26 of the best movies on Netflix right now

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What is the finest Netflix movie I can watch? We’ve all asked ourselves that question, only to waste 15 minutes browsing through the streaming service’s curiously narrow genre choices and become overwhelmed by the constantly altering trend menus. Netflix’s massive movie collection, paired with its perplexing suggestion system, may make selecting anything to watch feel more like a job than a way to unwind when what you really want is the excellent movies — no, the greatest movies.

We’re here to assist you. For anyone experiencing decision paralysis in September, we’ve whittled your selections down to 26 of our top current films on the platform. These range from tense thrillers and legendary horror films to offbeat comedy and the greatest Netflix originals.

If you’re searching for a certain genre, we’ve got you covered with the greatest action movies on Netflix, best horror movies on Netflix, and best comedy movies on Netflix.

We’ll be updating this list on a monthly basis as Netflix rotates movies in and out of its catalog, so check back next time you’re trapped in front of the Netflix home screen. The Atlantics and Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids were added in our most recent update.

ATLANTICS

It’s difficult to explain about Atlantics without giving away what makes the experience so unique. It’s a lovely, tragic love story with a real heart, touching on romance as well as loss, class, work, and the enduring impacts of tyranny. It was the first film directed by a Black woman to be presented in competition at Cannes (winning the Grand Prix but losing the Palme d’Or to Parasite), and it is one of the most spectacular feature film debuts in recent memory. —Mr. Peter Volk

ARGO

In the 2012 historical drama Argo, Ben Affleck directs and plays as Tony Mendez, a CIA exfiltration expert entrusted with liberating six former staff members of the American embassy in Tehran during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. His strategy? Travel to Iran as a Hollywood producer working on a film based on Roger Zelazny’s Lord of Light, disguise the six captives as his Canadian film team, and securely rescue them before anybody notices. Affleck’s film transforms an odd but real narrative into a captivating drama propelled by assured direction, superb acting, and superb editing. —Egan, Toussaint

BAAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING

In Western terms, this Tollywood movie, the most costly Indian film at the time of its release, is a Marvel Studios-style biblical epic with a dash of Hamlet and Step Up tossed in for good measure. Shivudu, an adventurer with extraordinary strength, flees his rural existence by ascending a skyscraper-sized waterfall, assists and romances a rebel fighter named Avanthika, and then partners up with her to rescue a kidnapped queen from an evil ruler in The Beginning.The Beginning is 159 minutes of legendary excess, exploding with hyper-choreographed battle sequences and CG extravaganza (not to mention a couple of musical songs with comparable bravura), going large as only Indian film can and leaning on the strong shoulders of its hero, the single-name star Prabhas. Get psyched if you fall hard for it – this is only part one. The surprise sets up Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, a two-and-a-half-hour epic that is presently available on Netflix. Matthew Patches

BLACKHAT

Michael Mann’s Blackhat, a slick and sensual thriller that makes hacking appear exceedingly cool, stands tall as a high mark in digital cinema. It’s peak Mann, so your mileage may vary if you’re not a fan of the Heat director’s work. Chen Dawai (Wang Leehom), a captain in the PLA’s cyber warfare section, is charged in the film with investigating a computer assault that destroys a nuclear power facility in Hong Kong. While coordinating with the FBI, Chen insists on the assistance of an old buddy, imprisoned brilliant hacker Nicholas Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth, who has never been sexier or cooler).When Hathaway and Chen’s sister (Tang Wei), a networking engineer who is also working on the case, fall in love, it complicates an already high-stakes situation. Viola Davis and Holt McCallany play FBI agents who are unhappy about having to rely on a prominent criminal.

Blackhat analyzes our shifting global relationship with technology through precise digital cinematography and spectacular set pieces. Mann brings to life the world’s tiniest computer systems: an extreme close-up of internal cables connecting to a motherboard like a big linked highway; a computer fan that sounds like a jet engine. Events that in other films might be presented as mundane keystrokes are instead depicted as mesmerizing processes occurring underneath the visible world’s surface. —PV

BLADE RUNNER 2049

Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 stars Ryan Gosling as Officer “K,” a Blade Runner in Los Angeles whose discovery of a mysterious grave leads him on a search for Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former Blade Runner who may hold the key to a mystery whose solution could shake the very foundations of civilization as we know it. Set 30 years after the events of Ridley Scott’s original Blade Runner (1982), Villeneuve’s film resonates as powerfully as its predecessor, offering a sober glimpse at a world of dwindling resources and looming climate catastrophe that feels like the natural outcome of Ridley Scott’s original’s wanton technological excess.Gosling is flawless in his depiction of K, a replicant seeking meaning and purpose outside of the position he was designed for. With lavish somber set pieces, exquisite lighting, tight action, and unforgettable performances from Ford, Ana de Armas, Jared Leto, and others, Blade Runner 2049 is both a worthy successor to and a masterpiece in its own right. —TE

BLOOD AND BONE

Blood and Bone is pure direct-to-video martial arts awesomeness that showcases both the action subgenre and Michael Jai White’s unique abilities as a movie actor. From our selection of the finest Netflix action movies:

Michael Jai White is a local gem, and Blood and Bone is one of the many superb DTV action films in which he has acted. White plays Isaiah Bone, a freshly released ex-marine martial artist who meets an eccentric local fight promoter named Pinball (Dante Basco) and begins participating in underground battles. As he delves more into the world of underground fighting, he discovers how far the powerful people who oversee the circuit will go to keep their illicit business running. Blood & Bone is a suitably spectacular vehicle for White as a movie actor and as a film fighter, with jaw-dropping battles including former professional fighters Bob Sapp, Kimbo Slice, and Matt Mullins. —PV

THE DEBT COLLECTOR

The Debt Collector, a buddy comedy directed by Jesse V. Johnson and starring Scott Adkins (Avengement) and Louis Mandylor (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) as a wise-cracking duo collecting debts for the mafia, is the first of two very entertaining films. Adkins portrays French, a down-on-his-luck martial arts instructor who resorts to debt collection in order to pay off his own obligations. Mandylor portrays Sue, the seasoned debt collector with whom French is matched on his first day of work.

As the two dig more into their job, they come upon a plan that puts a little child in danger, and they consider risking everything to aid. In the major parts, Adkins and Mandylor have fantastic chemistry, elevating this above the category of “good DTV movies” and into the world of “excellent hangout flicks.” Tony Todd (Candyman) also appears as a gangster named Barbosa. –PV

DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART

Johnnie To is one of today’s best directors, equally at home in hard-boiled triad crime thrillers and light-hearted love comedies. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, released in 2011, fits into the latter category, and is one of the numerous highlights of the Hong Kong director’s illustrious career. Chi-yan (Gao Yuanyuan) is an investment bank analyst who has recently ended a long-term relationship and finds herself in the heart of a love triangle. Sean (Louis Koo), a CEO who works across the street from Chi-yan and pines for her through the towering corporate glass windows that separate them, is on one side.On the other hand, there’s Kevin (the ever-dreamy Daniel Wu), an alcoholic former architect who assists Chi-yan in moving on and is inspired by her to begin designing again. What follows is a genuine, humorous, and utterly wonderful romantic experience. —PV

FAST COLOR

Fast Color, a 2018 superhero drama directed by Julia Hart, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Black Mirror, Loki) as Ruth, a destitute wanderer with unexplainable talents who returns to her family home after years of hiding from the cops. Ruth strives to recover control of her skills and reunite with her mother Bo (Lorraine Toussaint) and her young daughter Lila (Saniyya Sidney), both of whom possess the same capabilities as her, while evading the authorities who desire to catch and research her. Fast Color, as we noted in our review, is more of an intimate family drama set in a speculative setting, a la 2016’s Midnight Special.The extravaganza on exhibit is not the expression of Ruth’s abilities, but rather the magnificent trio of performances at its heart, which combine to produce a tale that is as moving as it is thrilling. —TE

HUSTLE

This passion project from the famously basketball-obsessed Adam Sandler, in which he portrays a down-on-his-luck scout who seeks to locate the right candidate, is one of Netflix’s finest originals in recent memory. Hustle is an inspiring and thrilling basketball movie made by people who love the game, with an all-star ensemble cast filled with movie stars (Sandler is joined by Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, and Robert Duvall) and NBA players alike (Juancho Hernangómez co-leads with Sandler, while Anthony Edwards, Boban Marjanovi, and others give memorable supporting turns). —PV

THE IP MAN MOVIES

The four major entries in the Ip Man series (all on Netflix) plus the spinoff Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (not on Netflix, but available on Peacock and Tubi, among others) are all excellent martial arts dramas. They’re an excellent place to start for anybody new to the genre, as well as a nice comfort watch for martial arts movie fans.

Donnie Yen totally immerses himself as the stoic Ip Man, the Wing Chun grandmaster who trained Bruce Lee (played in the series by Danny Chan Kwok-kwan). Along with his remarkable martial arts prowess, Yen gives a pensiveness to the character. All four films are directed by Wilson Yip, a regular Yen collaborator, and move from one all-time great action choreographer to another: Sammo Hung directed the first two films, and Yuen Woo-ping directed the following two. That’s very likely the two finest to ever do it, and if that’s not reason enough to tune in, I don’t know what is. —PV

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE + THE TENNESSEE KIDS

In 1984, filmmaker Jonathan Demme created one of the greatest concert pictures of all time with the Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense. Demme’s final feature picture, released a little more than three decades later, was another happy concert film.

Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids showcases Timberlake and his outstanding supporting band performing at the massive MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at the end of a long tour. Demme’s staging and framing of the explosive pop tunes is electrifying, but he also takes the time to demonstrate just how much labor goes into setting up and tearing down such a massive spectacle.

Demme and Timberlake’s partnership arose from mutual admiration – Timberlake, like everyone with excellent taste, is a huge fan of Stop Making Sense, and Demme reached out after seeing The Social Network. The film is dedicated to Prince, who died just before the film’s release. —PV.

LAGAAN

Aamir Khan appears as Bhuvan, a confident young man from a hamlet contending with both British rule and a long-running drought in Ashutosh Gowariker’s timeless sports movie masterpiece. When the evil Captain Russell (Paul Blackthorne, who is deliriously excellent in this) challenges the village to a game of cricket (which they don’t know how to play) as a wager, with their owing taxes (which they can’t afford to pay) on the line, Bhuvan decides to organize a team and learn the game. A soaring sports story with humor, passion, and a show-stopping match climax follows. At the 74th Academy Awards, Lagaan was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. —PV

LEAVE NO TRACE

Debra Granik’s rumination on the modern world via two people separated from it is an amazing follow-up for the Winter’s Bone filmmaker. From our list of the top new movies to stream in July:

An Iraq War veteran (Ben Foster) and his 13-year-old daughter (Thomasin McKenzie) reside in the lush green forests outside of Portland, Oregon, with PTSD. Isolated from the rest of civilization, they collaborate to live in harmony with nature. However, when a jogger spots the small girl in the woods, she is held by social services and her father is arrested. Debra Granik’s 2018 drama is a modern classic, telling a moving narrative about finding your own place in the world and the joys and boundaries of family.

LOST BULLET

This French criminal thriller performs a simple idea flawlessly. Lino (former stuntman Alban Lenoir) is a skilled mechanic who is forced to work for corrupt cops. When he is accused of a murder he did not commit, he must track down the one item that can establish his innocence: a lost bullet in a stolen automobile. This is a 92-minute adrenaline journey with high-octane action sequences and excellent vehicle stunts. —PV

MARGIN CALL

J.C. Chandor’s 2011 film Margin Call follows the workers of a famous Wall Street investment firm as they battle to understand and respond to what would later be recognized as the 2008 global financial crisis. While not as accessible or didactic as Adam McKay’s The Big Short, Chandor’s film transforms financial esotericism into fascinating drama thanks to the brilliance of its characters’ performances. Paul Bettany is excellent, as are Zachary Quinto and Demi Moore, but Jeremy Irons delivers a spectacular sequence near the film’s conclusion that is as charming as it is unsettlingly scary. —TE

THE NIGHT COMES FOR US

Okay, The Night Comes for Us simply fucking whips? Why waste time on nuance and prelude when the film doesn’t? Since Gareth Evans’ 2011 film The Raid knocked the door down and mollywhopped everything else in sight, Indonesian action thrillers have been experiencing a revival. Timo Tjahjanto’s 2018 picture clearly follows in Evans’ footsteps, with The Raid’s Joe Taslim appearing as Ito, a gangland enforcer who betrays his Triad criminal family by sparing a child’s life and attempts to leave the country. Iko Uwais, who also appeared in The Raid, plays Arian, Ito’s boyhood buddy and fellow enforcer who is entrusted with tracking Ito down and retrieving the girl.The action is swift and furious in this film, with energetic choreography and spectacular handheld photography that emphasizes every punch, fall, and stab. Put this one on if you need to get your adrenaline going. —TE

PADDINGTON

Paddington, released in 2014, is as amusing and serious as it is imaginative and unexpected. Ben Whishaw plays a Peruvian bear cub who stows away on a lifeboat bound for London in quest of a new home. Paddington sets off in pursuit of the explorer who long ago visited his hometown and befriended his family while avoiding the numerous risks and traps of the great city, after being granted safe harbor by the compassionate Brown family.

As the film’s villains, Nicole Kidman and Peter Calpadi provide devilishly delightful performances, while Sally Hawkins and Hugh Bonneville are equally memorable as the exuberant Mrs. Brown and her stuffy risk-averse husband. Paddington is a great pleasure, with smart writing, fascinating set pieces, and tons of clever physical humor. —TE

THE PAPER TIGERS

Tran Quoc Bao’s kung fu action comedy stars Alain Uy, Ron Yuan (Mulan), and Mykel Shannon Jenkins as the titular Paper Tigers: three former martial arts prodigies who have turned into frustrated middle-aged nobodies after a lifetime of tough training and harsh combat. When their master is assassinated, the three take an oath to avenge his memory and bring his murderer to justice. If it seems serious, please keep in mind that this belongs to the Apatowian camp of Dumb Man humor. —TE

PHANTOM THREAD

Phantom Thread is a 2017 historical drama directed by Paul Thomas Anderson that tells the story of Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), an irascible haute couture dressmaker in 1950s London whose carefully cultivated lifestyle is disrupted by his ongoing love affair with his muse Alma (Vicky Krieps), a strong-willed woman with her own ambitions and desires. Day-Lewis is undoubtedly brilliant in his depiction of Woodcock as an artist whose fickle infatuations and immaculate inflexibility are unpleasant to everybody save Alma, who develops an… unorthodox means of leveling the power imbalance in their relationship. Add in an incredible music by Jonny Greenwood and stunning costume designs by Mark Bridges, and you have one of Anderson’s greatest pictures to date. —TE

RRR

RRR is an epic bromance for the ages, loaded to the brim with jaw-dropping action sequences, legendary song numbers, and two men simply being dudes. If you have the option, watch it in the original Telugu language version on Zee5. If you can’t, the Hindi dub on Netflix is highly worth seeing. —PV

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY

In The Talented Mr. Ripley, Matt Damon plays Tom Ripley, an underachiever with an uncanny talent for fooling people. After being mistaken for Dickie’s (Jude Law) former Princeton classmate, a wealthy socialite residing in Italy, Tom is recruited by Dickie’s father to rescue his son for $1,000. Befriending Dickie and his fiancée, Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow), transforms Tom’s ever-evolving grift into a twisted love-hate fixation with Dickie and his lifestyle, a life for which Tom will go to any length — anything — to acquire.

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a tense, emotional thriller whose labyrinthine twists and turns will have you rooting for a monster, with a brilliant performance by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as Dickie’s lewd, boisterous, and uncannily perceptive friend Freddie and terrific supporting performances by Cate Blanchett and Jack Davenport. —TE

UNFRIENDED

Unfriended is a horror film with a twist. The entire event is played out on a laptop screen, with the action taking place via a Skype chat between a group of pals. Friends begin to die one by one in a scary and compelling chain of events when an unknown (and invisible) member unexpectedly joins the call. Unfriended’s immersion through the mechanism of the computer screen is superb, and I highly recommend seeing it on a laptop if possible. —PV

From our selection of the finest Netflix horror movies:

Unfriended by Levan Gabriadze literally drags the viewer through the screen. The 2014 supernatural horror film, viewed solely from the perspective of a computer desktop, revolves around a Skype call between a group of high school students who are joined by an unknown entity known only as “billie227.” What looks to be a joke quickly turns into something far more horrifying, as the mystery stranger continues to expose frightening details about each of the pals before murdering them one by one. Unfriended is an engrossing extension of our always-on society, one in which angry poltergeists and doxxing coexist and no secret or transgression goes unknown or unpunished. —TE