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This is a date-locked historical guide: it describes films reported in or strongly documented by contemporaneous coverage of the U.S. Netflix catalog around Feb. 27, 2023. It does not claim that every title remains available in the United States in 2026, and Netflix availability differs by country and changes as licensing agreements expire. Netflix explains why its catalog varies by region.
Quick picks by mood
The list is editorial and unranked. These are not Netflix’s official best films, and the sequence below is not a quality ranking.
| If you want… | Try… | Runtime | Language | Main caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A crowd-pleasing mystery | Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery | 139 min | English | Broad, comedic tone |
| A serious war film | All Quiet on the Western Front | 148 min | German | Extremely violent and bleak |
| Ambitious animation | Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio | 117 min | English | Darker than a typical children’s film |
| Fast, brutal action | The Raid 2 | 150 min | Indonesian | Graphic violence |
| A romantic drama | La La Land | 128 min | English | Stylized and bittersweet |
| A family musical | Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical | 117 min | English | Bullying and peril may upset younger children |
| A documentary with wonder | My Octopus Teacher | 85 min | English/Afrikaans | Animal danger and death |
| Strange, challenging cinema | I’m Thinking of Ending Things | 134 min | English | Deliberately opaque and psychologically heavy |
| A big international spectacle | RRR | 187 min | Telugu | Very long and exuberantly exaggerated |
| A tense psychological thriller | Prisoners | 153 min | English | Child abduction, torture themes and grim violence |
Availability note: Each recommendation below is framed as a U.S. Netflix snapshot pick from the February 2023 period, based on contemporaneous recommendation coverage and documented Netflix titles. Check the film’s Netflix page before treating it as a current listing.
#1 Best Overall
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What this 2023 Netflix guide means
“Best” here means the strongest combination of film quality and usefulness for an actual movie night. The selection favors strong direction, writing, performances, visual craft and thematic coherence, while also making room for different runtimes, genres, languages, moods and levels of accessibility. Critical reception, awards recognition and audience appeal are useful signals, but none of them makes a title automatically right for every viewer.
Netflix originals and licensed films are included together. A Netflix original or exclusive is not automatically a good film, and a licensed movie is not less valuable because Netflix did not produce it. Rights can be divided between companies and territories, so even the label Netflix explains that originals may have regional rights limitations.
The exact page carrying the title The best movies on Netflix (Updated Feb. 27, 2023) could not be independently recovered from indexed results. The historical pool was therefore cross-checked against contemporaneous material, including Forbes’ February 2023 guide, The New York Times’ U.S. list dated Feb. 14, CNET’s February guide and its syndicated description, and ELLE’s Feb. 27 list of Netflix original films. Those sources are comparison evidence, not proof that every title appeared on the unrecovered target page.
Best overall and best recent Netflix films
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) — best overall
Runtime: 139 min · Genre: mystery, comedy · Language: English · U.S. rating: PG-13 · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
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Rian Johnson’s follow-up to Knives Out sends Benoit Blanc to a private Greek island, where a billionaire’s carefully staged gathering becomes a murder puzzle. It is glossy, funny and densely constructed without requiring the first film.
Best for: groups with different tastes and viewers who want a mystery that is entertaining rather than oppressive. Watch out for: celebrity satire, strong language and a deliberately broad comic tone. Next pick: The Gentlemen for another stylish ensemble crime comedy.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) — best serious drama
Runtime: 148 min · Genre: war drama · Language: German, with some French and Latin · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: Netflix original/exclusive · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Edward Berger’s adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s antiwar novel follows a young German recruit whose patriotic illusions collapse in the trenches. Its mud, machinery and sound design make the battlefield feel physically exhausting rather than heroic.
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Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) — best animation
Runtime: 117 min · Genre: stop-motion fantasy, musical, drama · Language: English · U.S. rating: PG · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
This visually astonishing reimagining moves the story to fascist-era Italy and treats grief, obedience, parenthood and mortality with unusual seriousness. The handcrafted animation is reason enough to see it, but the emotional writing gives the spectacle lasting weight.
Best for: families with older children, animation fans and adults who want something more substantial than a conventional children’s movie. Watch out for: death, wartime imagery, frightening creatures and sadness around loss.
The Pale Blue Eye (2022) — best period mystery
Runtime: 128 min · Genre: gothic mystery, crime drama · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Christian Bale plays a retired detective investigating murders at a gloomy military academy with the help of a young Edgar Allan Poe. The film’s appeal is less about a rapid-fire puzzle than its wintry atmosphere, measured performances and macabre literary texture.
Best for: patient viewers who like historical mysteries and gothic mood. Watch out for: murder, mutilation, disturbing imagery and a slow-burn pace.
White Noise (2022) — strangest recent pick
Runtime: 136 min · Genre: dark comedy, drama, disaster film · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
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Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel begins as an academic family comedy, turns into an evacuation story after a toxic event and ends somewhere even more unexpected. It is about death anxiety, consumer culture and the stories people tell themselves to feel safe.
Best for: viewers who enjoy ambitious, eccentric films. Watch out for: talky exposition, tonal shifts and an ending that is more playful than conclusive.
Hustle (2022) — best accessible sports drama
Runtime: 117 min · Genre: sports drama · Language: English and Spanish · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Adam Sandler gives a grounded performance as a basketball scout who discovers a gifted player in Spain and risks his career to bring him to the NBA. The underdog structure is familiar, but the basketball sequences and emphasis on work make it unusually satisfying.
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Best acclaimed licensed films and classics
Prisoners (2013) — best dark crime thriller
Runtime: 153 min · Genre: crime thriller, drama · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
When two girls disappear, a desperate father takes matters into his own hands while a detective pursues the official investigation. Denis Villeneuve builds tension through moral compromise, rain-soaked visual design and performances that refuse easy judgments.
Best for: viewers who can handle serious, morally difficult thrillers. Watch out for: child abduction, torture, violence, religious imagery and sustained emotional distress.
Phantom Thread (2017) — best unusual romance
Runtime: 130 min · Genre: period romance, psychological drama · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Daniel Day-Lewis plays a celebrated dressmaker whose controlled life is disrupted by a waitress who becomes his model, lover and most formidable counterpart. Paul Thomas Anderson turns couture, domestic ritual and power into a darkly funny battle of wills.
Rank #2
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Best for: viewers who want formal elegance and a romance unlike a standard love story. Watch out for: slow pacing, emotional manipulation, illness and unsettling relationship dynamics.
La La Land (2016) — best musical romance
Runtime: 128 min · Genre: musical, romance, drama · Language: English · U.S. rating: PG-13 · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Two artists in Los Angeles fall in love while trying to build careers that demand sacrifice. Damien Chazelle combines old-Hollywood color and choreography with a more mature question: can a relationship survive when both people get what they wanted?
Best for: viewers wanting music, romance and an accessible entry point into modern musicals. Watch out for: the ending is bittersweet rather than conventionally happy.
Brokeback Mountain (2005) — best intimate romantic drama
Runtime: 134 min · Genre: romance, drama · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Ang Lee’s restrained drama follows two Wyoming ranch hands whose relationship continues across decades, marriages and social pressure. The performances are quiet but devastating, and the landscape becomes part of the film’s emotional vocabulary.
Best for: viewers prepared for a serious, emotionally powerful romance. Watch out for: homophobia, marital conflict, sexual content, violence and grief.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) — best superhero classic
Runtime: 127 min · Genre: superhero, action, drama · Language: English · U.S. rating: PG-13 · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Peter Parker struggles with work, love and the responsibility of being Spider-Man while scientist Otto Octavius becomes Doctor Octopus. Sam Raimi balances comic-book spectacle with an unusually sincere story about exhaustion and choosing responsibility.
Best for: families with teenagers and viewers who want character drama alongside action. Watch out for: peril, deaths, frightening mechanical arms and comic-book violence. The first Spider-Man is helpful but not essential.
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The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) — best long-form fantasy
Runtime: 178, 179 and 201 min for the theatrical cuts · Genre: fantasy adventure, drama · Language: English · U.S. ratings: PG-13 · Netflix status: licensed films · Availability: documented as a historical candidate for the February 2023 U.S. catalog; check which cuts and titles were actually available in the archived listing.
The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King remain an unusually complete blockbuster achievement: a coherent world, memorable characters and escalating emotional stakes. Watch them in release order. Previous knowledge is unnecessary, but each film assumes the preceding one.
Best for: a weekend or multi-night viewing plan. Watch out for: very long runtimes, fantasy violence, frightening creatures and an emotionally demanding finale.
Best action, thrillers and horror
The Raid 2 (2014) — best martial-arts action
Runtime: 150 min · Genre: action, crime thriller · Language: Indonesian, Japanese and English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
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Best for: experienced action fans who want hand-to-hand combat rather than a soft-edged spy adventure. Watch out for: graphic, prolonged violence, blood and disturbing injuries. The first The Raid is not strictly required, but it supplies useful context.
RRR (2022) — best maximalist spectacle
Runtime: 187 min · Genre: action, musical, historical epic · Language: Telugu, with subtitles or dubbed options depending on the profile and device · U.S. rating: Netflix maturity rating may vary; check the title page · Netflix status: licensed international film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
S. S. Rajamouli’s film imagines a friendship between two revolutionaries confronting British colonial rule. It is intentionally enormous: athletic stunts, musical numbers, melodrama, comedy and political anger all operate at full volume.
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Best for: a group willing to commit to a long, subtitle-friendly spectacle. Watch out for: extreme stylization, colonial violence, animal peril and the 187-minute runtime.
Bullet Train (2022) — best fast action-comedy
Runtime: 127 min · Genre: action comedy, crime thriller · Language: English, Japanese and Russian · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Several assassins discover that their assignments are connected while traveling on a high-speed train. Brad Pitt leads a colorful ensemble in a knowingly violent puzzle-box movie packed with coincidence, flashbacks and comic banter.
Best for: viewers who want a polished, energetic crowd-pleaser. Watch out for: graphic violence, strong language and a deliberately convoluted structure.
The Gray Man (2022) — most straightforward Netflix action original
Runtime: 122 min · Genre: action thriller · Language: English · U.S. rating: PG-13 · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Ryan Gosling plays a covert operative hunted by a former colleague after uncovering secrets inside the agency. The plot is familiar, but the film moves efficiently from one large international set piece to another.
Best for: a low-friction action night. Watch out for: frequent gunfire, explosions, injuries and a thinner emotional story than its scale suggests.
Shutter Island (2010) — best twist-driven mystery
Runtime: 138 min · Genre: psychological thriller, mystery · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Rank #3
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Leonardo DiCaprio plays a U.S. marshal investigating a disappearance at an isolated psychiatric hospital. Martin Scorsese fills the investigation with expressionist dread, unreliable perception and clues that reward a second viewing.
Best for: viewers who like atmospheric mysteries and discussing endings afterward. Watch out for: institutional abuse, suicide, war trauma, murder and disturbing psychological material.
It Follows (2014) — best modern horror
Runtime: 100 min · Genre: supernatural horror · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
A young woman is pursued by an apparently unstoppable entity that can take the form of anyone. David Robert Mitchell uses wide compositions, synth music and patient movement to turn ordinary suburban spaces into sources of constant threat.
Best for: horror viewers who prefer atmosphere and an original premise to jump scares. Watch out for: sexual themes, nudity, death and sustained anxiety.
The Invitation (2015) — best contained psychological horror
Runtime: 100 min · Genre: psychological horror, thriller · Language: English · U.S. rating: not consistently listed across services · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: historical candidate reported in contemporaneous Netflix recommendation coverage; exact Feb. 27 listing should be archive-checked.
A dinner party hosted by an ex-wife gradually becomes more unsettling as old grief and new beliefs collide. The film trusts discomfort, pauses and social awkwardness rather than explaining its danger immediately.
Best for: viewers who enjoy slow-building dread. Watch out for: bereavement, suicide, cult themes and a tense final act.
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The Hateful Eight (2015) — best talk-heavy western thriller
Runtime: 187 min · Genre: western, mystery, thriller · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Strangers shelter from a blizzard in a remote Wyoming haberdashery, where distrust and competing stories turn conversation into a weapon. Quentin Tarantino makes the confined setting feel theatrical, suspenseful and increasingly poisonous.
Best for: viewers who like dialogue, ensemble acting and long-form tension. Watch out for: extreme violence, racist language, sexual violence, cruelty and the three-hour-plus runtime.
Best comedies, romances and accessible group films
The Gentlemen (2019) — best slick crime comedy
Runtime: 113 min · Genre: crime comedy, action · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Matthew McConaughey’s cannabis entrepreneur tries to sell his London empire while blackmail, double-crosses and competing gangsters close in. It is fast, stylish and knowingly artificial, with Hugh Grant enjoying one of the film’s most entertaining performances.
Best for: fans of Guy Ritchie’s rapid dialogue and criminal capers. Watch out for: strong language, drug dealing, violence and a swaggering tone.
Sorry to Bother You (2018) — best surreal satire
Runtime: 112 min · Genre: science fiction, dark comedy, satire · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
A struggling telemarketer discovers that adopting a different voice helps him climb a ruthless corporate ladder. Boots Riley’s debut becomes progressively stranger as it attacks labor exploitation, race, advertising and the performance of success.
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Top Gun (1986) — best uncomplicated comfort watch
Runtime: 110 min · Genre: action drama, romance · Language: English · U.S. rating: PG · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Naval aviator Pete “Maverick” Mitchell competes at an elite flight school while confronting rivalry, romance and loss. Its plot is simple, its music is unmistakable and its aerial footage still supplies the essential appeal.
Best for: a familiar, energetic group movie. Watch out for: military peril, deaths and dated gender and workplace attitudes.
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Runtime: 117 min · Genre: musical, fantasy, family · Language: English · U.S. rating: PG · Netflix status: Netflix original/exclusive · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Matilda uses her intelligence and telekinetic powers to resist cruel adults and protect her classmates. The songs, choreography and production design are lively, while the story preserves Roald Dahl’s meaner edge.
Best for: children old enough for bullying and fantasy peril, plus adults who enjoy stage-style musicals. Watch out for: child abuse, intimidation and frightening authority figures. Animation or musical format alone should not determine whether a film is suitable for a child.
Dog Gone (2023) — best gentle family drama
Runtime: 95 min · Genre: family drama · Language: English · U.S. rating: PG · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: historical candidate from the February 2023 Netflix period; verify the archived catalog record.
A father and son search the Appalachian Trail for their missing dog while trying to repair their relationship. It is sentimental and straightforward, but its emphasis on family communication makes it an easy choice when a group wants low-intensity viewing.
Best for: families and viewers wanting a short, hopeful drama. Watch out for: separation anxiety, illness and mild peril involving the dog.
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Best documentaries on Netflix
Documentaries deserve a separate category because their appeal is not captured by conventional movie-star or franchise lists. These Netflix documentary features were strong historical choices for a documentary-focused viewer in the same period, though their current availability must be checked independently.
My Octopus Teacher (2020) — best nature documentary
Runtime: 85 min · Genre: nature documentary · Language: English and Afrikaans · U.S. rating: PG · Netflix status: Netflix documentary · Availability: historical Netflix title for the February 2023 period; not a guarantee of current availability.
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Best for: viewers wanting a moving documentary under 90 minutes. Watch out for: predators, injury and animal death.
13th (2016) — best essential history and policy documentary
Runtime: 100 min · Genre: history, politics, social-justice documentary · Language: English · U.S. rating: TV-14 · Netflix status: Netflix documentary · Availability: historical Netflix title for the February 2023 period; not a guarantee of current availability.
Ava DuVernay’s documentary examines the relationship between the Thirteenth Amendment, racialized criminalization and mass incarceration in the United States. It combines archival material, interviews and a clear historical argument designed to provoke further research.
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Best for: viewers seeking a focused introduction to a major American political issue. Watch out for: racist violence, incarceration, disturbing archival footage and strong language.
Icarus (2017) — best sports investigation
Runtime: 121 min · Genre: investigative sports documentary · Language: English and Russian · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: Netflix documentary · Availability: historical Netflix title for the February 2023 period; not a guarantee of current availability.
What begins as a filmmaker’s attempt to expose performance-enhancing drugs in cycling expands into a much larger investigation of organized doping. The story’s escalating revelations give it the momentum of a thriller without sacrificing its documentary stakes.
Best for: viewers who like investigative journalism and sports ethics. Watch out for: doping, political corruption, strong language and disturbing allegations.
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Runtime: 108 min · Genre: social history documentary · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: Netflix documentary · Availability: historical Netflix title for the February 2023 period; not a guarantee of current availability.
Archival footage of a summer camp for disabled teenagers leads into the activists’ later fight for civil-rights protections. The film is both intimate and political, showing how community and organizing can turn personal experience into public change.
Best for: viewers interested in disability rights, activism and firsthand testimony. Watch out for: discussion of institutional abuse, discrimination and strong language.
American Factory (2019) — best workplace documentary
Runtime: 110 min · Genre: labor documentary · Language: English and Mandarin · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: Netflix documentary · Availability: historical Netflix title for the February 2023 period; not a guarantee of current availability.
When a Chinese company reopens an abandoned Ohio factory, hopes for jobs collide with different expectations about management, safety and labor. The film avoids turning the workers into symbols only; its close observation captures both cultural conflict and ordinary economic pressure.
Best for: viewers who prefer documentaries about work, globalization and people rather than a single sensational event. Watch out for: workplace injuries, labor disputes and strong language.
The Social Dilemma (2020) — best accessible technology documentary
Runtime: 94 min · Genre: technology documentary, dramatized essay · Language: English · U.S. rating: PG-13 · Netflix status: Netflix documentary · Availability: historical Netflix title for the February 2023 period; not a guarantee of current availability.
Former technology employees discuss how social platforms are designed to maximize attention and engagement. Its dramatized family storyline makes the argument approachable, although viewers should treat it as advocacy and a starting point rather than the final word on every claim.
Best for: a discussion-oriented group watch. Watch out for: anxiety-provoking material, political polarization and a persuasive, one-directional argument.
International and non-English-language highlights
RRR and All Quiet on the Western Front
These two films offer radically different uses of spectacle. RRR is a Telugu-language Indian epic built around friendship, music and impossible action; All Quiet is a German-language antiwar drama built around exhaustion and historical brutality. Both reward subtitles, and neither should be rejected because English is not the primary language.
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022)
Runtime: 159 min · Genre: surreal drama · Language: Spanish and English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
A Mexican journalist and documentarian returning home experiences memory, national history and personal identity as a sequence of unstable, dreamlike images. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s film is visually expansive and intentionally self-conscious.
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Best for: viewers who want ambitious, symbolic cinema. Watch out for: long runtime, surreal imagery, grief, political violence, sexual content and an ending that invites interpretation rather than resolution.
Jung_E (2023)
Runtime: 99 min · Genre: Korean science fiction, action drama · Language: Korean · U.S. rating: TV-14 / Netflix maturity guidance may vary · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
In a future shaped by climate catastrophe and civil war, researchers attempt to clone the brain of a legendary soldier. The film uses a high-concept premise to explore memory, military technology and the commodification of a person’s identity.
Best for: viewers who want a compact, subtitle-friendly science-fiction story. Watch out for: war violence, experimentation, grief and a more interesting premise than fully developed world-building.
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The Call (2020)
Runtime: 112 min · Genre: Korean psychological thriller · Language: Korean · U.S. rating: TV-MA / Netflix maturity guidance may vary · Netflix status: Netflix exclusive · Availability: additional historical title worth checking in archived February 2023 coverage.
A phone connects two women living twenty years apart, allowing them to alter each other’s lives. The premise develops into a vicious time-bending thriller with escalating consequences and a particularly effective use of domestic space.
Best for: fans of high-concept thrillers who do not mind subtitles. Watch out for: murder, abuse, stalking and disturbing violence.
Overlooked and divisive picks
Emily the Criminal (2022)
Runtime: 95 min · Genre: crime thriller, drama · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: licensed film · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
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A young woman trapped by debt enters credit-card fraud and discovers that the illegal economy offers both money and a dangerous sense of agency. Aubrey Plaza’s controlled performance anchors a lean film about precarity, exploitation and survival.
Best for: viewers wanting a tense film under 100 minutes. Watch out for: fraud, threats, violence, workplace exploitation and strong language.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Runtime: 134 min · Genre: psychological drama, horror, surrealism · Language: English · U.S. rating: R · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
A young woman visiting her boyfriend’s parents finds that the trip is becoming stranger and less stable than it first appeared. Charlie Kaufman’s adaptation is less a puzzle to solve than a meditation on regret, identity, aging and the stories people construct around themselves.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchBest for: viewers who enjoy ambiguity and films that demand interpretation. Watch out for: suicide and self-harm themes, depression, isolation, disturbing imagery and deliberately difficult pacing.
Wendell & Wild (2022)
Runtime: 107 min · Genre: stop-motion horror comedy, fantasy · Language: English · U.S. rating: PG-13 · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Two demon brothers bargain with a grief-stricken teenager who can summon the dead. Henry Selick’s richly tactile animation combines punk energy, supernatural comedy and a sincere story about loss and institutional power.
Best for: older children, teenagers and adults who want animated fantasy with a gothic edge. Watch out for: dead bodies, demons, grief, bullying and frightening imagery.
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Runtime: 166 min · Genre: biographical psychological drama · Language: English · U.S. rating: NC-17 · Netflix status: Netflix original · Availability: documented in contemporaneous U.S. Netflix coverage for the February 2023 period.
Andrew Dominik’s highly stylized, fictionalized portrait of Marilyn Monroe treats celebrity as a machinery of exploitation and fractured identity. Ana de Armas commits fully to an intentionally disorienting performance.
Best for: viewers interested in confrontational, impressionistic biographical cinema. Watch out for: sexual violence, abuse, pregnancy loss, drug use, disturbing imagery and a punishingly bleak tone. This is not a conventional biography.
White Noise, Sorry to Bother You and Bardo
If you have already seen the obvious crowd-pleasers, these are the better bets for a more adventurous night. They are not interchangeable: White Noise is domestic and literary, Sorry to Bother You is politically absurdist, and Bardo is autobiographical and dreamlike. All three are more divisive than a standard action or mystery recommendation, so they suit a group willing to discuss rather than simply consume.
Short films and long commitments
Best under two hours
- Under 90 minutes: My Octopus Teacher (85 min), Dog Gone (95 min is just over this mark), and It Follows (100 min).
- About 100 minutes: 13th, Jung_E, Emily the Criminal and The Invitation.
- Short, accessible fiction: Top Gun (110 min), Sorry to Bother You (112 min) and Wendell & Wild (107 min).
Best when you have an evening or weekend
- Two-and-a-half hours or more: Prisoners, Bardo, The Hateful Eight, The Raid 2 and All Quiet on the Western Front.
- Three-film plan: watch The Lord of the Rings in release order: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, then The Return of the King.
- Large-scale spectacle: RRR, whose 187-minute runtime includes musical sequences and a substantial interval-like change of pace.
Additional films worth checking in an archived February 2023 list
The following titles were identified as strong candidates in contemporaneous coverage or Netflix-original guides, but the available evidence does not establish that each appeared in the exact Feb. 27 target article. They are useful archive-check titles rather than claims about the unrecovered page.
| Film | Why check it | Practical caution |
|---|---|---|
| Roma (2018) | Black-and-white Mexican drama with remarkable visual composition | Spanish and Mixtec dialogue; quiet and reflective |
| The Irishman (2019) | Long-form crime drama from Martin Scorsese | 209 minutes; violence, aging and regret |
| Marriage Story (2019) | Intimate divorce drama with major performances | Emotionally intense; strong language |
| The Power of the Dog (2021) | Psychological western about masculinity and repression | Slow, tense and psychologically dark |
| The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) | Fast-moving courtroom and political history drama | Strong language and discussion of state violence |
| The Harder They Fall (2021) | Stylish western with a predominantly Black ensemble | Graphic gun violence and a heightened tone |
| tick, tick…BOOM! (2021) | Energetic musical about creative ambition | Grief, illness and career anxiety |
| The Lost Daughter (2021) | Uncomfortable psychological drama about motherhood | Disturbing family themes and an adult audience |
| Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) | Powerful chamber drama about music, race and exploitation | Racism, violence and strong language |
| The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) | Coen brothers anthology of dark western stories | Uneven by design; frequent death and violence |
| Da 5 Bloods (2020) | War, memory and Black veteran experience | 154 minutes; graphic violence and trauma |
| Beasts of No Nation (2015) | Unflinching child-soldier drama | Extremely violent and bleak |
| The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) | Inventive animated family adventure | Robot peril and sensory overload |
| Parasite (2019) | Korean class thriller with dark humor | Subtitles, violence and disturbing late-film material |
| The Woman King (2022) | Large-scale historical action drama | Violence and a complex historical context |
Important date check: The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die should not be included in a Feb. 27, 2023 snapshot. It had not yet been released. Publication date, release date and Netflix availability date are separate facts.
How to choose without confusing quality and popularity
Netflix’s home page is not a neutral critics’ list. Its recommendation system uses signals such as viewing history, ratings, similar members’ behavior, title information, language preferences, device, time of day and how long a member watched. Netflix describes those personalized recommendation signals here.
Likewise, Netflix’s Top 10 charts report engagement metrics such as views, runtime and hours viewed. They can show what people are watching, but popularity is not the same as artistic quality. A new, heavily promoted or easily accessible film may dominate a chart while a slower subtitled film receives less algorithmic visibility.
The later What We Watched report, announced on Dec. 12, 2023 and covering January through June 2023, should not be used as if it informed a Feb. 27, 2023 article. It was published after the snapshot and measures engagement, not critical merit.
How to check a title before watching
- Confirm the country. Search while signed in to the Netflix profile that will watch the film. Netflix says titles may be unavailable because of regional rights, profile maturity settings, language settings, device restrictions or licensing changes; see its title-finding help page.
- Check the current title page. Verify runtime, maturity rating, audio, subtitles and whether a particular dub or audio-description track is offered. These options can differ by region, profile, device and title.
- Read the content information, not just the MPAA rating. A PG-13 or PG label does not tell you whether the film includes grief, animal death, child endangerment, sexual violence, self-harm, war trauma or disturbing psychological material.
- Check franchise order. Glass Onion works alone; Spider-Man 2 benefits from the first film; The Lord of the Rings should be watched in release order.
- Choose by attention span. A 95-minute film is often the sensible weeknight choice. Save RRR, The Hateful Eight, Bardo or the Lord of the Rings trilogy for a planned viewing.
If you liked one, try another
| If you liked… | Try… | Because… |
|---|---|---|
| Glass Onion | The Gentlemen or The Hateful Eight | Both use ensemble conflict, secrets and stylized dialogue |
| All Quiet on the Western Front | Da 5 Bloods | Both connect war with memory, trauma and political history |
| Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio | Wendell & Wild | Both use distinctive stop-motion worlds and dark fantasy |
| La La Land | Brokeback Mountain | Both are romantic dramas about love and the costs of separate lives |
| The Raid 2 | The Gray Man | Both offer sustained action, though one is far more brutal |
| It Follows | The Invitation | Both build horror through anticipation and social unease |
Availability and update note
Netflix availability varies by country and changes as licensing agreements expire. This page describes a historical U.S. catalog snapshot associated with Feb. 27, 2023. It is not a guarantee that every title remains available today, and it should not be silently updated while retaining the old date.
If this guide is maintained, its update history should make the changes visible:
- Feb. 27, 2023: original U.S. snapshot.
- Later updates: record additions, removals, availability checks and any change to the selection method.
For a current guide, the date should be changed only after a complete new catalog audit. Current critics’ guides, including Rotten Tomatoes’ Netflix guide and TechRadar’s guide, may help compare editorial methods, but their present-day availability claims cannot prove what was streaming in February 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these movies still available on Netflix?
Not necessarily. This article is explicitly a U.S. catalog snapshot associated with Feb. 27, 2023. Netflix catalogs vary by country and change over time, especially for licensed films. Search the title while signed in to the relevant Netflix profile before planning a watch.
Does Netflix original mean Netflix produced the movie?
Not always. Netflix may produce, distribute or hold exclusive regional rights to a film, and rights can be split between companies and territories. The article labels titles as originals, exclusives or licensed films where that distinction is useful.
Why are some popular Netflix Top 10 films missing?
The Top 10 measures viewing performance and engagement, not critical quality. Netflix’s home-page recommendations are personalized as well. This guide uses editorial judgment informed by craft, critical reception, distinctiveness, audience usefulness and range rather than treating popularity as a definition of quality.
Are all the animated films suitable for children?
No. Animation is a filmmaking technique, not an age rating. Matilda the Musical and Pinocchio include bullying, death or frightening material, while Wendell & Wild has a darker PG-13 tone. Check the current title page and the content cautions before choosing a film for a child.
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The Bottom Line
For the safest all-purpose choice, pick Glass Onion. For documentary viewers, choose My Octopus Teacher when you want wonder or 13th when you want history and argument. For a demanding evening, choose All Quiet on the Western Front, Prisoners or Bardo; for something shorter and lighter, try Hustle, Top Gun or Emily the Criminal. Then verify the title’s current U.S. availability, language options and maturity guidance—because the February 2023 snapshot is not a promise about Netflix’s catalog today.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
