Best movies on Amazon Prime Video to watch now

While this 2009 film spin-off to BBC sitcom The Thick of It may never quite reach the heights of that show, it is still a hugely entertaining and sharp satire of politics, turning its eye towards foreign policy rather than the domestic sphere in which the show dabbled.

As with the show, a great deal of its success comes down to Peter Capaldi's pitch perfect comic turn as fiery spin doctor Malcolm Tucker, which is put into sharp contrast with his American counterparts. Tom Hollander also puts in a strong performance as the UK Minister for International Development, and while the film's version of politics may now seem quaint in comparison to what we see today, the satire still rings true and the comedy still evokes more than a few chuckles. - James Hibbs

Zendaya aces this rip-roaring romance set in the world of tennis. She plays Tisha, a former star of the game who is now a much sought-after coach. Her husband Art (Mike Faist) is set to compete in the US Open, until their perfect life hits a rocky patch when he suffers a losing streak. Tisha suggests he play in a low-key tournament to get his form back, pitting him against his old friend and partner, Patrick (Josh O’Connor).

The film zips back and forth to flesh out the back story in this love triangle, and director Luca Guadagnino keeps events fizzing faster than a doubles rally. – James Mottram

Like The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short, this absorbing true-life tale explores chicanery in the world of high finance. Paul Dano stars as Keith Gill, a stock-market guru who advises his followers to buy into an ailing high-street video game retailer. The stock escalates, and day traders — dismissed as “dumb money” by the fat cats — get a chance to stick it to the man.

Director Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) delivers a propulsive exploration of community and solidarity. – James Mottram

Every year, there are films which are talked about as the ones that the Oscars let go – films which many think should have been nominated but failed to get enough buzz to push them over the line.

This year, one of the films talked about in those discussions was most certainly The Iron Claw, the A24 biographical sports drama about wrestling family the Von Erichs, who were said to be cursed by tragedy. Not only was the film itself critically acclaimed, but Zac Efron's performance was particularly singled out as a stellar turn.

Now that the film is available to stream on Prime Video, a new host of viewers will likely come to it, and they should. It might not be the film viewers are expecting, but it is a profoundly moving drama with strong performances across the board and an incredible, tragic story behind it. - James Hibbs

With acting talent like Russell Crowe and Karen Gillan at the helm, it'll likely not take much convincing to tune into this mystery thriller which is set to take viewers on many twists and turns.

The film follows a former homicide detective who is suffering from memory loss and is trying to solve a brutal murder that he can't recall. But as he pieces together evidence from a decade-old investigation, he soon uncovers a sinister web of buried secrets tied to his forgotten past.

This exciting, behind-enemy-lines thriller is set in the southern Philippines and revolves around a 48-hour battle against Islamic State. Tensions run high as drone operative Sergeant JJ “Playboy” Kinney (Liam Hemsworth) and his team (played by Liam’s brother Luke Hemsworth, plus Ricky Whittle and Milo Ventimiglia) attempt to rescue an asset. When the operation goes wrong, Playboy is left stranded alone in the jungle, while Captain Eddie Grimm “Reaper” (Russell Crowe) is back at base providing air support.

William Eubank is a great action director, and the attack scenes are terrific. - Matt Glasby

If you're in the mood for a raucous, laugh-out-loud comedy, look no further than Joy Ride.

This film stars BEEF's Ashley Park as Audrey Sullivan, a successful lawyer who was adopted by an American family as an infant and has therefore never spent any significant time in China, her place of birth. But when a business trip sends her there, she sees an opportunity to investigate where she came from – perhaps even reuniting with her birth mother.

For moral support, she has a group of larger-than-life friends, including artist Lolo (Sherry Cola), actor Kat (Everything Everywhere All at Once's Stephanie Hsu) and eccentric cousin Vanessa (Sabrina Wu). Together, this group get into a series of utterly outrageous situations, each more farcical than the last.

But between the risqué humour and absurd comedy, there's plenty of heart as Audrey uncovers some astonishing revelations about her birth. A must watch!

Last year, something very surprising happened. A new Saw movie came out – and it received good reviews!

Yes, while the gory horror franchise has plenty of advocates, it's no secret that it has never enjoyed much love from critics. The first film has recently been reappraised as an impressive psychological thriller, but the later sequels remain targets of disdain by some film buffs. As a result, Saw X is actually the first film in the franchise to secure a "fresh" rating on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.

Taking fans back to the period between Saw I and II, the film finds a terminally ill John Kramer (Tobin Bell) travelling to Mexico on the lure of a miracle cure for his cancer, which ultimately proves to be a scam. The perpetrators have no idea who they've just messed with and it's safe to say they're going to regret it. With help from accomplice Amanda (Shawnee Smith), Kramer proceeds to subject them to his typically twisted traps.

But in addition to the usual blood and gore, this entry in the Saw canon was praised for its surprisingly compelling character work, with Bell being electric as ever.

Inglourious Basterds marked something of a change in direction for Quentin Tarantino – who until that point had largely made films set in contemporary times. All of his films since Basterds have been period pieces – not that this change in approach led to any watering down of his instantly recognisable style or his fascination with revenge narratives.

Starring Brad Pitt as a lieutenant leading a troop of vengeful Jewish-American soldiers, and an Oscar-winning Christoph Waltz as the chilling Nazi villain Hans Landa, this film is electric throughout – from the unbearably tense opening scene to the immensely cathartic conclusion. Complete with plenty of Tarantino's trademark dialogue and a handful of perfectly constructed set-pieces, this two-and-a-half-hour epic is the writer/director at the very top of his game. – Patrick Cremona

Jonathan Glazer doesn't make too many films, but when he does they tend to be masterpieces – and that was certainly the case with his most recent work, The Zone of Interest. Loosely adapted from a Martin Amis novel of the same name, the film follows the everyday lives the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his family as they seek to enjoy a life of idyll despite living mere paces away from the unimaginable suffering in the concentration and extermination camp that he played a major role in creating.

The result is both chilling and devastating, with the Oscar-winning sound work of Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn crucial in creating an atmosphere of utter horror even as Glazer's camera avoids directly showing any of the atrocities. Exploring the banality of evil and humanity's willingness to look away from the horrendous pain it can inflict on others, it's a film that remains steadfastly relevant today - and will have a profound impact on anyone who watches it, up to and including its enigmatic final scene. – Patrick Cremona

This romantic comedy is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Robinne Lee, which became a veritable sensation and built up an extremely devoted fanbase following its publication in 2017. Rumoured to have begun as Harry Styles fan fiction, the story tells of Solène, a 40-year-old single mother who unexpectedly falls for the much younger – and world famous – boy band member Hayes Campbell when she accidentally walks into his trailer while accompanying her teenage daughter to Coachella.

The lead roles are charmingly played by Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine – with the pair sharing great chemistry – while several original songs have been penned for the production by veteran songwriter Savan Kotecha, whose credits including hits for One Direction and Ariana Grande. Meanwhile, the film probes into the toxicity of unwanted press attention that can greet celebrities' private lives and the gendered double standards in the public perception of age gap relationships, and addresses one of the only complaints fans had with the original novel: its ending. – Patrick Cremona

This film from French director Justine Triet was a genuine sensation following its release last year – winning both the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Festival and the Best Original Screenplay Award at the Oscars, where it was also nominated for Best Picture. And it's by no means difficult to see why it was so acclaimed, with the film offering both a captivating courtroom mystery and an affecting portrait of a crumbling marriage.

Sandra Hüller, who was also in the running for Best Actress at the Oscars, is exceptional in the central role – which requires her to speak three different languages – while there are also super performances from child actor Milo Machado-Graner and even from dog Messi, who delivers what is surely one of the best animal performances ever committed to film. Meanwhile, you'll never hear 50 Cent's PIMP the same way again. – Patrick Cremona

One of the greatest British films ever made, London-set gangster drama The Long Good Friday is a terrific showcase for the late Bob Hoskins, who stars as Cockney crime boss Harold Shand. The film follows Harold as his attempts to forge good relations with the American Mafia and redevelop the London Docklands are set a major blow by a series of bombings that he suspects are the fault of a mole within his criminal outfit.

His methods of trying to determine the apparent mole are often ruthlessly violent but always captivating, and Hoskins is electric in the central role. Meanwhile, there's also a great supporting performance from Helen Mirren and a small but vital role for a very fresh-faced Pierce Brosnan – who plays a a key part in the film's truly chilling climax, one of the finest endings in movie history. – Patrick Cremona

First-time director Cord Jefferson both wrote and directed this comedy-drama which went on to win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, with the script having been based on Percival Everett's 2001 novel Erasure. Meanwhile, the film was also nominated in four other categories at the Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Jeffrey Wright.

The film follows Wright's character Monk, an author who writes a satire of stereotypical "black novels", only for it to become a major success.

It's clear why it was such as critical darling – not only is it a hugely funny watch at times, but it also has a real emotional core, as well as fascinating intellectual interrogation at its centre, around the ways race, class and media intersect. Meanwhile, the cast are all phenomenal, especially Wright, who sells the exasperation of Monk, as well as his complexities as a character. - James Hibbs

The fascinating true story of American whistleblower Reality Winner is explored to chilling effect in this razor-sharp drama from debut filmmaker Tina Satter. Using a script drawn from genuine transcripts, the film recreates the former NSA translator's interrogation by two FBI agents after she was arrested in 2017 for leaking a classified report about Russian interference in US elections to the press.

Bolstered by a superb central performance from Sydney Sweeney, the film is all the more tense for Satter's decision to eschew melodrama in favour of sober realism, which has the effect of making even the seemingly banal moments appear sinister. The choice to obscure certain words of dialogue adds a sense of paranoia that ensures the film feels more like a conspiracy thriller than a docudrama, and it all adds up to a captivating experience for both those in the know, and those with no prior knowledge of Winner's case. – Patrick Cremona

While Ayo Edebiri is becoming a deserved household name from her role as Sydney in The Bear, fans of hers can see her bring her usual comedic charm in Bottoms opposite Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby). The pair star as friends PJ and Josie who aren't the most popular in their high school and so, start up a fight club with the intention of meeting girls and losing their virginity.

But they soon find themselves way in over their heads, with the their actions having some hilarious consequences. Bottoms is unique in its storytelling and while there's been some criticism waged over its storytelling, the queer comedy packs the laughs and is a refreshing take on the beloved high school romcom genre. - Morgan Cormack

Described as a "a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire", Saltburn follows Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) a shy, quiet and apparently innocent Oxford Student who is drawn into the life of the charming Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). When Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer with him at his eccentric family home, Saltburn, both their lives, and the lives of everyone around them, are changed forever.

Directed by the Oscar winning and always wonderful Emerald Fennell, Saltburn is a superbly acted, well paced and boldly written tale of complicated friendship and intense obsession. And with a scene (or three) that will leave you with your eyes wide and your mouth agape, Saltburn is certainly not to be missed. – Chezelle Bingham

If you're celebrating Barbie's multiple Oscar nominations, or commiserating the fact that Greta Gerwig didn't get a nod in the Best Director category, then why not check back in with some of her previous work, including 2012's Frances Ha?

Gerwig didn't direct this one but instead starred in it and co-wrote it alongside her now husband and the director of the film, Noah Baumbach. Whether a black and white comedy-drama about a struggling dancer sounds up your street or not, the film has an infectious, light and funny tone to it, and will likely blow away any expectations you had going in. Gerwig is excellent in the central role, while Adam Driver also provides a strong supporting turn. - James Hibbs

Social niceties are put in the spotlight in this lovable comedy drama that reunites writer/director Nicole Holofcener with her Enough Said star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Beth (Louis-Dreyfus) is a writer who is nervous about following up an under-performing memoir with her first novel. But after inadvertently eavesdropping on his conversation with a friend, Beth finds out that her therapist husband Don (Tobias Menzies) is only pretending to like her new book, a discovery that throws their perfect marriage into jeopardy.

It’s a thought-provoking, sometimes hilarious reflection on just how difficult it can be to do the right thing. – Emma Simmonds

Director Darren Aronofsky’s heartfelt, often wildly funny adaptation of Samuel D Hunter’s semi-autobiographical off-Broadway play is a moving tale of last-chance redemption. Brendan Fraser gives a heroic, Oscar-winning performance as Charlie, a morbidly obese gay recluse who desperately tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink from Stranger Things).

Aronofsky deliberately reins in his often flamboyant style, underlining the theatrical origins of the intense chamber piece by using the claustrophobic Academy ratio. The result is an penetrating examination of self-destruction – Alan Jones

Ben Affleck directs and co-stars in this infectious 1980s-set tale of how underperforming sports clothing brand Nike turned its fortunes around by luring basketball star Michael Jordan to endorse its trainers. Affleck plays Phil Knight, Nike’s Porsche-driving CEO, but the film belongs to Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro, the basketball guru who spots Jordan’s potential and sets out to reel him in with the creation of the Air Jordan trainer.

Air is an absorbing film about money, power, race and class, revealing how Jordan’s relationship with Nike changed the face of corporate sponsorship for ever. – James Mottram

Girls creator Lena Dunham brings a modern sensibility to a medieval British setting in this effervescent comedy based on the 1994 children’s novel by Karen Cushman. Fourteen-year-old Birdy (Bella Ramsey) is a free-spirited maker of mischief living in intensely repressive times, whose spendthrift father Lord Rollo (Andrew Scott) is plotting to marry her off in order to clear his debts. Meanwhile her mother, Aislinn (Billie Piper), is negotiating one pregnancy after another, which mostly end in heartache. Lesley Sharp plays Birdy’s indispensable nursemaid, with Joe Alwyn her handsome uncle, whom Birdy is more than a little in love with. Ramsey is a sparky match for the material, and a soundtrack of fun cover versions keeps the energy high. – Emma Simmonds

From Monty Norman’s signature theme to Billie Eilish’s No Time to Die, the secrets of the music of the 007 series are laid bare in this superb documentary, released to coincide with Global James Bond Day. Director Mat Whitecross takes viewers behind the scenes for tales of Shirley Bassey removing her bra to help her hit the high notes in Goldfinger, and Tina Turner’s shock at Bono’s “really bad” vocal demo for GoldenEye. With various other Bond alumni getting involved, it all adds up to a fitting salute to the screen franchise as it celebrates its 60th anniversary. – Terry Staunton