Spring is nearly here, and that means Netflix has mixed up its library with plenty of new movies for you to discover.
Every month, we handpick a few of the best thrillers on Netflix that fit the current season. Sometimes they pair well with an upcoming release. Other titles might be new additions to the platform.
This month we have an excellent Gene Hackman performance to celebrate the incredible career of the late acting legend, Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar-winning masterpiece to get you ready for his new movie Mickey 17, and a sleek and sexy thriller to catch up on — because it’s getting a sequel in just a few months.
Editor’s pick: Runaway Jury
Director: Gary Fleder
Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cusack, Dustin Hoffman
Gene Hackman passed away in February at the age of 95. It’s difficult to pick a favorite performance out of his more than four-decade-long career as an actor, boasting iconic roles in such classics as Crimson Tide, Unforgiven, and The French Connection, with the latter two earning him Academy Awards. For me, I’ll always remember Hackman for his role as the amoral jury consultant Rankin Fitch in 2003’s Runaway Jury. That alone would guarantee the film’s place on this week’s list, but top that off with a terrific trio of performances by Dustin Hoffman, John Cusack, and Rachel Weisz, and you have an absolute knockout of a legal thriller. —Toussaint Egan
Director: Paul Feig
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding
A Simple Favor 2, technically called Another Simple Favor, is finally real. There’s a legit, non-fan-edited trailer, and a Prime Video release date of May 1. And that means it’s the perfect time for you to rewatch or catch up on Paul Feig’s campy thriller romp. If you haven’t seen it yet, A Simple Favor follows Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick), a mommy vlogger who meets Emily Nelson (Blake Lively), a rich, self-assured, and effortlessly cool mom who’s exactly the kind of person Stephanie wishes she was. The two quickly strike up a friendship, but when tragedy strikes, Stephanie starts to wonder if her new friend was only using her this whole time. A Simple Favor is a delicious, airy thriller that relishes every opportunity to pull the rug out from under you and reverse your expectations, all without losing its wonderful sense of fun. Now let’s hope the sequel can live up. —Austen Goslin
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Choi Woo-shik
Bong Joon Ho is back in theaters this weekend with his new sci-fi comedy Mickey 17, his first film since his 2019 black comedy thriller Parasite won the Academy Award for Best Picture. What better time than now to revisit the film that catapulted Bong to the meteoric heights of Hollywood history?
Following the story of a poor family who infiltrate the home of a wealthy couple, Parasite feels as revelatory, hilarious, and deeply tragic as it did upon release. Song Kang-ho’s performance as Kim Ki-taek, the put-upon father who is hired as the personal chauffeur for the wealthy Park Dong-ik’s family, is exceptional per usual, but Park So-dam’s performance as Kim’s daughter Ki-jung and her “Jessica from Chicago” chant stand out in an ensemble of terrific performances. I strain to throw any more accolades at this movie that haven’t already been laid at the feet of its director and performers, but trust me when I say this: This film lives up to its reputation and then some. –TE