American Made – Picture: Universal Pictures
It’s another fantastic week for new additions of movies and TV shows on Netflix. This past week has seen the addition of thrillers such as Fair Play and Ballerina. We’ve also seen the addition of David Beckham’s new sports docuseries and an animated childhood classic.
If you missed any of the new releases to come to Netflix over the past seven days, you can find roundups and the full list of new titles on our New on Netflix hub page.
Here are the best new movies and TV shows added to Netflix US this week:
American Made (2017)
Director: Doug Liman
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime | Runtime: 115 Minutes
Cast: Tom Cruise, Domnhall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Jesse Plemons, Caleb Landry Jones
Fans of Netflix’s Narcos shouldn’t be sleeping on American Made. The story explored pilot Barry Seal’s exploits as the pilot who, while working for the CIA, helped smuggle millions of dollars worth of contraband between the USA and the Medellin cartel. A great performance from Tom Cruise, who always seems to thrive in roles that involve him inside the cockpit of a plane.
The movie has universally good reviews from both critics and audiences. Over on RottenTomatoes, the movie remains certified fresh to this day with reviews mostly praising the efforts of Cruise, who delivers another standout performance.
Ballerina (2023) N
Director: Chung-Hyung Lee
Genre: Action, Thriller | Runtime: 92 Minutes
Cast: Kim Ji-hoon, Jeong Jong-seo, Ji-hun Kim, Park Yu-rim
Korean cinema continues to impress, especially in the action thriller genre. Not one to shy away from huge, hard and impactful moments, Ballerina will leave you in awe, wondering how some of the stunt doubles came away without broken limbs.
It is just the latest action drama to come out of Netflix South Korea, which has had an excellent run as of late, and we’re pleased to report that Ballerina continues that good run. Next up from the genre will be Believer 2, scheduled for release in November.
Fair Play (2023) N
Director: Chloe Domont
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller | Runtime: 113 Minutes
Cast: Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich, Eddie Marsan, Rich Sommer, Sebastian De Soua
Mystery thrillers are always enticing Netflix subscribers, so we fully expect Fair Play to be one of the most-watched movies on Netflix this weekend and we’re already seeing that in the top 10s.
Thanks to stunning performances from both the leads, the movie tells the story of a couple (who haven’t yet announced their relationship to the world) on an even level, but after a surprise promotion (that goes to the unexpected person), their relationship hits a big bump as the power dynamic shifts.
In our official review of the movie, we gave it a PLAY rating, concluding:
“A gripping thriller with a brutal, unflinching delivery. Worthwhile themes layered over less than morally sound leads living in a cutthroat world of high finance. While it may rub people the wrong way by its conclusion (including myself the first time around), that is largely by design.”
Lupin (Part 3) N
New Episodes: 7
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama | Runtime: 45 Minutes
Cast: Omar Sy, Ludivine Sagnier, Hervé Pierre, Soufiane Guerrab, Etan Simon
The world’s favorite gentleman thief returns for part 3 of Netflix’s most popular French original series. The series maintains its fast pace, excellent dialogue and excellent performance from lead Omar Sy as per the other two released parts.
Per Netflix, here’s what you can expect going into Part 3:
“Now in hiding, Assane must learn to live far from his wife and son. With the suffering they endure because of him, Assane can’t stand it any longer and decides to return to Paris to make them a crazy proposal: leave France and start a new life elsewhere. But the ghosts of the past are never far away, and an unexpected return will turn his plans upside down.”
Beckham (Limited Series) N
New Episodes: 4
Genre: Documentary, Sport | Runtime: 285 Minutes
Featuring: David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Gary Neville, Roy Keane
The world’s first global superstar, David Beckham, had one hell of a roller coaster of a career as one of the most talented English midfielders to grace the beautiful game. Fisher Stevens’s fantastic new docuseries gives an amazing insight into the life and career of David Beckham through archived footage, and fantastic interviews with Beckham, his wife Victoria, friends, family, and former teammates.
Perhaps one of Netflix’s most intimate documentaries on an individual to date, Beckham rockets in our list of the best docu-series on Netflix.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Director: Ron Howard
Genre: Biography, Drama | Runtime: 135 Minutes
Cast: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer, Paul Bettany
Now, returning to the October 1st additions that we weren’t able to feature in last week’s roundup of the best movies, we first highlight A Beautiful Mind.
In the early 2000s, Russel Crowe was fresh off of his Academy Award-winning performance in Gladiator. The New Zealand actor put in another great performance, resulting in him earning a nomination at the 2002 Academy Awards.
The synopsis for A Beautiful Mind is sourced from Letterboxd:
“John Nash is a brilliant but asocial mathematician fighting schizophrenia. After he accepts secret work in cryptography, his life takes a turn for the nightmarish.”
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Director: Marc Webb
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | Runtime: 136 Minutes
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen
Andrew Garfield got off to a fantastic start to life as Spider-Man. In retrospect, thanks to the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home proved just how much love and appreciation the fans had for Garfield’s portrayal.
The synopsis for The Amazing Spider-Man is sourced from IMDb:
“After Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically altered spider, he gains newfound, spider-like powers and ventures out to save the city from the machinations of a mysterious reptilian foe.”
The Road to El Dorado (2000)
Director: Eric ‘Bilbo’ Bergeron, Don Paul
Genre: Adventure, Comedy | Runtime: 89 Minutes
Cast: Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Rosie Perez, Armand Assante, Edward James Olmos
Finally, we move on to The Road to El Doradao childhood classic for many adults today that also dropped unexpectedly on the first of the month.
Dreamworks was doing an incredible job with its animated projects in the early 2000s. The soundtrack is fantastic, with Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh putting in a tremendously charming and unforgettable performance as Tulio and Miguel.
The synopsis for The Road to El Dorado has been sourced from Letterboxd:
“After a failed swindle, two con-men end up with a map to El Dorado, the fabled “city of gold,” and an unintended trip to the New World. Much to their surprise, the map does lead the pair to the mythical city, where the startled inhabitants promptly begin to worship them as gods. The only question is, do they take the worshipful natives for all they’re worth, or is there a bit more to El Dorado than riches?”
What movies and TV shows will you be watching on Netflix this week? Let us know in the comments below!
