Akira-like bikes screaming through the city? Check. Moody, neon-lit streets à la Blade Runner? Check. The tension of Top Boy and dizzying action that would have Michael Bay in a filmic lather? Check and check. Prepare for a feast as The Kitchen, co-directed by Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya and starring Top Boy’s Kane “Kano” Robinson, is ready for service.

In a dystopian, near-future London, all social housing has been eliminated. But some are holding on to the last vestiges of their close-knit communities. The residents of the zone known as The Kitchen, long harried by the government for refusing to kneel to the status quo, are ready and willing to fight – and even die – to ensure their culture is protected.

The message from the top is clear: “If you can’t stand the heat, quite literally get out of The Kitchen.” But as things reach boiling point, the residents’ steely determination means all risk being drawn into a violent confrontation.

Kaluuya, who starred in 2017’s breakout horror Get Out and won an Oscar for his role in Judas And The Black Messiah, grew up on a council estate in north London and has been developing this story with co-director Kibwe Tavares since 2014. His experience gives The Kitchen a gritty authenticity – as does the location shoot, in the old London Electricity Board building in Bethnal Green.

Amid the chaos, Kitchen resident Izi (Robinson) spies an opportunity to escape the madness and start life afresh. But an encounter with a young boy (newcomer Jedaiah Bannerman) forces him to put his plans on hold.

Will Izi stay and protect Benji from the impending danger, or cut his losses, wave goodbye to his former home and speed out of the city? Get ready to find out when the film is released on Friday 19 January in Apps & Games > Netflix.

The Kitchen is just the latest in a run of incredible movies on Netflix, from those that were on everyone’s lips to those you might have missed in 2023. So we thought it best to round up the best of the last year on Netflix – categorised according to what kind of filmic entertainment you’re after! Read on to discover your next watch.

The Killer

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

Michael Fassbender (Alien: Covenant) shines with psychopathic energy in this hugely entertaining revenge flick. Directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac) it’s a thoroughly bone-crunching affair, replete with some of the best sound design you’ll ever hear (and then wish you hadn’t!).

The Mother

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

Don’t be fooled by the Glock that she’s got. JLO is very much our Jenny from the block in this taut, yet surprisingly heartwarming thriller. When her estranged daughter catches the eye of a team of kidnappers, Lopez’s retired assassin emerges from hiding to crack some deserving skulls.

AKA

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

Steadily working your way through Eric Cantona’s filmography? Us too! Here the bossman fittingly plays gangster bossman Victor, who unwittingly takes an undercover special ops agent under his wing. But as the latter takes ever more daring steps in order to flush out a warlord, will Victor smell a rat?

The Bank Of Dave

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

Based on the real-life story of self-made millionaire Dave Fishwick, this tale of one man beating the odds will lighten your heart. Rory Kinnear (The Diplomat) plays the titular Dave, a working-class Burnley man whose grassroots approach to banking helped change the fortune of numerous local enterprises.  

Rustin

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

Colman Domingo (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) shines in this biopic about gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. In volatile times of gross intolerance, Rustin managed to rise above the noise, helping to organise the March on Washington in 1963, where Martin Luther King famously delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech.

Happiness For Beginners

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

When 30-something Helen Carter (Ellie Kemper, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) is talked into attending a wilderness survival course, she convinces herself that all she need do is exactly that – survive. But among the activities on offer is one she didn’t see coming: falling in love.

Leave The World Behind

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

A film that got people talking at the end of last year, Leave The World Behind – based on the 2020 novel by Rumaan Alam – is tense, eerie and thought-provoking. The technology we take for granted begins to break down and fail, leading to societal collapse. Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke are among the talent looking very worried indeed.

They Cloned Tyrone

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

Boasting a stellar cast with infectious chemistry, some seriously twisty storytelling and elements of multiple genres working seamlessly together, this deserves to go on your watchlist now! A tenacious trio of low-level criminals (played by John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx) stumble on a cloning conspiracy. But of course, everything is not quite as it seems…

The Strays

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

This British horror will get right under your skin. Upper-class Neve (Ashley Madekwe, County Lines) is living the high life. She’s deputy head of an elite private school and lives a life of leisure outside of work. But the ghosts of her past are beckoning and threatening to upend the wonderful life she has worked so carefully to curate.

Nyad

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming” might be a mantra more reminiscent of a forgetful little fish, but it’s also well suited to elite marathon swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening, 20th Century Women). She’s determined to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming the first person to swim from Florida to Cuba – despite being in her mid-sixties. This true story will have you matching coach Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) for every cry of encouragement.

Luther: The Fallen Sun

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

Everyone’s favourite disgraced detective Luther (Idris Elba, Beast) returns to the screen in a chilling psychological thriller to savour – whether you’re a fan of the original series or not. Once again, our man finds himself entangled with a serial killer, a conspiracy and all manner of ne’er-do-wells committed to taking him down.

Locked In

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

Phew, you’re done with one psychological thriller and another pops right up! Following a serious accident, former TV star (Famke Janssen, Taken) finds herself paralysed and unable to communicate. As she recovers, the mystery behind the event begins to unravel, with instances of fraud, double-crossing and murder rearing their ugly heads.

When is The Kitchen on Netflix?

You can watch The Kitchen in Apps & Games > Netflix from Friday 19 January.