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The 10 Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video in 2022

June 29, 2022

Amazon Prime subscriptions include access to thousands of movies for free. If you’re looking for something to watch, here are the best movies to watch for free with Amazon Prime Video.

Update, 6/27/22: We’ve reviewed our recommendations and are confident these are still the best movies you can watch on Amazon Prime Video.

Table of Contents

Bound

Before they made The Matrix, the Wachowskis debuted with the stylish crime thriller Bound, an early indicator of their bold filmmaking style. Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon play neighbors Violet and Corky, who experience an instant and powerful romantic attraction.

They hatch an elaborate plan to steal from Violet’s mobster boyfriend (Joe Pantoliano), taking advantage of his sexist dismissal of their intelligence and strength. The Wachowskis demonstrate visual inventiveness in even the most basic interactions, and the chemistry between Tilly and Gershon is electrifying.

Groundhog Day

Bill Murray gives one of his funniest and most heartfelt performances in Harold Ramis’ comedy Groundhog Day. Murray’s cynical weatherman Phil Connors learns to appreciate life when he finds himself stuck repeating the same miserable day over and over again.

Ramis expertly balances that sweetness with humor that ranges from slapstick to cerebral, and Murray nails the delivery of every joke and riff. He’s supported by Andie MacDowell as Phil’s unlikely love interest, and a cast of oddball characters who become more endearing the more they repeat their small, memorable moments.

Heathers

Cult classic Heathers is one of the best comedies on Amazon Prime. This dark satire takes on the teen movies of its era (the 1980s), bringing a violent edge to the story of an upstanding young woman falling in love with a rebellious bad boy. Veronica (Winona Ryder) and J.D. (Christian Slater) take their crusade against the vapid popular students at their high school to deadly extremes, while the movie retains a sense of the absurd. The filmmakers mix whip-smart dialogue with cutting commentary on conformity.

His Girl Friday

Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell star as bickering newspaper reporters (and ex-spouses) in Howard Hawks’ classic comedy His Girl Friday. Hawks swaps the gender of one of the main characters of the popular play The Front Page, turning the story into a comedy about remarriage as well as a farce. The rapid-fire dialogue is filled with clever put-downs and wordplay, and Grant and Russell continually one-up each other as their characters pursue the biggest story of their careers (and also fall in love again).

Inside Llewyn Davis

One of the Coen brothers’ best films, Inside Llewyn Davis, stars Oscar Isaac as the title character, a struggling folk singer in 1960s New York City. Perpetually living in the shadow of his more successful peers, Llewyn drifts from one friend’s couch to another’s, trying to scrounge together money from occasional gigs. The movie has a bittersweet, melancholy tone, with Llewyn serving as a stand-in for anyone who’s faced the prospect of giving up on their dreams.

Love & Friendship

One of Amazon’s best original movies, Love & Friendship is a delightful Jane Austen adaptation from filmmaker Whit Stillman. Based on Austen’s early novel Lady Susan, the movie stars Kate Beckinsale as a ruthless, sharp-tongued social climber with witty rejoinders for everyone she meets. Love & Friendship adds a nasty edge to Austen’s typical romantic narrative while still satisfyingly pairing off all the main characters in suitable marriages.

Night of the Living Dead

The zombie genre wouldn’t even exist without George A. Romero’s landmark 1968 horror movie Night of the Living Dead. Romero pioneered most of the key elements of zombie movies with his creepy, low-budget film about the dead rising from the grave, hungry for human flesh.

Taking place mostly within an abandoned house where characters hide from the growing undead hordes, Night of the Living Dead creates indelible scares on minimal resources. It’s one of the most influential movies of all time (in any genre).

Raging Bull

Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull is often considered one of the greatest movies ever made, and it remains striking and powerful even as it’s become part of the cinematic canon. Robert De Niro has a powerful presence as boxer Jake LaMotta, a brute of a man who alienates everyone in his life in his self-destructive quest for a championship.

Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty hold their own as Jake’s brother and wife, respectively, matching De Niro’s intensity. Scorsese turns the boxing scenes into impressionistic pieces of visual art, making a sports movie that defies every expectation.

Shaun of the Dead

Filmmaker Edgar Wright brilliantly parodies and pays homage to the zombie genre in Shaun of the Dead. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play a pair of slacker friends who find themselves surprisingly adept at navigating the undead apocalypse, once they realize what’s actually going on.

Shaun of the Dead is a warm comedy about friendship that’s also an effective and sometimes scary horror movie. Wright’s extensive knowledge of and affection for zombie films serves him well as he equally embraces and subverts the standard elements of the genre.

To Catch a Thief

Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief is more lighthearted than many of the master of suspense’s thrillers, but it’s no less engrossing. Cary Grant plays an expert jewel thief whose retirement is threatened by an impostor robbing wealthy tourists on the French Riviera.

Determined to clear his name, the burglar, known as “the Cat,” decides to catch the real thief. Along the way, he falls in love with a wealthy heiress played by Grace Kelly. It’s a stylish caper that benefits from the stars’ playful chemistry and Hitchcock’s mastery of the camera.

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