Out of all the shows and films leaving Netflix in July, there are three standout blockbusters that I wouldn’t miss this month. From Daniel Craig to Denzel Washington to Will Smith, each of these movies has a Hollywood A lister in charge, and will have you at the edge of your seat.
Despite not winning an Oscar for his role as a heroic – albeit utterly broken in myriad ways – pilot in Flight, Denzel Washington did receive a nomination for Best Actor, and the movie was a hit with critics. Will Smith was also nominated for Best Actor in his biographical portrayal of homeless salesman Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happiness.
Meanwhile Skyfall is one of the best James Bond instalments with Daniel Craig as the secret agent, earning itself 92% approval from critics on Rotten Tomatoes – only Casino Royale scored higher.
Looking for more of the best Netflix movies? Try these seven gripping Netflix thrillers with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes to get your heart racing or these six new TV dramas that have a flawless 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Skyfall
If you’ve read our Daniel Craig James Bond movies ranked list, then you’ll know that we rank Skyfall as the best of the bunch. Out of all the movies in the Bond series in fact, Craig’s mark on 007 can best be seen from his role in this movie, which is much more mature than previous films and completely raises the bar for the whole series.
The plot is as wide-reaching as ever too. It’s about how the MI6 agency is left vulnerable after a leak exposes a group of undercover agents, leaving them exposed to an attack, which sure enough ends with the London HQ exploding. Want to go back and watch the full franchise? Here’s how to watch the James Bond movies in order.
Flight
Released in 2012, this movie isn’t as action-packed as you’d expect from a plot about a pilot that saves a commercial plane from crashing. But it does deliver one of the most intense plane crash scenes we’ve ever seen, second only maybe to Cast Away (from the same director, Robert Zemeckis). The movie soon turns its attention to the pilot’s (played by Denzel Washington) drug abuse problem in a drama-filled investigation – Denzel’s character has some interesting parallels to Training Day.
If you want to see more plane crashes, we’d also recommend looking out for Sully: Miracle on the Hudson, which is streaming on Prime Video in the US. It’s a true story about how Captain Chelsey Sullenberger (played by the phenomenal Tom Hanks) lands a passenger plane on the Hudson River and is similar to Flight in how it covers the media’s reporting of the crash during the mandatory post-crash investigation.
The Pursuit of Happyness
This is a confronting rags-to-riches true story about a homeless salesman (played by Will Smith) living on the streets of San Francisco trying to make ends meet, while also bringing up his son (played by Jaden Smith in his film debut).
This is an incredible, emotional film that will have you reaching for that box of tissues more often then you might like (I still can’t bring myself to rewatch it all these years later). And in case you don’t deal well with unhappy endings, then feel safe in knowing that the titular pursuit is a success (in real life too).
To find out what's replacing these movies on Netflix, check our guide to the new Netflix movies.
