Best On Netflix

The 17 Drama Films On Netflix With The Highest Rotten Tomatoes Scores

By Brett White @brettwhite

Published Jan. 8, 2019, 8:30 a.m. ET

Collage of Mudbound Schindler's List Roma Boyhood — Photos: Everett Collection, NETFLIX ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

COOL HAND LUKE, Paul Newman, 1967, leg irons — **Cool Hand Luke**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Paul Newman stars in this iconic piece of American filmmaking, a prison drama about one man's refusal to play by any rules. The film scored four Oscar nominations with George Kennedy winning Best Supporting Actor for playing the prison leader Dragline.
[Stream *Cool Hand Luke* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

THE THIRD MAN, (aka THE 3RD MAN), Orson Welles, 1949 — **The Third Man**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
Director Carol Reed turned out a film noir classic with *The Third Man*, a movie about a man investigating the mysterious murder of his friend in Vienna; film legend Orson Welles stars as the murdered friend. The film earned a trio of Oscar nominations, including one for Reed. It won for Best Cinematography.
[Stream *The Third Man* on Netflix]Courtesy Everett Collection

DON'T THINK TWICE, back, from left: Tami Sagher, Mike Birbiglia, Chris Gethard, Kate Micucci, 2016. © The Film Arcade / Courtesy Everett Collection — **Don't Think Twice**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Comedian turned storyteller turned filmmaker Mike Birbiglia scored big with this 2016 dramedy about a group of friends navigating the intense NYC comedy scene. The film didn't score any major award nominations, it won over critics and earned nearly unanimous praise.
[Stream *Don't Think Twice* on Netflix]Courtesy Everett Collection

THE CAKEMAKER, Tim Kalkhof, 2017. © Strand Releasing /Courtesy Everett Collection — **The Cakemaker**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
This foreign drama follows a German pastry chef as he travels to Jerusalem to find the family of the man he loved-a man who recently died. The film was selected as Israel's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, but it wasn't chosen. Still, you can't feel bad for *The Cakemaker*; it cleaned up on the film festival circuit and has found an international audience on Netflix.
[Stream *The Cakemaker* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

BOYHOOD, l-r: Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Libby Villari, Lorelei Linklater, 2014. ©IFC Films/courtesy Everett Collection — **Boyhood**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Director Richard Linklater pulled off the impossible, filming a movie about the growth of a young boy over the course of 12 years. Filmed from 2001 to 2013, *Boyhood* charts the life of one family from a divorce all the way through to a graduation. Patricia Arquette won an Oscar for her part, and the film earned a nomination for Best Picture.
[Stream *Boyhood* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

HELL OR HIGH WATER, from left, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham, 2016, photo by Lorey Sebastian/©CBS Films/courtesy Everett Collection — **Hell or High Water**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
This modern Western pits a pair of bank robbers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) against two Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham). The film went unnoticed at the box office but not by critics. It even scored Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor (Bridges).
[Stream *Hell or High Water* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

45 YEARS, Charlotte Rampling, 2015. © Sundance Selects / Courtesy Everett Collection — **45 Years**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay star in this relationship drama about a couple celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary and the bombshell that threatens to upend their life together. In addition to critical acclaim, Charlotte Rampling earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
[Stream *45 Years* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

MUDBOUND, Mary J. Blige, 2017. ph: Steve Dietl /© Netflix /Courtesy Everett Collection — **Mudbound**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
*Mudbound* helped put Netflix on the map in 2017 as a major Oscar contender. Telling the tale of two soldiers returning to Mississippi after World War II, *Mudbound* tackled issues of race that resonated with audiences and critics. The film received four Oscar nominations, including one for Mary J. Blige's supporting performance.
[Stream *Mudbound* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

GOD'S OWN COUNTRY, from left, Alec Secareanu, Josh O'Connor, 2017. © Samuel Goldwyn Films / Courtesy Everett Collection — **God's Own Country**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
This British drama captures the journey of a Yorkshire sheep farmer and a Romanian migrant worker, a journey that involves passionate and secret sex. The film went mostly unnoticed in the US while it was nominated for a ton of British film awards. Now you can experience this unique love story courtesy of Netflix.
[Stream *God's Own Country* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

SCHINDLER'S LIST, Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley (seated), 1993, © Universal/courtesy Everett Collection — **Schindler's List**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Steven Spielberg's moving Holocaust epic moved audiences and critics alike to tears, instantly becoming a must-see piece of 20th century art. The film notably cleaned up at the Oscars, too, winning Best Picture as well as Best Director; Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes were nominated for portraying Oskar Schindler and Amon Goth.
[Stream *Schindler's List* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

GOOD WILL HUNTING, Robin Williams, Matt Damon, 1997 — **Good Will Hunting**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck burst onto the scene with this acclaimed 1997 film about a janitor/surprise math genius. The duo won the Oscar for Original Screenplay, making them overnight sensations. *Good Will Hunting* also won Robin Williams an Oscar, and got a nod in the Best Picture category as well.
[Stream *Good Will Hunting* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

A LITTLE PRINCESS, Vanessa Lee Chester, Liesel Matthews, 1995, (c)Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection — **A Little Princess**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
This early Alfonso Curaon film unfolds like a World War I-era fairy tale about a little girl forced into servitude at a New York boarding school when her father is presumed dead. While the film didn't succeed at the box office, it won over critics and earned two Oscar nominations (for Art Direction and Cinematography).
[Stream *A Little Princess* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

ROMA, from left: Marco Graf, Daniela Demesa, Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey (top), Carlos Peralta, 2018. ph: Carlos Somonte / © Netflix /Courtesy Everett Collection — **Roma**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Alfonso Cuaron's most recent film, *Roma*, is one of 2019's major Oscar contenders-and it's distributed by Netflix. The family drama, set against political and financial turmoil of Mexico in the early '70s, won Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes in 2019.
[Stream *Roma* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

APOCALYPSE NOW, Dennis Hopper (left), Martin Sheen (front), Scott Glenn (beret), Frederic Forrest (right), 1979. ©United Artists/Courtesy Everett Collection — **Apocalypse Now**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Francis Ford Coppola's iconic Vietnam War epic is available to stream on Netflix and a must-watch for aspiring film buffs. In addition to being nominated for a bunch of Oscars back in 1980 (and winning two), *Apocalypse Now* has stood the test of time as one of the best war films ever made.
[Stream *Apocalypse Now* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

TOUCH OF EVIL, Janet Leigh, Charlton Heston, 1958 — **Touch of Evil**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Written and directed by auteur Orson Welles, *Touch of Evil* drops movie idols Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh into a sizzling tale of crime and lust in one of the last pictures of the film noir era.
[Stream *Touch of Evil* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, Richard Dreyfuss, 1977 — **Close Encounters of the Third Kind**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Years before *Arrival*, writer/director Steven Spielberg turned mankind's biggest "what if?" into a thrilling sci-fi drama about Earth's first contact with extraterrestrials. The picture scored nine Oscar nominations, winning Best Cinematography and a special award for sound effects editing.
[Stream *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* on Netflix]Courtesy Everett Collection

QUIZ SHOW, David Paymer, John Turturro, Hank Azaria, Ralph Fiennes, 1994 — **Quiz Show**
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Robert Redford stepped behind the camera to tell the true story of the infamous game show scandals of the 1950s. While the film wasn't a big hit at the box office, critics loved it. Redford scored a Best Director Oscar nom and the film itself was recognized by the Academy as one of the best pictures of the year (it lost to *Forrest Gump*).
[Stream *Quiz Show* on Netflix]Photo: Everett Collection

Where to Stream:

Cool Hand Luke

dramas

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When it comes to dramas, Netflix does not play around. Yeah, the sci-fi movies make all the money and the comedies bring the memes, but its the dramas that have the power to really move an audience–and, most importantly for the focus of this list, critics.

If you’re into award-winning fare, Netflix has plenty of films old and new, foreign and domestic for you to check off your must-see list. Oscar winners, critical favorites, cultural touchstones, the breadth of Netflix’s drama selection is staggering. For instance, not only is Netflix home to Alfonso Cuaron’s current Golden Globe-winning feature Roma, the service also carries his English directorial debut A Little Princess. You’ll also find some of the most important works in the careers of directors like Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and Orson Welles on the list.

With the Golden Globes behind us and the Academy Awards on the horizon, why not spend the first month of 2019 digging through Netflix’s extensive dramatic offerings? You’ll find under-appreciated Oscar gems like 45 Years as well as international films that may have slipped under your radar. Above you’ll find our list of the 17 drama films on Netflix with the highest Rotten Tomatoes scores, so get to watching!

Stream Roma on Netflix