Who doesn’t love a good claustrophobic thriller where the protagonist gets trapped in a dicey place and takes desperate actions that could either make things worse or save the day. Especially when it’s a vulnerable protagonist we can care deeply about.

Screenwriter/director Patrick Vollrath casts the ideal actor, the affable Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to fly Amazon Prime’s nerve-janglin’ original “7500,” available June 19.

Gordon-Levitt handily plays mild-mannered Tobias, an American co-pilot wrestling with three terrorists who want to take command of a Berlin-to-Paris flight. The “500 Days of Summer” makes us feel almost like we’re experiencing the horror he does. It’s a juicy role that demands a lot physically and emotionally, particularly since it spends nearly all of its running time cooped up in the cockpit. Gordon-Levitt’s heightened anxiety never wavers throughout.

With terrorists threatening to kill passengers and flight attendants, which include Tobias’s girlfriend (Aylin Tezel), he’s forced to not trigger more deaths. In a big studio release, an action star such as Dwayne Johnson or Chris Hemsworth would kick butt, but Vollrath avoids that sort of yippee ki yay approach and steers into more complex territory as family guy Tobias faces a real, not cartoony, threat.

That adds dimension to this white-knuckler, and Vollrath shapes it into a more human thriller as Tobias gets to know the youngest terrorist (Omid Memar), a scared kid who makes bone-chilling calls to his mom.

The lead performances make everything that happens in the cockpit feel all the more immediate and real. So does the dark cinematography from Sebastian Thaler, as well as the heightened sound design from Daniel Iribarren, who makes you feel as if every noise is a blunt instrument. The key thing is “7500” refuses to follow a familiar flight pattern and winds up a well-made thriller with brains. Details: 3 stars out of 4; streaming on Amazon Prime.

Other new streaming releases:

“Miss Juneteenth”: Director Channing Godfrey Peoples bursts on the feature film scene with this subdued award winner about a mother-daughter relationship and lost dreams. In a small West Texas town, Turquoise (Nicole Beharie) strictly oversees her uninterested daughter Kai’s (Alexis Chikaeze) preparations for the upcoming Miss Juneteenth pageant. It’s a title mom once won, and she’s determined that her daughter follow suit, but the sexy ex Rodney (Kendrick Sampson) complicates that goal. It’s one of the best feature debuts I’ve seen this year. Details: 3½ stars; available for rental on several platforms.

“Babyteeth”: This is one tough sell, an Australian drama about a teen dying of cancer. And even if I told you this beautiful, so-real-it-aches portrait of a family struggling to make sense of it all treats its grim subject with authenticity not sentimentally, you still might reject it. Too bad. Shannon Murphy’s unique film is inspired and raw with award-worthey performances from Eliza Scanlen in the lead, Toby Wallace as the homeless addict she’s attracted to and Essie Davis and Mendelsohn as the struggling parents. This is an unforgettable film. Details: 3½ stars; available for streaming on various platforms June 19.

“Disclosure: Trans Lives On Screen”: Sam Feder’s documentary is a must-watch and not just during Pride Month. Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski and Mj Rodriguez are a few of the trans actresses and filmmakers discussing the lack of and often offensive screen depictions of transexual characters. It’s eye-opening to say the least and shows the need for better representation on screens, in particular of trans women of color. Details: 3½ stars; Netflix.

“Artemis Fowl”: There’s something rotten on Disney+, and it’s Kenneth Branagh’s tone-deaf adaptation of Eoin Colfer’s fantasy novel. Bloated with dubious special effects, it squanders the talents of Colin Farrell, Josh Gad and Judi Dench, who’s such a fright in her lime-green getup you’ll want to swear off St. Patrick’s Day. Details: 1 star; Disney+

“Pulse”: In Stevie Cruz-Martin’s compelling body-swap drama, gay Australian teen Olly (Daniel Monks) opts for a female body due to a disability that’s only getting worse. He’s hoping his hot friend Luke (Scott Lee) will take a fancy. Not all goes as planned in this sexually frank debut with a dead-on performance from Monks. Details: 3 stars; available on various platforms.

“Think Like a Dog”: Woof! Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel punch the time clock to portray squabbling parents of a brainy science kid whose experiment leaves him able to hear his doggie’s thoughts. It doesn’t help that the canine’s voice sounds like it’s coming from a game-show announcer. Your kids may be desperate for something new to watch. This ain’t it. Details: 1 star’ various platforms.

“You Don’t Nomi”: A colossal bust when released in 1995 amid NC-17 hype, Paul Verhoeven’s overly caffeinated Vegas stripper fiasco “Showgirls” has morphed over the years into something resembling a cult classic. Not everyone’s laughing at it; some in Jeffrey McHale’s addictive documentary consider it a masterpiece. Divergent opinions on “Showgirls” get their due and we’re treated to an update on star Elizabeth Berkley. The Bay Area’s Peaches Christ pops in as well. It’s fascinating. Details: 3 stars; various platforms.

“Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street”: In the mid-‘80s, Mark Patton was on the verge of stardom, having landed the lead in the first Freddy Krueger sequel. But then “Freddy’s Revenge” came out and critics and fans panned it. Reactions to the horror film’s obvious gay angle and to Patton’s “performance went on to torpedo the then-closeted star’s career. Directors Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jenson explore Patton’s ordeal as a bigger picture testimonial on homophobia in Hollywood and beyond. Details: 2½ stars; available on Shudder.

“This Teacher”: In this twitchy character-driven drama, a French Muslim woman (Hafsia Herzi) goes from kicking it with her needy actress chum in New York to staying at a remote cabin, where she learns first-hand about deep-seeded American xenophobia. Mark Jackson’s subversive tale goes unexpected places as “Teacher” descends into a snakepit of intolerance. Details: 3 stars, various platforms.