Watching movies on Amazon has always been akin to searching for free options, often resigning yourself to forking out the equivalent of a cup of coffee: thousands of films are available for rent to anyone for £3.49 (or less).
However, Amazon Prime subscribers have access to a much more limited, constantly changing selection of movies for free. Just keep an eye out for the blue "Included with Prime" checkmark next to the title and watch it before it's gone.
The free catalog typically consists largely of well-known, relatively new films from American studios, leaving little room for classics or subtitled gems. But if you're planning your viewing based on availability, we're here (having, like the Telegraph critics, watched more films than anyone should see in a lifetime) to help you find the gems among the junk.
This article is updated weekly.
Jump to:
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Drama
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Thriller
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Science fiction
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Horror
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Comedy
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Family
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Documentary
Drama
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
In Kenneth Lonergan's piercing exploration of guilt and grief, janitor Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) bears the burden of a terrible tragedy. The details are revealed only halfway through the film, in a spoiler-proof flashback. It explains Lee's estrangement from his ex-wife (a brilliant Michelle Williams) and the dark mood that weighs on him from the film's opening. Years later, he becomes the legal guardian of his late brother's son (Lucas Hedges), and a rapport develops between them. All three actors received Oscar nominations, with Affleck, for his first time ever, winning Best Actor.
There Will Be Blood (2007)
«"I'll Drink Your Milkshake!": Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview - François Duhamel
Played by the brilliant, fierce, Oscar-winning Daniel Day-Lewis, ruthless oil tycoon Daniel Plainview is perhaps the most quotable movie character of the decade, aside from Ron Burgundy. The line "I'm ready to compete!" is easily understood, given the nature of his business; but "I'll drink your milkshake!" is meaningless unless you've watched Paul Thomas Anderson's epic exploration saga to the end. Arguing with Plainview isn't worth it unless you're prepared, preferably in full armor. He is the embodiment of brutal capitalism at its most predatory.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
How to Get Over Your Ex, Charlie Kaufman Style. If you're Clementine (Kate Winslet), you're about to undergo a medical procedure to erase your memories of Joel (Jim Carrey). A despondent Joel responds in kind, and we see their relationship as a tangled web of memories scattered to the wind as he can't resist trying to recall and relive them. A deeply inspired collaboration between Kaufman (whose Oscar-winning screenplay) and Michel Gondry (whose direction would have benefited greatly from this), Carrey is as utterly as ever and the wonderful Winslet, ably supported by Mark Ruffalo and Kirsten Dunst, will break your heart.
War (2025)
Military Action - Murray Close
Alex Garland's Civil War (2024) dystopian vision of the conflict was too sci-fi to say anything substantive about America. This far more powerful film transports us to Iraq to re-enact the 2006 skirmish in real time, entangling a platoon of Navy SEALs in a harrowing game of hide-and-seek: improvised explosive devices tear them apart, leaving body parts scattered as they seek refuge in a family home. Co-director Ray Mendoza lived through these events to tell this story, which is assembled for maximum hellish impact. Between the lines, one senses that the priorities of the American military are nothing more than a street game of survival, brutally detached from any consideration of the greater good.
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
«"Try to top me, Sidney." No one compares to the vicious New York columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster), certainly not the cowardly press agent Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis), who ruthlessly plans to ruin his younger sister's love life by spreading slanderous stories. The pair's vicious complicity, depicted in Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman's brilliantly acerbic screenplay, rivals Ben Jonson's sly Jacobean comedy. «Volpone» . Directed by Alexander Mackendrick with a noirish style, the film remains a benchmark for the commercial media sleaze film.
Sound of Metal (2020)
Riz Ahmed delivers a brilliant performance as a man who has lost his hearing — Amazon Studios, AP
Darius Marder's film, which received six well-deserved Oscar nominations and won awards for sound and editing, begins with cacophony and ends with silence. Over the course of two poignant and terrifying hours, Riz Ahmed's character loses almost all of his hearing. At the same time, he begins to listen to the inner voices he previously ignored. This superb film is not only a story about the superficial crisis of sudden hearing loss, but also a story of awakening—about how a person learns to listen and appreciate a certain degree of silence.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Spielberg makes no compromises when it comes to the grueling trials he puts us through in Saving Private Ryan.
France, June 1944. Tom Hanks's Captain Miller assembles a nine-man squad to infiltrate enemy lines and find the last surviving brother, Ryan (Matt Damon). First comes the famous reenactment of the Normandy landings—a nerve-wracking whirlwind of flying shrapnel, blood, and horror, one of the most powerful scenes of Steven Spielberg's career. The more leisurely second act mimics the camaraderie of past World War II films, but the finale is powerful, with Hanks's Captain Miller emerging as an archetype of humane heroism, akin to James Stewart. Spielberg makes no compromises in the grueling ordeal he depicts.
Cutter's Way (1981)
This gripping neo-noir, starring Jeff Bridges, Lisa Eichhorn, and John Heard, in his finest performance, is rightfully considered a cult classic, despite being passed over by United Artists for its dark and controversial themes—the decline of the 1960s counterculture and the dangerous psyche of a disillusioned Vietnam veteran (Heard), who lost an eye and a leg. Its conspiracy theory about a corrupt Santa Barbara tycoon, culminating in an explosive finale, makes it a companion piece to «Chinatown» , but in a more fundamental sense it is a sad, clumsy film about wasted lives, imbued with a powerful sense of despair.
«Without Love (2017)
A Dagger in the Heart: Without Love
With his early films, Andrey Zvyagintsev established himself as the most important Russian director of his generation, a master of form who crafted a fierce critique of his nation's values. This dagger thrust into the heart of Mother Russia begins with a scenario so bleak it takes your breath away: a married couple nouveau riche A divorce so bitter that each of them, instead of arguing over custody of their young son, fights to get rid of him. He immediately disappears, and a massive search begins, and we shudder at the choices each of them makes in their luxurious cocoon.
Thriller
Heat (1995)
Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer play a robber and his right-hand man in Heat — AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo
Movie «Heat was snubbed by the Oscars in 1996, but it gets better with each passing year: it's Michael Mann's darkest (and bluesiest) take on the story of lone wolves doing what they do best. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro play a Los Angeles cop and robber who circle each other with wary admiration as the body count among their accomplices mounts. Dante Spinotti's cinematography and the entire soundscape are stunning. It's Mann's masterpiece in every way, with some 70 speaking parts and some of the finest actors in the business (Tom Noonan, Diane Venora, Ted Levine, to name just three). Val Kilmer (as De Niro's right-hand man) and Ashley Judd occupy their own space in the film.
Spy Game (2001)
Double Trouble: Robert Redford and Brad Pitt
Returning to the intrigue and twists of his 1970s heyday, Robert Redford makes a triumphant and elegant return to cinema with this insightful spy thriller from Tony Scott. Redford helped Brad Pitt achieve early career success by directing the film. «Where the river flows» (1992), and here he played his plaid-jacketed mentor, a CIA veteran approaching retirement who spends his last day at Langley using wit and cunning to plan Pitt's evacuation.
«No Country for Old Men (2007)
The Cat in the Hat: Tommy Lee Jones as the sheriff in the Coen brothers' Oscar-winning film.
The Coen brothers achieved a triumph with this hybrid crime Western, an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel about a three-way cat-and-mouse chase that begins after a drug deal goes wrong on the Mexican border. A welder played by Josh Brolin finds a small fortune; he is hunted by a psychopathic hitman named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem); and a weary sheriff played by Tommy Lee Jones tries to stop the ensuing bloodshed. Regardless of your feelings about the film's philosophical musings, it is a masterpiece of genre craftsmanship and garnered numerous Oscar nominations, winning Best Picture and Best Director, as well as Best Supporting Actor for Bardem's eerily captivating performance.
The Untouchables (1987)
Kevin Costner proved he can be a sought-after leading man in The Untouchables - Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
Brian De Palma emerged from a creative slump when he tackled this lavish gangster epic for Paramount. The secret was maintaining a blistering pace despite the sweeping plot; it was also the first film to establish Kevin Costner as a sought-after actor. He plays Eliot Ness, a federal agent tasked with bringing down Al Capone (a bald, sneering Robert De Niro) in Prohibition-era Chicago—easier said than done, given the terrifying scale of Capone's network and the corruption that sustained it. Sean Connery won an Oscar for his role as fictional Irish cop Jimmy Malone, and Ennio Morricone's haunting score was deservedly nominated.
Point Break (1991)
Ride the Waves! Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze in Point Break — Alamy
No one infuses as much testosterone into an action film as Kathryn Bigelow, who scored one of her few true box office hits here. Keanu Reeves plays a rookie federal cop who, disguised as a surfer, infiltrates a gang of bank robbers led by the charismatic, perpetually tanned, free-spirited Patrick Swayze. Waves crash, bullets fly, and the men cement their brotherly love by skydiving together in the famous skydiving scenes. Don't waste your time on the useless 2015 remake: you'll find the purest thrills here.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983)
Ian Richardson and Donald Churchill in The Hound of the Baskervilles — AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo
There are better-known adaptations of Conan Doyle's thriller—the 1939 Fox film starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes; the 1959 Hammer film starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. But this relatively obscure ITV adaptation, one of two starring Ian Richardson as the detective, is the most gripping and original. It opens with the titular monster stalking a criminal near the Baskerville mansion, a striking aerial shot that sets a chilling tone. The green mist over Grimpen Marsh glows with a pale light, and the supporting cast includes Denholm Elliott, Martin Shaw, Connie Booth, and Eleanor Bron.
Candace Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls — Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
A fairytale horror film on a tiny budget, forgotten director Herk Harvey's masterpiece used an abandoned Mormon amusement park in Utah as a transitional stage between life and death. It's a place haunted by countless ghosts. Candice Hilligoss plays a wide-eyed young woman named Mary, who emerges from a horrific car accident completely unscathed, only to find herself haunted by ghouls (including Harvey himself in terrifying makeup) and inexorably drawn to the park's abandoned pavilion. It's a poetic classic with a clever twist.
Immediate and Present Danger (1994)
A thrillingly tense scene: Harrison Ford and Anne Archer – AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo
Better than «The Hunt for Red October» or «Patriot Games» ? We think so. This was the third, most gritty, and gripping Jack Ryan film: Harrison Ford brought a tense gravitas to the role, as well as the fury of being left in the dark when Ryan discovers the CIA has illegally deployed paramilitary forces to Colombia. His quest to gather evidence leads to delightfully tense standoffs on the biggest computer screens of 1994, and Henry Czerny and Harris Yulin are superb as the arrogant villains.
Pusher (1996)
Mads Mikkelsen and Kim Bodnia in "Pusher" — Allstar/METRODOME
This Danish crime thriller launched a franchise and launched the careers of several actors: director and co-writer Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, The Neon Demon), lead actor Kim Bodnia (The Bridge, Killing Eve), and the actor who plays his cheerful assistant, Mads Mikkelsen, making his film debut ten years before Casino Royale. Bodnia plays Frank, a small-time heroin dealer in Copenhagen who constantly gets into trouble, evading police arrest by falling into a lake and destroying an incredible amount of drug supply in the process. The film, a distillation of its grit and uncompromising nature, has achieved cult status.
The Long Good Friday (1980)
«The Long Good Friday: Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren — Allstar Picture Library
Don't mess with Bob Hoskins. Michael Caine once declared that there are three truly great British gangster films: one directed by Caine himself (Get Carter), one in which he starred with Hoskins (Mona Lisa), and one made by Hoskins alone—that's this one. His character, Harold Shand, is a bundle of unbridled ambition, willing to do anything to consolidate his London empire. His goal is to establish himself as a legitimate businessman by opening a casino in the Docklands, but his position is undermined by Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombings, despite the clever and practical influence of his girlfriend Victoria, powerfully played by Helen Mirren. The film also marks Pierce Brosnan's debut as an IRA militant.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke as brothers in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead — Alamy
This is truly a farewell film for the venerable Sidney Lumet, who at 83 created this gripping, dark, nonlinear crime thriller about a tragically botched jewelry heist. Brothers Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke), struggling financially, choose their parents' store, knowing it's insured, but Hank's hired accomplice brings more than just a toy gun, and everything goes horribly wrong. Their father (a shaken Albert Finney) and Andy's wife (a superb Marisa Tomei) are caught up in the fallout, and it ends tragically for everyone involved.
Sabotage (1936)
A sense of genuine danger: Sylvia Sidney and John Loder in Sabotage - Hulton Archive.
This is not «Secret Agent» and not «"Saboteur"» , though they are often confused with these two Alfred Hitchcock spy films. This dark, powerful London melodrama is based on Joseph Conrad's short story about a terrorist bomber, which the director carefully depoliticized. A reptilian Oskar Homolka plays Verloc, who plans bombings in London, while his wife (Sylvia Sidney) begins to suspect something is wrong. Hitchcock, never one to abuse the audience's trust, regretted the outcome of the famous, breathtaking bus bomb scene, but the lack of a classic suspense release makes this story truly dangerous.
Crime Basics (2026)
Feeling the Heat: Halle Berry in Crime 101, a crime thriller that echoes Michael Mann's masterpiece, Merrick Morton
In close connection with "« Heat »In the ""universe," Chris Hemsworth, rarely at his best, leads a top-notch cast as a De Niro-like jewel thief named Mike, who operates under the radar; a delightfully sleazy Mark Ruffalo is practically the film's Pacino, a rueful cop with a theory of his own. Barry Keoghan plays a snarling motorcycle thug, and Halle Berry is superb as an insurance agent who hits the glass ceiling hard. There's no breakneck pace here, no attempt to overwhelm us with action. Bart Layton's film, on the contrary, is methodical and melancholy, showing us stuck lives, the result of bad luck and poor decisions.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Enraged: Daniel Craig as James Bond – Karen Ballard
This film is a real contender for the title of the most underrated Bond, if only because it is often considered Daniel Craig's biggest failure, although it is arguably his best work. Since the plot is a direct sequel «Casino Royale» , revenge for Vesper Lynd's murder constantly preoccupies 007 as he pursues a trail leading to environmental entrepreneur Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), who is helping to orchestrate a coup in Bolivia. There were problems with a writers' strike, and it shows, but it forced Craig and director Marc Forster to act quickly: the film moves swiftly, never descending into the overwrought interludes that characterized the Mendes era. It's sharp, incisive, and laced with bitter rage over Vesper's death; the fact that Amalric's eco-terrorist is a rather insignificant villain only infuriates Craig further.
Horror
Get Out (2017)
Daniel Kaluuya is fantastic in Jordan Peele's smash hit.
Jordan Peele's commercial smash begins as a dark comedy about the awkwardness of meeting "white parents," but things get even weirder when the captive boyfriend, Chris (a fantastic Daniel Kaluuya), is hypnotized. Allison Williams (from Girls) plays his frighteningly sophisticated girlfriend; Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener are simply superb as her neo-plantationist parents hiding behind a flawless liberal façade. Peele's clever strategy is to start with a smile, while letting the script's underlying horror ripple down your spine.
Science fiction
Metropolis (1927)
Gustav Fröhlich as Freder Fredersen in the film "Metropolis" - "Alamy"«
Perhaps the most influential work of science fiction ever adapted for film, Fritz Lang's silent expressionist epic serves as a cautionary tale against the rapid industrialization and social stratification of Weimar Germany. Its depiction of a future society marked by a chasm between rich and poor, which the idealistic hero (Gustav Fröhlich) and heroine (Brigitte Helm) strive to bridge. Helm also plays her heroine's doppelganger, the Maschinenmensch ("machine man"), a robot created by a vengeful inventor (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) to incite working-class rebellion. The film's production design, cinematography, and special effects make it a remarkable visual achievement, influencing everything from Batman to Star Wars.
Comedy
In the 90s, when high school productions of Shakespeare were all the rage in America, this version «The Taming of the Shrew» was undoubtedly the best – not least because of the fiery battle of the sexes between Julia Stiles and the charming Heath Ledger, making his US debut. Ledger's performance of the song «"Can't Take My Eyes Off You"» , where he walks around the stands with a contraband microphone in his hand, has rightfully become iconic and very romantic.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Mike Myers as Austin Powers and Heather Graham as Felicity Shagwell.
The pinnacle of Mike Myers' brief heyday as a beloved comedian, and a perfect example of how to add blockbuster flair to a surprise hit recipe. The first film, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), was a cheeky, low-budget James Bond parody in which Myers was delightful as the snaggle-toothed British spy who resembled David Hemmings and spoke like Michael York. This film, with a budget doubled, ramped up the absurdity, and took the world by storm, holding its own against the summer of 1999, against the likes of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and The Matrix. This time, there's much more Dr. Evil (also Myers), and we meet his wild familiar, Mini-Me (Verne Troyer). There's a lot of luxurious silliness here, including the exquisitely gaudy set design of the moon base.
School of Rock (2003)
There are some brilliant roles that justify an entire career, and that's certainly true of Jack Black's inspired performance as headbanding nerd guitarist Dewey Finn, who, while substituting for a teacher, becomes his own playground. And even he learns something along the way. This flawless comedy, undoubtedly Richard Linklater's most beloved creation, ranks among his finest.
Family
Wonka (2023)
Timothée Chalamet plays the young Willy Wonka – Jaap Buittendijk
The creative team behind the Paddington films was developing a musical about Willy Wonka's early life, and some speculated that we'd simply be getting a repeat of Paddington's story. "Wonka" is much closer to the recent big-screen adventures of Michael Bond's beloved bear than to Dahl's original novel, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and frankly, that's all the better. Timothée Chalamet, as the young Willy Wonka, is mostly required to be flamboyant and charming, convincingly deliver funny and silly lines, and be able to sing.
Documentary
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2023)
Intimate photographs of photographer Nan Goldin in the 1970s.
Photographer Nan Goldin, world-renowned for her piercingly intimate explorations of sex and LGBTQ+ subcultures, claims she miraculously survived the opioid epidemic in America. That's why Laura Poitras's documentary about her, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, so powerfully intertwines art and activism. At the heart of the film is Goldin's struggle against the Sackler family, a supposedly philanthropic dynasty whose culpability in the marketing of OxyContin she exposes for all to see.
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