The great conundrum of the streaming age is that dozens, if not hundreds, of movies are available at your fingertips to stream—but the best movies on Netflix can be extremely hard to decide on. Let this list be your guide as you navigate Netflix’s catalog of feature films. These 25 movies feature something for everyone—comedy, adult drama, action, science-fiction epics, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Beyoncé. From some of the best movies of recent years to a few stone-cold classics, you’re sure to find plenty worth checking out without wasting half your life on a never-ending scroll.
Release Year: 1991
Director: John Singleton
Notable Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Morris Chestnut
The late John Singleton became the first Black nominee for the Oscar for best director (as well as the youngest nominee in history) for this film about friends living in South Central Los Angeles. Cuba Gooding Jr. plays Tre, a teenager living with his father (Laurence Fishburne) in Crenshaw. The film deals with the way gang culture impacts the lives of Tre and his friends, played by Morris Chestnut and Ice Cube. With Regina King and Angela Bassett in supporting roles, the film is a collection of some of the best Black talent of the ’90s. It’s a landmark film, one of the best movies on Netflix right now, with some heart-wrenching, career-best performances.
Release Year: 2018
Director: Lee Chang-dong
Notable Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Jeon Jong-seo, Steven Yeun
Director Lee Chang-dong crafts an insidious psychological thriller out of what first seems to be a story of young love. Yoo Ah-in plays a young man who falls for a girl (Jeon Jong-seo) shortly before she leaves South Korea for a trip to Africa and returns with… not exactly a boyfriend, but he’s played by Steven Yeun, so you can see why Yoo’s character would feel threatened. What follows is a game of psychological paranoia, unreliable perceptions, and possible murder. Yeun in particular gets to dig into his role as a plausible villain, making cryptic threats (or are they?) seeming unnervingly charming. It’s one of his best performances.
Release Year: 2013
Director: Paul Greengrass
