Sometimes it takes a while to catch up to the things you’ve been putting off doing. Take Netflix’s most popular movie right now: Unhinged. The Russell Crowe thriller came out in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, so a lot of people didn’t get a chance to watch it. Now they can, although seeing Crowe exact brutal revenge may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Fortunately, Netflix has tons of other movies for you to stream. I’ve picked three underrated ones that are worth your attention this weekend. One’s a solid Tom Cruise action movie, another is a bonkers ’70s horror film, and the last one is a Chris Hemsworth tech thriller. There’s something for everyone this weekend on Netflix.
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+.
Jack Reacher (2012)
Tom Cruise has a history of being miscast. Anyone remember the uproar when he was cast as the European vampire Lestat in 1994’s Interview with the Vampire? A similar situation happened with 2012’s Jack Reacher, where the 5 foot, 7-inch-tall actor was cast as Lee Child’s tall, hulking brute, Jack Reacher. The Amazon Prime Video series, Reacher, later rectified that mistake by having the very tall, very massive Alan Ritchson assume the role.
But even as a B-grade Tom Cruise action flick, Jack Reacher rips. It lets Cruise do what he does best: glare at mean men and run around a lot. After a former Army sniper is accused of a mass shooting, his only salvation is one man: ex-U.S. Army Military Police Corps investigator Jack Reacher. But Reacher isn’t quite sure of the man’s innocence. He reluctantly accepts the case, and discovers a conspiracy that even he may not overcome.
Jack Reacher is streaming on Netflix.
The Sentinel (1977)
Is there anything scarier than looking for a cheap place to live in New York City? How about demons from Hell trying to take over the Earth? That’s roughly the premise behind The Sentinel, a Rosemary’s Baby/Suspiria hybrid that’s cheifly interesting due to its time and place (late 1970s Brooklyn) and wild cast that features Old Hollywood stars Ava Gardner, Burgess Meredith, and José Ferrer and then-up-and-comers Jeff Goldblum, Tom Berenger, and Beverly D’Angelo.
Alison Parker (Cristina Raines) is a fashion model in need of a new place to live. She seemingly hits the jackpot when she lands a place at a fancy Brooklyn Heights brownstone. But strange things start happening, including some of her neighbors who may not exist at all, a cat having a birthday party (sorry, that’s weird!), and Alison having hallucinations of her dead father.
What’s going on? Do Alison’s strange visions have a connection to her traumatic past? And what’s up with the blind priest that lives in the top apartment? The Sentinel is ridiculous, but it’s also pretty fun. They don’t make this type of wacko supernatural horror movie anymore, so sit back and buckle up for a wild ride.
The Sentinel is streaming on Netflix.
Blackhat (2015)
Some movies are interesting because they succeed at exactly what they set out to do, while others are interesting due to their failures. Blackhat, a 2015 movie by revered auteur Michael Mann (Ferrari, Heat), falls into the latter category — a movie with a decent cast, a tantalizing plot, and assured direction. That it never quite comes together is enough reason to watch it and, afterwards, debate with yourself as to what exactly went wrong.
Transformers One actor Chris Hemsworth stars as Nicholas Hathaway, a hacker who is in jail for hacking banks. He receives an intriguing offer from the FBI: help them find a hacker who has been disrupting the world’s nuclear plants and financial markets in exchange for a commuted sentence. Of course, he agrees, and so begins a relentless cat-and-mouse game where Nicholas will have to use every trick in his hacker arsenal to find the culprit … and win back his freedom.
Blackhat is streaming on Netflix.