best Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, it’s a great way to learn about his early feats.
The Big Sick (2017)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Stars
Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano
Directed by
Michale Showalter
120m
The Big Sick is based on the real-life love story of comedian Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. The story follows Nanjiani as he struggles to build up a career in standup. After a run-in with a heckler named Emily (Zoe Kazan), a relationship quickly forms. However, the couple is faced with a family pushback and when they break up, a coma is what brings them back together. This original dramedy is one of the best romantic comedy movies of our generation.
The Lighthouse (2019)
Genre
Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Stars
Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe
Directed by
Robert Eggers
110m
Two men both named Thomas (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) are working as lighthouse attendants on a dislocated New England island, both struggling to maintain sanity and their grasp on reality itself. Though this film is classified as horror, that is really only because of the tension created by masterful cinematography, a haunting soundtrack, and the stirring performances by Pattinson and Dafoe.
One Night in Miami... (2020)
Genre
Drama
Stars
Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge
Directed by
Regina King
114m
A film based on true events follows four icons in their prime, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke, as they meet in Miami one historic night. As these figures come together in the mid-1960s, they discuss what their success and responsibility mean as they carry the weight of the world during the civil-rights movement. In Regina King’s directorial breakout, we learn more about the struggle of civil rights in its time and how it has changed today. Boasting a handful of Oscar nominations this year, this film is a powerhouse of performance and information to take with you.
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Music
Stars
Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman
Directed by
The Coen Brothers
110m
This comedic music movie drama follows a week in the life of young folk singer Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Following the death of his partner, Davis struggles to make it as a musician during a harsh New York winter. With many seemingly insurmountable obstacles to overcome, the life of a folk musician is not a glamourous one. If you like the Coen Brothers as filmmakers, then you’re most likely going to enjoy this movie.
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