The trouble with Amazon Prime Video is that, in spite of its great roster of movies to watch, many of them are so buried that you might never even know they were there. If you’re trying to find something to watch on the streamer and coming up blank, then you’re in luck.
We’ve pulled together a list of three great Prime Video movies that are well worth checking out, including at least one you might have totally forgotten about. Between the three titles, there’s sure to be something for you to enjoy:
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Captain Phillips (2013)
Telling the true story of a freight ship that was kidnapped by Somali pirates, Captain Phillips follows the pirates and the crew of the ship as they contend with one another amid perilous circumstances.
Anchored by one of Tom Hanks’s very best performances and directed with grounded verve by Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips is thrilling right up until its final moments, even if you know exactly what will happen. Hanks’s final scene here, in which he is finally safe enough to feel what he’s been feeling the whole movie, is one of the best scenes of the decade.
You can watch Captain Phillips on Amazon Prime Video.
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
An older movie, but one that absolutely holds up all these years later. Sweet Smell of Success tells the story of an incredibly influential newspaper columnist who recruits a publicist to find a way to split up his sister’s relationship.
As the publicist gets increasingly ruthless, the movie becomes a study of how those with power wield influence and how public opinion is honed and molded by these people. Featuring two dynamic central performances from Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster, Sweet Smell of Success knows just how rotten this country is, and it’s endured for that reason.
You can watch Sweet Smell of Success on Prime Video.
Gerry (2002)
Even as Matt Damon was blooming into a full-on movie star, he was still making time for smaller movies like Gerry. Starring Damon and Casey Affleck as two friends both named Gerry who get lost in Death Valley after they wander off a hiking trail and slowly realize how much danger they are in.
Directed by Gus Van Sant, Gerry is bracingly honest about how terrifying it would be to get lost in the desert, even as the two friends try their best to keep high spirits. Van Sant carefully emphasizes how much silence passes between the two, and the film’s final moments are as devastating as they are riveting.
You can watch Gerry on Amazon Prime Video.