Netflix is filled with great movies. That is both a great blessing and a great curse. If you’re trying to find a great movie to watch, you definitely have options, but the problem might come when you have to pick one to actually put on.
Thankfully, we’ve pulled together this list of underrated movies available on Netflix. Each of these movies is worth watching, even if they’re not ones you might think to put on.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, 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+.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
Maybe the most underrated Mission: Impossible movie, Rogue Nation stands up with the best installments this series has ever produced. Although the plotting in all these films isn’t really the point, this one follows Ethan Hunt as he battles an organization of skilled operatives known as the Syndicate.
What’s more crucial, though, is that this film introduces Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, a potential double agent whose loyalties remain a mystery through much of the film’s running time. Ferguson was the first female lead in the entire series to go blow for blow with Tom Cruise, and she walks away with the entire movie when all is said and done.
You can watch Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation on Netflix.
The Sugarland Express (1974)
Before Steven Spielberg became the Steven Spielberg, he directed The Sugarland Express. The movie, which is based on a true story, follows a pair of married outlaws who lose their baby to the state and become determined to get him back. After breaking her husband out of jail, the two set off on an extended car chase across Texas and eventually take a state trooper hostage.
It’s a thrilling, surprising movie that feels totally unlike anything else that Spielberg made over the course of his career. Anchored by a brilliant performance by Goldie Hawn, it feels like a window into a totally different career the director might have had.
You can watch The Sugarland Express on Netflix.
The Redeem Team (2022)
Netflix has not one but two excellent basketball documentaries about the U.S. Olympic team. The Redeem Team is the first and tells the story of the 2012 U.S. men’s basketball team as they fight for redemption on the world stage after a disappointing outing in 2008.
Many of the biggest stars in the world were on hand to play in the Olympics and to discuss their experience in this documentary, including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade. The story and interviews provide insight into some of the best players in the history of the game.
You can watch The Redeem Team on Netflix.