13 hours ago
1
Amazon Prime Video has some of the best movies around, from originals like Heads of State with John Cena to hits like Twisters with Glen Powell.
But the streamer also has some underrated movies that are worth checking out this weekend.
Watch With Us has selected three hidden gems that deserve to be rediscovered: the action-comedy Bandits with Bruce Willis, the dramedy Uncle Frank with Paul Bettany and the spy thriller The November Man with a former James Bond.
Spies, alcoholic uncles and love-sick thieves — how can you pass up a quality lineup like that?
‘Bandits’ (2001)
Joe (Bruce Willis) and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton) just got out of jail, and they’re eager to rob some banks. They’re so successful that they become known as the “Sleepover Bandits” and land on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Yet their success hits a roadblock when Kate (Cate Blanchett), a bored housewife fleeing a dead marriage joins them, and quickly becomes involved with Joe — and then Terry.
Their love triangle proves to be dangerous as Terry and Joe bicker over who Kate really loves, which distracts them from pulling off one last job that will make them all rich. Can Joe and Terry put aside their feelings for Kate long enough to rob one more bank and then retire? Or will Kate prove to be their downfall?
Bandits is a crime caper that leans more on its romantic subplot than you’d expect. That’s OK when you have talented performers like Willis, Thornton and Blanchett as the three corners of a very messy — and entertaining — love triangle. The movie’s third act contains more surprises than you might think, but the director, Barry Levinson, never loses sight of what makes the film work — the great chemistry between the three leads.
Bandits is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
‘Uncle Frank’ (2020)
It’s 1973, and Frank (Paul Bettany) has been living with a secret. A college professor and temporary guardian to teenage niece Beth (Sophia Ellis), Frank is gay and is in a relationship with Wally (Peter Macdissi). When Frank’s dad dies, he has to travel to South Carolina for the funeral. Fearful that his secret life will be discovered, he asks Wally to stay behind, but Wally isn’t content to hide in the shadows, and Beth doesn’t want the uncle she loves so much to suffer in the closet. Will Frank learn to accept who he really is now that the person who most disapproved of him is gone? Or is his past trauma too painful to overcome?
Uncle Frank is a moving road dramedy that follows a found family — Frank, Beth and Wally — as they collide with Frank’s “real” family — his mother, aunts and uncles. But the movie’s more than just a culture clash between old South prejudices and new East Coast thinking — it’s also about one man coming to terms with who he is and how he feels about that.
As Frank, Bettany has one of his best lead roles ever as a man who was willing to drown himself in alcohol to avoid embracing his true self. The path to self-acceptance is never easy, and Bettany makes you understand why Frank is so unwilling to do it. The movie is directed by Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball, and it has his trademark black humor. He finds laughs in Frank’s social awkwardness and you will, too.
Uncle Frank is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
‘The November Man’ (2014)
Thank You!
You have successfully subscribed.
No one is better at playing a spy than Pierce Brosnan. The former James Bond has carved out a quietly impressive career playing men of action not named 007, and The November Man is one of his better efforts. He plays Peter Devereaux, a retired CIA agent who is called back into action when Natalia (Mediha Musliović), an aide to the Russian president, needs help. She’s taken photos that implicate her boss in war crimes that could bring him down, so Devereaux needs to protect her from getting killed. That’s easier said than done, especially when Devereaux’s former protege, David Mason (Luke Bracey), is tasked with killing her.
The November Man is a solid action movie that should appeal to fans of the spy genre. The mentor vs. student conflict is interesting to see unfold, with Brosnan and Bracey believable as one-time friends who are now reluctant enemies. The movie doesn’t work as well without Brosnan, who lends some gravitas to the whole affair. It may not be as thrilling as any of the Jason Bourne movies, but The November Man is good enough to watch if you’re craving some old-fashioned Cold War action.
English (US) ·