Special Report

Best Movies on Amazon Prime Right Now

marcoventuriniautieri / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

If your movie taste includes Westerns and classic films from other genres, you might want to stream some of the offerings from Amazon Prime in March.

The platform is currently featuring some of the most famous and acclaimed Westerns to ever come out of Hollywood, among them “Red River,” True Grit,” “The Westerner,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” and “Shane.” (These are the 30 best Western films of all time.)

Three of those films star John Wayne, an actor most associated with the Western genre. But Wayne and director John Ford, who collaborated on 14 movies, also partnered in “The Quiet Man,” Ford’s Valentine to his Irish heritage – available on Amazon Prime this month just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. 

One of the other screen legends represented this month is the redoubtable Barbara Stanwyck, who starred in the March Amazon Prime offerings “Stella Dallas” and “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.” (If you like films from Hollywood’s Golden Age, these are the best movie classics you’ve never seen available to stream right now.)

To determine the best movies to stream on Amazon Prime this March, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of March 2023, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only movies with at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes, and ruled out documentaries. (Data on streaming availability, current as of this month, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood, and directorial credits are from IMDb.)

Click here for a list of the best movies on Amazon Prime right now

In addition to the aforementioned classics, heavier themes are explored in the war films “Apocalypse Now” and “Paths of Glory.” Crime in its various iterations is the subject of “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “American Gangster,” “The Big Combo,” and “Pulp Fiction.” The horror genre is represented by “Rosemary’s Baby,” Korean import “The Wailing,” and the campy gore fest “Night of the Living Dead.”

If you need a break from the fare like this and are seeking pure movie escapism, you can stream the Steven Spielberg-helmed “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” and its sequel, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”  

Courtesy of United Artists

50. Stella Dallas (1937)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (5,176 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (2,147 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (9 reviews)
> Directed by: King Vidor

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

49. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (1,418,467 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (181,234 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (286 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

48. True Grit (1969)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (45,503 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (26,192 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (55 reviews)
> Directed by: Henry Hathaway

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

47. American Gangster (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (430,167 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (831,085 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (216 reviews)
> Directed by: Ridley Scott

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Courtesy of New World Pictures

46. Heathers (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (95,825 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (75,561 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (56 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Lehmann

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

45. The Help (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (462,347 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (107,976 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (230 reviews)
> Directed by: Tate Taylor

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

44. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (9,152 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (1,768 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (10 reviews)
> Directed by: Lewis Milestone

Courtesy of Allied Artists Pictures

43. The Big Combo (1955)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (7,137 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (2,213 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (14 reviews)
> Directed by: Joseph H. Lewis

Courtesy of Bleecker Street Media

42. Captain Fantastic (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (205,102 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (22,458 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (229 reviews)
> Directed by: Matt Ross

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Courtesy of United Artists

41. The Westerner (1940)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (5,548 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (744 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (6 reviews)
> Directed by: William Wyler

Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company

40. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (46,631 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (51,492 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (49 reviews)
> Directed by: Kenneth Branagh

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

39. Meet John Doe (1941)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (12,873 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (4,584 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (22 reviews)
> Directed by: Frank Capra

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

38. Funny Girl (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (21,324 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (19,909 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (45 reviews)
> Directed by: William Wyler

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

37. To Catch a Thief (1955)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (69,121 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (52,106 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

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Archive Photos / Getty Images

36. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (18,094 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (7,851 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (23 reviews)
> Directed by: John Frankenheimer

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

35. Of Mice and Men (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (42,292 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (47,889 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (29 reviews)
> Directed by: Gary Sinise

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

34. Shane (1953)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (38,919 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (15,575 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (36 reviews)
> Directed by: George Stevens

Courtesy of United Artists

33. Lilies of the Field (1963)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (9,809 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (6,155 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (24 reviews)
> Directed by: Ralph Nelson

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

32. Ordinary People (1980)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (49,514 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (23,252 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (55 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Redford

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Courtesy of United Artists

31. Dodsworth (1936)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (8,708 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (1,474 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (21 reviews)
> Directed by: William Wyler

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

30. The Wailing (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (59,362 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (7,116 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (83 reviews)
> Directed by: Hong-jin Na

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Courtesy of United Artists

29. Wuthering Heights (1939)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (16,674 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (8,793 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (23 reviews)
> Directed by: William Wyler

Courtesy of Summit Entertainment

28. 50/50 (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (332,708 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (86,894 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (200 reviews)
> Directed by: Jonathan Levine

Courtesy of Focus Features

27. Lost in Translation (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (432,805 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (337,639 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (232 reviews)
> Directed by: Sofia Coppola

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Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution

26. Shrek (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (638,681 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (1,378,744 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (208 reviews)
> Directed by: Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson

Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures

25. Dazed and Confused (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (174,013 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (236,467 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (62 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Linklater

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Courtesy of Amazon Studios

24. Honey Boy (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (32,827 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (560 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (231 reviews)
> Directed by: Alma Har’el

Courtesy of National General Pictures

23. Little Big Man (1970)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (34,080 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (17,453 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (26 reviews)
> Directed by: Arthur Penn

Courtesy of CBS Films

22. Pride (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (58,395 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (16,261 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (153 reviews)
> Directed by: Matthew Warchus

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Courtesy of Republic Pictures

21. The Quiet Man (1952)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (36,647 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (30,453 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (45 reviews)
> Directed by: John Ford

Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution

20. Almost Famous (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (279,276 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (325,177 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (174 reviews)
> Directed by: Cameron Crowe

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Courtesy of Continental Distributing

19. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (121,700 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (130,710 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (74 reviews)
> Directed by: George A. Romero

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

18. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (203,627 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (73,974 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (73 reviews)
> Directed by: Roman Polanski

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

17. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (717,370 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (768,808 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (73 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg

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Courtesy of United Artists

16. Red River (1948)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (29,715 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (8,571 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (30 reviews)
> Directed by: Howard Hawks

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

15. Charade (1963)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (72,875 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (42,943 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Donen

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Courtesy of United Artists

14. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (85,564 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (24,773 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (77 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Laughton

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

13. Scarlet Street (1945)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (15,674 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (3,697 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (16 reviews)
> Directed by: Fritz Lang

Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

12. The King’s Speech (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (683,883 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (144,700 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (298 reviews)
> Directed by: Tom Hooper

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

11. My Man Godfrey (1936)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (22,597 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (7,668 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (37 reviews)
> Directed by: Gregory La Cava

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

10. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (72,528 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (23,742 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (48 reviews)
> Directed by: John Ford

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

9. His Girl Friday (1940)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (56,106 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (24,333 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (67 reviews)
> Directed by: Howard Hawks

Courtesy of United Artists

8. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (78,648 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (8,681 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (23 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kramer

Courtesy of Focus Features

7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (948,653 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (571,910 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (250 reviews)
> Directed by: Michel Gondry

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Courtesy of United Artists

6. Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (14,002 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (5,423 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (30 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Reisner & Buster Keaton

Courtesy of United Artists

5. Paths of Glory (1957)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (199,155 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (35,412 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (62 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

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Courtesy of United Artists

4. The Gold Rush (1925)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (106,473 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (20,591 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

3. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (917,143 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (827,087 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Courtesy of United Artists

2. Apocalypse Now (1979)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (629,925 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (286,235 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (96 reviews)
> Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

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Courtesy of Miramax

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 8.9/10 (1,909,111 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (1,128,444 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (108 reviews)
> Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

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