Best Netflix movies: 30 amazing films on Netflix UK right now (2023)

Compiling a list of the best movies on Netflix in the UK is tricky business, especially given the ever-changing nature of the streamer's content library.

Our pick of the 30 best Netflix films is regularly updated with recommendations as and when they appear on the service – whether they be the platform's own originals (like The Sea Beast) or licensed arrivals from other movie studios – and we frequently replace the titles no longer listed on the streamer, too.

Luckiest Girl Alive, Blonde and Collateral count among the latest additions to our collection, while older flicks like Taxi Driver and Dallas Buyers Club make up Netflix's stellar crop of modern classics.

That winning combination of old and new is why the platform remains, for us, the best streaming service in 2022, despite increased competition from the likes of HBO Max and Disney Plus in recent years. Below, then, you'll find our pick of the best movies on Netflix UK available to watch right now.

If you're also interested in learning what feature-length projects are on the horizon for Netflix, we've collated a list of all the new Netflix movies coming in 2022.

Luckiest Girl Alive

Netflix is no stranger to pitch-black character dramas, and Luckiest Girl Alive is as good an example of the streamer's penchant for dark and twisty storytelling as any. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Jessica Knoll (who also serves as the film’s screenwriter), the movie follows a successful New York businesswoman (Mila Kunis) whose perfect life begins to unravel when a documentary filmmaker digs deeper into her chequered past.

Critics were divided over Luckiest Girl Alive's quality on its release in October 2022, but in our own review, we said it “stands out from obvious comparisons Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train by virtue of its nuanced depiction of trauma, survival and recovery, and impressively subtle lead performance from Mila Kunis."

Blonde

The first thing to say about Blonde is that it isn't a Marilyn Monroe biopic – not in the traditional sense of the genre, anyway. Instead, Andrew Dominik's controversial Netflix production plays more like a psychological horror movie in which Monroe (an exceptional Ana de Armas) is the troubled protagonist.

Blonde loosely chronicles the rapid rise to fame (and equally uncompromising demise) of the 1950s icon, but the film is also a hallucinatory thriller – shot mostly in black and white – about a young star haunted by her troubled past and swallowed up by the industry around her. Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuel and Julianne Nicholson star alongside Armas in this divisive conversation-starter.

Collateral

Judging by the likes of Top Gun: Maverick and the Mission: Impossible movies, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Tom Cruise can only play action heroes. But Collateral, director Michael Mann's underappreciated neo-noir thriller, sees the veteran actor ditch his usual Hollywood charm in favor of a ruthless talent for murder.

Cruise plays Vincent, a silver-haired hitman who gets more than he bargains for when he decides to take a Los Angeles cab driver, Max (Jamie Foxx), hostage for an evening of location-hopping 'work'. Heat is widely (and correctly) considered by many to be Mann’s best film – but with Collateral, the director returned to the same stylized grit for which his 1995 masterpiece was so celebrated.

Hustle

If you were a fan of 2019's Uncut Gems (also on this list), then listen up: Hustle, a surprisingly entertaining basketball drama, landed on Netflix in June to deliver more Adam Sandler-sized surprises.

After discovering a once-in-a-lifetime player with a rocky past abroad, a down-on-his-luck Philadelphia 76ers scout, Stanley Sugerman (Sandler), takes it upon himself to bring the young phenom to the States without his team's approval. Against the odds, the pair must work to prove that they both deserve to make it big in the NBA.

That synopsis might sound like standard sports drama fare, but Hustle earned unexpectedly glowing reviews ahead of its muted release earlier this year. In our own assessment, we called the movie a “rousing redemption tale that provides further evidence of Sandler’s ability as a damn fine actor.” Trust us: this is no Jack and Jill.

The Sea Beast

Another new addition to our list of recommendations is The Sea Beast, a Netflix-produced animated adventure that proves Disney doesn’t have a monopoly on layered, child-friendly storytelling.

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Chris Williams (Moana, Big Hero Six), the movie follows Jacob Holland (voiced byThe Boys’ Karl Urban), a celebrated sea monster hunter whose life is upended when a young girl, Maisie Brumble (newcomer Zaris-Angel Hator), stows away on his ship.

Charming, action-packed and beautifully-rendered, The Sea Beast was praised by audiences and critics alike upon its release in July, and serves as further proof that Netflix should think twice about scaling back its animation departmentin response to recent subscriber losses.

Blade Runner 2049

Director Denis Villeneuve rocked Hollywood in 2021 with his starry adaptation of Frank Herbert's seminal space adventure, Dune, but it was his ambitious 2017 sequel to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner that proved he had the filmmaking chops to tackle big-budget (and beloved) sci-fi material.

Set 30 years after the events of Scott's 1982 original, Blade Runner 2049 follows LAPD officer K (Ryan Gosling), who, after stumbling upon an existential secret, goes looking for former blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). Every bit as visually stunning as its predecessor, 2049 is a more-than-worthy companion piece to one of cinema's most iconic movies – and now it's on Netflix, it's also good preparation for the in-development Blade Runner TV show.

Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood

If you’re keen to mix up your movie-watching diet in 2022, they don't come much more unconventional than Netflix’s Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood. Boyhood director Richard Linklater returns to filmmaking duties with this animated feature, which tells the story of the 1969 moon landing from multiple perspectives.

The movie shares the visual style of Linklater’s previous animation, 2006's A Scanner Darkly, and features the voice talents of Jack Black, Zachary Levi and Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell. Despite its needlessly lengthy title, Apollo 10 1/2 is a genuinely unique take on one of history’s most iconic moments, and serves as yet more proof of Netflix's willingness to invest in boundary-pushing storytelling.

Call Me by Your Name

2017 was a stellar year for cinema. Get Out, Dunkirk, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and the aforementioned Blade Runner 2049 were among the titles lighting up theaters across the globe, but it was Luca Guadagnino's Call Me by Your Name that perhaps left the greatest impression on audiences.

An adaptation of André Aciman's 2007 novel of the same name, the movie follows Timothée Chalamet's Elio, a precocious teenager who develops feelings for his father's temporary research assistant, Oliver (Armie Hammer), in 1980s Italy. Praised for being an honest exploration of young love and a launchpad for Chalamet's burgeoning career, Guadagnino's film is one of the most beautifully-shot in recent memory, and a reminder that quiet, careful cinema can still triumph among today's superhero-heavy releases. Catch it on Netflix before it's gone.

The Lost Daughter

The powerhouse trio of Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson and Jessie Buckley lead the line in Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, which is reason enough to sit up and take notice. In this slow-burn psychological drama, a college professor vacationing in Greece is forced to confront her troubled past after befriending a woman and her young daughter.

Based on Elena Ferrante's novel of the same name, the movie poses poignant and often uncomfortable questions about parenthood and independence, and was near-universally praised upon release at the turn of 2021.

The Hand of God

Another one for Call Me by Your Name fans, The Hand of God marks the movie-making return of beloved Italian director Paolo Sorrentino and tells the semi-autobiographical of tale of a young man (Filippo Scotti, standing in for a teenage Sorrentino) grappling with the pressures of growing up in 1980s Naples.

As well as referring to the infamous goal scored by Argentine footballer (and Napoli legend) Diego Maradona at the 1986 World Cup, the film's title alludes to a tragic and life-affirming event that forces its protagonist to grow up quicker than he'd otherwise like. To say more risks spoiling The Hand of God's most tender moments, though the movie's beautiful locations, hypnotic camerawork and larger-than-life characters ensure it ranks among Sorrentino's best work.

Django Unchained

Undoubtedly the most blockbuster, action movie-style Quentin Tarantino movie to date, Django Unchained is a high-energy modern western that deserves the hype it garnered upon release in 2012.

Django (Jamie Foxx) is a former slave who works with the eccentric Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) to hunt scoundrels across the American South. The pair eventually team up to try and free Django's wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), from hideous plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) – and suffice to say, things quickly go awry. The movie is very much a rewrite of history in the vein of Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds – entertaining, controversial and ambitiously realized.

The Witch

2022 may be thin on the ground for new horror movies to get excited about, but Netflix saw fit to add one of the genre's best to its UK content library in March. From The Lighthouse (also on Netflix UK) director Robert Eggers, The Witch follows a Puritan New England family in the 1630s who find their farm haunted by mysterious evil forces.

Anya Taylor-Joy (in her big screen debut), Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie lead the cast in this admittedly weird thriller, which was described upon release in 2015 as one of the most genuinely unnerving horror films in recent memory. If that doesn't get you intrigued, we don't know what will. The Witch is necessary viewing for fans of its A24 studio stablemate, The Green Knight.

The Gentlemen

Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen is, well, quintessentially Guy Ritchie – and that's a great thing. The British director's latest foul-mouthed crime caper follows an American marijuana kingpin's (Matthew McConaughey) efforts to sell off his narcotics empire. Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant make up the movie's stellar supporting cast, with every character boasting their own brand of humor (and unique style of violence).

We recently reported onNetflix's ongoing negotiationsto green-light a new TV show based on The Gentlemen, so there's never been a better time to get yourself acquainted with Mickey, Raymond and the rest of this motley (though admittedly dysfunctional) crew.

The Power of the Dog

It’s safe to say that Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog was the critical hit – and potentially best movie – of 2021. Widely praised for its slow-burning psychological drama, it follows the story of a menacing rancher (Benedict Cumberbatch) who doesn’t take kindly to the arrival of his brother’s new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

Cumberbatch arguably gives a career-best performance as the volatile Phil Burbank, which undoubtedly made interesting prep for his performance in Doctor Strange 2 the following year. It's a slow-burner, for sure, but The Power of the Dog is a masterful piece of filmmaking – so much so that Campion picked up a BAFTA and an Oscar for her troubles.

Taxi Driver

One of the best movies period, never mind one of the best Netflix movies, Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver follows marine-turned-cab driver Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) as he grows disgusted by the crime and urban decay of '70s New York City. In an effort to clean up the streets, he embarks on a mission to save underage prostitute (Jodie Foster) from her pimp (Harvey Keitel).

Considered by many to be Scorsese's greatest achievement, shades of Taxi Driver are evident in some of the biggest movies of recent years. The likes of Fight Club, Joker and The Machinist all owe a debt of gratitude to Taxi Driver's grimy portrayal of inner-city America, and first-time viewers will be bowled over by its music, visual style and that mirror scene.

Uncut Gems

This sweaty-palmed thriller tells the frenetic tale of Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), a jeweller and gambler who plans a gem sale that'll solve all his problems. Instead, Howard makes more and more ill-advised bets, and the walls begin to close in. Uncut Gems is a stressful but enthralling film with a really impressive performance from Sandler, not to mention a fantastic ensemble cast. It's a fascinating character study, as you watch Ratner begin to suffocate under the weight of his terrible decisions and inability to put anyone but himself first.

Uncut Gems departed Netflix across the pond in May 2022, so UK viewers should catch this one on their version of the streamer while they still can.

The Big Short

It may be director Adam McKay's most recent feature, Don't Look Up, that proved one of Netflix's most successful original movies ever, but The Big Short remains the filmmaker's best work. A darkly comic (and damning) portrait of the days leading up to the financial crash of 2008, the film follows financiers Steve Carell, Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling as they pre-empt the collapse of the US housing market.

Hilarious one moment and poignant the next, The Big Short exposes the corruption, greed and misguided sense of control exercised by the world's largest banks at the turn of the millennium, and does well to explain jargon-heavy concepts in layman's terms (using Margot Robbie in a bubble bath, mostly).

The King

Another Netflix original movie, The King stars Timothée Chalamet as Henry V, a young man forced to navigate politics, war and treachery after unexpectedly becoming king of England in the 15th century. This one contains all the fanfare you'd expect from a modern medieval movie, and boasts an excellent cast including Robert Pattinson, Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris. For a reported budget of just $20 million (although you wouldn't know it), director David Michôd managed to produce one of the most engaging and visually stunning historical dramas around.

Midsommar

Want a little bit of borderline-traumatic horror in your movie nights? Try this Wicker Man-esque horror flick about a backpacking trip to a Swedish village that definitely isn't as lovely it seems. Florence Pugh plays a young woman in deep mourning, whose trashy boyfriend and his awful friends offer little comfort as she adjusts to life in this strange place.

Midsommar has no business being two hours and 27 minutes long, really, but this lengthy run time does help to immerse you further in its eerie sunny backdrop. The final image of this film, too, will live with you forever.

Little Women

Another Florence Pugh feature, Little Woman chronicles the domestic lives of the March sisters – Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Pugh) and Beth (Eliza Scanlan) – as they navigate romance, family tragedy and the pressures of adulthood in 19th century Massachusetts.

Greta Gerwig directs this (seventh) film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's revered coming-of-age novel, which manages to stand out from its lesser-celebrated siblings thanks to a star-studded cast (Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep all feature, too), some poignant storytelling and an exceptional score from Alexandre Desplat. You'll laugh, cry and maybe even pick up reading again.

The Mitchells vs the Machines

Originally intended for a theatrical release, Netflix bought this animated movie from Sony and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller – best known as the minds behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, and also part of the team behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It's exactly as charming and funny as those movies, too.

Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) is an aspiring filmmaker who's about to head to college – until her dad, conscious that they've been drifting apart, cancels her plane ticket and insists on a family roadtrip. Halfway through this fraught journey, an AI takes revenge on its billionaire creator, and the world is suddenly under duress from smart robots.

A lot of Spider-Verse's visual touches cross over into this film, too, with 2D annotations and drawings on the already-pretty 3D visuals. Most of all, it's nice to see Netflix backing a family movie that's not just full of talking dogs and other hackneyed nonsense so often seen in CG kids' fare.

Annihilation

Ex Machina director Alex Garland helms this hypnotic adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer's novel of the same name, which follows a group of explorers – led by Natalie Portman's Lena – who enter "The Shimmer", a mysterious, quarantined zone of mutating plants and animals. Sci-fi fans will find plenty of aliens to enjoy here, but Annihilation is also an ambitious psychological thriller that will leave you questioning the events of its final moments. Oscar Isaac also stars alongside Portman, which should be reason enough to give this one a go (that being said, the squeamish should look elsewhere).

Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club is all about the performances of its lead actors. Both Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto won Oscars for their portrayals of AIDS patient Ron Woodroof and trans woman Rayon, respectively, and both were richly deserved.

The late Jean-Marc Vallée directs this moving story of Woodroof's real-life quest to destigmatize the then-misunderstood disease. It follows his plan to smuggle unapproved pharmaceutical drugs into Texas for treating his symptoms, which he then distributed to fellow AIDS patients as part of the 'Dallas Buyers Club' – all while facing staunch opposition from theFood and Drug Administration(FDA).

It's a moving picture that educates as much as it entertains.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Based on the play by August Wilson – and despite the gorgeous period set dressing and costume design, it definitely feels very stage-y – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is one of the best Netflix original movies of recent years. Viola Davis stars as legendary 'Mother of Blues' Ma Rainey, and the film focuses on one fraught recording session with Ma and her band, and the tension between the musician and her white producers and management.

Meanwhile, the late Chadwick Boseman stars as Levee, an innovative trumpet player who struggles to find his place in the music scene, amid bandmates who don't always take him seriously. It's a sad but insightful movie that explores how culture is worth protecting and valuing, in a world where it's easily taken and monetized, and the film truly comes to life in its amazing musical sequences. Don't miss it.

Beasts of No Nation

We won't beat about the bush – Beasts of No Nation is a tough watch. No Time to Die's Cary Fukunaga directs this harrowing feature, which follows the journey of a young orphan (Abraham Attah) forced into becoming a child soldier by a fierce warlord (Idris Elba) during an unnamed African civil war.

An adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala's novel of the same name, Beasts of No Nation is a masterfully-shot story documenting the human cost of conflict, and places the uncomfortable realities of war front and centre. This isn't one to watch with the kids, but sitting through its two-hour narrative is an enlightening, dare-we-say necessary movie experience.

Spirited Away (and all Ghibli films on Netflix UK)

Studio Ghibli has an unbeatable selection of kid-friendly movies, and almost the entire archive is now on Netflix. Spirited Away, about a girl whose parents are turned into pigs who then goes to work in a mystical bathhouse, is one highlight, but you could pick any of these and have a great viewing experience.

Here's the complete list: Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo, Pom Poko, The Wind Rises, When Marnie Was There, From Up on Poppy Hill, Whisper of the Heart, Arriety, Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Only Yesterday, The Cat Returns, Castle in the Sky, Nausicaä, My Neighbors the Yamadas.

They're all beautifully animated and most of them are deeply moving, with more thematic texture than you'd typically get from a movie targeted at kids. A real coup for Netflix UK.

The Irishman

The Irishman grabbed headlines for the CG de-ageing process applied to actors Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci in this movie, but when you watch this epic crime drama, you'll understand why this creative decision was so important. Based on a biography of Frank Sheeran, a union official who gets caught up in the illegal activities of the Bufalino crime family, this long but rewarding picture by the masterful Martin Scorsese takes place over decades. The changing faces of the actors underlines the idea that you're watching Sheeran's actual life story play out.

Da 5 Bloods

Spike Lee's entry in the Vietnam War canon is unlike anything else before it. Focusing on the black American experience of the war, it's about a group of soldiers who return to the country decades later in their old age to retrieve the remains of their squad captain (played in flashback by Chadwick Boseman). At the same time, they seek out buried gold they left behind years before – though they're not alone in this pursuit. The movie flips from being a mournful tale of trauma to a bonkers action film with almost no notice, too, but the mix here works.

Okja

If you've enjoyed Bong Joon Ho's Best Picture winner Parasite, you might want to check out his previous movie, Okja, which is still one of the best Netflix originals on the platform. It tells the bizarre tale of a young girl and her best pal, an enormous creature called Okja, whose friendship comes under threat when a nasty CEO (Tilda Swinton) has evil plans for the titular animal. It's a refreshing movie with a nice angle of animal activism – a very different proposition to Parasite, for sure, but one that also demonstrates the director's ability to blend genres.

Roma

An astonishing ode to motherhood in all forms, Roma is the most personal film to date from visionary director Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Gravity). On paper, it's is not the easiest sell –a subtitled black and white film about a live-in housekeeper spoken almost entirely in Spanish and the indigenous Mixtec language. But Cuarón's 2018 critical hit is nonetheless riveting from a cinematic standpoint (especially when watched through the streamer's 4K Ultra HD setting). More a series of vignettes than a traditional three-act story, it examines the life of a Mexico City family in the early 1970s during a time of great social upheaval. Roma is still necessary Netflix viewing for cinema aficionados in 2022.

• Prefer TV to movies? These are the best Netflix series to stream right now