I’m always on the hunt for new to Netflix thriller movies, and the good news is that as the calendar moves into April, the popular streaming service is adding plenty of picks for genre fans to enjoy over the Easter weekend.
The latest thriller movies on Netflix include the first five “Mission: Impossible” movies, and this is a rare franchise where the later instalments are better than the originals. And that’s just the start of the latest thriller additions on the platform. My other top picks include a gangster epic with Denzel Washington and a survival flick pitting Idris Elba against a lion.
If you’re looking for the latest thriller movies on Netflix, don’t waste time scrolling through the service’s overwhelming library. I’ve collected the must-watch newcomers down below.
Best Netflix thriller movies to watch this week
‘Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol’ (2011)
Netflix is adding the first five “Mission: Impossible” movies this month. While that sadly doesn’t include the franchise’s peak, 2018’s “Mission: Impossible - Fallout,” it does mean that subscribers looking for spy action this month are well catered to. Each “Mission: Impossible” has its merits, but “Ghost Protocol” is my pick because it represented a new era for the series, and even to this day, it packs some of the franchise’s most thrilling moments.
After this terrorist attack, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team are blamed for the fallout, and so the IMF team must go on the run to locate those truly responsible and bring them down. The whole disavowed by the government and left without any backup shtick is a bit routine within the spy-thriller genre, but it’s used to great effect here. The fan-favorite sequence in which Hunt scales the towering Burj Khalifa in Dubai is particularly exhilarating.
Watch "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" on Netflix now
‘American Gangster’ (2007)
My colleague, Malcolm McMillan, is watching every single Denzel Washington movie in 2026 for a project called “Denzel Watchathon.” Because he’s watching them chronologically, it’ll be a while yet before he reaches 2007’s “American Gangster.” Still, you can enjoy this gangster epic right now as it’s just been added to Netflix’s movie library. Directed by Ridley Scott, and teaming Washington with a host of talented actors, including Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Josh Brolin, this biographical crime drama runs pretty long at 157 minutes, but it’s worth the time investment.
Based on the life (and criminal career) of Frank Lucas, played by Washington, it sees a lowly Harlem drug dealer rise to prominence in 1970s New York, building a crime-fueled empire that surpasses even some of the city’s most notorious Mafia families. On the other side of the fence is Richie Roberts (Crowe), a dedicated police officer who is fully committed to bringing down Lucas, even if that means exposing corruption within the police force itself.
Watch "American Gangster" on Netflix now
‘Beast’ (2022)
“Beast” is a movie of simple pleasures. It sells itself on the entertaining (admittedly outlandish) premise of Idris Elba squaring off against a lion. If that sounds like a blast to you, then you’ll probably enjoy this movie. There’s really nothing of substantial depth or cinematic craft here, but with such an attention-catching premise, “Beast” does make a solid case for itself. Just make sure to approach it with the right expectations; it’s disposable but fun.
Recently widowed Dr. Nate Daniels (Elba) takes his two teenage daughters (Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries) on a vacation to the Mopani Reserve in South Africa. What was supposed to be a trip to bring the family together and help them heal in their time of grief soon becomes a battle for survival when an aggressive predator begins stalking them. Want to see Idris Elba literally punch a lion in the face? Then “Beast” is the Netflix movie for you.
Watch "Beast" on Netflix from April 7
