Best movies on Amazon Prime Video in August 2024
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The best movies on Amazon Prime Video give you the grand cinematic experience right in the comfort of your own home. Why deal with a crowd or expensive snacks from the concession stand when a subscription to Amazon Prime comes with access to one of the best streaming services?
Not only does an annual Prime subscription give you free two-day shipping, but you also get unlimited streaming of both licensed and original movies. That includes classic blockbusters and newer hits, as well as a bunch of hidden Prime Video features you may have missed.
With thousands of titles at your fingertips, though, finding the best movies on Amazon Prime Video doesn't need to involve hours of scrolling. Our recommendations range from quirky comedies to chilling horror movies to serious dramas.
We've also got tips for mastering Amazon's most popular streaming device, so check out our guide for how to use the Fire Stick. And, if you're heading abroad, you'll need an Amazon Prime VPN to access everything you pay for.
Best movies on Amazon Prime Video right now
'Memento'
Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) is a man with anterograde amnesia after an attack that claimed his wife's life. Driven by the thirst for vengeance, Leonard navigates a fragmented reality, relying on tattoos, Polaroid photographs, and scribbled notes to unravel the mystery surrounding his wife's murder. The movie unfolds in a way that forces both Leonard and the audience to question the reliability of memory and the consequences of obsession. Director Christopher Nolan's carefully crafted puzzle will keep you guessing until the very end, though you'll be moved to the edge of your seat long before the credits ever roll.
'Oppenheimer'
This massive blockbuster is a gripping biographical drama starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who led the Manhattan Project during World War II. It dramaticizes Oppenheimer's role in developing the first atomic bomb and the moral dilemmas he faced throughout the process. As the project progresses, Oppenheimer grapples with the weight of his decisions and their potential consequences. Director Christopher Nolan's distinct storytelling style offers a fresh and compelling take on this pivotal moment in history, delving into the complexities of Oppenheimer's character and the ultimate impact of his work on the world – and war.
'Role Play'
Emma (Kaley Cuoco) is a suburbanite with a deadly secret. Living a seemingly normal life with her husband Dave (David Oyelowo) and their two kids in New Jersey, she's the picture of a great wife and mom. Emma finds herself scrambling for an explanation when her secret life as an assassin is exposed. When another assassin (Bill Nighy) crashes date night with Emma in his crosshairs, she's forced to come clean. How's that for spicing up a seven-year marriage? - BV
'Saltburn'
Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is a struggling Oxford student who finds himself entwined in the world of his affluent classmate Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). Invited to spend the summer at Catton's family's lavish Saltburn estate, Oliver soon finds himself mired in a realm of privilege and hidden agendas, where every kindness masks a potential betrayal. There’s also a deluge of scenes you may or may not have been spoiled on through TikTok already – so keep an eye out for those especially spicy moments. - BV
'Foe'
Hen (Saiorse Ronan) and Junior (Paul Mescal) are a couple living a quiet, isolated life. Everything changes one day when an enigmatic stranger arrives, offering them a bewildering opportunity that threatens the very fabric of their relationship. With their partnership already on the verge of tatters, Junior is called to work on a space station. But his absence isn’t the real issue. It soon becomes about who – or what – is replacing him while he's away. - BV
'Top Gun: Maverick'
I didn't know I felt the need for speed again, but Top Gun: Maverick made me realize what I’d been missing. Before release, Maverick felt like a sequel nobody asked for, but it proved to be a blast, the kind of old-school, crowd-pleasing action film that is missing among the wave of CGI-heavy superhero flicks.
Tom Cruise puts every last ounce of his daredevil personality into this sequel. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is an ace test pilot who still likes to make trouble for his superiors. His former rival, Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (Val Kilmer) assigns him to train an elite group of Top Gun grads to carry out a dangerous mission. The group includes Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), who happens to be the son of Maverick's late friend Goose. - KW
My Policeman
Don’t worry, darling – Harry Styles isn’t done making movies yet. His last film may have circled down the drain due to non-stop gossip (and poor reviews), but the former One Direction band member is still heading toward a film career.
In My Policeman, he stars as a gay cop in 1950s Brighton. Tom Burgess is in the closet, though, married to teacher Marion (Emma Corrin, aka Princess Diana from The Crown). He has a secret affair with museum curator Patrick (David Dawson). Years later, the older version of Tom (Linus Roache) has a reunion with older Patrick (Ruper Everett) that is both unexpected and painful. - KW
Catherine Called Birdy
This passion project written and directed by Lena Dunham is an adaptation of Karen Cushman’s 1994 Newbery Medal-winning children’s book. Set in the 13th century, the medieval coming-of-age story follows Lady Catherine aka Birdy (Game of Thrones alum Bella Ramsey) as the sassy, smart daughter of financially-downturned nobles.
Her father Lord Rollo (Andrew Scott) wants to sell her off to a wealthy husband, but the rebellious Birdy finds a way to evade almost all the suitors. Unfortunately, she’s betrothed to a rich man she calls Shaggy Beard (Paul Kaye) and she’ll have to resort to desperate measures to get out of the marriage. - KW
Thirteen Lives
Hollywood loves making melodramatic movies that rip from the headlines about real-life perilous events. Tom Hanks has starred in several of them (see: Sully, Captain Phillips). He is surprisingly not involved in Thirteen Lives, though it’s directed by frequent collaborator Ron Howard.
The survival flick chronicles the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue of a local junior football team and their coach, who were trapped by a heavy rainfall for 18 days. Their plight gained worldwide interest and drew international rescue teams. Viggo Mortenson stars as Richard Stanton and Colin Farrell is John Volanten, the divers who found them. They must race around the clock to extract the teens from the cave before the next monsoon hits. - KW
Don't Make Me Go
Six years after #StarringJohnCho went viral on social media, there is still a decided lack of movies and shows starring the insanely charismatic actor. Cho really deserves more headlining opportunities (the short-lived Cowboy Bebop series hardly counts), so it’s great to see him headlining this heartwarming road trip flick.
Max is a single dad who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. In an attempt to bond with his teen daughter Wally (Mia Isaac), he proposes a cross-country journey. Wally, who doesn’t know his secret, reluctantly agrees after being promised driving lessons. They head to New Orleans for Max’s college reunion, where he hopes to encounter Wally’s long-absent mother. - KW
All the Old Knives
Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton star in this tense thriller as spies and ex-lovers who play a smoldering cat-and-mouse game over dinner — shades of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Henry has been tasked by his CIA boss (Lawrence Fishburne) to look into an old case: a plane hijacking that ended with the deaths of everyone on board, including the terrorists. The disaster still haunts the CIA to this day, especially since they suspect a mole might’ve leaked info to the terrorist — and Celia is a prime suspect. Henry must wine and dine her to dig for the truth, but as the meal progresses, it begins to feel like one of them might not make it to dessert.
I Want You Back
Breaking up is hard to do, which is why Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) are scheming to get their partners back. After meeting randomly in their office building, they bond over the fact that both were unexpectedly dumped.
Misery loves company, so when they see their exes Anne (Gina Rodriguez) and Noah (Scott Eastwood) have moved on with new people, they hatch a desperate plot to torpedo the new romances. Emma offers to seduce Logan, Anne's new boyfriend, while Peter attempts to befriend Noah and discourage him from pursuing Ginny (Clark Backo). What could go wrong? Everything!
Book of Love
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Prime Video unveils this light, gentle rom-com about uptight English writer Henry (Sam Claflin) whose novel is a massive failure everywhere but Mexico. When he’s invited to take a promotional tour through the country, he meets the book’s translator, Maria (Verónica Echegui), who will be traveling with him.
Soon, Henry discovers why his book is such a success in Mexico — Maria has rewritten it as an erotic novel. He’s furious, but also finds himself very attracted to her. You can probably guess how this story ends.
The Tender Bar
Ben Affleck is in front of the camera and George Clooney is behind it for this adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist J. R. Moehringer’s memoir, which recounts his childhood in Long Island. The fatherless young J.R. (Daniel Ranieri, then Tye Sheridan) grows up sitting at the bar tended by his Uncle Charlie (Affleck). His financially-strapped mother (Lily Rabe) has big aspirations for him, and as J.R. struggles to achieve them, he returns to the bar again and again to receive Charlie’s support and advice.
As a director, Clooney has delivered a string of unmemorable films (The Midnight Sky, anyone? Suburbicon?), and The Tender Bar doesn’t exactly break the streak. But if you’re in the mood for a heartwarming, sweet story anchored by a terrific performance from Affleck, then this is your ticket.
Being the Ricardos
There’s nothing Aaron Sorkin loves more than going behind the scenes of a television show. He did it with Sports Night, then again with the indulgent Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and most recently (and perhaps most egregiously) with The Newsroom. He’s back at it again in this movie about the stars of I Love Lucy. For the youths, that was a sitcom that aired on CBS in the 1950s.
Nicole Kidman makes yet another transformation into the flame-haired Lucille Ball, while Javier Bardem plays her husband and creative partner Desi Arnaz. Several personal crises coalesce during one week of production, threatening to derail the show and the couple’s careers.
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Benedict Cumberbatch is already getting awards season notice for The Power of the Dog, but that’s the only movie he’s in this fall. In this biopic, Cumberbatch stars as the eccentric artist Louis Wain, whose trippy, anthropomorphised paintings of cats helped transform the public perception of felines. His work is widely credited as starting the widespread adoption of cats as pets.
The movie follows Wain from the late 1800s to the 1930s, as he seeks to unlock the “electrical” mysteries of the world. His ruminations lead his art to become more stylized and psychedelic, but also give him more insight into the love he shares with wife Emily (Claire Foy). Watch now
Annette
Adam Driver’s oeuvre can best be summed up as “extremely eclectic,” and this trippy dramedy falls right in. He plays a stand-up comedian named Henry McHenry (really) who falls in love with a world-renowned opera singer, Ann (Marion Cotillard). The passionate and glamorous couple soon have a daughter, Annette — portrayed by a wooden marionette puppet (yes, really). But as Ann travels the world singing, Henry's career begins to suffer and their marriage unravels. After a tragedy, Annette develops a mysterious ability that stuns her father and the world.
Without Remorse
This feature-film spinoff from the Jack Ryan franchise tells the origin story of John Clark (Michael B. Jordan), a fan-favorite character in Tom Clancy's books. Before he's John Clark, he's John Kelly in the movie, which starts with the Navy SEAL successfully leading a top-secret op against former Russian soldiers. In retaliation, the group murders his pregnant wife and Kelly vows to avenge her. Kelly teams up with a fellow SEAL (Jodie Turner-Smith) and a shadowy CIA agent (Jamie Bell), but their mission ends up exposing a vast international conspiracy that threatens to trigger war between the U.S. and Russia. Kelly finds himself torn between personal honor and loyalty to his country as he and his allies try to avert disaster and reveal the powerful figures behind the conspiracy.
Coming 2 America
Did we really need yet another sequel of a long-past movie? Probably not, but in these (still) pandemic times, I’m happy to see Eddie Murphy’s old gem unearthed and given a new shine. There’s some head-scratching retconning in Coming 2 America, but just wave it away. Murphy’s Prince Akeem, now king of Zamunda, returns to Queens to find his long-lost son Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler) because his country’s sexist policies won’t let any of his daughters inherit the throne. Lavelle and his mom (Leslie Jones) become the new fish out of water, as they travel to Zamunda for a very awkward family reunion.
Sound of Metal
This powerful, affecting drama follows the journey of Ruben (Riz Ahmed), a metal drummer who begins to lose his hearing. It's a devastating development, because his entire identity is wrapped up in playing and listening to music. When he spirals into addiction, his girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks him into a rehab center for the deaf, where he grapples with his new normal. Ahmed delivers a stunning performance in one of the best movies on Amazon Prime.
Love and Friendship
Kate Beckinsale is at her most charming in this fizzy, crackling adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Lady Susan. The recently widowed lady uses those charms (and other, more wicked tactics) in a scheme to ensnare a rich new husband. Her plan is complicated by the fact that she's having an affair with a married man. It's a blast watching Beckinsale ratchet up her powers of flirtation as she pursues a clueless suitor. And Chloe Sevigny is perfect as Lady Susan's droll American friend.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Sacha Baron Cohen is back as his most (in)famous character — journalist Borat Sagdiyev of Kazakhstan. He's returning to America, right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, to get close to President Donald Trump. Chaos, of course, ensues. This time, he's joined by daughter Tutar (Maria Bakalova), who he's offering as a bride to Vice President Mike Pence, then later to Rudy Giuliani. A scene involving the latter has sparked a ton of online chatter.
The Big Sick
This delightful and nuanced romantic comedy is based on the real-life courtship of comedian Kumail Nanjiani and wife Emily V. Gordon. Nanjiani plays a version of himself, while Zoe Kazan takes on Emily's role. Their budding relationship is halted first by Kumail's expectation of an arranged marriage with a Pakistani woman of his parents' choice, then by Emily falling extremely ill. Kumail wants to win her back, but to do that, he first has to win over her parents (Ray Romano and Holly Hunter). We may know how it ends, but the journey to get there is worth watching.
The Handmaiden
One of 2016's darkest, sexiest, most intense films, The Handmaiden tells the story of the devious Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) and the enterprising Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo) during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Fujiwara is a con artist who plans to milk a wealthy Japanese heiress for all that she's worth, while Sook-hee is a pickpocket whom he contracts to pose as, you guessed it, the heiress's handmaiden. But as Sook-hee grows closer and closer to the heiress, alliances shift and double-crosses become inevitable. The film doesn't pull any punches on violence or eroticism, but it doesn't shy away from a gripping story or complex characters, either.
Suspiria
A highly anticipated remake of a classic 1977 Italian horror film, Suspiria stars Dakota Johnson as a young woman who joins a German dance company, only to find out that the whole operation is run by witches. (Don't you just hate it when that happens?) Seeing the supernatural drama unfold is one reason to watch this film; Tilda Swinton represents three others. In Suspiria, you get a triple-dose of Swinton: as a choreographer, a (male) therapist and one more role that might be a bit of a spoiler — but it's worth the buildup. Suspiria is one of those films that people tend to either love or hate, depending on their tolerance for weird gore and an outlandish tone. But it's better to get something unique than something that plays it safe.
'Creed'
"Creed" is a sports drama movie that serves as a spinoff and sequel to the "Rocky" series. The movie centers around Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the illegitimate son of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. Despite never having known his famous father, Adonis is determined to forge his own path in the boxing world.
Adonis seeks out Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), his father's old rival and friend, to train him. Rocky, now retired and dealing with personal struggles, reluctantly agrees to mentor the young boxer. As Adonis trains under Rocky's guidance, he faces numerous challenges both inside and outside the ring. "Creed" actually received critical acclaim for its performances, direction, and its respectful continuation of the "Rocky" saga. — AB
'Pearl'
"Pearl" is a psychological horror serving as a prequel to the earlier movie "X." The movie stars Mia Goth as Pearl, a young woman living on her family's isolated farm during the early 20th century. Pearl dreams of escaping her oppressive and mundane life to pursue stardom and a more glamorous existence. As the story unfolds, Pearl's desperation to break free from her circumstances drives her to increasingly dark and violent behavior. The film delves into her psychological unraveling, exploring themes of ambition, isolation, and madness. — AB
'The Holdovers'
Director Alexander Payne affectionately evokes the spirit of 1970s cinema with this snarky yet warm dramedy about a misanthropic classics teacher forced to chaperone a group of students over winter break. Set in 1970 New England, the movie stars Paul Giamatti as the perpetually grumpy Paul Hunham, who resents the privileged students he teaches at an elite boarding school.
When Hunham is assigned to supervise the “holdovers” who don’t go home for the holidays, he’s left on campus with student Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), along with school cafeteria manager Marie Lamb (Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph). After other students leave, the three of them form an unlikely bond, in a story that is heartwarming without becoming sappy. The characters remain prickly and difficult while also coming to a deeper understanding of what connects them. - JB
'Beetlejuice'
It’s hard to believe that “Beetlejuice” is only the second feature film by director Tim Burton, because his signature goth-cute style is already in full effect in this enormously entertaining supernatural comedy. Michael Keaton gives one of his most memorable performances as the title character, an opportunistic ghost who seizes on the prospect of haunting the living when he’s summoned by a newly deceased couple.
Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin play the couple who are horrified by the new residents of their formerly cozy home and want them driven away, with Winona Ryder as the sullen teen daughter of those obnoxious new owners. “Beetlejuice” is a vibrant, funny, gorgeously designed movie that captures all of Burton’s strengths, defining one of cinema’s most distinctive aesthetics while telling a creative, engaging story. - JB
'No Country for Old Men'
The only Coen brothers movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture is one of their darkest films, and also one of their best. The Coens adapt Cormac McCarthy’s bleak novel about the devastating consequences that come for a hunter who discovers a case of money left behind after a drug deal gone bad. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finds himself the target of relentless hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), and both are pursued by pragmatic Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones).
Bardem won a well-deserved Oscar for his bone-chilling portrayal of the psychopathic Chigurh, one of the most terrifying movie villains of all time. The Coens retain their deadpan sense of humor while bringing McCarthy’s harsh story of violence and cruelty to life onscreen.
