The 50 Best Movies To Watch on Amazon Prime | Best List

With Amazon Prime subscription you can watch best classic movies of all times in an awesome HD quality. Check out these 50 films to watch on Amazon Prime.


The Godfather Part 1



Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Can, Richard S Castellano

Genre: Gangster

The film revolves around a fictional mafia family under Vito Corleone (Brando), who wishes to transfer his power to his reluctant son Michael(Al Pacino) but events don’t turn up that smooth.


  • Remained at the number position in being the highest grossing film ever made
  • The film received Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor(Brando) and Best Adapted Screenplay


Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Amazon prime movies - Lord of the Rings: Return of the King


Director: Peter Jackson

Actors: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Vigo Martens an, Cate Blanchett


The final wrap-up to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Frodo Baggins, Sam, and Gollum make their way together to destroy that One ring, without knowing Gollum’s dark intentions. While Gandalf, Aragon and the armies March to destroy Sauron and his legions army.

  • Nominated for 11 Academy Awards of which won all of them including Best Picture and Best Director.


Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Amazon prime movies - Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring


Director: Peter Jackson

Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Live Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen

Genre: Fantasy, adventure


This one’s the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy novel by J.R.R Tolkien. Frodo, a hobbit finds One ring and starts his journey with 8 companions to Mount Doom, where it can be destroyed, also facing dangers from the evil Lord Sauron.


  • Won 4 categories in 74th Academy Awards 
  • The trilogy remains as such to be the best fantasy film ever made.


The good the bad the ugly

The good the bad the ugly


Director: Sergio Leone

Cast: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallace, Lee Van Cleef

Genre: Western

Set in civil war, 2 men set out to find a lost treasure outwitted by Angel eyes, an outlaw, also looking out for riches.

  • Is considered to be the most influential western movie.
  • The soundtrack of whistle and gunshots by Ennio Moricone became very famous and still is considered a classic.


Doctor who

Doctor who


Director: Geoffrey Sax

Cast: Paul McGann, Slyvester McCoy, Eric Roberts

Genre: Sci-fi

Based on the series of the same name, the film is about a doctor who gets stranded in 1999 San Francisco due to a time machine malfunction, which also lets an archcriminal to escape.

  • The film was a co-production of BBC worldwide, Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox 
  • It was released under the name ‘Doctor who the movie’ to distinguish it from the series.


Stop making sense

Stop making sense


Director: Jonathan Demme

Cast: Talking heads, an American rock band

Genre: Documentary

The director exemplarily catches the energy and grooves of the band during their concert at the Hollywood Pantages theatre. It is a concert movie shot starting right from David Byrne entering the empty stage as he is joined with the rest of the members, backup singers as they perform the iconic album.


Spiderman: Into the spider verse



Director: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsay, and Rodney Rothman

Cast: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Live Schreiber.

Genre: Computer animation

Miles Morales joins other Spidermen to save New York City from the kingpin as more than one person can wear the Spiderman mask.

  • The film won for a Best animated film in the 91st Academy Awards.
  • It was the first non-Disney/Pixar film to win Oscars for Best animated film 


The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight - Amazon prime best movies


Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Late Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman

Genre: Superhero, Crime


The second installment of the Dark Knight Trilogy where a mastermind criminal known as the Joker runs the city into chaos.

  • The team received a setback when Heath Ledger died due to a fatal dose of drugs a few months before release.
  • The film won Oscars for Best Sound editing and Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded the Academy Award for Best supporting actor. 


Taxi driver

Taxi driver


Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Robert de Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Peter Boyle, and Harvey Keital

Genre: Neo-noir psychological thriller


The story revolves around a war veteran who works as a taxi driver plotting to assassinate a presidential candidate for whom his beloved works and also a pimp, to rescue an under-age prostitute(Foster)

  • The film was critically acclaimed for its performances and story which gave it nominations in 4 Academy Awards.
  • The film also went into criticism for its casting of a 12-year-old prostitute played by Jodie Foster


Some like it hot

Some like it hot


Director: Billy Wilder

Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon

Genre: Comedy

Two musicians bump into a crime scene witnessing the murder by Mafia gangsters and flee disguised as women eventually join an all-women rock band.

  • The film is considered the best work of comedy of all time.
  • This 1959 film presents itself in the list of 50 films you must see by the age of 14.


The night of the hunter

The night of the hunter


Director: Charles Laughton

Cast: Robert Litchen, Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish 

Genre: Crime


A corrupt minister turned killer marries an outlaw’s widow in the hope of finding the money he had stolen during a robbery. But struggles to divulge the details from the widow’s reluctant children.

  • It is based on the novel and true incident of Harry Powers who was hanged in 1932 for murdering two widows and 3 children in West Virginia.


Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan


Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Edward Burns, Tom Sizebrn

Genre: War


This classic film is about US army captain John Miller and a squad who goes on a search mission of one missing Private James Ryan, the surviving brother of four servicemen.

  • Film went on to receive 6 Academy Awards including  Best Director for Steven Spielberg.
  • The film has outstanding performances, particularly by Tom Hanks and other characters and was one of the highest grossers.
  1. The Conformist


Director: Bernardo Bertolucci

Cast: Jean Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, Gaston Moschin, Dominique Sandals

Genre: Political drama


A member of secret police in the Fascist Italy under Mussolini who goes on his honeymoon with his new bride, also to assassinate his former college professor, an anti-fascist. The film follows a political and romantic upturn of events when he meets his professor’s wife.


  1. Lord of the rings:The two Towers


Director: Peter Jackson

Cast: Elijah wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Sean Astin

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure


The second installment of J R R Tolkien’s novel series where Sam and Frodo continue their journey to destroy the One Ring while the previous owners of the ring reunite to fight a battle.

  • The film was a critical success and earned 3 Academy Awards
  • It was preceded by  Fellowship of the Ring and concluded finally with the Return of the King.


  1. Back to the future 


Director: Robert Zemeckis


Genre: Science fiction


Marty accidentally travels back in time through a time machine built by his scientist friend where he meets his parents as young collegiates and even makes his mother fall for him. He has to make his parents fall in love to get the events together in the future.

  • The film received worldwide acclaim for the theme and also gave way to numerous video games, theme parks and includes two sequels
  • Also received an Academy Award for Best Sound editing.


  1. Call me by your name


Director: Luca Guadagnino

Cast : Anne Hammer, Timothee Chalamet, Michael Stuhlberg

Genre: Coming-of-age romance


A story of a romantic affair between an 18-year old boy and a 24 -year old man, father’s assistant.

  • The film was praised for its coming-of-age theme and went on to win an Award at the Academy’s.


  1. Forrest Gump


Director: Robert Zemeckis,  Cast: Tom Hanks, 

Robin Wright, Gary Denise

Genre: Comedy drama


The story depicts several decades of the life of a slow-witted but kind hearted man through his witnessing and experiences of historical events of America.

  • Film won many Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor and director


  1. No country for old men


Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Cast: Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin

Genre: Crime, thriller


This one was the most awaited movie on Amazon Prime. Following the plot are two men, a war veteran and a welder journeys across Mexican desert facing dangers from criminals and sheriff. One man travels with a bag of money, pursued by a drug dealing gang while other escapes the sheriff’s hand.

  • The film made its way to the Oscars winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best supporting actor and Best adapted screenplay.
  • It is considered one of the best films of the decade.


  1. Once upon a time in America 


Director: Sergio Leone

Cast: Robert De Niro, James Wood

Genre: Crime drama


A Jewish gangster on exile returns back to New York reliving his childhood and his struggles with friendship, love, lust and other relationships, only to make amendments in his life and realising his mistakes.

  • The themes of betrayal, lust and childhood together with violent-actions sequences were highly applauded.
  • It was the final film by Sergio Leone before his death 5 years later.


  1. Sweeney Todd: The demon barber of fleet Street

Director: Tim Burton

Cast: Johnny depp and Helena Bonham Carter

Genre: Musical Period slasher film


A demon barber cum serial killer engages his target’s by murdering them with a straight razor for which his accomplice Mrs Lovett helps him in this musical psycho-thriller. The psychopath murderer played by Johnny depp while Helena Bonham Carter plays his accomplice.

  • The film was a big financial success but it received many awards for its musical drama theme.
  1. I am not your negro


Director: Raoul Peck

Cast: Narrated by Samuel L Jackson

Genre: Documentary


The director accomplishes the half written manuscript by James Baldwin titled “Remember the house”, wherein the writer accounts the lives and assassination of his three friends Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther. In the form of a documentary, Raoul Peck envisions this half written book.

  • The piece was nominated at the Academy’s and won a BAFTA award for Best documentary.


  1. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the lost ark


Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen and Paul Freeman

Genre: Action/Adventure


Indiana Jones sets out to search the covenant Lost Ark fighting along the way, the Nazis, who are also behind the treasure.

  • It was the first instalment of the Indiana Jones franchise.
  • The film won many Academy Awards and remains to be one of the top grñossers made to tackle the inflation.
  1. Cool Hand Luke


Director: Stuart Rosenberg

Cast: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J D Cannon

Genre: Prison drama


Luke(Newman) plays the prisoner of the Florida prison who escapes the cell everytime he is caught. The plot follows the police formulating a plan to capture him finally.

  • The film was based on Donn Pearce’s novel of the same name and was released during the opposition of Vietnam War
  • The film was Paul Newman’s highly credited one and made him a great star of that era. It was a box office success and won Academy Awards in many categories.


  1. Network


Director: Sydney Luket

Cast: Fay Dunaway, William Holden, Robert Duvall

Genre: Satirical drama


Not satisfied with his career in a fictional TV network, UBS, a man tries to shoot himself on live television which boosts up the ratings of the network and the struggles thereafter.

  • The film won 4 Academy Awards including Best Actor and Actress


  1. American Beauty


Director: Sam Mendes

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Mena Suvari, Annette Bening and Thora Birch

Genre: Drama


An advertising executive who has a perfect life soon faces a midlife crisis and is infatuated with his teenage daughter’s friend.

  • The American middle-class satire was highly appreciated, resulting in the film’s success at the Academy Awards winning Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best cinematography and screenplay with many other honours.
  • The film was initially written as a play but was felt wouldn’t work on stage so finally succeeded as a movie.



  1. L.A Confidential


Director: Curtis Hanson

Cast: Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey

Genre: Neo-noir crime drama


Three detectives from LAPD investigate several homicides in the city, individually, finally intersecting at a point where they find out that the corruption lies within the department.

  • The film takes its title from the 1950s magazine Confidential and was largely acclaimed for its story, content and historical facts
  • The film was released with Titanic and was nominated in 9 Academy Award categories of which winning 3 while the rest went to Titanic.


  1. Moonlight


Director: Barry Jenkins


Genre: Coming of age drama


The film follows the 3 stages of life if the main character, ‘Chiron’, who struggles with his identity and sexuality while suffering physical and emotional abuse.

  • The film was a first all-star black cast one and even a first LGBT themed movie.
  • It won the Best Picture Oscar together-with Best supporting actor and adapted screenplay.


  1. The Manchurian candidate


Director: Jonathan Demme

Cast: Denzel Washington, Live Schreiber, Meryl Streep and Jon Voight

Genre: Political thriller


A sergeant rises to power in becoming a congressman after his brave role in saving his unit in the Gulf War. One of the fellow soldiers creates doubt in questioning the event being even taken place.

  • This 2004 film has its inspiration from the novel by Richard Condon, under the same name.


  1. Badlands


Director: Terrence Malick

Cast: Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek

Genre: Period crime drama


A couple kills a girl’s father and are followed by a bounty hunter which makes the couple go on a murder spree leading one event to another, finally wishing to make it to the Badlands.

  • The film is considered to be one of the most influential cinema.
  • Also, it was a on-screen debut of Martin Sheen’s sons Charlie Sheen and Satellite Emenet


  1. Senna


Director: Asif Kapadia

Cast: Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Frank Williams

Genre: Documentary


The filmmaker captures the life and death of Ayrton Senna, the F1 racing champion. The documentary has been put together with home video clips and media footage collected from family about Senna’s life and his untimely death due to an accident during1994 San Marino Grand Prix.


  1. A Clockwork Orange


Director: Stanley Kubrick

Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri

Genre: Dystopian Crime drama


Based on the novel by Anthony Burgess of the same name. This psychological piece focuses on an anti-social man whose interest lies listening to classical music and committing rape and violence. After he is imprisoned for the same, he volunteers to be a part of a psychological experiment to reduce his sentence which turns twisted.


  1. Manchester by the Sea


Director: Kenneth Lonergan


Genre: Drama


Lee Chandler (Affleck) is forced to look back into his past when he discovers that his brother, who just died of a cardiac arrest, named him as the legal guardian of his 16 year old son. The film runs in flashbacks of his past lives and how it affects his present bonding with his nephew.

  • A heartwarming story with exceptional praise for acting and screenplay
  • The film won Casey Affleck, Best actor at the Oscars.
  1. Gleason


Director: Clay Tweek

Cast: Steve Gleason

Genre: Documentary


Former football defensive back, Steve Gleason’s video records for his unborn son from 5 years before his death due to Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), about his life.


  1. The great escape


Director: John Sturges

Cast: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough

Genre: Epic war film


The movie is based on real events, although a bit fictionalized. The film is about allied prisoners of war during the Second World War who were known to escape repeatedly, are confined to an escape-proof prison in Poland, which was just another prison for them to escape.

  • It was the highest grossing film of 1963 and still remains to be a classic.
  1. Dog day afternoon


Director: Sydney Luket

Cast: Al Pacino, John Cazale, James Broderick

Genre: Crime drama


A man plans to rob a bank for his lover’s operation, but things do not go in favour and he is compelled to keep hostages.

  • The theme is inspired from a similar bank robbery in Brooklyn.
  • The film was highly appreciated and received several nominations at the Academys, while winning for Best Original Screenplay.


  1. Harry Potter and the deathly hallows part 2


Director: Davis Yates


Genre: Fantasy


The final wrap up of the Harry Potter series based on the best selling novel series, Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter is out to destroy the Horcruxes to weaken Lord Voldemort and finish him once and for all.

  • It was the highest grossing film among the Harry Potter series
  1. Platoon


Director: Oliver Stone

Cast: Tom Berenger, William Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Keith David, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Depp

Genre: War 


The film is set in the Vietnam War front, where a US army volunteer (Charlie Sheen), in his character is fighting in a Platoon while 2 sergeants(Dafoe and Berenger) fight for its leadership. The Platoon starts loosing it’s men due to the immortality of their masters.

  • The director portrayed his own experience as an infantryman during the Vietnam War, being the first US army veteran to make a film.
  • The film’s anti war theme was highly applauded, which also won it the Best Picture and Best Director award.


  1. The cove


Director: Louis Psihoyos

Cast: Rick OBerry, Hayden Panettiere, Scott Baker, Isabel Lucas

Genre: Documentary


The filmmaker/conservationist questions the large scale capturing and slaughtering of dolphins in Japan through his film . It was an attempt to educate the public about the ecosystem risks and the high levels of mercury poisoning in dolphin meat.

  • The film made use of secret filming practices including underwater HD cameras in the shape of a rock, for which it drew controversy and even for its portrayal of Japanese people
  • The film won Oscars for Best Documentary


  1. Brazil


Director: Terry Gilliam

Cast: Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Kim Geist, Michael Palin

Genre: Dystopian Science fiction


A beaurocrat tries to find the woman of his dreams while working in a mind numbing job set in a dystopian world. Things gets in trouble when he finds her and in trying to help her falls and na web of mistaken identities.

  • The film received quite some success in the UK but failed to catch enough attention in North America.
  1. Donnie Darko


Director: Richard Kelly

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary McDonnell

Genre: Sci-fi thriller


The title character played by Jake Gyllenhaal, experiences visions from a bunny figure that only he can see about the doomsday of the world and tries to find meaning behind it

  • The filming took place over the course of 28 days and was released straight to video.


  1. A Beautiful mind


Director: Ron Howard

Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly

Genre: Biography/ Drama


Russell Crowe portrays as John Nash, the Nobel Laureate in Economics. His life as he develops Paranoid Schizophrenia and gets delusions affecting his family and friends, but, ultimately getting cured of it.

  • The film won 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best director.
  • It was an inspiration from the best selling Pulitzer prize book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar.


  1. It’s a wonderful life


Director: Frank Capra

Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

Genre: Fantasy/Drama


A businessman frustrated with his life attempts to end his life jumping from a bridge, until his guardian angel saves him and shows how life would be if he didn’t exist.

  • The film is inspired from a short story and booklet The Greatest gift and went on to be the best ever Christmas movie made.


  1. The Apartment


Director: Billy Wilder

Cast: Shirley McLaine, Jack Lemmon, Fred McMurray

Genre: Romantic comedy


A clerk of the company, to rise in power, lends out his apartment to company executives to carry out extramarital affairs. Things get twisted when he falls in love

  • The film is considered by most of them as a joyride.
  • It won an Academy Award for Best Picture


  1. Terminator 2: Judgement day


Director: James Cameron

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edward Furlong, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick

Genre: Fantasy/Mystery/Action


An exceedingly well sequel to the first venture. The Terminator is behind Sarah Connor’s son to kill while a cyborg, who once wanted to kill Sarah Connor, helps them escape.

  • The picture won four Academy Awards in the technical categories.
  • The action-packed sequences were highly appreciated and a theme that focuses around machines taking over the world was successfully communicated.
  1. The Charade


Director: Stanley Done

Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant

Genre: Thriller/Comedy


Three men follow a lady, whom she discovers were killers of her husband, until seeks help from a stranger.

  • Quite famously known as the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made’
  • A melange of suspense, thriller, romance and comedy
  1. The Untouchables


Director: Brian De Palma

Cast: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro

Genre: Crime/Gangster


Even after the prohibition act, Al Capone still illegally runs the liquor business which leads to Elliott Ness(Costner) forming a group of Untouchables to bring Capone to justice.

  • The film is based on a book of the same name and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting actor(Sean Connery)


  1. Into the wild

Director: Sean Penn

Cast: Emile Hirsch, Kirsten Stewart

Genre: Biography


A biographical film about Christopher McCandless and his travels through the wilderness of America. Candless(Hirsch) denounces his possessions to hitch-hike through America which changes him as a person.

An adventurous survival story that is thought provoking


  1. A quiet place

Director: John Krasinski

Cast: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds

Genre: Sci-fi thriller


A post-apocalyptic horror film where a family fights for survival from a blind but noise sensitive creatures that have killed most of the humans.

The film received many awards from BAFTA, Golden globe and Oscars.


  1. Venom


Director: Ruben Fleischer

Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams

Genre: Sci-fi drama/Action


Another of Marvel studios creation, the anti-hero and lethal protector Venom. Eddie, a journalist, investigates experiments of human and unwillingly gets merged with an alien with lethal abilities.


  1. The Prestige


Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Scarlet Johnson

Genre: Thriller.


Two magicians compete with each other to perform the act of a lifetime not realising the consequences. Their obsession to create the best illusion  falls back into their lives

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