50 Best British Movies on Amazon Prime

50 Best British Movies on Amazon Prime

April 3, 2025

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Just as there’s no such thing as one type of American, European, Latin, or Asian cinema, British film can look just as varied while still offering something unique outside the Western mainstream. And given the British film industry’s influence and reach, there are many more British productions or co-productions out there than you may realize. So if you’re looking for all the different forms UK cinema can take, the expansive library of Amazon Prime is a great place to start—and since we at agoodmovietowatch look for lesser-known but high-quality films approved by critics and audiences alike, the selection we’ve gathered below should have good surprises in store for curious viewers.

41. Ghost World (2001)

7.2

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Director

Terry Zwigoff

Actors

Alex Solowitz, Anna Berger, Ashley Peldon, Bob Balaban

Moods

Original, Sunday

Based on the comic book by Daniel Clowes, Ghost World is a dark comedy that follows the exploits of teenage outcasts Enid and Rebecca (Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson) as they navigate the many complexities of burgeoning adulthood. Central to the story is the unlikely friendship that Enid strikes up with a lonesome older man (played by Steve Buscemi), a curious relationship that drifts through various humorous and melancholy situations. It’s an original and often poignant look at alienation and identity, with Birch delivering a wonderfully deadpan and often hilarious performance, despite her entirely pessimistic attitude. It’s the type of film that’s just right when you’re in the mood for something just a little bit different.

42. Coherence (2013)

7.2

Genres

Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction

Director

James Ward Byrkit

Actors

Alex Manugian, Alexis Boozer Sterling, Aqueela Zoll, Elizabeth Gracen

Moods

Thought-provoking, Weird

Coherence is a film that captivates you to the point of questioning the reality that surrounds you. It’s a Quantum physics based sci-fi thriller that keeps your eyes sealed to the screen – not with unrealistically beautiful actors or special effects, but with an original screenplay and unexpected twists. Very refreshing.

43. Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005)

7.2

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Family

Director

Dan Ireland

Actors

Anna Carteret, Anna Massey, Clare Higgins, David Webber

Moods

Easy, Feel-Good, Heart-warming

It may look like a cheap TV movie, but this quietly affecting story of a lonely grandmother looking for kindness and meaning at a retirement hotel is an absolutely charming watch for you, your parents, and your own grandparents. The stakes are refreshingly low, as the title character’s quick friendship with a twentysomething writer helps each of them get through their feelings of being out of place. There’s lots of effective, British-style comedy from this small cast of instantly likable actors, and an unexpectedly potent emotional core, making you realize only by the end just how invested you’ve become in their interactions. As Mrs. Palfrey, Joan Plowright is a wonderful, gentle presence, and her easy chemistry with Rupert Friend is exactly as wholesome as the film needs.

44. The Rescue (2021)

7.2

Genres

Documentary, Drama

Director

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Female director

Actors

Anan Surawan, Chris Jewell, Craig Challen, Derek Anderson

Moods

Gripping, Inspiring, Intense

As a result of the miraculous success of the famed Tham Luang cave rescue, which saw the return of 12 kids trapped in a cave for more than 15 days, you’ll find no shortage of documentaries about the mission. Some take the point of view of the children, even others the locals and loved ones. But National Geographic’s The Rescue largely focuses on the volunteer rescuers, all of whom were foreigners who flew from different parts of the globe to risk their lives for the young victims. The film dives into their personal lives and their psyches, even going so far as their childhood to explain the motivations behind the heroic decisions they made at that moment. In less deft hands, The Rescue might seem like yet another White Savior Complex story, but directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (the same creative couple behind the Oscar-winning doc Free Solo) prove that the divers’ expertise, skill, and personal stakes make for a story worth telling.

45. Rose Plays Julie (2021)

7.2

Genres

Drama, Thriller

Director

Christine Molloy, Female director

Actors

Aidan Gillen, Alan Howley, Ann Skelly, Annabell Rickerby

Moods

Dark, Gripping, Intense

It would be easy to define Rose Plays Julie as a cross between Promising Young Woman and Killing Eve, but this psychological thriller turns the camp factor down to zero and makes even just the act of watching somebody else an existential experience. Directors Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy treat this story with stone-cold intensity (perhaps to a fault), transforming their title character from a confused girl to somebody who relishes the power they have to disrupt other people’s lives through her mere existence. There’s something eerie about it that crawls under your skin if you let it, like a ghost story told among the living.

46. Green Day: Bullet in a Bible (2005)

7.2

Genres

Documentary, Music

Director

Samuel Bayer

Actors

Adrienne Armstrong, Billie Joe Armstrong, Jason Freese, Jason White

Moods

Feel-Good, Raw, Without plot

Green Day’s Bullet in a Bible has certainly aged well. Maybe it’s even better now with time and hindsight, and knowing that the once punk group would commit to their alternative sound from that point forward. Green Day with their American Idiot tracks and frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s stage presence absolutely belongs as a stadium-level act, but you could argue they could’ve cut down on the heavy American Idiot representation to have more of a mix of albums in the setlist. The film could’ve also had less of the vignettes and montages with edgy editing—we don’t need that many breaks from 14 songs—but it’s all nitpicking, really. Say what you want, but this concert marks the birth of Green Day as rockstars.

47. The Last Seduction (1994)

7.1

Genres

Crime, Drama, Mystery

Director

John Dahl

Actors

Anne Flanagan, Bill Nunn, Bill Pullman, Bill Stevenson

Moods

Character-driven, Dark, Suspenseful

Never has evil been so darn fun to watch. Bridget (Linda Fiorentino) is such a captivating villainess, you’ll actually find yourself rooting for her at times in this noirish take on…, I don’t know what, but it involves drug money, double-crosses, lots of witty repartee and cat-and-mouse manipulation that will make your stomach hurt. The script is tight, the acting is all testosterone driven and crisp and you’ll hear some choice words come from nice guy Bill Pullman (as Bridget’s husband Clay) that you never imagined he could say. Peter Berg (Mike) is fantastic as the guy’s guy determined to earn his Alpha-dog badge by subduing the fierce and wickedly intelligent heroine, Bridget. Fiorentino won a BAFTA award for her performance and was nominated, along with Director John Dahl, for several others. The movie did not qualify under Academy rules for the Oscars, but it would have been a strong contender.

48. Upgraded (2024)

7.1

Genres

Comedy, Romance

Director

Carlson Young, Female director

Actors

Aimee Carrero, Alex McNally, Andrew Schulz, Anthony Stewart Head

Moods

Easy, Feel-Good, Lighthearted

No one watches a romantic comedy expecting anything novel, although it’s nice to be surprised once in a while. In the past years, we’ve seen movies like Rye Lane and Palm Springs subvert expectations and give the genre a pleasant, refreshing twist. Upgraded isn’t like those movies. It’s pretty standard and formulaic, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t enjoyable—Amazon Prime’s latest romcom is breezy good fun from start to end. The predictable parts of the film are buoyed by vibrant performances. As leading lady Ana, Camila Mendes expertly toes the line between approachable and aspirational, while Marisa Tomei delivers campy goodness as Ana’s boss Claire Dupree, who is like a less serious, more humorous Miranda Priestly. In fact, the entire film is like a pleasant blend of The Devil Wears Prada and every single Cinderella story in Hollywood, from Pretty Woman to What a Girl Wants. If you’re looking for something new, you can skip this film, but if you like recalling your favorites and are satisfied by performances before anything else, then Upgraded comes highly recommended.

49. Felicia’s Journey (1999)

7.1

Genres

Drama

Director

Atom Egoyan

Actors

Arsinée Khanjian, Bob Hoskins, Bríd Brennan, Elaine Cassidy

Moods

Dark, Depressing, Gripping

Usually a film like this wouldn’t care to take the perspective of the perpetrator, and would instead dramatize a heavy, unsettling feeling around a victim being caught within their operation. But Felicia’s Journey doesn’t take that route– instead, at the same time, we meet both serial killer and potential victim through a snapshot of their lives, with writer-director Atom Egoyan adeptly intercutting Felicia’s Journey with Hilditch’s video-recorded childhood and Felicia’s much more natural flashbacks. It’s an interesting visual take on the 1994 novel, that doesn’t take the usual thriller motifs and that would rather linger on studying the characters. Felicia’s Journey might be Egoyan’s first non-R rated film, but it still delivers his signature uneasiness and eeriness he is known for.

50. The Dark Crystal (1982)

7.1

Genres

Adventure, Drama, Family

Director

Frank Oz, Jim Henson

The Dark Crystal is a fantasy film that follows Jen (Stephen Garlick), who is tasked to save his people by restoring the cracked dark crystal before it’s too late. It’s a typical heroes tale, the story and dialogue nothing you’ve never heard of, but The Dark Crystal has since garnered a cult following and continues to stand the test of time because it’s a technical wonder. The first live-action film to feature zero humans, it features special effects, physical contraptions, beautiful scenery, and of course impressive puppets crafted by director Jim Henson, the same pupeteering mastermind behind The Muppets and Labyrinth. The film’s magical world of Thra was expanded in the Netflix series of the same name, which itself has garnered great acclaim from critics and fans alike.

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