By Vlad Zakh · September 29, 2025
Thailand Action intenseslow and atmospheric
Thai cinema pulls two ways at once: Ong-Bak turned Tony Jaa into a global action star through real, no-wire stuntwork, while Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s dreamlike dramas won Cannes’ top prize with almost the opposite approach. Ong-Bak 2 trades the modern city for a sprawling period epic, One for the Road sends a dying man on a road trip to old girlfriends, Tropical Malady splits a soldier’s romance into a folkloric jungle second half, and 36 tells a quiet romance about memory in static wide shots. Bad Genius, Shutter, The Protector, Tears of the Black Tiger and Uncle Boonmee round out the list.
01 A prequel in setting only, trading the modern city for a sprawling martial arts period epic.
Directed by Tony Jaa & Panna Rittikrai · 1h 38m · Rated R
Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Rent or buy: FlixFling
Rent or buy: Fetch TV
02 A dying man's road trip to reconnect with old girlfriends turns more complicated than planned.
Directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya · 2h 08m
03 A soldier's romance splits into a folkloric second half deep in the jungle.
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul · 1h 58m · Rated NR
04 A quiet, minimalist romance about memory, told almost entirely in static wide shots.
Directed by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit · 1h 08m
Stream: MUBI
05 A photographer keeps finding something extra in every picture he develops.
Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun & Parkpoom Wongpoom · 1h 36m · Rated R
Buy: Apple TV Store
Rent or buy: Apple TV Store
Stream: Foxtel Now, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC Plus Apple TV channel
06 A candy-coloured, deliberately artificial homage to old Thai melodramas and westerns.
Directed by Wisit Sasanatieng · 1h 50m · Rated NR
07 A brilliant student runs an exam-cheating ring across time zones, as tense as any heist film.
Directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya · 2h 10m · Rated PG-13
Stream: Netflix, OnDemandKorea, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Rent or buy: Apple TV Store
Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store
Rent: JustWatch TV, Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fetch TV · Buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fetch TV
08 A young man travels to Sydney to rescue his stolen elephant, one brutal fight at a time.
Directed by Prachya Pinkaew · 1h 45m · Rated R
Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Rent or buy: Google Play Movies, YouTube
09 A dying man is visited by the ghosts of his past as he reflects on his previous lives.
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul · 1h 54m · Rated NR
Stream: Strand Releasing Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Stream: MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Rent or buy: Apple TV Store
10 Tony Jaa's breakout, built on stunts performed with no wires and no CGI.
Directed by Prachya Pinkaew · 1h 45m · Rated R
Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, FlixFling
Rent: JustWatch TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube · Buy: Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.
