Netflix has just added a 2026 thriller with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

'[A] heart-pounding experience that’s not to be missed.'

Netflix has just added Wasteman, the 2026 British thriller movie with a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The directorial debut of Cal McMau, the film focuses on a prison cook named Taylor (played by rising star David Jonsson - Alien: Romulus, the next Black Panther). When the story starts, he has been incarcerated for 13 years.

Movie Title	Wasteman
Where to Watch	Netflix
Cast	David Jonsson, Tom Blyth, Alex Hassell, Paul Hilton
Length	90 minutes

Taylor is told he is eligible for early parole, so long as he maintains good behaviour. He is then assigned a chaotic new cellmate named Dee (Tom Blyth - Billy the Kid, The Hunger Games franchise), whose presence puts the cook's potential freedom in jeopardy.

Watch Wasteman's trailer right here:

Produced by Philip Barantini (Adolescence, Boiling Point) and co-starring Alex Hassell (Rivals) and Paul Hilton (Slow Horses), Wasteman earned rave reviews upon its cinema release last February.

In particular, the movie was praised for its two leads, its claustrophobic direction, its tense atmosphere, and its societal message.

You can read a sample of those glowing write-ups right here:

Publication	Quote
Daily Express (UK)	"It may be a low-budget flick with a simple plot, but Wasteman’s strong script, combined with its powerful performances, creates one savage, heart-pounding experience that’s not to be missed."
Empire	"An energetic, urgent and damning assessment of our prison crisis, Wasteman marks Cal McMau as an exciting new homegrown director."
Film Feeder	"An impressive debut by director Cal McMau, who flips the typical prison movie dynamic into a tense and claustrophobic battle of wits between two superbly acted lead characters."
The Guardian	"Some of the tropes are familiar, but this film sidesteps the clichés with the committed acting and fierce storytelling punch."
Little White Lies	"Wasteman, the debut feature film from director Cal McMau, is exceptionally gritty, brutal and claustrophobic; its tight shots give us nowhere to escape to when violence ensues."
RogerEbert.com	"It's a genre piece with tragic weight."

How to watch and where is it streaming?

Wasteman is streaming on Netflix in Ireland and the UK right now.

The film is also available to watch in the United States through the service Mubi.

Movie Title	Wasteman
Where to Watch	Netflix
Cast	David Jonsson, Tom Blyth, Alex Hassell, Paul Hilton
Length	90 minutes

Publication	Quote
Daily Express (UK)	"It may be a low-budget flick with a simple plot, but Wasteman’s strong script, combined with its powerful performances, creates one savage, heart-pounding experience that’s not to be missed."
Empire	"An energetic, urgent and damning assessment of our prison crisis, Wasteman marks Cal McMau as an exciting new homegrown director."
Film Feeder	"An impressive debut by director Cal McMau, who flips the typical prison movie dynamic into a tense and claustrophobic battle of wits between two superbly acted lead characters."
The Guardian	"Some of the tropes are familiar, but this film sidesteps the clichés with the committed acting and fierce storytelling punch."
Little White Lies	"Wasteman, the debut feature film from director Cal McMau, is exceptionally gritty, brutal and claustrophobic; its tight shots give us nowhere to escape to when violence ensues."
RogerEbert.com	"It's a genre piece with tragic weight."

Netflix has just added a 2026 thriller with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

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'[A] heart-pounding experience that’s not to be missed.'

Watch Wasteman's trailer right here:

How to watch and where is it streaming?

Home movies & tv