The weather is turning, and there’s nothing better than cozying up under a blanket and tossing on a movie with the ones you love. (Plus, with the whole pandemic going on, there’s not a lot else to do.)
With that in mind, we’ve ranked our 52 favorite movies that are currently streaming for free for Amazon Prime members. While Prime lets you order just about any movie under the sun, not all of them are included for free for members.
These are. So hopefully this is a bit of help.
You can also check out some of our other lists:
Alright, scroll down and you can get to our list of our favorite movies streaming for free on Amazon Prime.
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1
Usual Suspects
Release year:
1995
What we think:
Christopher McQuarrie’s noir classic has one of the great twist endings of all time. If you haven’t seen it, read nothing else, and go watch this movie. If you have seen it, well, it’s almost as much fun watching when you know what’s going to come.
2
Knives Out
Release year:
2019
What we think:
Rian Johnson wrote and directed this perfect bit of mystery, with Daniel Craig having more fun than anyone ever should with a ridiculous Southern accent. Hands down one of the best movies of the last few years.
3
The Goldfinch
Release year:
2019
What we think:
This adaptation of the Donna Tartt novel may not pack quite the punch that the book does, but it does have some beautiful set pieces and arresting imagery.
4
The Hustle
Release year:
2019
What we think:
Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson are charming in this update to the Steve Martin classic, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The formula may be tried and true, but there are new laughs to be found here.
5
Hotel Artemis
Release year:
2018
What we think:
This film felt a little like a close cousin to John Wick, and while it may not be as winning (no Keanu Reeves will do that to you), it does have some great action sequences and a clear sense of style.
6
7500
Release year:
2020
What we think:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in this film about a hijacked plane and the young co-pilot forced to make increasingly impossible decision. Tense, if a bit run-of-the-mill. For fans of the thriller genre, you’ll enjoy it.
7
Escape From Alcatraz
Release year:
1979
What we think:
Clint Eastwood gives a perfect, classic, grimace-y performance as the man who figures out a way to escape from Alcatraz. It might not have the bodaciousness of The Rock, but it’s still a great escape flick.
8
Rambo: Last Blood
Release year:
2019
What we think:
If you’re a fan of a grizzled Sly Stallone running up a body count, you’re going to enjoy the latest entry to the Rambo series. Haven’t seen the previous ones? It truly doesn’t much matter.
9
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish)
Release year:
2010
What we think:
The original trilogy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo may not have had the style of David Fincher’s American version, and yes, this film is in Swedish. But Noomi Rapace dazzles in the role that helped make her a star.
10
A Most Wanted Man
Release year:
2014
What we think:
One of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last films is a tense spy thriller with more double crosses than you can count. It requires a bit of focus as the plot can wind, but it’s got some great performances and moments.
11
Brittany Runs A Marathon
Release year:
2019
What we think:
This film is sort of booked as a romantic comedy, but it really isn’t. It more stems from the Knocked Up school of “lovable mess in their twenties tries to figure life out” movies, and it’s similarly fun and funny.
12
The Report
Release year:
2019
What we think:
Adam Driver is stirring in a committed performance about the man charged with investigating his own country’s behavior in the War on Terror. The film can be a bit sanctimonious at times, but it’s a hard story to tell, and they tell it with clear eyes.
13
The Farewell
Release year:
2019
What we think:
Awkwafina gives a heartfelt and truly funny performance as a granddaughter who travels home to China to say goodbye to the family matriarch. The only issue? No one has told grandma why they’re there.
14
Friends with Kids
Release year:
2012
What we think:
A loaded cast has a lot of fun with this very funny, at times cringe-y look at adulthood, parenthood, relationships, and the sacrifices we make as we get older. With Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Adam Scott and more.
15
Mission Impossible: Fallout
Release year:
2018
What we think:
With the possible exception of The Fast and the Furious movies, Mission Impossible is the most consistently excellent franchises out there, and in terms of action alone, Fallout is among the best this series has ever had to offer.
16
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Release year:
2011
What we think:
My personal favorite of the Mission Impossible franchise, Ghost Protocol introduced new characters but managed to never sacrifice the core of what made the franchise what it was … in fact, the additions only elevated things.
17
A Simple Favor
Release year:
2018
What we think:
Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick are spectacular in this funny, weird, almost-a-spoof of the sexy thriller genre. Is writer/director Paul Feig making a loving homage, or is he making fun of the source material? I have no idea, but that’s what makes it so wonderful.
18
The Spy Who Dumped Me
Release year:
2018
What we think:
This, on the other hand, is clearly a spoof, but a lovingly done one, with Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, who have a blast with the material and score laughs throughout.
19
Honey Boy
Release year:
2019
What we think:
Shia LaBeouf gives an absolutely arresting performance in a character based on his own father, who leads his son through a rough early life as a childhood actor. Catharsis as filmmaking, and heartbreaking to watch.
20
One Child Nation
Release year:
2019
What we think:
This powerful documentary tells a personal story, about the history of China’s one-child policy, and the (perhaps unintended) consequences that came from it, and ripped some families apart.
21
Logan Lucky
Release year:
2017
What we think:
Daniel Craig is making a cottage industry of “throwing on a ridiculous Southern accent and stealing a movie.” He sure does it here, in this heist film also starring Channing Tatum and Adam Driver.
22
The Next Three Days
Release year:
2010
What we think:
The premise of this film is preposterous, but Russell Crowe is convincing enough as a man who’s forced to do some wild things to save the woman he loves and keep his family together. Tap into that willing suspension of disbelief and have a blast.
23
mid90s
Release year:
2018
What we think:
Jonah Hill directs this gritty, wonderful look at young manhood, and the skate park culture that defined so much of the 1990s. What starts as a foul-mouthed skate film soon transforms into something heart-wrenching and meaningful.
24
The Lost City of Z
Release year:
2017
What we think:
Charlie Hunnam gives an earnest performance as an explorer committed to finding a lost great civilization in the Amazon. With Robert Pattinson in a charming, supporting role.
25
Fighting with My Family
Release year:
2019
What we think:
This movie is better than I ever thought it would be, thanks to its full willingness to lean into the lunacy of the story and the world of WWE. The Rock pops up a couple times, too, because of course he does. Even if you aren’t a fan of professional wrestling, there’s a lot to like her.
26
Late Night
Release year:
2019
What we think:
The message of this film may be a bit muddled (a late night host needs saving because she is at once too boring with doing somber news hits, but also not willing to talk about the news? or something?) but Emma Thompson is so charming that it’s hard not to get onboard with the movie.
27
Generation Wealth
Release year:
2018
What we think:
It is, quite simply, a movie about the worst people in the world, and how (somehow) our nation has come to view them as people that should be idolized and imitated.
28
Last Flag Flying
Release year:
2017
What we think:
Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Lawrence Fishburne star in this film about veterans going on a road trip to help their friend bury his son. At times hilarious, at times enraging, almost always excellent.
29
Manchester by the Sea
Release year:
2016
What we think:
If you want to cry harder than you’ve ever cried before, real gross, ugly tears, check out this film starring Casey Affleck. It’s beautiful. It’s so well written. It’s heartbreaking. Just thinking about it gets me wrecked.
30
Suspiria
Release year:
2018
What we think:
This modern adaptation of one of the weirdest horror films ever put to film may not be as psychedelic as the original, but that’s probably a good thing. With Dakota Johnson starring.
31
Apocalypto
Release year:
2006
What we think:
Mel Gibson directs this thriller about the Mayan kingdom, and the days when it went from a world power, to just starting to crack at the seams. A violent, clear-eyed look at an oft-forgotten part of history.
32
Clue: The Movie
Release year:
1985
What we think:
A movie about a board game has no right to be this witty, this well written, this well acted, and this utterly unforgettable. One of the great comedies of the 1980s, and it’s about a board game. A board game!
33
The Lighthouse
Release year:
2019
What we think:
Want to get nuts? This film, starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, gets nuts. I can’t even begin to describe what happens here. If you’re willing to get weird, and like your cinema original, watch this. It is wholly original.
34
Super Size Me
Release year:
2004
What we think:
One of the most important documentaries ever made, this film’s conceit has been copied many times over, but none of the copycats ever had its impact. This film changed the way America ate.
35
I Am Not Your Negro
Release year:
2017
What we think:
A powerful documentary that uses mostly archival footage to tell the story of James Baldwin, and lets the man tell it himself, in his own words.
36
Light of My Life
Release year:
2019
What we think:
Casey Affleck stars in this post-apocalyptic film about a father, a daughter, and a world where almost all of the women have died off. It may not be as stylish as The Road, but Affleck gives a powerful performance.
37
The Big Sick
Release year:
2017
What we think:
A charming romantic comedy about a couple that begins falling in love just as one of them gets terribly sick. It’s not often you find romance in a film set mostly in hospitals, but that’s what you get here.
38
Roman Holiday
Release year:
1953
What we think:
Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn are iconic in this classic rom com. Come for the banter and performances, but also it’s fun to watch the individual scenes and pick off just how influential this movie is, by all the films that came later and ripped it off.
39
Troop Zero
Release year:
2020
What we think:
Allison Janney and Viola Davis have too much fun in this movie about a misbegotten Girl Scout troop, and the trouble they get in. A perfect romp with some memorable scenes.
40
The Peanut Butter Falcon
Release year:
2019
What we think:
Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson are joined by debutante Zack Gottsagen in this lovely film about a young man with Down syndrome who befriends a wanted man on the run.
41
Inception
Release year:
2010
What we think:
Perhaps Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, this film walks the line perfectly between mind-bending sci fi flick and heart-stopping thriller. Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt ground the thing, with honest performances that make you forget just how ridiculous all of it is. A great piece of cinema.
42
Midnight in Paris
2011
What we think:
Woody Allen takes on nostalgia in this time-travel movie about a writer who gets to go back and visit his heroes. The message may be slight and a bit on the nose, but Owen Wilson is so lovable it’s hard not to get wrapped up in the thing.
43
Red
Release year:
2010
What we think:
A perfect little action film, about aging secret agents — Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren — who are forced to dust off their licenses to kill for one more romp.
44
Margin Call
Release year:
2011
What we think:
Zachary Quinto is spellbinding in this film about the 2008 economic collapse, a film that is so well written I find myself returning to it time and time again, if only to get caught up in the dialogue.
45
The Royal Tenenbaums
Release year:
2001
What we think:
Wes Anderson’s finest film, about an aging patriarch — Royal Tenenbaum — and the disaster he’s left in his wake. His children are all preternaturally gifted, but they’re all broken. A stunning achievement.
46
Legends of the Fall
Release year:
1994
What we think:
Young, hunky Brad Pitt in a Western? Why not? The film can feel a bit dated, I suppose, but there are some fun scenes and some moving performances.
47
The Holiday
Release year:
2006
What we think:
Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet switch homes and then fall in love with some fellas in this film from Nancy Meyers. Toss in some loving odes to old Hollywood, and you got yourself a weeper.
48
Casino Royale
Release year:
2006
What we think:
Daniel Craig’s introduction as James Bond may be the most constrained Bond film ever made. Most of it takes place over a few nights at a casino, and that restraint actually aides it, and makes the film stand out compared to so many of the other bombastic films in the franchise.
49
My Spy
Release year:
2020
What we think:
An update on the “bodyguard hired to protect a kid” genre of film (shoutout Sinbad in First Kid) this movie will get you some laughs and is moderately family friendly.
50
The Vast of Night
Release year:
2020
What we think:
A homespun bit of sci-fi that feels like a miracle. With a lean budget, and a couple of talkative performances, director Andrew Patterson manages to create an entire, believable world to inhabit.
51
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Release year:
2004
What we think:
If Royal Tenenbaums is Wes Anderson’s masterpiece, The Life Aquatic may be the funniest film he’s ever made. (Or running a close second to Rushmore.) Bill Murray steals every scene he’s in, as an aging oceanic explorer who can’t seem to do anything right.