The 10 Best Movies On Netflix, HBO Max Before They Go (August 2022)

This month’s streaming departures list features some old classics, new favorites, and some unseen gems in between.

Starting off, Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy is leaving HBO Max – it’s a good time to revisit those films (unless you’re one of the few people who haven’t seen them, in which case I have good news – you get to see the movies of the ocean for the first time!).

There’s also Spike Lee’s master do the right thingthe classic mystery thriller clodand a legal thriller from the showrunner of Andoras well as an action horror DTV master class and much more.

Let’s get into that.

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do the right thing

Scene of a sweltering day at Bed-Stuy, Spike Lee’s do the right thing is a masterful drama that chronicles the simmering racial tensions between a local Italian-American pizza joint and the African-American community living next door. Featuring impressive performances from Danny Aiello, Bill Nunn, John Turturro and Lee himself, not to mention a fantastic opening sequence starring none other than the Rosie Perez – in her debut film role no less – dances and shadowboxes to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” do the right thing is a major milestone in American filmmaking that shouldn’t be missed. – Toussaint Egan

do the right thing leaves peacock August 31st.

Gattaca

Ethan Hawke stars in Andrew Niccol’s 1997 debut Gattaca as Vincent Freeman, a genetically “inferior” man born into a eugenic caste society who aspires to be an astronaut. By assuming the identity of Jerome (Jude Law), a physically gifted athlete paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident, Vincent’s dream is almost within reach – until the administrator of the Gattaca Aerospace program is assassinated, causing one Swarm of government agents and detectives descending en masse to catch the culprit. Featuring an inimitable retro-futuristic style, scenes shot in and around some of San Francisco’s most iconic minimalist architecture, a rousing score by composer Michael Nyman and a trio of great supporting performances from Jude Law, Uma Thurman and the late, great Gore Vidal , Gattaca is an absolute sci-fi treasure. -THE

Gattaca leaves Netflix on September 1st.

clute

One of the best thrillers from an era absolutely filled with them, clod is the first of Alan J. Pakula’s themed “Paranoia Trilogy,” followed by the award-winning The parallax view and All the President’s men (which led to one of three Oscar nominations for Pakula).

in the clod, Jane Fonda gives an all-time great performance as Bree Daniels, a call girl who becomes involved in a detective’s (Donald Sutherland) investigation into the disappearance of an executive. A suspenseful thriller with great cinematography by Gordon Willis (The Godfather Movies) and a suitably spooky score by Michael Small, frequent Pakula collaborator, clod is too good to miss. —pete people

clod leaves HBO Max August 31st.

Michael Clayton

I’m excited about Andor? Showrunner Tony Gilroy, who was a co-writer Villain One, wrote and directed one of the best legal thrillers of the 21st century in his directorial debut. George Clooney is Michael Clayton, a corporate fixer who is sent to calm down a lawyer suffering from an episode. When Clayton discovers a much deeper plan at play, he threatens everything he knows.

The film is one of Clooney’s best performances and also features great supporting roles from Tom Wilkinson (who plays the troubled lawyer mentioned above), Tilda Swinton and the great Sydney Pollack. It’s a tight, tense conspiracy thriller reminiscent of the work of Alan J. Pakula and other titans of the genre. —PV

Michael Clayton leaves Netflix on September 1st.

midnight run

Ah, the simple joys of a buddy comedy road trip movie.

in the midnight run, Robert De Niro is an ex-cop who turned to the life of bounty hunting after being chased out of a corrupt police department. When he is sent to retrieve an accountant (Charles Grodin) who has been embezzling money from the mafia, he must contend with gangsters, cops and general hijinks.

A hilarious adventure about two very different people who annoy each other to death. The incredible chemistry between De Niro and Grodin makes the film a delightful, memorable romp. De Niro is, as always, a great cantankerous ex-cop, but Grodin steals the show as a sensitive, serious accountant trying to convince his new pal to let him go.

midnight run also has more depth than your average buddy comedy. De Niro’s ex-cop left the company over a moral issue, and the film’s setting forces him to reassess his values. Add in a playful, high-energy score by Danny Elfman and you’ve got a wonderful time at the cinema. —PV

midnight run leaves peacock and the Criterion Channel on August 31.

The Ocean Trilogy

Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s movies are a lot of things: great hangouts with a great cast, hilarious capers with daring heists, and laugh-out-loud comedy. Your mileage may vary at any rate as the successful franchise balloons rise, but all three are solid popcorn entertainment. —PV

The Ocean Trilogy leaves HBO Max August 31st.

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning

Regular Polygon readers will know that this is one of my favorite movies of all time (seriously, top 10 type stuff). If you’ve been hesitant to try it, now is your chance.

As I wrote when it was added to HBO Max in July:

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning was an awakening for me. I hadn’t seen (and still haven’t) any of the other films in the franchise, and at the time I was unfamiliar with young star Scott Adkins. But something about John Hyams’ twisted sci-fi/horror/action story grabbed me and never let go.

A soldier (Scott Adkins) wakes from a coma haunted by memories of the brutal murder of his wife and daughter. All he wants is to hunt down those responsible… Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), the protagonist from the original films of the Universal Soldier franchise. With influences from filmmakers like Gaspar Noé, combined with the gritty aesthetic of a direct-to-video action horror film, day of reckoning is a unique combination of genres and talents and one of my favorite films ever made. A word of warning: this is a particularly violent film and not for the faint of heart. —PV

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning leaves HBO Max August 31st.

Unstoppable

Tony Scott’s last film is also one of his best, a down-to-earth blue-collar drama ripped from the headlines and dramatized only enough to turn a hard-to-believe true story into an exciting cinematic event.

Unstoppable tells the story of the CSX 8888 incident when a runaway train carrying hazardous materials was stopped by a crew on a second train. In the film version, Denzel Washington is veteran engineer Frank Barnes, while Chris Pine is new conductor Will Colson. Unstoppable Tension quickly builds between the two characters – Frank and his buddies see Will as an example of young hires being given senior positions in order not to pay higher wages to experienced employees.

The relationship between Frank and Will and the depth that Washington and Pine bring to these characters is a major reason the film works. You can see how these two men get along in real time, especially when they are in crisis mode. The train sequences are also electrifying – Scott borrowed trains from three different railroads for the film and the tension is palpably gripping. —PV

Unstoppable leaves Hi August 31st.