15 Best Drama Movies On Max 2026

Explore our hand-picked selection of 15 titles. Ratings, reviews, and streaming options included.

If you're searching for the best drama movies on max 2026, this curated list helps you find standout dramas and genre-crossers available to stream. From tense character studies like Sinners (2025) and One Battle After Another (2025) to documentary-driven drama such as The Smashing Machine (2025), we cover a wide spectrum. This top, best — the best best drama movies on max 2026 — roundup balances recent releases (Eddington, Sorry, Baby) with classics like The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Substance (2024) to give context and variety. Whether you want the best drama movies on max 2026 to stream now, a thriller-leaning pick, or a music-infused story, you'll find clear recommendations, runtime notes, and streaming availability in each entry. Read on for ratings, why each film matters, and quick tips on where to watch.

Table of Contents

1. Sinners
2. One Battle After Another
3. The Smashing Machine
4. Eddington
5. The Alabama Solution
6. Sorry, Baby
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
8. The Substance
9. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
10. When Harry Met Sally...
11. Uncut Gems
12. Warfare
13. The Town
14. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
15. Fargo

1. Sinners

Year: 2025 | Rating: 7.5/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: action, drama, horror, music, thriller

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, Max

Directed by: Ryan Coogler

2. One Battle After Another

Year: 2025 | Rating: 7.8/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: action, crime, drama, thriller

Washed-up revolutionary Bob exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past.

Available on: Max

Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson

3. The Smashing Machine

Year: 2025 | Rating: 6.4/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: action, biography, drama, history, sport

In the late 1990s, up-and-coming mixed martial artist Mark Kerr aspires to become the greatest fighter in the world. However, he must also battle his opioid dependence and a volatile relationship with his girlfriend Dawn.

Available on: Max

Directed by: Benny Safdie

4. Eddington

Year: 2025 | Rating: 6.6/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: comedy, drama, western

In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.

Available on: Max

Directed by: Ari Aster

5. The Alabama Solution

Year: 2025 | Rating: 7.9/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: drama, documentary

Incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in one of America’s deadliest prison systems.

Available on: Max

6. Sorry, Baby

Year: 2025 | Rating: 7.2/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: comedy, drama

Agnes feels stuck. Unlike her best friend, Lydie, who’s moved to New York and is now expecting a baby, Agnes still lives in the New England house they once shared as graduate students, now working as a professor at her alma mater. A ‘bad thing’ happened to Agnes a few years ago and, since then, despite her best efforts, life hasn’t gotten back on track.

Available on: Max

Directed by: Eva Victor

7. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Year: 2001 | Rating: 8.9/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: adventure, drama, fantasy

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

Available on: Max

Directed by: Peter Jackson

8. The Substance

Year: 2024 | Rating: 7.2/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: drama, horror, sci-fi

A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.

Available on: Max

Directed by: Coralie Fargeat

9. Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Year: 2019 | Rating: 8/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: drama, romance

On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.

Available on: Max

Directed by: Céline Sciamma

10. When Harry Met Sally...

Year: 1989 | Rating: 7.7/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: comedy, drama, romance

Sex always gets in the way of friendships between men and women. At least, that's what Harry Burns believes. So when Harry meets Sally Albright and a deep friendship blossoms between them, Harry's determined not to let his attraction to Sally destroy it. But when a night of weakness ends in a morning of panic, can the pair avoid succumbing to Harry's fears by remaining friends and admitting they just might be the perfect match for each other?

Available on: Max

Directed by: Rob Reiner

11. Uncut Gems

Year: 2019 | Rating: 7.4/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: crime, drama, thriller

A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.

Available on: Max

Directed by: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

12. Warfare

Year: 2025 | Rating: 7.2/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: action, drama, war

A platoon of Navy SEALs embarks on a dangerous mission in Ramadi, Iraq, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event.

Available on: Max

Directed by: Alex Garland, Ray Mendoza

13. The Town

Year: 2010 | Rating: 7.5/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: crime, drama, thriller

Doug MacRay is a longtime thief, who, smarter than the rest of his crew, is looking for his chance to exit the game. When a bank job leads to the group kidnapping an attractive branch manager, he takes on the role of monitoring her – but their burgeoning relationship threatens to unveil the identities of Doug and his crew to the FBI Agent who is on their case.

Available on: Max

Directed by: Ben Affleck

14. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Year: 2002 | Rating: 8.8/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: adventure, drama, fantasy

Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. Frodo and Sam are trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn search for the orc-captured Merry and Pippin. All along, nefarious wizard Saruman awaits the Fellowship members at the Orthanc Tower in Isengard.

Available on: Max

Directed by: Peter Jackson

15. Fargo

Year: 1996 | Rating: 8.1/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: crime, drama, thriller

Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!

Available on: Max

Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Wrapping Up

This list delivers a mix of genres — drama, action, horror, music, and thriller — with picks from Sinners (2025) to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), giving you both new releases and enduring favorites. By highlighting quality ratings, runtime notes, and streaming availability, this roundup helps you find the best drama movies on max 2026 without guesswork. We update the selection regularly, so the best best drama movies on max 2026 2026 and other top best drama movies on max 2026 entries stay fresh. Bookmark or share this guide and check back often — we'll add new titles like Eddington and The Alabama Solution as they arrive. Ready to explore more? Check streaming availability links in each entry to start watching the best drama movies on max 2026 to stream.

Last updated: January 25, 2026