Best New Movies on Amazon Prime (January 2021)

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8. The Quick and the Dead (1995)

The Quick and the Dead is a rather unorthodox western coming from director Sam Raimi. If you are familiar with Raimi’s earlier work in projects like the Evil Dead films, then you’ll have an idea as to the type of wildly stylized visuals that will be headed your way. The action is fun and inventive and the cast is stacked with big names. Sharon Stone, Russell Crowe, Gene Hackman, Lance Henriksen, Gary Sinise, and a young Leonardo DiCaprio all fill out this western ensemble.

If you are in the mood for more westerns, be sure to take a look at our ranking of the best neo-westerns. Or, if Italian westerns are more your style, check out our rundown of the best spaghetti westerns.

The Last of the Mohicans tells an epic story of love, survival, and protection set against the backdrop of the French and Indian War. Historical accuracy is not a sticking point for The Last of the Mohicans, but what the film does deliver are fantastic performances and thrilling bursts of action in director Michael Mann’s trademark style. With Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role, you can be assured that a phenomenal performance is awaiting you. To prepare for this role, method actor Daniel Day-Lewis spent months living out in the wilderness and surviving off the land.

For a deeper dive into the filmmaking style of director Michael Mann, take a look at our retrospective on his 2004 action, thriller Collateral.

What’s new on Amazon Prime Video

5. The Truman Show (1998)

The Truman Show takes a large, high-concept idea and imbues it with so much heart and caring that the end-result film feels more like a touching drama than the grand-scale sci-fi it could have been. The film poses the central question of: what if your entire life were recorded and broadcast without your knowledge. Jim Carrey flexes his dramatic chops at a time when he was still best known for goofy comedy performances only, and both Laura Linney and Ed Harris make the most of their supporting roles.

New Movies on Amazon Prime

3. Donnie Brasco (1997)

Donnie Brasco is an excellent entry onto the long list of top-notch gangster films. This story of an FBI agent going undercover to infiltrate the mob isn’t the most original or daring gangster story ever told, but it is conveyed with a remarkable sense of authenticity, nuance, and humanity in its characterizations. Johnny Depp and Al Pacino both knock it out of the park and have excellent on-screen chemistry.

Donnie Brasco made it onto our list of the best gangster films ever made. Find out what else made the cut.

Chaplin is a biopic on the eponymous Charlie Chaplin, screen icon of the silent-film age. It is a lengthy film at nearly two and a half hours, but this heartfelt drama has a lot of ground to cover when tackling the life of such a complex cinematic figure. Though the film’s structure and overall feel will be familiar to anyone who has seen a number of other biopics, Robert Downey Jr.’s central performance in the title role is more than enough to make Chaplin a must watch. His performance is really that good.

Dr. Strangelove is master filmmaker Stanley Kubrick’s most comedic film by far. Tackling the heavy subject of nuclear war with biting wit and gut-busting laughs, Dr. Strangelove is a hilarious watch from start to finish, thanks in no small part to an assortment of brilliant performances from the one and only Peter Sellers. Find out where Dr. Strangelove ranks on our retrospective of Stanley Kubrick’s entire filmography.