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

1972

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.

Facts

• 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

2003

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

2001

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

1966

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

1996

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

1984

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

2018

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

2008

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

1976

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

1959

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

1955

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

1988

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.

13. The Conformist

1970

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.

 

14. Lord of the rings:The two Towers

2002

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.

 

15. Back to the future 

1985

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Cast: Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F Wilson

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.

 

16. Call me by your name

2017

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.

 

17. Forrest Gump

1994

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

 

18. No country for old men

2007

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.

 

19. Once upon a time in America 

1984

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.

 

20. 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.

21. I am not your negro

2016

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.

 

22. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the lost ark

1981

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.

23. Cool Hand Luke

1967

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.

 

24. Network

1976

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

 

25. American Beauty

1999

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.