If you and your significant other have decided to stay in for Valentine’s Day this year, what better way to celebrate cozily than by watching one of the best movies on Amazon Prime? The platform is one of the best streaming services to subscribe to for finding something couples can enjoy together – such as romances like the Amazon Prime original movie Red, White & Royal Blue, comedies like Hundreds of Beavers, action flicks like The Hurt Locker, and a mix of all three genres with The Fall Guy. See what other older classics and recent favorites come with an Amazon Prime subscription, as of February 1, 2025, in the following guide.
Loving Vincent (2017)
Director: D.K. Welchman, Hugh Welchman
Starring: Douglas Booth, Jerome Flynn
What it’s about: After arriving in renowned painter Vincent van Gogh’s hometown to deliver him a letter, a young man begins investigating his death.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Loving Vincent is one of the best animated movies for grown-ups and is especially praised for the fact that each frame is a fully completed oil painting.
The Hurt Locker (2009)
Director: Kathyrn Bigelow
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie
What it’s about: The newly appointed leader of a military bomb disposal unit stationed in Iraq stirs conflict with his colleagues with his rebellious, death-defying methods.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Bigelow became the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar for The Hurt Locker, which also took home the top prize for its intimate action sequences and unique commentary on the addictive properties of war.
The Fall Guy (2024)
Director: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt
What it’s about: After agreeing to work on his ex-girlfriend’s directorial debut, a retired stuntman is tasked with finding the film’s missing star.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: In addition to being an exciting cinematic adaptation of a classic TV show, The Fall Guy is a fun and romantic love letter to one of the most underappreciated heroes of the film industry: stunt performers.
The Social Network (2010)
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield
What it’s about: Mark Zuckerberg faces lawsuits from fellow Harvard students who allege he stole the idea for Facebook from them and his co-founder and former best friend.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Aaron Sorkin won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for penning The Social Network – a wonderfully acted and thoroughly riveting dramatization of the scandalous events that led to the rise of social media.
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: Spike Lee, Danny Aiello
What it’s about: Racial tension begins to heat up on the streets of Brooklyn on a steaming summer day.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The Oscar-nominated dramedy, Do the Right Thing remains one of Spike Lee’s most socially relevant movies to this day.
Blink Twice (2024)
Director: Zoë Kravitz
Starring: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum
What it’s about: A young woman begins to question her reality when strange things begin to happen during her stay on a tech billionaire’s idyllic private island.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Kravitz makes a strong directorial debut with the clever and sometimes funny thriller, Blink Twice, which boasts some explosive and shocking twists.
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Director: John Landis
Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd
What it’s about: Two reunited brothers try to put their band back together and organize a show to save the orphanage where they grew up.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The first and, arguably, the best movie based on SNL characters is The Blues Brothers for its one-of-a-kind wit and unbelievable musical numbers.
Hundreds Of Beavers (2024)
Director: Mike Cheslik
Starring: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Olivia Graves
What it’s about: A former applejack salesman is forced to turn to fur-trapping to survive the harsh winter.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Hundreds of Beavers, a slapstick comedy that was unfairly snubbed in the Golden Globes’ Best Picture category, is an astonishing blend of Silent Era aesthetics with Looney Tunes-style absurdity and boasts some of the most ingenious sight gags in years.
Knives Out (2019)
Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans
What it’s about: A famed, Southern private investigator is called in to investigate the death of a dysfunctional family’s wealthy patriarch.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The brilliant performances by the star-studded cast and Rian Johnson’s knack for crafting dazzlingly subversive mysteries make Knives Out one of the best whodunits on Amazon Prime.
Mystery Men (1999)
Director: Kinka Usher
Starring: Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo
What it’s about: A group of wannabe costumed vigilantes with unusual skills and abilities become the last hope for their city against a paroled supervillain.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Loosely inspired by Dark Horse Comics’ Flaming Carrot series, Mystery Men is one of the most hilariously bizarre and criminally underrated superhero movies, boasting a sharp satirical edge way ahead of its time.
Heat (1995)
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer
What it’s about: An elusive gang of thieves find themselves under the LAPD’s radar.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Michael Mann is currently working on a sequel to Heat, which is considered his masterpiece for its dynamite performances, absorbing narrative, and beautifully shot action sequences.
Frank (2014)
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Starring: Micheal Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal
What it’s about: An aspiring musician inadvertently becomes a disruptive force in an experimental band led by a talented eccentric who hides his face under a Papier-mâché mask.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Inspired by the career of indie rock artist Frank Sidebottom and written by his former bandmate Jon Ronson, Frank is an intriguing exploration of the conflict between fame and ambition and one of the most unique and best music movies of its time.
Unforgiven (1992)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman
What it’s about: A widowed father and farmer rediscovers the deadly ways of his past in hopes of collecting a reward for avenging an injustice in a quaint village.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Years after breaking through as one of the genre’s finest stars, Clint Eastwood made one of the absolute best Western movies of his career (let alone of all time) with the riveting Unforgiven.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Director: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger
What it’s about: Three California detectives of greatly differing methods take on corruption from within their police department in the 1950s.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: L.A. Confidential is a beautifully told, old-fashioned slice of noir fiction featuring an Oscar-winning performance by Basinger.
Labyrinth (1987)
Director: Jim Henson
Starring: David Bowie, Jennifer Connolly
What it’s about: A teenage girl must journey to a strange world to rescue her infant brother.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: With timeless puppetry and an iconically devilish performance by David Bowie, Labyrinth is a beloved fantasy movie classic.
Babylon (2022)
Director: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva
What it’s about: The highs and lows of 1920s Hollywood as seen through the eyes of a veteran actor, an up-and-coming starlet, an aspiring studio employee, and others.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Easily one of the best Margot Robbie movies, Babylon is a spectacular, mesmerizing, funny, and ultimately devastating portrait of a formative era in cinematic history.
Oh, God! (1977)
Director: Carl Reiner
Starring: George Burns, John Denver, Teri Garr
What it’s about: An assistant grocery store manager is chosen by God Himself to help spread his message to mankind.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Also one of Teri Garr’s best movies, Oh, God! is a delightful and inspiring comedy.
Die Hard (1988)
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginal VelJohnson
What it’s about: A New York cop becomes the only hope to save his estranged wife and her co-workers when European thieves take them hostage in an L.A. skyscraper on Christmas Eve.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Arguably the all-time best Christmas action movie is Die Hard, which became an instant classic for its heart-racing sequences and Bruce Willis’ brilliant everyman approach to playing John McClane.
My Old Ass (2024)
Director: Megan Park
Starring: Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza
What it’s about: A mushroom trip allows teenage Elliott to communicate with her future self.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The coming-of-age fantasy comedy My Old Ass has been well-received for its inventive concept, hilarious performance, and insightful message.
Monkey Man (2024)
Director: Dev Patel
Starring: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley
What it’s about: An unnamed man wages a personal war against corruption in Mumbai.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Dev Patel makes a promising directorial debut with one of the most moving and exciting thrillers of 2024, Monkey Man.
Modern Times (1936)
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Starring: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard
What it’s about: The Tramp and a homeless woman struggle to make ends meet amidst the rise of the Industrial Revolution.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: While released years after talkies took over, Modern Times is arguably Charlie Chaplin’s funniest and most timeless silent film.
Challengers (2024)
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor
What it’s about: A tennis prodigy-turned-coach’s husband aims to correct his losing streak by beating his former best friend, who is also her ex-boyfriend.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The 2024 sports movie Challengers became one of the most talked about films of the year for its intriguing plot and steamy subject matter.
Creed (2015)
Director: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone
What it’s about: The illegitimate son of Apollo Creed asks Rocky Balboa to help train him to become a champion.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: A continuation of the Rocky movies, Creed is a modern boxing movie classic all its own, with brilliant fight choreography, breathtaking performances, and moving themes of forming one’s own path toward glory.
Nosferatu (1922)
Director: F.W. Murnau
Starring: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach
What it’s about: A real estate agent encounters the grim and grotesque Count Orlok.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Before Count Dracula first hit the big screen, F.W. Murnau released an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel called Nosferatu, which is still considered one of the all-time best vampire movies and one of the silent era’s most terrifying films.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023)
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell
What it’s about: The latest assignment for Ethan Hunt and his team puts them at odds with a sophisticated computer program.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: For its breathtaking action sequences and ingenious cast additions, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning is one of the best Mission: Impossible movies yet but the story is not over as the upcoming Mission: Impossible 8 is still on its way.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr.
What it’s about: Gifted physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer is tasked with helping the government end World War II by developing the atomic bomb.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The Best Picture Oscar winner for 2024, Oppenheimer – one of the most absorbing history lessons put to film – also took home awards for Best Director, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr., and more.
American Fiction (2023)
Director: Cord Jefferson
Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown
What it’s about: A frustrated Black author finally lands his first best-seller but under a pen name and with a book full of racial stereotypes.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Jeffrey Wright earned his first Academy Award nomination for leading American Fiction – a sharp satire based on Percival Everett’s satirical novel, Erasure.
Super Size Me (2004)
Director: Morgan Spurlock
Starring: Morgan Spurlock
What it’s about: Morgan Spurlock puts his health on the line to document what would happen if he only ate at McDonald’s for 30 days.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The late Morgan Spurlock became one of the most esteemed documentarians of his time with his Oscar-nominated breakthrough hit, Super Size Me, which convinced the world to rethink how they consumed the fast food industry.
The Holdovers (2023)
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
What it’s about: Forced to remain on campus during the holiday break, a disgruntled prep school teacher, a troubled student, and a cafeteria worker form an unexpected bond.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: From writer David Hemingson, The Holdovers is destined to be a holiday comedy classic for its tenderly heartbreaking and uplifting moments, wonderful performances, and convincing ‘70s-style aesthetic.
Monster (2003)
Director: Patty Jenkins
Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci
What it’s about: After killing a client in self-defense, a Daytona Beach sex worker adopts the deadly act as a typical part of her operation.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Charlize Theron earned an Oscar for her performance as infamous serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Patty Jenkins’ great directorial debut, Monster.
Women Talking (2022)
Director: Sarah Polley
Starring: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand
What it’s about: A group of women discuss whether or not to leave their Mennonite village in the wake of a sexual assault.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Sarah Polley won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for Women Talking – a heart-wrenching, remarkably timely drama based on true events and anchored by a stunning all-star cast.
Sicario (2015)
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin
What it’s about: An FBI agent begins to question the true intentions of her assignment when she joins a government task force taking on a drug cartel.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The intense action thriller, Sicario, is one of director Denis Villeneuve’s best movies, featuring visually striking cinematography by Roger Deakins.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Director: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page
What it’s about: A charming band of thieves embark on a dangerous quest to retrieve a lost artifact.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Most adventurers would agree that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves effectively captures the essence of participating in a campaign for the popular role-playing game.
Memento (2000)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
What it’s about: A former insurance investigator desperately tries to overcome his severe condition of short-term memory loss in order to solve his wife’s murder.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Cleverly told in reverse order to keep the audience in the protagonist’s headspace, Memento is one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies and a refreshing achievement in the crime thriller genre in general.
Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
Director: Matthew López
Starring: Taylor Zakhar Perez, Nicholas Galitzine
What it’s about: After an embarrassing cake-related incident that captured the public’s attention, the son of the President and the prince of England are forced to end their feud, which only leads them to fall for one another.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Based on the best-selling novel by Casey McQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue is a winning LGBTQ+ romantic comedy with an upcoming sequel in the works for Amazon Prime.
Manchester By The Sea (2016)
Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Starring: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams
What it’s about: Ill-tempered Boston handyman Lee Chandler becomes haunted by painful memories from his past after tragedy suddenly makes him the legal guardian to his teenage nephew.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Casey Affleck’s inspired performance and Kenneth Lonergan’s devastating original screenplay earned two Academy Awards for Manchester by the Sea – an acclaimed Amazon original that was also produced by Matt Damon.
One Night In Miami (2020)
Director: Regina King
Starring: Leslie Odom Jr., Aldis Hodge, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree
What it’s about: Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gather together to discuss the state of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: In her first feature-length directorial effort, Academy Award-winning actor Regina King guides four actors at the top of their game in the One Night in Miami cast in writer Kemp Powers' adaption of his own acclaimed stage play.
Well, a subscriber to the streaming giant certainly cannot ask for a better assortment of flicks for the ultimate binge. Check back to see what other classics have been added or removed from Amazon Prime Video next month.
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