The best R-rated movies to stream on Netflix in May include a number of American films, some of which broke new ground in storytelling.
To determine the best R-rated movies to stream on Netflix this May, 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 early May 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, also current as of early May, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood. Directorial credits are from IMDb.
Among the highest-rated films with an R rating on Netflix right now are “Heat” and “Psycho” – the latter of which, rated No. 1 here, is the oldest movie on the list (its release predated the Motion Picture Association rating system, but it was retroactively given an “R”). Michael Mann’s “Heat” helped redefine the narrative possibilities of an action film, while Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” explored new areas of terror and made millions think twice about taking a shower alone. (The Hitchcock masterpiece is also one of the best R-rated movies of all time.)
Click here to see the best R-rated movies to stream on Netflix this month
Organized crime films are represented by “The Departed,” one of nine Oscar-winning movies on the list, and “American Gangster,” starring Denzel Washington – who also headlined another entry, “Flight.” Two other actors starring in two movies on the list are Jake Gyllenhaal and Timothée Chalamet. Directors Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino each landed two movies on the list as well.
If your tastes run to more historical-themed or biographical offerings, that genre is represented by “The King,” “Outlaw King,” “Colette,” and “Born on the Fourth of July.”
Eighteen of the movies on our list hold Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer scores of 90% or higher. Seven films scored 90% or above among Rotten Tomatoes audiences. (And here’s a list of R-rated movies with a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.)
50. Outlaw King (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (74,007 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (1,520 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 62% (150 reviews)
> Directed by: David Mackenzie
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49. The Highwaymen (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (93,357 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (1,456 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 58% (140 reviews)
> Directed by: John Lee Hancock
48. Extraction (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (179,118 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (4,120 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (214 reviews)
> Directed by: Sam Hargrave
47. The Mist (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (290,993 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (198,490 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (146 reviews)
> Directed by: Frank Darabont
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46. Starship Troopers (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (279,628 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (224,466 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 65% (66 reviews)
> Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
45. Pitch Black (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (231,386 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (278,723 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 60% (112 reviews)
> Directed by: David Twohy
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44. Southpaw (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (225,990 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (44,160 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 60% (242 reviews)
> Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
43. Girl, Interrupted (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (192,196 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (242,754 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 53% (115 reviews)
> Directed by: James Mangold
42. The Old Guard (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (145,888 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (3,426 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (277 reviews)
> Directed by: Gina Prince-Bythewood
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41. The Best Man Holiday (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (15,359 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (52,758 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 70% (97 reviews)
> Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
40. Closer (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (209,653 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (242,461 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 68% (212 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Nichols
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39. Colette (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (24,381 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (1,493 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (222 reviews)
> Directed by: Wash Westmoreland
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38. Nocturnal Animals (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (252,907 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (30,355 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 73% (301 reviews)
> Directed by: Tom Ford
37. Side Effects (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (184,466 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (69,801 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (223 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
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36. The Boys in the Band (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (13,694 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (368 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (91 reviews)
> Directed by: Joe Mantello
35. The Kindergarten Teacher (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (14,288 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (392 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (103 reviews)
> Directed by: Sara Colangelo
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34. Flight (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (337,582 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (153,387 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (238 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
33. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (245,727 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (404,207 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (193 reviews)
> Directed by: Zack Snyder
32. The King (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (132,974 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (2,286 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (143 reviews)
> Directed by: David Michôd
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31. The Hateful Eight (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (550,683 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (73,769 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (337 reviews)
> Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
30. She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (13,567 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (6,661 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (32 reviews)
> Directed by: Spike Lee
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29. Tully (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (55,750 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (3,715 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (285 reviews)
> Directed by: Jason Reitman
28. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (108,523 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (59,404 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (48 reviews)
> Directed by: Oliver Stone
27. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (45,888 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (2,617 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (362 reviews)
> Directed by: Barry Jenkins
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26. Phantom Thread (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (120,047 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (7,984 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (355 reviews)
> Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
25. American Hustle (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (482,276 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (176,085 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (294 reviews)
> Directed by: David O. Russell
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24. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (133,130 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (3,708 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (234 reviews)
> Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen
23. Carol (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (122,012 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (29,764 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (313 reviews)
> Directed by: Todd Haynes
22. The Hangover (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (742,607 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (943,368 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (241 reviews)
> Directed by: Todd Phillips
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21. The White Tiger (2021)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (54,128 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (1,016 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (170 reviews)
> Directed by: Ramin Bahrani
20. Private Life (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (18,066 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (1,065 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (106 reviews)
> Directed by: Tamara Jenkins
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19. The Nice Guys (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (299,978 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (56,468 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (320 reviews)
> Directed by: Shane Black
18. Roma (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (148,393 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (5,701 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (400 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
17. 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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16. Inside Man (2006)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (354,136 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (351,658 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (208 reviews)
> Directed by: Spike Lee
15. The Raid 2 (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (118,592 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (24,310 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (175 reviews)
> Directed by: Gareth Evans
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14. Prisoners (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (637,815 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (108,697 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (253 reviews)
> Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
13. Zombieland (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (541,908 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (643,581 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (257 reviews)
> Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
12. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (116,311 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (185,688 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (52 reviews)
> Directed by: John Landis
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11. Mudbound (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (46,035 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (5,906 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (200 reviews)
> Directed by: Dee Rees
10. Léon: The Professional (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,081,769 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (274,510 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (65 reviews)
> Directed by: Luc Besson
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9. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (179,508 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (2,455 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (331 reviews)
> Directed by: Aaron Sorkin
8. Marriage Story (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (272,813 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (184 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (391 reviews)
> Directed by: Noah Baumbach
7. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (61,771 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (113 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (232 reviews)
> Directed by: Craig Brewer
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6. Rush (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (482,996 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (79,330 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (235 reviews)
> Directed by: Ron Howard
5. Call Me by Your Name (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (236,339 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (16,258 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (363 reviews)
> Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
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4. Heat (1995)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (606,225 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (222,169 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Mann
3. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (958,136 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (446,711 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (71 reviews)
> Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
2. The Departed (2006)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,241,061 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (738,191 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (283 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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1. Psycho (1960)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (630,728 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (240,418 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (104 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
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