Three Movies Featuring The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Stars Are Killing It On Netflix

One of the biggest strengths of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is its cast. Like most Marvel Studios projects these days, the Disney+ series boasts a strong cast of recognizable actors, most notably Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in the titular roles of Sam "Falcon" Wilson and Bucky "the Winter Soldier" Barnes. In addition to Stan and Mackie, Daniel Brühl and Emily VanCamp round out the show's returning Marvel players (they play Baron Helmut Zemo and Sharon Carter, respectively), while Marvel Cinematic Universe rookies Wyatt Russell (John Walker), Erin Kellyman (Karli Morgenthau), Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres), and Adepero Oduye (Sarah Wilson) make up the rest of the core cast of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

While several of the show's stars have an extensive history within the Marvel world, they've also all turned in strong and memorable performances in films and TV shows outside of the confines of the MCU as well. Luckily for fans, there are several films featuring actors from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier available to stream on Netflix right now.

Synchronic stars Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan as a pair of New Orleans paramedics who have their lives turned upside down after a series of gruesome accidents puts them into contact with a new drug called "Synchronic." The film comes from acclaimed independent filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who use the mysterious drug at the center of Synchronic to craft a trippy thriller that plays with its viewers' ideas of time and reality in unexpected ways.

Like most of Benson and Moorehead's films up to this point, Synchronic earned largely positive reviews from both critics and general viewers alike. The film, which was initially released in the fall of 2020, currently holds a 79% critics score and a 76% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Mackie brings to his role as Steve Denube in Synchronic the same levels of emotional depth and charisma that he does to Sam Wilson in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Most impressively, Mackie successfully communicate his character's unique journey even amidst the film's many crazy psychological sci-fi twists.

Daniel Brühl quickly emerged as one of the standout cast members of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier with his fun and compelling return performance as Baron Zemo. The Marvel series isn't the first time Brühl has proven himself as a charismatic and formidable screen performer, though. For anyone searching for other examples of Brühl's on-screen work, they don't have to look much further than The Zookeeper's Wife, which is streaming now on Netflix.

Based on a true story, The Zookeeper's Wife stars Jessica Chastain and Johan Heldenbergh as a married couple who rescue hundreds of Polish Jews by sheltering them in their Warsaw zoo during the Nazi invasion of Poland in World War II. Daniel Brühl stars as Dr. Lutz Heck, the head of the Berlin Zoo and Adolf Hitler's chief zoologist. Brühl's performance as the character is suitably villainous, and he manages to bring a level of danger and cruelty to the film that makes the drama and tension that much more palpable.

As a whole, The Zookeeper's Wife works well as an engaging WWII drama. However, it's Brühl, in particular, who makes a lasting impression with his performance as Heck.

No film provides a better example of Daniel Brühl's unique star power and versatility than Rush. Based on the real-life sports rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, the Ron Howard-directed film follows the two men as they push themselves to the absolute limit in the hope of besting the other. Brühl stars as Lauda, while Chris Hemsworth (another notable Marvel star) fills the role of James Hunt.

Rush was very well-received when it debuted back in 2013. Critics and audiences alike gave particular praise to Brühl for his performance as Lauda; the actor brings Lauda's vulnerabilities and emotions to life with the same level of precision that he does the racer's notoriously ambitious public persona. All in all, while Rush manages to deliver the kind of thrilling racing sequences that its subject matter demands, it's Brühl's performance as Lauda that will ultimately stick with viewers in the days following their initial viewing.