There are a lot of movies on Amazon Prime Video, but not all of them are great. In fact, one of Amazon’s biggest weaknesses is the difficulty separating the good films from the mediocre movies. You may find yourself scrolling down for a long time — as I did — when picking out this month’s choices for the three great dramas on Amazon Prime Video that you need to watch in February.
Our first choice is a wartime story based on true events, while the second is a romantic drama with a touch of sci-fi fantasy. Finally, our third pick of the month is a historical drama about a 16th-century courtesan who might be a little too smart and enlightened for her own good.
Need more recommendations? We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
The Railway Man (2013)
The Railway Man is an autobiographical movie about Eric Lomax (Colin Firth), a World War II British officer captured by the Japanese army and forced to work on the Thai-Burma Railway. Lomax was a much younger man then — and portrayed by Jeremy Irvine in the flashbacks. He also underwent extreme physical and mental torture at the hands of his captors, which haunted him for decades afterward.
Years later, Lomax discovers that one of his captors, Takashi Nagase (Hiroyuki Sanada), is working as a tour guide at the very prisoner camp where he tormented Lomax and countless others. That gives Lomax a rare opportunity to confront one of his tormentors, and perhaps retribution as well.
Watch The Railway Man on Prime Video.
Sliding Doors (1998)
Sliding Doors had a very clever way of introducing the idea of parallel timelines to viewers. In one version of reality, Helen Quilley (Gwyneth Paltrow) manages to barely make her commuter train on time. In the other, Helen misses the train and undergoes additional misfortune on her way home.
From there, the film cuts back and forth between the two worlds as Helen’s lives diverge. In one world, she stays with her cheating boyfriend, Gerry (John Lynch), while in the other world, she finds new love with James Hammerton (John Hannah). Neither version of Helen is aware of the other’s existence, but there are still some events that happen no matter which timeline she’s in.
Watch Sliding Doors on Prime Video.
Dangerous Beauty (1998)
If you were judging a film by its poster, it would be easy to get Dangerous Beauty mixed up with the Liv Tyler-led movie, Stealing Beauty. The former acts as a historical romance about Veronica Franco (Catherine McCormack), a courtesan in Venice during the 16th century who finds some degree of freedom and education in her new calling.
Veronica’s former lover, Marco Venier (Rufus Sewell), refused to marry her because her family was too poor. Regardless, Marco becomes extremely jealous as Veronica takes on multiple lovers. But this is a dangerous time for an educated woman like Veronica, and even her newfound status may not be enough to protect her from the Inquisition.
Watch Dangerous Beauty on Prime Video.
