What are the all-time most popular movies on Netflix? Red Notice, Don’t Look Up, The Adam Project, Bird Box, and The Gray Man are the five most popular films in English on the streaming service. But if you want to know what subscribers are watching on a daily basis, the streamer has a carousel dedicated to the most popular movies on Netflix.
Not every movie can be in the top 10, however. There are over 3,600 movies on Netflix. Sometimes, good movies are hidden at the end of carousels or toward the bottom of the page. All you need to know is where to find them. For November, we selected five underrated movies on Netflix you need to watch. Our list includes a Tom Cruise staple, a vulgar comedy with compassion, and an action thriller ahead of its time.
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
When ranking the Mission: Impossible movies, Mission: Impossible III is one of the weaker entries. However, that’s a testament to the quality of the movies because the third film is not bad. It lacks the memorable action sequences that have become the franchise’s bread-and-butte4r, but Mission: Impossible III features the scariest villain in the series, Owen Davian, played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has retired from the field to settle down with his fiancée, nurse Julia Meade (Michelle Monaghan). Ethan’s retirement is short-lived as he’s recruited to rescue one of his protégés behind enemy lines. This leads Ethan to Davian, a ruthless arms dealer searching for a biological hazard called the “Rabbit’s Foot.” Hoffman is legitimately great in this film, and the opening scene is some of the best work by a screen villain in the 21st century.
Stream Mission: Impossible III on Netflix.
The Siege of Jadotville (2016)
It’s hard to mess up a war movie. At worst, most bad war movies have some redeeming graces, like an entertaining battle or likable characters. The Siege of Jadotville, however, goes beyond that and is one of the best war movies on Netflix. Based on true events, The Siege of Jadotville follows “A” Company, a small group of the Irish Army’s 35th Battalion stationed near a United Nations compound outside Jadotville in the Congo.
Amid civil war, French and Belgian mercenaries team up with Katangese soldiers to attack the Irish at Jadotville, which contains a wealth of uranium deposits. The Irish have about 150 men, while the opposing army has 3,000. Yet, surrender is not in “A” Company’s DNA as they choose to fight back. The Siege of Jadotville is a fitting tribute to the forgotten Irish troops who showed immense courage and bravery.
Stream The Siege of Jadotville on Netflix.
Role Models (2008)
A movie as funny as Role Models should not have this much heart. Yet, this R-rated comedy successfully captures the struggles to fit in while making you laugh the entire time. Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott star as Danny and Wheeler, two salesmen who crash their company car after a failed presentation. The judge gives them two options: jail or 150 hours of community service.
The two friends choose the latter and join a mentorship program. Danny is assigned Augie Farks (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a shy teenager with a passion for medieval role-playing, and Wheeler is paired with Ronnie Shields (Bobb’e J. Thompson), a young boy with a dirty mouth and bad attitude. Rudd and Scott are hilarious as a duo and will make you wish they made more films together.
Stream Role Models on Netflix.
The Choice (2016)
There’s nothing wrong with a good cry, so who better to force some tears down your face than Nicholas Sparks? The iconic author’s 2007 novel The Choice was adapted into a 2016 feature film. Set in North Carolina, The Choice stars Benjamin Walker as Travis Shaw, a handsome and charming veterinarian who gets a new neighbor, Gabby Holland (The Twin’s Teresa Palmer), a driven and spirited medical student.
These two opposites seem like an ill-fitting match since Travis is a ladies’ man while Gabby has a boyfriend. However, opposites attract, and the two neighbors can’t deny their affection for each other, which leads to a decision that will change the rest of their lives. The Choice is not The Notebook. It’s a formulaic romantic drama, but its tale of star-crossed lovers in an idyllic location covers up its weaknesses.
Stream The Choice on Netflix.
Blackhat (2015)
Michael Mann’s filmography features iconic classics such as Heat, The Insider, and Collateral. Unfortunately, 2015’s Blackhat is not on that list. The action thriller involving cybercriminals flopped commercially and critically. Mann even took responsibility for Blackhat’s failure in a recent interview with Variety. Yet, a film crafted by Mann is still better than most movies in 2023.
Blackhat stars Chris Hemsworth as Nick Hathaway, an incarcerated hacker recruited to help the FBI find a group of cyberterrorists who hacked a nuclear plant and a derivatives marketplace. Hathaway is brought to Hong Kong to find the hackers behind the attacks, but his investigation uncovers a global conspiracy with deadly consequences. There is no need to apologize for this film, Mr. Mann. Blackhat is an entertaining action thriller with a cyberterrorism storyline that feels relevant in 2023.
Stream Blackhat on Netflix.
