Amazon Prime’s movie selection is a bit of an oddity. For every two terrible direct-to-video action movie or forgettable early 2000s romantic comedy it has, the streaming service makes up for in one genuinely classic film.

Here are the top-five movies on Amazon Prime.

5. “Seven Psychopaths” (2012):

This Martin McDonagh crime comedy seemed to go under a lot of people’s movie radars when it came out in 2012, which is a shame.

McDonagh’s trademark blend of action and dark humor comes out in the best way, giving viewers a taste of the filmmaker’s talent.

The cast is also full of brilliant performers like Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson, each giving life to entertaining and mesmerizing characters.

4. “Locke” (2013):

“Locke” is another criminally underrated film and another great example of Tom Hardy’s acting talent.

The movie is extremely low-key, taking place entirely within a car ride of the main character Ivan Locke. The viewer remains with Locke the entire time, only getting voices over the phone to interact with him.

But within this car ride lies some of the most pulse-pondering moments in cinema. This man’s life is being torn apart and the thrills come from seeing if he can put all back together.

3. “The End of the Tour” (2015):

Comedians moving from the genre to drama can provide disastrous results. Jason Segel, who plays the acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace in this film, proves he is one of the exceptions to this failure by giving the performance of his life.

“The End of the Tour” is a relatively simple film as well. Wallace is finishing the biggest book tour of his life and Rolling Stones reporter David Lipsky follows him on it, looking for a story of some kind.

Yet, within this plot you get one of the best portrayals of fame and hero worship in film. It is a harrowing tale of two depressed writers looking for vindication from each other.

2. “Ex Machina” (2015):

If you are looking for one of the bleakest and most interesting movies of 2015, look no further than this Alex Garland-led film.

Garland, who had major writing credits on “28 Days Later” and “Dredd” before this, brings his dark and character-driven style to this sci-fi masterpiece. In a film where one of the main characters is a machine, every character will emotionally connect with and betray viewers in the best way possible.

Even if you are not a fan of sci-fi, this is a must-see film. It will grab any viewer and leave them broken once it is over.

1.“All the President’s Men” (1976):

“All the President’s Men” is a film that helped define political thriller, along with films like “Three Days of the Condor” and “Marathon Man” and movies about journalism.

From top to bottom, it is a near-perfect film, one that will keep you on the edge for its entire 2-hour, 18-minute run time.

It is a film with a cast of amazing, classic actors like Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman and Jack Warden, all giving performances that show of the extent of their talent.

Jacob Pierce can be reached at [email protected] or 618-536-3325