The library of movies available to stream on Amazon Prime is incredibly deep. There are more films there than on any other streaming service, with over 25,000 in total. However, when just looking at the 2000s, that number shrinks but is still quite high at nearly 4,000.
Trying to find the best one to watch can be extremely difficult when there are so many to choose from. Picking the one to check out can be made a bit easier by looking at the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. The highest-rated from the decade on Prime includes hilarious comedies, Best Picture contenders, and groundbreaking films.
Tropic Thunder (82%)
Although there are many aspects about this movie that don't hold up today, Tropic Thunder still received very strong reviews when it was first released. Arriving in 2008, this was a case of a film within a film, following a group of actors shooting a war movie who end up in real danger.
Tropic Thunder was lauded for being over the top and laugh out loud funny. Robert Downey Jr. even earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance in it. Of course, the main thing audiences remember is probably Tom Cruise's hilarious cameo.
Breach (84%)
It has to be one of the most overlooked and undervalued films of the decade and certainly of the ones on this list. Released in 2007, Breach tells the true story of the battle between two FBI agents. One is convicted of spying for Russia for two decades and the other is the young upstart who takes him down.
Although this wasn't a big hit, it was met with critical praise. It's the rare case of a movie having an ending the audience knows is coming, yet still being incredibly thrilling and tense. Most performances were strong but Chris Cooper's work was especially hailed.
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (85%)
There was a time when it seemed like Russell Crowe was only starring in epic flicks. A few years after earning widespread acclaim as the lead role in Gladiator, he scored another fantastic part as the lead in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
This 2003 war drama focuses on a British captain who pushes his crew to pursue a French war vessel. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Crowe was joined by Paul Bettany and James D'Arcy.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (85%)
A lot of moviegoers are most familiar with 2011's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, directed by David Fincher. However, two years prior, the original adaptation of the fantastic Steig Larsson novel was released. It helped make lead actor Noomi Rapace into a star.
The story sees a journalist partner up with a hacker to solve a decades-old murder mystery. This Swedish film holds nothing back in terms of being graphic and tells a completely gripping tale. Plus, Rapace's performance is one of the greatest of the decade by any actor. The praise continued into the rest of the trilogy.
Brokeback Mountain (87%)
Many people believe that one of the biggest robberies in Academy Award history came during the 2006 iteration. That night, Crash took home Best Picture honors over Brokeback Mountain and it has only become a more popular opinion over time.
2005's Brokeback Mountain still scored three Oscar wins and featured stellar performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams. The plot tells the emotional story of two cowboys who see their friendship develop into something sexual.
Zodiac (89%)
It's the second straight entry starring the always impressive Jake Gyllenhaal. This time around, it's 2007's Zodiac, directed by David Fincher. The film centers on the true story of the hunt for the famous Zodiac killer, who was actually never caught for their crimes.
While this wasn't nominated for a ton of awards, it's still held in high regard for being a chilling flick filled with strong performances and tense scenes. Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo round out the main characters, putting together a strong group of future MCU stars.
Capote (90%)
The late Philip Seymour Hoffman will always go down as one of the most underrated actors of his generation. Hoffman was always fantastic in any role that he had and though he wasn't a box office star, he was as consistent as they came. His high point might've been Capote.
Hitting theaters in 2005, this biographical film centers on Truman Capote, who wrote a book about a murder and formed a bond with one of the killers on death row. While the plot is strong, this is driven by Hoffman's performance as Capote, which earned him an Oscar victory.
Tell No One (93%)
The second foreign language film featured on the list is Tell No One (Ne le dis à personnel in French). This crime thriller is based on the tremendous novel of the same name from 2001, with the movie arriving in 2006. It made many lists of the best films from the year.
With a tense story centering on the mysterious death of a doctor's wife, it's no surprise that this grabs the audience emotionally. Tell No One was a box office success and scored four wins at the César Awards, which is the French equivalent of the Oscars.
Lost In Translation (95%)
It's always cool to find a movie that can be truly great without having to do anything major. Lost in Translation tells a phenomenal tale and is one of the best films of the decade even though it keeps things relatively simple and mainly focuses on two characters.
That's always helpful when those two characters are played by talented actors. Bill Murray shines as the lead alongside a pre-stardom Scarlett Johansson in this 2003 drama. Lost in Translation sees a former movie star in his mid-life crisis befriend a young college graduate while staying in Tokyo.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (97%)
On the other side of that spectrum is a movie that was lauded for doing some groundbreaking things. 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon did things that had never been seen on the big screen before and helped influence countless films that came after it.
While the plot is kind of straight to the point in terms of involving stolen destiny, revenge, and love, it's everything else that makes this stand out. The action, stunts, and fight scenes throughout this are remarkably handled and director Ang Lee makes sure it's a movie nobody ever forgets once they see it.