10 great free movies to watch online

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. It’s Friday night, you’ve already burned through the latest episode of that new show you’ve been following and you’re looking for something to watch. You peek a glance at this week’s VOD releases, but nothing piques your interest. You’re going to see what tonight.

While Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and more offer a constant replenishing stream of new movies to watch every week, if not every day, that doesn’t leave a whole lot of options for audiences who don’t have the disposable income to subscribe to several different streaming services. Perhaps you are wondering what the most popular movies can be streamed online. While the majority of movies free to stream are the kind of knock-off fodder you’d otherwise find at the bottom of a bargain bin, there’s a surprising amount of quality films to watch for those willing to do a bit of digging. Don’t have the time to dig? No worries, we got you.

We’ve compiled a list of a few of the best movies available to stream for free at home. There is no subscription or limited trial, and there are no restrictions. Whether you’re in the mood for comedy, horror, action, anime, or something else, there’s a movie here for you. We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 movies you can stream for free this weekend.

Charade

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Reggie (Audrey Hepburn), is unknowingly making a living from the profits of her husband’s heist. When he is suddenly murdered, she realizes she didn’t really know anything about him — or, for that matter, the new man in her life, Peter Joshua (Cary Grant). Reggie believes he knows the location of the rest of his money, which makes matters even worse. Reggie is less able to trust as Reggie gets more and more people into his orbit.

Grant and Hepburn are two of the most charismatic and talented actors in Hollywood. Charade. Hepburn can move seamlessly from pragmatic to seductive and fearful in a single scene. Grant’s initial discomfort with their age gap — 25 years, a still not uncommon chasm in Hollywood — resulted in rewrites to the script to make clear that Reggie was pursuing him; it remains one of the few movies in which the gap is acknowledged and dealt with believably, rather than taken for granted. Their chemistry is immediate and undeniable; it’s key in carrying off the film’s snappy dialogue and mixture of flirtatious comedy, captivating mystery, and genuine thriller. It’s His Girl FridayHitchcock. —Jenna Stoeber

CharadeIt is free to stream with advertisements Vudu, TubiPlease see the following: Pluto TV.

Heat

Warner Bros.

Michael Mann’s 1995 crime-thriller stars Al Pacino as Vincent Hanna, an eccentric and hyper-competent police detective caught in a tense cat-and-mouse struggle, and Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley, a career criminal. It’s a film made of moments and set-pieces that could comprise an entire third-act finale in a lesser movie. These elements are interconnected with great precision, creating a magnificent ensemble.

Pacino and De Niro give two outstanding performances as workaholic obsessives who sacrifice everything that is important to them. Dante Spinotti’s cinematography transforms the vast cityscape of Los Angeles into a shimmering expanse of lights strobing across the surface a sea of pitch darkness, a den of moral inequity from which no soul emerges wholly clean or unscathed. —Toussaint Égan

Heat It is free to view with advertisements Pluto TV.

Holy Motors

A near-hallucinatory experience investigating the very nature of performance, Leos Carax’s 2012 movie follows a mysterious person (Denis Lavant) who seems to move from life to life and role to role over the course of 24 hours. An unforgettable cinematic experience that revels in stretching Lavant’s talent to its limits, Holy MotorsIt defies categorization and description. —Pete Volk

Holy MotorsIt is free to stream with advertisements Roku Channel, Vudu, TubiPlease see the following: Pluto TV.

Hot Fuzz

Image: Working Title Films

Hot Fuzz Edgar Wright may not have had the following-up audiences wanted or expected after his breakout success in 2004. Shaun of the Dead, but it certainly ranks as one of the director’s best. Featuring the return of Wright’s frequent collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the film is a loving pastiche of police action crime dramas from Lethal WeaponYou can find more information here Hard-BoiledYou can also follow the story of the hyper-vigilant police officer who discovers an elaborate conspiracy after being reassigned in the quiet town of Sandford. Hot Fuzz has one of the tightest scripts of any of Wright’s films, with references, double-entendres, brick jokes, and memorable quips packed into every conceivable space of its two-hour runtime. —TE

Hot FuzzYou can stream it with no ads. Tubi.

Pulse

Miramax

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 2001 Japanese horror classic Pulse is one of the most terrifying films I’ve ever watched. Set near the turn of the century, Kurosawa’s film follows a group of Japanese teenagers who, in the wake of their friend’s inexplicable suicide, begin to experience strange visions and unsettling encounters linked to a mysterious floppy disk their friend was investigating prior to his death. PulseThis film is often acclaimed as one the most significant works of Japanese horror. Many fans and critics have cited it as the ultimate internet horror film. Be sure to have all the lights off for this one … and something to cover your eyes when you get too freaked out (trust me— you will). —TELECOMM ENGINEERING

PulseIt is free to stream with advertisements Vudu.

Redline

Photo by Katasuhito Ishii. Gastonia, Madhouse, Redline Partners

Takeshi Koike’s 2009 sci-fi racing film Redline One of the most exciting works of Japanese animation is its era. The story follows “Sweet” JP, a daredevil driver with a ridiculous corkscrew pompadour and a rockabilly jumpsuit, who qualifies to compete in this year’s Redline, the most competitive (and dangerous) illegal racing tournament in the galaxy. If you’re looking for brazenly absurd and stylish action fare with fast cars, eccentric characters, and preposterously huge explosions, RedlineIt is a must-see. —TELECOMM ENGINEERING

RedlineIt is free to stream on PlexFree to stream without ads Tubi, VuduPlease see the following: IMDb TV.

Don’t Make Sense

Photo: Vivendi Entertainment

Movies don’t get much better than Don’t Make Sense. Take it from me, a man who has never listened to a single Talking Heads album front to back in his life, when I say that Jonathan Demme’s 1984 documentary concert film is one of the most electrifying, unique, and essential cinematic experiences of the late 20th century. You won’t find David Byrne doing noodle dancing in an oversized suit while belting infectiously energetic rock songs guaranteed to make you jump out of the seat. James Murphy, you can eat your heart. —TE

Don’t Make SenseIt is free to stream on PlexFree to stream without ads Roku Channel.

The Man from Nowhere

Photo by Well Go Entertainment

Lee Jeong-beom’s 2010 action thriller The Man From NowhereStarring Won Bin in Cha Taesik as a lax widower Cha Taesik who bonds with Kim Sae-ron, a young girl who lives at his apartment complex. The gang of human traffickers kidnaps the girl’s mother and takes her away to find the missing heroin package. Tae-sik reveals his lowly status as a pawnshopkeeper, and uses his special forces experience to help save her. This film is filled with powerful performances, great fight choreography and a superb score. Oldboy composer Shim Hyun-jung, The Man from NowhereThis film is for action lovers who appreciate a good story and intense drama. It’s a riveting and exciting movie that uses dark blue colors and exudes effortless cool. —TE

The Man from NowhereIt is free to stream with advertisements Vudu, Crackle, TubiPlease see the following: Pluto TV.

Busan to Train

Image by Well Go USA Entertainment

Imagine what it would be like if the passengers on the 1percent front carriage were not forced to eat cockroaches or fight off ax-wielding criminals while they travel. SnowpiercerYou can train to ward off zombies. OK, OK, stop imagining: Busan to Train is better than anything you’ll come up with. Propulsive, bloody and glimmering with the dark whimsy particular to Korean cinema, animator-turned-live-action-director Yeon Sang-ho’s take on the zombie apocalypse wears its heart on its sleeve … until the flesh-eating undead tear the heart to shreds. It’s a father-daughter story. It’s a husband-wife story. It’s a who-deserves-to-live-and-die survivor narrative. It’s a people story trapped in a high-speed rail train, where the only hope of escape is a well-timed leap into the baggage shelf. It’s a hell of a movie. —Matt Patches

Busan to TrainIt is free to stream with advertisements Vudu, Tubi, Roku ChannelPlease see the following: Crackle.

The Wheels of Meals

Miramax

Rarely have creative groups managed to achieve the consistency of excellence Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao achieved with their Hong Kong martial art action comedy in the 1980s. The Wheels of Meals This movie is my favorite from an amazing group of films. The movie was shot in Barcelona and centers on Thomas Chan and David Yuen, a couple of cousins that run a food truck with skateboarding tricks and fall for Lola Forner (a local woman). Their search for the woman leads them to Sammo Hung (an incompetent private detective) and they band together to help her.

The Wheels of Meals features some of the very best fight scenes of Chan’s prolific filmography, as he squares off against legendary kickboxer Benny Urquidez (the two would later fight again in Dragons ForeverHe was at that time one of the most well-known and respected fighters around the globe. Although the whole film is worthwhile, it’s worth taking your time to watch. If you prefer to find their marathon six-minute fight session via YouTube, there aren’t many better things in this world.

You should check this out, if you love it. Projet A, which came out a year before and features one of the most daring and jaw-dropping stunts of Chan’s prolific career. —PV

The Wheels of Meals It is free to stream with advertisements Plex.