The 100 Best Movies on Prime Video (August 2026)

Critics Consensus: Clever, funny, and original, Blow the Man Down is a cinematic journey that’s not to be missed.

Synopsis: Welcome to Easter Cove, a salty fishing village on the far reaches of Maine’s rocky coast. Grieving the loss of their mother and facing an… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Morgan Saylor, Sophie Lowe, Margo Martindale, Will Brittain

Directed By: Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy, Ron Yerxa, Lucas Joaquin

Critics Consensus: A hauntingly powerful reflection on larger-than-life figures, One Night in Miami finds Regina King in command of her craft in her feature directorial debut.

Synopsis: On one incredible night in 1964, four icons of sports, music, and activism gathered to celebrate one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. When… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Eli Goree

Directed By: Regina King, Paul O. Davis, Chris Harding, Regina King

Critics Consensus: Funny, heartfelt, and intelligent, The Big Sick uses its appealing leads and cross-cultural themes to prove the standard rom-com formula still has some fresh angles left to explore.

Synopsis: Kumail is a Pakistani comic, who meets an American graduate student named Emily at one of his stand-up shows. As their relationship blossoms, he soon… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano

Directed By: Michael Showalter, Jeremy Kipp Walker, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon

Critics Consensus: Look around, look around at how beautifully Hamilton shines beyond Broadway – and at how marvelously Thomas Kail captures the stage show’s infectious energy.

Synopsis: The original Broadway production of the award-winning musical that tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, first secretary of the treasury, blending hip-hop, jazz, R&B and… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Leslie Odom Jr., Renée Elise Goldsberry

Directed By: Thomas Kail, Jeffrey Seller, Jon Kamen, Lin-Manuel Miranda

Critics Consensus: Blackfish is an aggressive, impassioned documentary that will change the way you look at performance killer whales.

Synopsis: The story of Tilikum, a captive killer whale that has taken the lives of several people, underscores problems within the sea-park industry, man’s relationship to… View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Judy Bart, Erica Kahn, Rick Brookwell

Critics Consensus: A scrappy coming of age dramedy that pulls off a surprisingly moving tonal sleight of hand, I Like Movies is fiercely unsentimental about cinema nostalgia and all the better for it.

Synopsis: Socially inept 17-year-old cinephile Lawrence Kweller gets a job at a video store where he forms a complicated friendship with his older female manager.

Starring: Isaiah Lehtinen, Alex Ateah, Dan Beirne, Krista Bridges

Directed By: Chandler Levack, Victoria Lean, Michael Solomon

Critics Consensus: An evocative look at the experiences of the deaf community, Sound of Metal is brought to life by Riz Ahmed’s passionate performance.

Synopsis: During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Mathieu Amalric

Directed By: Darius Marder

Critics Consensus: Filled with poignant performances and devastating humor, Annie Hall represents a quantum leap for Woody Allen and remains an American classic.

Synopsis: Comedian Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) examines the rise and fall of his relationship with struggling nightclub singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). Speaking directly to the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane

Directed By: Woody Allen, Robert Greenhut

Critics Consensus: Sleek in design and spiked with dry wit, Black Bag is an exemplary espionage caper that lets movie stars like Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender do what they do best — light up the screen.

Synopsis: BLACK BAG is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh, David Koepp

Critics Consensus: Living sets a high bar for itself in setting out to remake a Kurosawa classic — and director Oliver Hermanus and star Bill Nighy clear it in triumphant fashion.

Synopsis: LIVING is the story of an ordinary man, reduced by years of oppressive office routine to a shadow existence, who at the eleventh hour makes… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp, Tom Burke

Directed By: Oliver Hermanus

Critics Consensus: Love & Friendship finds director Whit Stillman bringing his talents to bear on a Jane Austen adaptation — with a thoroughly delightful period drama as the result.

Synopsis: In the 18th century, the seductive and manipulative Lady Susan (Kate Beckinsale) uses devious tactics to win the heart of the eligible Reginald De Courcy… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel, Morfydd Clark, Emma Greenwell

Directed By: Whit Stillman

Critics Consensus: The Salesman takes an ambitiously complex look at thought-provoking themes, and the well-acted results prove another consistently absorbing entry in writer-director Asghar Farhadi’s distinguished filmography.

Synopsis: After their flat becomes damaged, Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti), a young couple living in Tehran, Iran, must move into another apartment. Once… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, Babak Karimi, Farid Sajjadi Hosseini

Directed By: Asghar Farhadi

Critics Consensus: Tense, funny, and thought-provoking all at once, and lifted by strong performances from Sydney Poitier and Rod Steiger, director Norman Jewison’s look at murder and racism in small-town America continues to resonate today.

Synopsis: African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger), the racist police chief of tiny… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Quentin Dean

Directed By: Norman Jewison

Critics Consensus: Director Jonathan Demme’s smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge between psychological study and all-out horror, and benefits greatly from stellar performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.

Synopsis: Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI’s training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine

Directed By: Jonathan Demme, Gary Goetzman

Critics Consensus: A globetrotting caper that prizes its idiosyncratic pieces over the general puzzle, Charade is a delightful romp with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn’s sparkling chemistry at the center of some perfectly orchestrated mayhem.

Synopsis: After Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) falls for the dashing Peter Joshua (Cary Grant) on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, she discovers upon her… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn

Directed By: Stanley Donen

Critics Consensus: An epic screwball adventure teeming with awe-inspiring action set pieces, One Battle After Another is Paul Thomas Anderson’s most entertaining film yet while also one of his most thematically rich.

Synopsis: Bob is a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, Benicio del Toro

Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson, Will Weiske

Critics Consensus: This tense, paranoid thriller presents Francis Ford Coppola at his finest — and makes some remarkably advanced arguments about technology’s role in society that still resonate today.

Synopsis: Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is hired by a mysterious client’s brusque aide (Harrison Ford) to tail a young couple, Mark (Frederic Forrest) and… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Frederic Forrest, Allen Garfield

Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola

Critics Consensus: A romance for the ages, Sylvie’s Love wraps audiences in the sweet embrace of its old-fashioned romance and celebration of Black love.

Synopsis: In Sylvie’s Love, the jazz is smooth and the air sultry in the hot New York summer of 1957. Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha), a saxophonist, spends… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Eva Longoria, Aja Naomi King

Directed By: Eugene Ashe, Bobbi Sue Luther, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Matt Rachamkin

Critics Consensus: Carrie is a horrifying look at supernatural powers, high school cruelty, and teen angst — and it brings us one of the most memorable and disturbing prom scenes in history.

Synopsis: In this chilling adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel, withdrawn and sensitive teen Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) faces taunting from classmates at school and abuse… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, William Katt, Amy Irving

Directed By: Brian De Palma

Critics Consensus: Part delightfully tense techno-thriller, part refreshingly unpatronizing teen drama, WarGames is one of the more inventive — and genuinely suspenseful — Cold War movies of the 1980s.

Synopsis: High school student David Lightman unwittingly hacks into a military supercomputer while searching for new video games. After starting a game of Global Thermonuclear War,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, Ally Sheedy, John Wood

Directed By: John Badham, Leonard Goldberg

Critics Consensus: Smart, vibrant, and urgent without being didactic, Do the Right Thing is one of Spike Lee’s most fully realized efforts — and one of the most important films of the 1980s.

Synopsis: Salvatore “Sal” Fragione (Danny Aiello) is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito), becomes upset when he… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson

Directed By: Spike Lee

Critics Consensus: A solid courtroom drama led by a pair of nicely contrasted performances, The Burial hits the expected genre beats — and remains a crowd-pleasing treat at every turn.

Synopsis: Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award® winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie

Directed By: Maggie Betts, Ian Watermeier

Critics Consensus: Bolstered by a delightful cast, Parenthood is a funny and thoughtfully crafted look at the best and worst moments of family life that resonates broadly.

Synopsis: Perfectionist Gil Buckman (Steve Martin) struggles with the deficiencies of his children, thinking they reflect poorly on his parenting — and Gil’s siblings only add… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, Jason Robards

Directed By: Ron Howard

Critics Consensus: Roger Donaldson’s modern spin on the dense, stylish suspense films of the 1940s features fine work from Gene Hackman and Sean Young, as well as the career-making performance that made Kevin Costner a star.

Synopsis: Navy Lt. Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) meets a young woman, Susan Atwell (Sean Young), and they share a passionate fling. Farrell then finds out that… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young, Will Patton

Directed By: Roger Donaldson, Mace Neufeld

Critics Consensus: The brilliant minds behind Shaun of the Dead successfully take a shot at the buddy cop genre with Hot Fuzz. The result is a bitingly satiric and hugely entertaining parody.

Synopsis: As a former London constable, Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) finds it difficult to adapt to his new assignment in the sleepy British village of Sandford…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine

Directed By: Edgar Wright, Natascha Wharton

Critics Consensus: If audiences walk away from this subversive, surreal shocker not fully understanding the story, they might also walk away with a deeper perception of the potential of film storytelling.

Synopsis: College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home after his father has a stroke. When he discovers a severed ear in an abandoned field, Beaumont… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern

Directed By: David Lynch

Critics Consensus: Heartfelt, thought-provoking, and above all funny, Barbershop: The Next Cut is the rare belated sequel that more than lives up to the standard set by its predecessors.

Synopsis: To survive harsh economic times, Calvin and Angie have merged the barbershop and beauty salon into one business. The days of male bonding are gone… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Regina Hall, Sean Patrick Thomas

Directed By: Malcolm D. Lee, Malcolm D. Lee, Becki Cross Trujillo, Ronald G. Muhammad

Critics Consensus: While Women Talking sometimes forsakes entertaining drama in favor of simply getting its points across, its message is valuable — and effectively delivered.

Synopsis: Do nothing. Stay and fight. Or leave. In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grapple with reconciling a brutal reality with their faith.

Starring: Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Judith Ivey

Directed By: Sarah Polley

Critics Consensus: Joy Ride isn’t afraid to shock with its gross-out gags, but this road trip’s real surprise is how successfully it blends its raunchy humor with real heart.

Synopsis: The hilarious and unapologetically explicit story of identity and self-discovery centers on four unlikely friends who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure. When Audrey’s (Ashley… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Stephanie Hsu, David Denman, Ashley Park, Annie Mumolo

Directed By: Adele Lim, Dan Clarke

Critics Consensus: Led by Anna Diop’s strong central performance, the smartly disquieting Nanny is a promising debut for writer-director Nikyatu Jusu.

Synopsis: In this psychological horror fable of displacement, Aisha (Anna Diop), a woman who recently emigrated from Senegal, is hired to care for the daughter of… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector

Directed By: Nikyatu Jusu, Ryan Heller, Sumalee Montano, Grace Lay

Critics Consensus: Led by energetic performances from Nicolas Cage and Cher, Moonstruck is an exuberantly funny tribute to love and one of the decade’s most appealing comedies.

Synopsis: No sooner does Italian-American widow Loretta (Cher) accept a marriage proposal from her doltish boyfriend, Johnny (Danny Aiello), than she finds herself falling for his… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cher, Nicolas Cage, Vincent Gardenia, Olympia Dukakis

Directed By: Norman Jewison

Critics Consensus: A marriage of genuine characters, gross out gags, and pathos, Bridesmaids is a female-driven comedy that refuses to be boxed in as Kristen Wiig emerges as a real star.

Synopsis: Annie (Kristen Wiig) is a single woman whose own life is a mess, but when she learns that her lifelong best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph),… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper

Directed By: Paul Feig

Critics Consensus: Daring to substitute its marquee star with a VFX creation and somehow pulling it off, Better Man makes a monkey out of the traditional musical biopic to thrilling effect.

Synopsis: Better Man is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, Raechelle Banno

Directed By: Michael Gracey, Zhe Chen, Robbie Williams, Markus Barmettler

Critics Consensus: Focusing on the good times as it chronicles John Candy’s life and career, I Like Me gathers those who knew and loved the iconic actor for a bittersweet retrospective that feels like a cathartic group hug.

Synopsis: From director Colin Hanks and producer Ryan Reynolds–both lifelong John Candy fans–comes John Candy: I Like Me, an exploration of the life and legacy of… View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Colin Hanks, Ashley Fox, Patrick Gooing

Critics Consensus: Defying gravity with its magical pairing of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Wicked‘s sheer bravura and charm make for an irresistible invitation to Oz.

Synopsis: Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater

Directed By: Jon M. Chu, Stephen Schwartz, David Nicksay, Jared LeBoff

Critics Consensus: Smart, funny, and wildly creative, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent presents Nicolas Cage in peak gonzo form — and he’s matched by Pedro Pascal’s scene-stealing performance.

Synopsis: Nicolas Cage stars as… Nick Cage in the action-comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalized version of… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, Sharon Horgan

Directed By: Tom Gormican, Samson Mucke, Kevin Etten

Critics Consensus: A mixture of Upstairs, Downstairs, Clue, and perceptive social commentary, Gosford Park ranks among director Altman’s best.

Synopsis: Robert Altman, one of America’s most distinctive filmmakers, journeys to England for the first time to create a unique film mosaic with an outstanding ensemble… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Eileen Atkins, Bob Balaban, Alan Bates, Charles Dance

Directed By: Robert Altman, Jane Barclay, Bob Jones, Hannah Leader

Critics Consensus: Expertly shot and edited, The Usual Suspects gives the audience a simple plot and then piles on layers of deceit, twists, and violence before pulling out the rug from underneath.

Synopsis: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist,” says con man Kint, drawing a comparison to the most enigmatic… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak

Directed By: Bryan Singer, Hans Brockmann, François Duplat, Art Horan

Critics Consensus: Leveraging fantasy to explore how bad life choices are evergreen, Timestalker is a clever and imaginative sophomore feature from director and star Alice Lowe.

Synopsis: Timestalker follows hapless heroine Agnes through time as she repeatedly falls for the wrong guy, dies a grim death, gets reincarnated a century later, before… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Alice Lowe, Jacob Anderson, Nick Frost, Kate Dickie

Directed By: Alice Lowe, Ty Francis, Mike Rattenbury, Vaughan Sivell

Critics Consensus: Blessed with a nerve-jangling star turn by Naomi Scott, writer-director Parker Finn broadens Smile‘s conceit into a pop stardom nightmare that’ll leave a rictus grin on horror fans’ faces.

Synopsis: About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage

Directed By: Parker Finn

Critics Consensus: Wearing its twee heart on its sleeve, Beginners explores the depths of modern, multi-generational romance with wit and depth.

Synopsis: After his mother dies, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) is stunned when his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer), recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, comes out of the closet…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic

Directed By: Mike Mills, Joan Scheckel

Critics Consensus: Uneven yet ultimately hard to resist, Joe Wright’s Cyrano puts a well-acted musical spin on the oft-adapted classic tale.

Synopsis: Award-winning director Joe Wright envelops moviegoers in a symphony of emotions with music, romance, and beauty in Cyrano, re-imagining the timeless tale of a heartbreaking… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn

Directed By: Joe Wright, Erica Schmidt, Sarah-Jane Robinson, Sheeraz Shah

Critics Consensus: The Lost City of Z‘s stately pace and visual grandeur hearken back to classic exploration epics, and Charlie Hunnam turns in a masterful performance as its complex protagonist.

Synopsis: At the dawn of the 20th century, British explorer Percy Fawcett journeys into the Amazon, where he discovers evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Tom Holland

Directed By: James Gray, Brad Pitt, Marc Butan, Mark Huffam

Critics Consensus: A darkly ironic blast of comic book sci-fi, RoboCop fuses scabrous political satire with dazzling action and outrageous gore, rising above its bone-crunching premise through sharp humor, sleek visuals, and an unexpectedly mythical edge.

Synopsis: In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox, Dan O'Herlihy

Directed By: Paul Verhoeven, Jon Davison