The list of new movies on Netflix for this month left me both happy and confused. When we received the May 2023 schedule, I was a little disappointed with the lack of critical gems, but was ultimately pleased to see some films worth seeing.
But then something strange happened. One of my favorite classics that I’ve only recently watched showed up on Netflix out of the blue without warning. That movie, combined with six other gems, gave me reason to create this list, which complements our super big best movies on Netflix.
But while this list is based on my own preferences, I’ve included the titles’ solid (to excellent) Rotten Tomatoes scores so that you can have a vote of confidence. These titles include an all-time action drama, a family-friendly animated film that parents will really like, and Natalie Portman’s breakthrough performance.
Heat (1995)
This is weird. I spend a lot of time checking what’s coming and going on Tom’s Guide. I also love Michael Mann’s crime thriller Heat (which I admit I only saw for the first time last year). But somehow Heat has slipped under my radar, just like thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is trying to do in this film.
Hitting Netflix without warning, Heat is one of the best cat and mouse movies of all time. Neil and his gang are hot on an armored car robbery that netted them $1.6 million in bearer bonds, which caught the attention of the LAPD. More specifically, street smarts Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) got on the case, and this vocal lieutenant isn’t giving up easily.
Based on a true story (yes, Neil McCauley was a real crook), Mann’s film is filled with suspenseful drama, perfect action scenes and emotional moments when characters reflect on their mistakes. It’s also one of the most influential films of its time, as you’ll see settings and moments that you might have thought other films (e.g. The Dark Knight) invented. Also, let Heat serve as a point of reference: It may only be an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s still an all-time classic.
Arrived on Netflix on: Unknown
Genre: crime drama
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Pour: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd
Director: Michael man
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Léon: The Professional (1994)
Léon: The Professional was the first film on Netflix’s May schedule to earn my “oooh!” test. Whenever I comb through the new movies list, I always come across a few titles that make me want to open Netflix on my phone and add them to my list.
The Professional earned that right because it’s one of those great movies that I haven’t thought about for ages. Léon (Jean Reno) is a hitman living in New York City in a modest apartment building in Little Italy, where his young neighbor Mathilda (Natalie Portman) suffered too much at the beginning of the film. But when corrupt DEA agents led by Gary Oldman’s Normal Stansfield somehow make this kid’s life worse, she manages to persuade her neighbor to help her – by teaching her his tricks.
Despite its odd killer-meets-kid premise, The Professional works on multiple levels. Natalie Portman hits a home run with natural charisma and vulnerability as Mathilda. And while Jean Reno excels as the titular killer, Gary Oldman as the insane villain steals every scene he can.
Arrived on Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Genre: action
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%
Pour: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello
Director: Luca Beson
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Chicken Coop (2000)
If the kids section on Netflix is too neon drenched for your liking (and even the best family movies on Netflix can’t escape this edition), you better check out Chicken Run now.
On a humble farm in Yorkshire, England, Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) and Mr. Tweedy (Tony Haygarth) have found that demanding eggs from their hens is not enough. Her alternative is an evil-looking machine that turns her chickens into chicken pies, as clever cackler Ginger (Julia Sawalha) discovers. And with the help of Rocky (Mel Gibson), an American rooster who’s spent some time in the circus, these chickens can actually fly the coop.
While some kids might find the threats to the chickens a bit creepy, most viewers will enjoy Chicken Run’s humor. Not only is the dialogue great, but it runs through far more thoughtful ideas than you would expect given the barnyard history.
Arrived on Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Genre: Animated comedy
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Pour: Julia Sawalha, Phil Daniels, Lynn Ferguson, Mel Gibson, Miranda Richardson,
Directors: Peter Lord, Nick Park
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Pitch Perfect (2012)
I think of Pitch Perfect as one of those films that was too good to fall short of my expectations. While “competition a cappella” is the friendly expression that usually makes me click away on Netflix, Pitch Perfect managed to surprise with hilarious and sometimes crude antics.
It all starts with Beca (Anna Kendrick) struggling to find her way around Bearden University and decides to try her hand at the Bearden Bellas’ all-female a cappella team. Or at least she chooses to after Insulting the team’s queen bees by dissing their passion.
While Pitch Perfect gave Rebel Wilson a breakout role as the still-awkwardly-named Fat Amy, it ultimately wins because its script is a very solid group comedy in which the students learn to get along.
Arrived on Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Genre: musical comedy
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
Pour: Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow
Director: Jason Moore
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Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Two years after the excellent British zombie film 28 Days Later breathed new life into the undead genre, Zack Snyder brought the genre’s resurgence to the US with a new Dawn of the Dead. Much like the original, the new Dawn of the Dead brings a group of unpleasant Americans to a mall and forces them to try and unite in order to survive.
Packed with excellent action and a dark sense of humor, the new Dawn of the Dead declared that zombie movies are back in full swing. Also capture a pre-modern family Ty Burrell as Steve, one of the less likable or useful survivors.
Arrived on Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Genre: Zombie Horror
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%
Pour: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly
Director: Zack Snyder
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Traffic (2000)
The drug trade, seen through the lens of Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, is as complex as you can imagine. Traffic connects the world through three actions at different levels of the situation.
In Mexico, police officer Javier Rodriguez (Benicio del Toro) is hired by a general to track down a drug cartel. In Ohio, Judge Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas) battles crime at work and at home, while his daughter Caroline (Erika Christensen) tries everything from cocaine to meth. Over in San Diego, a DEA investigation is tracing all of the drug lords’ connections to the cartel.
All of this would be too much in the hands of most directors, but Soderbergh deftly threads the needle as he jumps from story to story. It doesn’t hurt that it has a fantastic cast and that Stephen Gaghan’s screenplay juggles all of those storylines in an almost effortless way. There are also no preachy tones or simple good-versus-evil dynamics: just chaos.
Arrived on Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Genre: theatre
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
Pour: Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta Jones, Luis Guzman
Director: Stephen Soderbergh
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Flight (2012)
I’ve heard Flight called cheesy or Oscar bait. And while Denzel Washington received an Oscar nomination for his performance as Pilot Captain Whip Whitaker, Flight is anything but saccharine if you ask me.
Whitaker, who uses cocaine to keep himself awake at work, makes matters worse when he makes himself a screwdriver cocktail on a flight the next morning. Waking up mid-flight and seeing the plane in a state of chaos, Whip manages to land the ship in a field so safely that there are only six fatalities out of 102. And then he must confront the secrets he has been keeping – while being hailed as a hero.
Washington received much-deserved applause for its tough performance, and critics raved about the scene in the sky, which saw the plane thrown into complete confusion.
Arrived on Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Genre: theatre
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
Pour: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, Bruce Greenwood
Director: Robert Zemeckis
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Other movies only released on Netflix on May 1, 2023
- Above suspicion
- Airport
- Airport ’77
- Airport 1975
- Austin Powers in Goldmember
- Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
- Austin Powers: The spy who shagged me
- Black Hawk below
- The cable guy
- Captain Phillips
- cliffhanger
- Conan the Barbarian
- The Croods
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- For colored girls
- girl interrupted
- The Glass Castle
- Back home
- Jump
- Igor
- kindergarten cop
- Last action hero
- Legends of Passion
- Lemony Snickets A series of unfortunate events
- marshal
- Paranormal Activity
- Peter Pan (2003)
- Rainbow High: Season 3
- Rugrats: Seasons 1-2
- The Smurfs: Season 1
- Starship Troopers
- Steel magnolias
- The Story of Despereaux
- vampires
- The Wedding Date
- The young Victoria
