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75 Best Comedy Movies of All Time, Ranked

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Viago (Taika Waititi) stands in a blood-soaked bathroom in What We Do in the Shadows.

Of all the cinematic genres, comedy is the hardest to truly master. Humor is so context-dependent and changes so wildly from person to person (let alone between generations) that many comedies struggle to have a strong, immediate impact, and a lot of the ones that do soon become outdated and glaringly of their time. However, there have been plenty of comedy movies throughout cinematic history that have proven themselves to be timeless and stand among the best movies of all time.

In a sprawling range that spans from masterpieces of the silent era to striking satires and ’70s spoofs, and even to some instant classics of the modern age, comedy cinema is littered with hilarious hits. United by runaway creativity and a universal embracing of the sheer, unbridled joy of a good laugh, these quintessential comedy classics are sure to leave audiences in stitches.

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75

‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (2014)

Viago (Taika Waititi) stands in a blood-soaked bathroom in What We Do in the Shadows.
Viago (Taika Waititi) stands in a blood-soaked bathroom in What We Do in the Shadows.
Image via Unison/Paladin

Wonderfully irreverent and slyly clever, What We Do in the Shadows brings a sense of absurdist fun to the realm of Gothic horror as it follows a group of vampires living as flatmates in modern-day New Zealand. Presented as a documentary team’s insights into how vampires live, the acclaimed vampire movie soars with its deadpan sense of humor and its ability to juxtapose tropes surrounding the mythical beasts with a mundane normality that is beautifully understated.

It captures the idea of immortal and endlessly powerful beings navigating chore wheels, nightclub bouncers, and rental agreements with a tone that is as wickedly hilarious as it is endearingly goofy. A surprise hit on the global stage, What We Do in the Shadows was pivotal to making Taika Waititi an international star, while the concept itself has even spawned a spin-off television series.

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74

‘The Lady Eve’ (1941)

Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck as Charles and Jean embracing in The Lady Eve.
Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck as Charles and Jean embracing in The Lady Eve.
Image via Paramount Pictures

Coasting on Barbara Stanwyck’s typically outstanding performance, The Lady Eve is a dazzling delight of screwball comedy. She co-stars as Jean Harrington, a con artist working with her father and his partner. Aboard an ocean liner, the trickster trio set their sights on Charles Pike (Henry Fonda), a shy and bumbling snake expert who is the heir to a family fortune, but when Jean and Pike fall in love, the situation quickly grows complicated.

Like so many gems of the screwball movies of its era, The Lady Eve offers a divine combination of biting, cynical wit, slapstick absurdity, and romantic tension, all of which unfurl as the propulsive and fast-paced story jets along at breakneck speed. Its subversive qualities make it incredibly easy to enjoy today, not only as an impeccably acted and written comedy, but as a sweet and sincere love story as well.

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73

‘Toni Erdmann’ (2016)

Sandra Huller singing with outstretched arms in Toni Erdmann.
Sandra Huller singing with outstretched arms in Toni Erdmann.
Image via Sony Pictures Classics

Coming from Germany, Toni Erdmann is an absorbing black comedy imbued with a uniquely piercing ability to combine absurdist and cringe-worthy moments with profound meditations on the modern day’s demanding work-life balance. Sandra Hüller stars as Ines Conradi, a career-driven business executive who finds herself in a bind when her jovial prankster father begins posing as her boss’s life coach, a joke he hopes can amuse his daughter while allowing them to reconnect.

The line it walks is nothing short of astonishing, with director Maren Ade mastering both the awkward quirks of familial relationships while, more pointedly, emphasizing the corporate drive, emotional hollowness, and personal sacrifices many people have to embrace for their work. Grounded by beautifully nuanced performances and expertly finding pathos and tragedy in even the most humorous of moments, Toni Erdmann is a somber masterclass in heartbreaking, thought-provoking comedy, and it stands as one of the genre’s best films of the 2010s, even if it isn’t necessarily the most joyous.

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72

‘Anora’ (2024)

Ani and Ivan walking while embracing during an early romantic scene in Anora (2024)
Ani and Ivan walking while embracing during an early romantic scene in Anora (2024)
Image via NEON

The Best Picture winner of 2025, Anora is a curious beast that ultimately finds its heart as something between a chaotic black comedy and a propulsive character study. Anchored by Mikey Madison’s ensnaring lead performance, it unfolds as a hard-edged sex worker from Brooklyn whose life is upended when she begins a tumultuous romance with the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch. The situation fast becomes a frenzied, farcical mess for all involved when news of their marriage reaches Vanya’s (Mark Eydelshteyn) parents, who insist on the union being annulled.

Running a little like a manic screwball comedy with an unflappable penchant for proclivity and profanity, Anora is, at times, a hysterical descent into a scenario that only grows more outrageous the more it unravels. It interrupts its gritty details and confronting rawness with outbursts of obscene hilarity to be one of the funniest movies of the decade so far, even if it is its dramatic wrath, hopelessly flawed characters, and brilliant performances that tend to stay with the audience.

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71

‘Scary Movie’ (2000)

The Ghostface killer making a funny face while sticking his tongue out on the phone in Scary Movie Image via Dimension Films

Armed with a penchant for parody that is more bombastic than surgical, Scary Movie is a procession of sidesplitting sequences that poke fun at everything from defining gems of slasher cinema to masterpieces of psychological horror. Broadly modeled as a lampooning of Scream, it follows Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris) and her friends as they begin to suspect they are being stalked by a serial killer exactly one year after they accidentally killed a man and dumped his body in the lake.

Its story may not be overly complex, but it does serve as a platform for all the movie’s jabs at genre tropes, satire of the relationship between audiences and art, and, of course, as a solid foundation for all the absurdity on display, which almost earned it an NC-17 censorship rating. It is by far the best and most inspired of the influx of spoof movies that became commonplace through the 2000s, and its impact on horror fans and comedy lovers alike continues to be felt to this day.

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70

‘Windy City Heat’ (2003)

Windy City Heat - 2003
Perry Caravello as the star of Windy City Heat (2003)
Image via Comedy Central

Cold-hearted and callous, Windy City Heat has become a true cult classic of early 2000s comedy with its intriguing blend of high-energy momentum and documentary intensity that flaunts a wickedly sadistic glee at the premise of puerile pranks. The movie is itself one big hoax, following American comic Perry Caravello as he believes he has landed a lead role in a crime film called “Windy City Heat.” In actual fact, his journey through the filmmaking process is an elaborate con.

While many critics dismissed it as a shallow and even cruel spectacle, general audiences were more accepting of its jovial tone. The dedication to the long-running prank creates many moments of obscene hilarity, while its sense of hustle imbues it with a relentless energy that is utterly transfixing. It is a propulsive, profane spectacle of unpredictable hysteria where absolutely anything can, and often does, happen.

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69

‘American Pie’ (1999)

Jim's Dad and Jim talk at the kitchen table that holds a destroyed apple pie in American Pie.
Eugene Levy and Jason Biggs as Jim’s Dad and Jim talking in the kitchen table in American Pie.
Image via Universal Pictures

A cunning evolution of the sex comedy movies of the 1980s, American Pie imbues the subgenre’s set formula of gross-out gags and raunchy humor with genuine heart, making for a coming-of-age classic that is both obscenely hilarious and surprisingly tender. Nearing the end of their time in high school, four teenage friends make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. Their efforts to make good on their promise lead to plenty of absurd misadventures, moments of soul-shattering humiliation, but, for some, the discovery of love as well.

More than just a painfully relatable crude comedy to many, American Pie has become a gem of warm nostalgia as well, with its high school setting serving as a time capsule of the late-90s and the early-internet youth culture of pop-punk and irreverence. Whether it’s making viewers laugh-out-loud with its vulgarity or presenting unexpectedly wholesome scenes between Jim (Jason Biggs) and his father (Eugene Levy), American Pie is a treat of yesteryear comedy that has held up surprisingly well over the years.

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68

‘Punch-Drunk Love’ (2002)

Adam Sandler as Barry anxiously standing with his thermos outdoors in front of pallets in Punch Drunk Love.
Adam Sandler as Barry anxiously standing with his thermos outdoors in front of pallets in Punch Drunk Love.
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

While it may be something of a hidden gem compared to other noteworthy titles in Paul Thomas Anderson’s incredible filmography, Punch-Drunk Love is still a masterpiece in its own right. An understated and dramatic subversion of the flowery wonder many rom-coms exude, it coasts on the back of Adam Sandler’s against-type performance as Barry Egan, a lonely and reserved small business owner who finds love in the form of his sister’s co-worker, Lena (Emily Watson). However, he finds his explosive temperament tested when his budding romance is jeopardized by an extortion scheme tied to a phone-sex line.

Its comedic tastes aren’t necessarily prone to outbursts of uproarious laughter, but they do present a quirky and offbeat sincerity that is both clever and endearing. Complemented by its dreamlike atmosphere, appetite for eruptions of chaos, the heartfelt chemistry between Watson and Sandler, and its quiet meditation on Barry’s struggles with anxiety and anger management, Punch-Drunk Love is a unique treat of cinematic comedy.

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67

‘Shrek’ (2001)

Shrek talking to Donkey in a sunflower patch in Shrek.
Shrek talking to Donkey in a sunflower patch in Shrek.
Image via DreamWorks Pictures

A stunning subversion of the integral elements of animated family fantasy that stands not only as one of the best examples of the genre, but as a universally adored comedy as well, Shrek is one of the defining movies of the early part of the 21st-century cinema. Skewering the fairytale fables Disney animation became famous for, it follows the most unlikely hero in Shrek (Mike Myers), a feared ogre who reluctantly agrees to rescue a princess for a fairytale-hating lord in exchange for peace in his swamp. However, Shrek’s journey takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself falling in love with Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz).

Its parody of the form makes it an outstanding example of fantasy animation set to modern sensitivities. It isn’t just a hilarious lampooning of fairytales, but a heartfelt story of friendship, love, and the beauty of self-acceptance and authenticity that finds new depth in the genre. Bolstered by a litany of incredible voice acting performances, wonderful character dynamics, and a delightfully energized jukebox soundtrack, Shrek is animated comedy at its best and most accessible.

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66

‘M*A*S*H’ (1970)

Hawkeye and Trapper John in a golf course looking to the distance in M*A*S*H
Hawkeye and Trapper John in a golf course looking to the distance in M*A*S*H
Image via 20th Century Studios

A razor-sharp and wickedly divine combination of piercing black comedy and anti-war sentiment, M*A*S*H is a true triumph of comedy cinema from Robert Altman that cleverly marries the absurdly hilarious with the considered and contemplative. It follows the American staff in a field hospital during the Korean War as they try to stomach the horrors of what they see by indulging in darkly humorous antics.

Imbued with the scathing, realistic bite that defined 1970s cinema, yet excelling as a timeless commentary on war and how the human condition responds to trauma, M*A*S*H manages to be both hysterically funny and poignant. It received five Academy Award nominations and won for its screenplay. It also effectively launched the hit comedy series of the same name that ran for 11 seasons from 1972 to 1983.

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Jonathan Taylor Thomas makes surprise return in “Home Improvement” cast reunion pic

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Thomas posed for a photo with his on-screen mom, Patricia Richardson, and brother, Taran Noah Smith, in a sweet reunion photo.

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Jennifer Lawrence Wore This Ballet Sneakers Style — on Amazon

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Anne Hathaway

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There’s never a boring moment in Jennifer Lawrence‘s wardrobe, and her latest sneaker style is a prime example. Instead of plain white kicks, the actress opted for comfy, eye-catching ballet sneakers, and we found the look on sale for only $30.

While cycling through the city, Lawrence wore a simple black tank top, sporty track pants and split-toe ballet sneakers. What makes her outfit work is the balance. Her sporty track pants are mega casual on their own, but the ballet-inspired footwear adds an elevated twist.

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Get the Coollulu Mary Jane Ballet Sneakers for $30 (was $43) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.

If the split-toe silhouette feels like too much of a bold commitment, these Coollulu ballet sneakers are a softer entry point to the same energy. They feature a rounded toe, hook-and-loop closure and instep strap for that Mary Jane flair. We also love the sleek suede and vegan leather accents that make the shoes transition well from summer to fall.

Anne Hathaway


Related: Anne Hathaway Confirmed! Woven Ballerina Flats Are the Most NYC-Rich Look

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If you’re tired of sneakers, sandals and even basic ballet flats, we feel you. But Anne Hathaway‘s latest shoe choice might inspire you to try a new take on an old trend. The actress wore rich-looking woven flats that somehow screamed ‘Hamptons’ and ‘Manhattan’ at the same time, and we found the luxe look for […]

And in case you missed it, these stylish slip-ons are also mega comfortable, too. They’re designed with padded insoles and an anti-slip bottom, so they’re perfect for long walks, even if it’s raining outside.

One shopper called them “fancy sporty shoes,” and we couldn’t have put it better!

Another happy reviewer who wore them on an international trip was stunned by their comfort and quality. “I recently hiked the rainforest in Australia and took these bad boys along. I think these are amazing travel shoes because they held up through hiking, sightseeing and airport terminals,” they wrote. “I like this look because it’s feminine and can be matched with anything from dresses to biking shorts.”

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These trendy shoes fall firmly in polarizing-yet-chic territory, but with Lawrence’s approval, they lean way more chic. Slip them on with a dress, jeans or track pants, and her cool-girl energy is yours!

Get the Coollulu Mary Jane Ballet Sneakers for $30 (was $43) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.

Looking for something else? Explore more chic sneakers, and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

UsNow Summer Sale Alert: These Chic Fashion Finds are over 30% off – Plus Free Shipping

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Welcome to summer with our biggest sale of the year. This summer’s chicest dresses, tops and swimsuits are all over 30% + free shipping. Inventory is limited so hurry before they’re gone.

Shop the UsNow Summer Sale –>

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Related: Amazon‘s Summer Sandals Collection Looks Designer — From $10

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If you’ve been eyeing a $600 pair of sandals, same, but nothing can justify the price tag for something you wear for three months of the year. That said, if you want to look like you dropped triple digits, these 13 luxe-looking sandals nail the assignment. Nobody at brunch will be able to tell the […]

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Jordyn Woods Breaks Silence On Ozempic Trend: ‘Taking A Few Steps Back’

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Jordyn Woods is seen arriving at Madison Square Garden

Influencer Jordyn Woods has broken her silence on the rise of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, saying the revolutionary drug that’s taken over Hollywood has halted progress in the body inclusivity movement.

In a new interview, Jordyn Woods, who rose to fame in the early 2000s through Kylie Jenner and the rest of the Kardashian clan, has been open about body image before, even starting her own activewear line that features a range of sizes for every woman.

Jordyn Woods Doesn’t Seem To Be A Fan Of The Ozempic Trend: ‘Everyone’s Skinny’

Jordyn Woods is seen arriving at Madison Square Garden
D J / MEGA

Woods, 28, spoke with Bustle about everything under the sun, from her relationship with NBA champion Karl-Anthony Towns to the recent rise in GLP-1s for weight loss.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, GLP-1s are medications that help lower blood sugar levels and promote weight loss.

Woods, a size inclusivity advocate, broke her silence on the recent trend and seemed to be against the drug that’s taken Hollywood by storm.

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“Yeah. We were taking some steps forward, and now I think in the Ozempic era we’re taking a few steps back. Everyone’s skinny now. The bug hasn’t caught me yet,” she said.

Jordyn Woods Isn’t Worried About Her Weight Fluctuating

MEGA

Woods implied that she wasn’t interested in using a GLP-1 herself, adding that she’s aware her weight will fluctuate.

“It’s not hard for me,” she said. “My weight’s going to fluctuate. I’m going to be skinnier sometimes. I’m human.”

In 2018, Woods spoke with PEOPLE about her activewear line, SECNDNTURE, and said that she was inspired to create a more inclusive brand after falling in love with working out.

“I went through a lot of different things and working out became my therapy, especially after losing my dad,” she said. “Throughout working out all the time I realized that there wasn’t an activewear line that was super quality and affordable and size-inclusive so I decided, ‘Why not make my own?’”

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Jordyn Woods Wanted To Be The Change She Was Hoping To See

Jordyn Woods and Karl-Anthony Towns.
MEGA

For Woods, creating an activewear brand wasn’t just about making money; it was about helping other women feel comfortable in their own skin.

“I felt like there weren’t many options for clothing out there, which enhanced my tomboy-ness because I would just wear my dad’s big shirts or my brother’s big shirts,” she said. “It was discouraging to go to the mall. I knew I couldn’t find anything that would fit me or look cute.”

After Woods began modeling, though, she learned to embrace her body and everything that came with it.

“When I started modeling I gained a lot of confidence because I had to go out of my comfort zone,” she added. “And I realized that my individuality was my greatest gift and that I have this physical body and I can’t change it so you have to love it.”

Rosie O’Donnell Is Using A GLP-1 For Weight Loss

Rosie O'Donnell at Burlesque: The Musical World Premiere
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

While Woods is staying away from GLP-1s for weight loss, many other celebrities have embraced them, including comedian Rosie O’Donnell.

The former “The View” moderator appeared on the “Bleep!” podcast, according to The Blast, and opened up about microdosing the popular drug to help her avoid negative side effects, such as nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

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“I did the lowest dose for [the first] year with 2.5. Then, I did [the second] year at 5, and now, I’m just finishing year [three] at 7.5,” she said.

O’Donnell Called GLP-1 A ‘Miracle Drug’

Rosie O'Donnell attends the 79th Annual Tony Awards
Steven Bergman/AFF-USA.COM / MEGA

O’Donnell, 64, has struggled with weight for most of her adult life, she said. However, once she began taking the “miracle drug” over two years ago, she said it changed everything for her.

“I’ve had trouble with my weight my whole life. I know the shame and humiliation dealt to people who are overweight,” she stated. “My kids would come home from trick-or-treating with pillowcases full of candy and hide it,” she continued. “Smart children. I’d wake up at three in the morning and go, ‘There’s a Nestlé’s Crunch bar somewhere.’ I couldn’t help myself.”

According to O’Donnell, using a GLP-1 in the right way has not only changed her body for the better, but it’s also helped her create healthier habits and quiet the “food noise” she’s battled for years.

“Mounjaro changed my life,” she said about the medication.

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The Jordyn Woods Breaks Silence On Ozempic Trend: ‘Taking A Few Steps Back’ first appeared on The Blast

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Celebrities Who Revealed They Got Sober: Tom Holland, More

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Patricia Heaton: I'm 'Going to Make' My Sons Watch 'Everybody Loves Raymond'

The Everybody Loves Raymond star posted a video in July 2021, sharing an exciting milestone. “It’s July when we celebrate our nation’s freedom. Also celebrating three years of freedom from alcohol for me,” she said while on a three-mile hike. “Just wanted to share that with you. And message me if any of you are thinking about doing that, any of you are doing that now and need some encouragement or anything at all. Have a great day.”

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The Middle star revealed her kids were the reason why she decided to get sober in a candid September 2021 interview on the “Heart of the Matter” podcast.

While she drank shooting the Ray Romano-led sitcom, which ran from 1996 to 2005, her drinking got worse after her four sons moved out. “I just noticed that if it was 5 p.m. and I don’t have anything to do the next day, I would start drinking automatically,” the actress said, adding that she “really started looking forward to drinking and thinking about it in a way that I hadn’t before.”

However, it was a birthday dinner for one of her sons that made her realize she had a problem.

“I was just filling my glass with red wine throughout the five or six hours that we were together. I don’t know how many glasses it was, and I felt completely sober and fine,” the Carol’s Second Act star said. “I was making a joke to the table, and I started saying, ‘You know, in our family it’s a tradition …’ And I could not pronounce the word ‘tradition.’ I tried three times, and I couldn’t say the word.”

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One of her sons remarked on her inability to say the word in front of everyone. “And I was so humiliated,” she says, adding, “It shook me up. I thought, ‘That’s it. That’s it’ … It had every element that I needed. It had a logical element and had this, ‘Oh, my gosh, my sons have seen me drink too much.’”

The next day at breakfast, the Back To You actress said she told a friend, “Well, you’re the first person I’m telling this to, but this is my first day of never drinking again.”

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Taylor Sheridan Star’s New Action Movie Is Taking Over Streaming

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man-of-war-poster.jpg

Action fans have had plenty to feast on this year, with enough hits to keep the “best of the year” debate going for months. From high-tech military survival thrillers, revenge sagas, hard-boiled crime epics, and fun buddy adventures, the genre has delivered just about every flavor imaginable. Most of the attention has gone to high-profile releases like The Rip, The Wrecking Crew, and Alan Ritchson‘s War Machine, but some of the year’s biggest surprises have come from smaller titles. The Furious proved that point with its John Wick-meets-The Raid martial arts action, and there’s another overlooked gem that’s every bit as worthy of the conversation.

One of the year’s lesser-known action hits features a Taylor Sheridan favorite who has quietly become a favorite among fans of grounded, no-nonsense action. The narrative features a highly skilled veteran pushed past their breaking point and forced to unleash calculated violence against his enemies. Much like in the Finnish fan-favorite WWII thriller Sisu, the motivation behind the thriller is personal as the protagonist takes matters into his own hands following the kidnapping of his daughter. However, rather than the sometimes over-the-top spectacle seen in Sisu, Man of War favors the type of tactical realism and methodical combat that made Chris Pratt‘s The Terminal List an easy watch for military thriller fans.

Leading the charge is LaMonica Garrett, a face Taylor Sheridan fans will instantly recognize. He first made an impression as Thomas, the former Buffalo Soldier in the Yellowstone prequel, 1883, and then in Sheridan’s hit spy thriller Special Ops: Lioness. Military action fans may also know him as Commander Bill Cox from The Terminal List and its prequel series, The Terminal List: Dark Wolf. Garrett sticks to familiar territory in Man of War, delivering another hard-hitting performance that plays to his strengths. After recently landing on digital platforms, the film has begun to reach a wider audience and is now climbing the streaming charts on Starz in multiple countries.

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How Good Is ‘Man of War’?

Man of War takes viewers into the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, following Connor (Garrett), a former Navy SEAL and CIA operative who heads into the war-torn country after his daughter, an aid worker, is taken hostage by Russian mercenaries. The mission quickly becomes a one-man war as Connor encounters backstabbing and has to rely on his elite skills to fight his way through enemy territory.

Directed by William Kaufman (Sinners and Saints), the movie has already earned praise from several platforms for its relentless action and “all-out carnage,” with much of the attention directed toward Garrett’s “badass” performance. Other reviewers have also highlighted the film’s effort to show the human cost of conflict and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire. The cast also includes Linds Edwards (Osiris), Andrew Howard (Limitless), Rosemary Yaneva (The Bouncer), Jason Patric (The Lost Boys), and Daniel Bernhardt (John Wick).

Man of War is available to stream on Starz. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

July 3, 2026

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Runtime

111 minutes

Director
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William Kaufman

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10 Most Intense World War II Movies of All Time

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The Dirty Dozen - 1967 (1)

It’s probably harder to come up with World War II movies that aren’t particularly intense than ones that are. If you’re making a movie about the largest and most global conflict in the history of the world, a certain level of intensity and drama is needed, with comparatively breezy films about World War II generally being older, or perhaps not as focused on conflict (and even then, classics like Casablanca and The Best Years of Our Lives are emotionally moving in other ways, without showcasing much by way of combat or on-screen violent).

When it comes to the following titles, though, they stand out for being among the most intense World War II movies of all time. There are different reasons why these movies tend to be hard-hitting, and they’re not all here because they’re especially graphic… though some are. They’re not always easy movies to watch, but they all have a purpose in being some level of suspenseful, or even harrowing.

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10

‘The Dirty Dozen’ (1967)

The Dirty Dozen - 1967 (1)
The Dirty Dozen – 1967 (1)
Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The Dirty Dozen is one of those quintessential “we gotta put together a team” sort of movies, with the premise here involving a very dangerous mission that a group of criminals agree to take part in, because pulling off said mission may allow their potential death sentences to be commuted. Some of them are nasty enough that calling them antiheroes would still be a little too generous, and things get undeniably chaotic when it comes time to carry out the main mission behind enemy lines.

Before that rather action-packed final act, The Dirty Dozen is compelling with its set-up, too, with all the stuff surrounding the putting together of the titular team, and training for their eventually deadly mission. It’s got that reliable action movie structure first perfected in Seven Samurai, and then reused again and again since, but sometimes, when something works, it just works, and that’s enough.

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9

‘Downfall’ (2004)

Hitler (Bruno Ganz) is seen from behind as he sits at a table with a map on it across from numerous standing Nazi officers
Hitler (Bruno Ganz) is seen from behind as he sits at a table with a map on it across from numerous standing Nazi officers
Image via Constantin Film

Set in the days leading up to Germany’s defeat in the final year of World War II, Downfall inspires an impressive amount of dread for something where the outcome is going to be known ahead of time, regardless of how much/little you know about the Second World War. It’s also called “Downfall,” so, you know… that’s what you’re in for, and it’s pretty grueling to watch.

Downfall isn’t about inspiring sympathy for those it’s about, and instead feels more like it wants to show what happened, warts and all, among the high-ranking members of the Third Reich as it was crumbling and the end was nigh. It’s a claustrophobic and extremely well-acted movie that is kind of infamous nowadays for inspiring a series of memes, but if you get past those Downfall parodies (as funny as some of them might be), you’ll probably be surprised to find a very compelling war drama here.

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8

‘The Great Escape’ (1963)

The Great Escape - 1963 (3) Image via United Artists

Like with The Dirty Dozen, there’s quite a bit of entertainment to be found in The Great Escape, with it still retaining a good deal of intensity throughout. It’s about an ambitious escape attempt from a prisoner of war camp that’s been established specifically to be “inescapable,” housing various Allied prisoners who’ve all made escapes beforehand from more “regular” prisoner of war camps.

This plays out over a runtime that nears three hours, which might sound a little excessive, but the execution makes it work and feel engaging for all that time. The Great Escape is pretty much perfect, and probably more than just “Great.” As for “Escape,” it is escapist in the sense that there are things to be thrilled and entertained by here, all while also feeling the tension of the situation, with certain costs and hardships of war nonetheless conveyed.

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7

‘Letters from Iwo Jima’ (2006)

Letters from Iwo Jima - 2006 (2) Image via Paramount Pictures

In 2006, there were two World War II movies directed by Clint Eastwood that were released, and both were about the Battle of Iwo Jima. Flags of Our Fathers showed it from the American perspective, and much of that particular film was focused on the aftermath, and the story behind the famous photograph known as Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.

Letters from Iwo Jima is also about confronting the end, and dealing with approaching death, doing so with surprising sympathy.

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Letters from Iwo Jima, on the other hand, was about the battle from the Japanese perspective, and a good deal of it was instead concerned with the lead-up to said battle, and with less time spent on the aftermath, considering how many on the Japanese side of the battle died. So, Letters from Iwo Jima is also about confronting the end, and dealing with approaching death, doing so with surprising sympathy (at least for an American-produced film) and a ton of emotion for hopefully obvious reasons.

6

‘Dunkirk’ (2017)

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A soldier looks up while standing alongside hundreds of other soldiers on a boat in Dunkirk
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
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Before Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan had made one movie set in the past (The Prestige), but that one wasn’t really based on a true story, having mostly fictional characters. Dunkirk was a bit more faithful to history, specifically being about the Dunkirk evacuation, which really happened, though the characters are either fictional or inspired by real-life people. It’s more about the experience of the whole event from multiple perspectives, rather than honing in on the real-life people who were involved, if that makes sense.

It’s then possible to look at Dunkirk as bridging the gap between historical fiction (The Prestige) and a full-on/mostly historically accurate biopic (Oppenheimer), with Nolan’s whole filmography. Anyway, regarding Dunkirk, it’s one of his most visceral and compelling movies, being paced and edited in a way that feels continually nerve-wracking and genuinely rather unique among the many, many World War II films already out there.

5

‘Come and See’ (1985)

Come and See - 1985 (7) Image via Sovexportfilm
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Some people will tell you that Come and See gets talked about too much, while at the same time, it’s not quite as famous as most of the other movies being mentioned here, so maybe there’s an argument to be made that it’s overlooked in the overall scheme of things. It kind of depends on what online spaces you’re in or not in, and that does make it hard to introduce and talk about, given some people are probably sick of hearing about it, and others are probably like, “Huh, Come and See?”

It’s a movie about a young man joining a group of resistance fighters, and then experiencing a series of utterly hellish situations as those resistance fighters try to combat German forces in Belarus. As an anti-war movie, Come and See is about as effective as they get, so calling it very intense honestly feels like something of an understatement. It’s a horrifying watch, and one of those movies where seeing it once feels like enough.

4

‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998)

Soldiers in the lead-up to the Normandy invasion during World War II in Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Soldiers in the lead-up to the Normandy invasion during World War II in Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Image via DreamWorks Pictures
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One of those movies that’s famously about Matt Damon getting home, in one way or another, Saving Private Ryan has Damon playing the titular Private Ryan, and a group of soldiers are tasked with finding him so he can be sent home after his brothers are found to have all died in combat. There’s also a very intense depiction of the Omaha Beach landing, which is a big reason why Saving Private Ryan inevitably has to get ranked among the most visceral war movies of all time.

Things don’t really slow down or get a great deal easier after that point, with Saving Private Ryan having its main characters in near-constant danger, and then there’s also a fairly large battle sequence that comes near the film’s conclusion. It’s relentless and undeniably emotional, well and truly earning the right to count itself among Steven Spielberg’s all-time best directorial efforts.

3

‘The Battle of Okinawa’ (1971)

The Battle of Okinawa - 1971 Image via Toho
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One of the most relentlessly downbeat war movies of all time, The Battle of Okinawa could well have even Come and See beat in terms of being a World War II movie that takes no prisoners and makes you feel miserable once it’s done. You’ll feel miserable while it’s going on, too, and then just extra miserable once it’s finished. It’s a very harsh anti-war movie about the titular battle and how much devastation it came to cause.

Its focus on the Pacific Theater makes The Battle of Okinawa also potentially comparable to Letters from Iwo Jima, but that one wasn’t as despairing, even if much of it was also about loss, death, and destruction. The Battle of Okinawa is next-level depressing, and has a level of violence that’s far more upsetting and shocking than most films released around the same time that are considered groundbreaking/boundary-pushing for the violence they depicted (like, Bonnie and Clyde and The Wild Bunch look positively PG-rated in comparison).

2

‘Inglourious Basterds’ (2009)

Inglourious Basterds walks a delicate line, in terms of being great entertainment and genuinely intense at different points, and then it does all that while being in no way describable as “delicate” in the conventional sense. It’s about vengeance in Nazi-occupied France, basically, with a few different people all trying to combat German forces in their own ways, with all parties eventually meeting for a confrontation – partly by chance – in a cinema by the time the final act comes around.

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The medium of film itself is weaponized, and then Inglourious Basterds also explodes/dismantles other things, narratively and thematically, playing around with history in some rather startling (but effective) ways. It does a lot, and it does it all relentlessly at the same time, technically being one of the more entertaining movies here, for sure, yet there are long stretches of this movie that also prove almost unbearably tense.

1

‘Das Boot’ (1981)

Das Boot - 1981 (3) Image via Neue Constantin Film

Since it’s confined in a way that feels in line with what you might expect from a grueling psychological thriller, Das Boot stands out as arguably the most intense World War II movie ever made. Also helping it in this regard is its length, because you’re made to feel on edge for a very long runtime, with the shortest version of Das Boot still running for about 2.5 hours, and then the longer versions proving similarly tense, just for, you know, quite a while longer.

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It’s set inside a German submarine, with the members of the sub’s crew having to deal with boredom, danger, and the idea that death feels particularly inescapable when you’re deep underwater and in such a vulnerable position. Das Boot is basically guaranteed to make anyone who watches it feel anxious throughout, doing for submarine warfare what Uncut Gems did for gambling addictions.


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Das Boot


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Release Date

September 17, 1981

Runtime

149 Minutes

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Ruston Kelly Announces He Is 3 Days Sober After Relapse

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Everything to Know About RHOSLC Alum Jen Shah's Legal Drama

Country singer Ruston Kelly announced that he is now three days sober after recently suffering a relapse.

“I told myself back in 2021 that as long as I wasn’t using amphetamines that I would be on the right ‘clean’ journey for myself,” Kelly, 37, wrote in a poignant Instagram post about his relapse on Wednesday, July 29. “I had never been addicted to any drug other than those pills. I lumped in alcohol and THC etc initially because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do.”

He went on, “Somewhere along the way I became obstinate in my journey, that I wasn’t an ‘addict’ in the traditional sense of the word, that I was only addicted to amphetamines. ‘I’ve never had a problem with alcohol, I’ve never had a problem with XYZ’ ‘See I can be like everyone else, I can show self control, I am in control.’ I even got to the point of recent spiritual surrender and still attempted to live a lifestyle that was satisfactory to my carnal impulses because I ‘never had a problem with them.’”

Kelly — who was married to country superstar Kacey Musgraves from 2017 to 2020 — revealed that he experienced a crisis in his sobriety after a golf cart accident in June.

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The “Mockingbird” singer was riding in a residential golf cart when it collided with an overgrown root, sending his cart flipping into the air. Kelly smashed his head into a mailbox and practically broke his arm “in half.”

“I was given fentanyl morphine ketamine dilaudid and oxycodone for 3 days leaving with a month long Rx of Percocet. I needed it for the level 15 pain but very quickly they started running out sooner and sooner,” he acknowledged. “I was chewing them in the pharmacy before I walked out the door. I was hiding how many at a time I was taking. I was complaining to the dr it wasn’t enough. It awakened something I hadn’t felt in a very long time.”

The musician ultimately decided on Sunday, July 26, that he was going to give up all substances and alcohol as a recommitment to his sobriety.

“I decided to end any chance of ruining anything good. For my soul my wife my family my art and career and my people,” he wrote. “I admitted that whether I like it or not I will forever have a substance abuse disease. ALL drugs/substances including alcohol and THC are off the table for good (working on nicotine) That if there is something that will scratch an itch I didn’t think I had, I will use it beyond excess and into addiction. I am 3 days completely clean and sober again, and intend to remain this way forever, one day at a time.”

Kelly’s confessional post received more than 7,000 likes, as of publication, with many of his friends and fellow musicians pledging their support for his sobriety journey.

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“Your transparency and honesty is gonna help a lot of people 💙 It always has. Love u buddy,” singer Katie Pruitt replied in the comments section to Kelly’s post.

“Proud of you. Praying for you. Love you so much,” musician Natalie Hemby added. “Philippians 4:13 is such a powerful surrender. ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’”

Kelly has spoken openly about both his struggles and sobriety in the past, including telling Esquire in 2020 that he’d battled with addiction for most of his adult life. (Prior to his recent relapse, Kelly celebrated five years of sobriety in December 2025.)

“I’ve always had an issue with self-control in my life. I’ve been emotionally reckless at times and I’ve definitely abused myself with copious amounts of drugs and illicit materials and doing crazy things, and being wild without purpose and that is dangerous,” he explained at the time.“It could be creatively fueling, but I think what’s really helped ground me is learning the difference between creative spontaneity and emotional recklessness in everyday life. And that line had always been blurred for me and [coronavirus] quarantine was a way for me to sit back, take inventory mentally, spiritually, physically.”

Following his 2020 divorce from Musgraves, 35, Kelly tied the knot with second wife Tia Cubelic in May after proposing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in September 2025.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

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Alan Ritchson Is Officially Crowned Netflix’s Streaming King

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Ordinary Angels Movie Poster With Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchman

After conquering Prime Video, Alan Ritchson seems to be extending his empire on Netflix. Ritchson emerged as one of the biggest stars of the streaming era thanks to the hit action-thriller series Reacher, which has aired three seasons on Prime Video. He cemented his position with this year’s War Machine, which went on to become one of Netflix’s biggest-ever original movies. A sequel to War Machine was greenlit some weeks ago, along with another action movie starring Ritchson. He will also return as Reacher in the fourth season of the Prime Video series, as well as a spin-off titled Neagley. This week, Ritchson can be seen headlining his first major theatrical action movie: Motor City.

On the eve of Motor City‘s release, one of Ritchson’s rare dramatic movies found itself atop the domestic Netflix charts this past week, according to FlixPatrol. If this isn’t all-around domination, what is? Motor City, directed by Potsy Ponciroli, also features Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, and Pablo Schreiber. The movie currently holds a 66% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with Collider’s Aidan Kelley comparing it to the John Wick franchise and the films of Zack Snyder. In his review, he wrote that Motor City “feels like another logical step in Ritchson’s career as an action superstar, and one that will undeniably recruit even more of a dedicated following.”













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Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz
Which Action Hero Would Be
Your Perfect Partner?

Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt
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Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn’t work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.

🎖️Rambo

🍸James Bond

🏺Indiana Jones

🔧John McClane

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🎭Ethan Hunt

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01

You’re dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner?
The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.





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02

You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel?
How you get there is half the mission.





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03

You’re pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do?
This is when you find out what someone is really made of.





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04

The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest?
Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.





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05

How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission?
Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.





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06

Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them?
The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.





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07

Things go badly wrong and you’re captured. What do you trust your partner to do?
Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.





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08

What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn’t replace?
A great partner fills the gap you didn’t know you had.





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09

Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with?
No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.





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10

It’s the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now?
The last question is the most honest one.





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Your Partner Has Been Assigned
Your Perfect Partner Is…

Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.

Rambo

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Your partner doesn’t talk much, doesn’t need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you’ve finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You’ll never need to ask if he has your back. You’ll just know.

James Bond

Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it’ll take you a moment to remember what’s actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You’ll never be bored. You’ll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.

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Indiana Jones

Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar’s eye and a brawler’s instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn’t matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you’ll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.

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John McClane

Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren’t so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.

Ethan Hunt

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Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you’ve finished reading the briefing, and the plan he’s settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn’t exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.

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Alan Ritchson Wields Considerable Star Power

However, the movie that’s currently number one on Netflix couldn’t be more different. We’re talking, of course, about Ordinary Angels. Starring Hilary Swank, the film was aimed at the faith-based demographic that took films such as The King of Kings and Jesus Revolution to major box-office success in recent years. More recently, the same audience turned out in droves to watch Young Washington, which has quietly grossed more than $40 million domestically. Ordinary Angels, like most movies aimed at faith-based crowds, received near-unanimous audience praise. The movie holds a “Certified Fresh” 84% critics’ score and a “Verified Hot” 99% audience score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “With a dash of grace and circumstance, this sweet display of humanity is stabilized by Hilary Swank in a role that plays to the heartstrings of all Ordinary Angels.”

Ordinary Angels is streaming now on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Ordinary Angels Movie Poster With Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchman

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Release Date

February 23, 2024

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Runtime

118 Minutes

Director
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Jon Gunn

Writers

Meg Tilly, Kelly Fremon Craig

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Why Tom Selleck initially refused to play this iconic role: ‘I hated it’

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The actor explained that the original version of his now-most-recognizable character “had no flaws.”

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Michelle Hurd ‘teared up’ after receiving this thoughtful gift from a fan after her dad’s death

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The actress said that the gift “took my breath away” when she received it.

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