5 award-winning Netflix movies to watch this weekend (May 1-3)


A cozy, long weekend is here, which means it’s the perfect time to dive into our watch lists for the day and night. Netflix has many new releases to explore as May rolls in, but if you’re looking for something a bit more classic, nostalgic, or acclaimed, we have you covered.

Netflix hosts many award-winning and nominated films and shows. This week, you can explore some old and some fresh films that have won prominent awards, like BAFTAs and Golden Globes. Here are five award-winning films streaming on Netflix U.S. this weekend.

His House

The house of nightmares

This might be an uncomfortable watch, but it’s absolutely worth every second of your time. His House follows a refugee couple from South Sudan, Bol and Rial (Sinners‘ Wunmi Mosaku), who, along with their young daughter, are granted asylum in England and placed in a dilapidated house. As they try to adjust to an unfamiliar culture and the pressure of starting over, they begin to realize that something unsettling lurks in their new home.

The film may begin as a classic haunting, but it soon ties into the heavy trauma the couple carries with them, forcing the pair to confront both supernatural forces and the demons of their past. His House is an eerie intersection of horror, trauma, and social issues.

His House was nominated for multiple awards, including a whopping fifteen British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs). It won four, including Best Director, Best Performance by an Actress, and Best Production Design.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Old friends, new inventions

Talk about a good old-fashioned throwback. The animated film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl brings back the beloved inventor Wallace and his watchful dog Gromit for another offbeat, chaotic adventure. This time, Wallace unveils a new invention designed to make everyday life easier, but the machine quickly causes more problems than it solves.

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When a string of suspicious events unfold, Gromit suspects that their latest creation is being manipulated for a dangerous purpose. The plot thickens when Feathers McGraw, the highly intelligent criminal penguin from their past, resurfaces with a plan that threatens the town. As is their normal dynamic, Gromit must fix the mess while Wallace remains blissfully unaware of just how much trouble they’re in. The franchise’s signature charm packs a punch of nostalgia, but it’s also a new, fresh take on the characters.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl was nominated for three BAFTAs and won two (Best Animated Film and Best Children’s & Family Film).

Emilia Perez

A story of rebirth

One of the most talked-about films in recent pop culture is the Spanish-language French crime musical Emilia Pérez. It centers on Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an overqualified lawyer stuck doing monotonous work for a firm that protects powerful criminals. Her life changes when she is secretly approached by Manitas (Karla Sofía Gascón), a feared cartel leader who wants her help carrying out her plan: to disappear from the criminal world and finally live openly as the woman she has always known herself to be. Rita arranges the logistics of the transition, helping her vanish and make her appearance as Emilia Pérez years later.

At the 97th Academy Awards, the film led with 13 nominations and won two: Best Supporting Actress for Saldaña and Best Original Song for “El Mal.” Emilia Pérez received 11 nominations at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, winning for Saldaña (Best Actress in a Supporting Role) and Best Film Not in the English Language.​​​​​​​

Casino

The house always wins

Classic crime thrillers do not get more epic than this 1995 Martin Scorsese thriller. Casino, starring Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, and Don Rickles, dives into the rise and unraveling of a Las Vegas casino empire in the 1970s and 1980s. And at the center is Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a meticulous gambling expert chosen by the mob to run a major casino, The Tangiers Casino.

Meanwhile, Ace’s volatile friend Nicky Santoro handles the more violent side of business. As profits soar, cracks begin to appear among the characters of the casino, especially when Ace’s marriage to the unpredictable Ginger (Stone) spirals out of control. Casino is a film about greed and betrayal, with Ace’s and Nicky’s friendship being a central relationship in the spotlight.

Casino marks the eighth collaboration between director Scorsese and De Niro. It was nominated for several film awards, with Sharon Stone’s performance winning her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Babylon

The rules are always changing

From La La Land‘s Damien Chazelle came Babylon, a showstopping movie tracking an important part of Hollywood’s history. The film unfolds in the dazzle and boom of 1920s Hollywood as the film industry is pushed into a new era with the arrival of sound. Babylon explores a host of characters, including Manny Torres (Diego Calva), an ambitious outsider who dreams of building a future in movies, and Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), a fearless aspiring actress whose raw talent and energy quickly make her a rising star.

Alongside them is Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), a celebrated silent film actor whose fame begins to slip as audiences and studios embrace this brand-new technology. There’s glamour and Hollywood-style drama, with the revolutionary change in the industry being explored beyond what you might expect.​​​​​​​

Babylon was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, winning for Best Original Score.


Want to explore more award-winning titles on Netflix? You can search for specific award winners and nominees (Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys, BAFTAs, etc.) or use Netflix’s hidden secret codes to filter award-winning titles (available in select regions).​​​​​​​

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Recent Reviews


When it comes to content, there’s little I love more than a good, gritty crime drama. From their dark, cynical, often realistic portrayals of criminal underworlds, violence, and justice systems to their heavily flawed, obsessed, anti-hero protagonists and intense, gritty tones, it all sucks us in, and it’s why we can’t look away. These types of criminal shows have carved out a powerful space in television by refusing to glamorize the worlds they depict and being willing to confront uncomfortable truths.

This weekend on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., we’re exploring three immensely popular, critically acclaimed criminal shows that will hook you from the get-go with their honesty, and my top pick is a must-see that reinvented the police procedural genre.

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City on a Hill

A Wire-like look at corruption, race, and justice

Based on a story by Ben Affleck and author Charlie MacLean, the underrated crime drama City on a Hill revisits a charged moment in Massachusetts history known as The Boston Miracle. For 18 months in the mid-90s, gang-related violence dropped 63% as the result of a community-wide initiative developed in collaboration with the Boston Police Department, street workers, juvenile corrections officers, churches, and neighborhood programs. Kevin Bacon (Footloose), Aldis Hodge (Cross), and Jonathan Tucker (Kingdom) headline the cast.

Set in early 1990s Boston, corruption, violent criminals, and racism are normal parts of life, and to make matters worse, they’re backed by local law enforcement agencies. The series focuses on an unlikely alliance between hardened, corrupt, charismatic FBI agent Jackie Rohr (Bacon) and idealistic Assistant District Attorney Decourcy Ward (Hodge) as they work together to navigate the city and take down a family of armored car thieves, aiming to overhaul the broken criminal justice system.



















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From thrillers to tearjerkers — see how well you know these Amazon Prime Video films.

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In Crime 101, what profession does the main character use as cover while pulling off elaborate heists?

That’s right! The protagonist poses as a real estate agent, using the job’s access and mobility as a convenient front for criminal activity. The film plays with how ordinary professions can mask extraordinary deception.

Not quite — the correct answer is real estate agent. The film uses this cover cleverly, showing how a respectable-seeming profession can provide the perfect camouflage for a career criminal operating in plain sight.

In Saltburn, which prestigious English university does protagonist Oliver Quick attend when he befriends Felix Catton?

Correct! Oliver and Felix meet at Oxford, where the stark class divide between scholarship student Oliver and the aristocratic Felix is immediately established. That university setting is crucial to the film’s themes of privilege and obsession.

Not quite — it’s Oxford where Oliver and Felix first cross paths. Director Emerald Fennell deliberately chose Oxford’s world of old money and social stratification to set up the film’s exploration of class envy and manipulation.

In The Tender Bar, based on J.R. Moehringer’s memoir, who plays Uncle Charlie, the bartender who becomes a father figure to young J.R.?

Spot on! Ben Affleck plays the warm and charismatic Uncle Charlie, earning considerable praise for the role. Affleck’s performance was seen as one of the film’s greatest strengths, bringing real depth to a man who shapes a fatherless boy’s entire worldview.

The correct answer is Ben Affleck. His portrayal of Uncle Charlie was widely praised as a career highlight, capturing the rough charm of a bartender who becomes the most important male role model in J.R.’s life.

In the 2024 Prime Video remake of Road House, who plays ex-UFC fighter Elwood Dalton, the new bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse?

That’s right! Jake Gyllenhaal steps into the role made famous by Patrick Swayze, playing a disgraced MMA fighter hired to clean up a rowdy bar in the Florida Keys. Gyllenhaal underwent intense physical training to prepare for the action-heavy role.

The correct answer is Jake Gyllenhaal. He took on the iconic role previously played by Patrick Swayze in the 1989 original, with the remake shifting the setting from Missouri to the Florida Keys and updating the protagonist’s fighting background to MMA.

Thirteen Lives depicts the dramatic 2018 rescue of a youth soccer team trapped in a cave in which country?

Correct! The film recreates the harrowing rescue of the Wild Boars youth soccer team from the Tham Luang cave in Thailand. The real-life operation captivated the world and involved expert cave divers from across the globe.

The answer is Thailand. The real rescue took place in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province, where 12 boys and their coach were trapped for 18 days before a multinational team of divers managed to bring them all out safely.

In Manchester by the Sea, what unexpected event forces Lee Chandler to return to his hometown and become guardian of his teenage nephew?

That’s right! Lee’s brother Joe dies suddenly from congestive heart failure, pulling Lee back to a town filled with painful memories. Casey Affleck won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the grief-stricken, emotionally closed-off Lee.

Not quite — Lee returns because his brother Joe dies of congestive heart failure. The film, written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, won two Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay, and is celebrated for its unflinching portrayal of grief and guilt.

In American Fiction, what pen name does frustrated author Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison use when he writes a satirical novel pandering to racial stereotypes?

Correct! Monk writes his outrageous satirical manuscript under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh, a name that itself plays on stereotypes. The film, based on Percival Everett’s novel Erasure, won Cord Jefferson the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The pen name Monk uses is Stagg R. Leigh. The choice of pseudonym is itself part of the satire — a name loaded with cultural baggage. Jeffrey Wright received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his nuanced portrayal of Monk.

In Air, the film about Nike signing Michael Jordan, which actress plays Jordan’s mother Deloris, who plays a pivotal role in negotiating his landmark deal?

That’s right! Viola Davis plays Deloris Jordan with commanding presence, portraying her as the savvy negotiator who helped secure the revolutionary contract that gave Michael unprecedented royalties. The real Deloris Jordan is widely credited with shaping the deal that changed sports marketing forever.

The correct answer is Viola Davis. She received widespread praise for capturing the intelligence and determination of Deloris Jordan, whose behind-the-scenes negotiations were instrumental in creating the Air Jordan brand that would go on to generate billions of dollars.

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Expect a thick atmosphere of 90s Boston authenticity, compelling power dynamics, character-driven narratives, and exceptional acting, particularly from Bacon, who gives a career-best performance. The show offers a serious, slow-burn exploration of one city’s criminal justice system while blending police corruption with family drama and social issues. Though fictionalized, it’s a fascinating look at Boston’s transition from a corrupt era to a new system and is executive produced by Affleck and Matt Damon.

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River

A traditional “whodunit” investigation

Boasting a perfect critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, River is a six-part British police procedural and psychological crime drama about a haunted detective investigating his partner’s murder while also struggling with his mental health. Stellan Skarsgård (Good Will Hunting) and Nicola Walker (Unforgotten) star.

Detective Inspector John River (Skarsgård) is brilliant at what he does, but his fractured mind keeps him trapped between the living and the dead, haunted by “manifests,” or visions of murder victims, including his recently deceased partner, Stevie. Under enormous pressure from the media and psychiatric evaluation for his hallucinations, River works hard to navigate his guilt and, in the process, discovers the shocking truth about Stevie’s death.

Unlike typical crime shows, River focuses heavily on its protagonist’s mental states in the wake of his criminal experiences. The slow-burn, dramatic crime thriller is characterized by intense psychological scenes, a traditional “whodunit” investigation, and a masterful performance from Skarsgård. Expect a deeply human study of loss with smart writing, a genuinely creepy atmosphere, and a unique, emotional take on the police procedural drama.

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The Shield

One of the best cop shows ever made

One of this century’s best crime dramas, The Shield is a multi-Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award winner. Michael Chiklis (The Commish), Walton Goggins (The White Lotus), Kenny Johnson (Ray), and Michael Jace (The Replacements) star alongside an enormous cast that includes Forest Whitaker, Katey Sagal, Kurt Sutter, CCH Pounder, Glenn Close, Benito Martinez, and more.

The hit FX show follows the corrupt activities of rogue cop Vic Mackey (Chiklis) in an experimental criminal division task force of the Los Angeles Police Department. He’ll go to any lengths to take down the criminals he and his team are chasing, including breaking the law and working with other criminals, and eventually he ropes his team into doing the same. Everything is set in a district rife with gang-related violence, drug trafficking, and prostitution.

Highly regarded for reinventing the police procedural and setting the standard for modern anti-hero dramas, the show paved the way for “prestige” television on basic cable with its raw, unflinching tone full of twists and thrills that explores the fine line between right and wrong. Over the course of 88 episodes, you’ll experience fast-paced action, moral ambiguity, high-stakes tension, and more riveting, gritty crime drama in one continuously solid storyline than you can stand. When viewing turns to obsession, don’t say I didn’t warn you. This one is a true gem.


Each of these hit criminal shows stands out for its realism and complexity, offering a much darker, thought-provoking take on crime storytelling that burrows into our brains and leaves us craving more. The platform has plenty of excellent crime dramas to choose from, so once you finish these three, stick around and see what else is there to transport you to the criminal underworld. Before you leave, though, be sure to check out everything coming to Prime Video in May 2026.

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