3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies to watch this weekend (May 24-26)

It's almost the end of May, school is either out or about to end, and some lucky people are thinking about what they're going to do for summer vacation. They could travel to another state or country, play some video games (I've heard Lorelai and the laser eyes is pretty good) or even do some yard work. Here at Digital Trends, we celebrate the start of the summer season the only way we know how: by watching lots of movies.

If you'd rather stay home and binge your Amazon Prime Video streaming queue, we've put together a handy list of three underrated movies to watch this weekend. One is a classic thriller, one is a suspenseful crime drama you've probably never seen before, and the other is a chilling film about the teenage years of one of America's most notorious serial killers.

Internal Affairs (1990)

Richard Gere just doesn't get the critical love he deserves. Call it the curse of being too good-looking; the laid-back leading man of Pretty Woman And Chicago has long been considered a pretty face and not much more than that. But beneath this pretty facade lies a pretty good actor, and his best performance of all time was in Mike Figgis' Internal Affairsa now forgotten LA noir film that is a terrific thriller ripe for rediscovery.

Gere plays Dennis Peck, an LAPD cop suspected of corruption who is investigated by Raymond Avilla (Andy Garcia) of the Internal Investigations Division. It's no surprise that Peck turns out to be as bad as suspected, with shady side deals with criminals and even a part-time job as a contract killer that is gradually uncovered by Avilla. The two men engage in a thrilling game of cat and mouse that involves both men's wives and threatens to completely destroy their professional and personal worlds. Gere is magnetic here, giving Peck an irresistible charisma that contrasts sharply with the many despicable things he does throughout the film.

Internal Affairs will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

My Friend Dahmer (2017)

We all had that creepy classmate in school who never got along with anyone, who always seemed a little odd, a little… weird. Many of us never heard from those unusual classmates again. However, writer John Backderf has to live with the knowledge that he went to school with and briefly became friends with one of the most notorious serial killers in US history: Jeffrey Dahmer. Yuck.

My friend Dahmer is not your average serial killer film; there are no bodies except for a few discarded animal carcasses, and no one is seen getting hurt (physically, at least). But by chronicling Dahmer's teenage years, the film puts you right in the shoes of a disturbed individual on the verge of becoming a cold-blooded killer. Former Disney star Ross Lynch plays the teenage Dahmer, and the genius of his performance is that he never lets his portrayal veer into cliche. His Dahmer is an all-too-human monster who, at the film's harrowing conclusion, willingly chooses to destroy his soul to satisfy his hunger for death.

My friend Dahmer will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Grave Robber (1948)

Who else but Alfred Hitchcock would start a film with a close-up of two men strangling another man in a fancy apartment? Rope draws you in with this cruel act and never really lets up. That is impressive in a normal film, but Rope is something special. Hitchcock challenged himself by making as few cuts as possible, choosing instead to shoot the 80-minute film in a series of six to ten minute long takes.

The result is a tense, claustrophobic thriller that, despite being confined to an elaborate set, never feels theatrical. That's thanks to Hitchcock's excellent direction, which always emphasizes the threat (or thrill?) of the killers being caught by their invited party guests. But credit also goes to the three main actors – James Stewart, John Dall and Farley Granger – who embody their characters with a zeal and a creeping sense of desperation that keeps you glued to the screen.

Rope is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Editor's recommendations