The best movies leaving Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and Max in September 2023

We’re almost there, folks. Just a few days away is October.

We celebrate horror year-round here at Polygon, but Halloween is a special time of year, and we’re excited to celebrate it with you. But first, some business: There are some great movies leaving streaming services at the end of September, and you should watch them before they’re gone.

Want to watch a classic that will make you feel good? Netflix is the place to go. How about an entertaining comedy? Go to Prime. And Netflix, Max, and Hulu each have a modern classic for you… whether you’re looking for fast-paced medieval action or the unique voice of Wes Anderson.

The best films to stream before the end of the month.

Editor’s Pick

Rocky

MGM Home Entertainment

Year: 1976
Genre: Sports drama
Run time: 2h
Director:John G. Avildsen
Cast: Sylvester Stallone Talia Shire Carl Weathers
Netflix: Oct. 1

I hadn’t actually watched RockyUntil recently. Since the release of Creed III, I felt inspired to finally go back and experience the series’ origins.

My hesitation became apparent after I sat down to watch it. RockyIt is not because it’s about boxing, but rather, it shows why it means so much to people. It’s a love letter to a downtrodden and disaffected working class of people who are too often overlooked and neglected by their own society.

Rocky is so much more than a “boxing movie.” It’s a story about how the American dream itself is inextricably the summation of every thwarted hope, missed opportunity, precarious mistake, and inevitable heartbreak that precedes it. It’s an unapologetically earnest story about the stubborn yet unassailable persistence of hope in the face of adversity, of choosing to believe in yourself when no one else will, save for those who stand closest to you in your darkest moments. It’s not just about boxing; it’s about the life-changing power of simply choosing to take your shot in this life. The question is, what shot will you take? —Toussaint Egan

Netflix

Miami Vice

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Year: 2006
Genre:Crimson thriller
Run time: 2h 12m
Director: Michael Mann
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Gong Li
Netflix: Oct. 1

Michael Mann’s long career has seen him produce a few cinematic hits, including his 1995 crime drama symphonic. You can also Heat up — one of my all-time favorite movies. But no other film in his oeuvre is more quintessentially “Mann-core” than Miami ViceThis feature length adaptation is based on the 1985 crime drama series produced by Mann, which starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas.

The plot couldn’t be any further from the point. Here’s the real heart of Miami Vice’s enduring appeal: It simply doesn’t look or feel like any other crime drama of its era. Mann’s experiment with digital photography yields a level of uncanny realism through its landscape of crushed brown and black textures and bleached white beach vistas. It’s a crime drama that oozes a sense of cool entirely on its own terms, a grand experiment that has yielded a cult following and reappraisal as one of the director’s best. It’s a short summary. Miami ViceIt’s a feeling. —TE

Watch Max

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Warner Bros.

Year: 2017
Genre:Fantasy action adventure
Run time: 2h 6m
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou
Leave Max: Sept. 30

Visually distinct Arthurian adaptation Legend of the SwordIt is unique, both in its good and bad. After an opening siege that could also be described as “Lord of the Rings: King Arthur,” giant war elephants and all, baby Arthur is left an orphan. Growing up on the streets, Arthur grows into your typical Guy Ritchie tough guy protagonist (medieval variant), but is haunted by nightmares of his parents’ deaths. When he pulls Excalibur from the stone… well, you know, it’s King Arthur.

The film is characterized by frantic, chaotic editing and electrifying speed-ramping during the action sequences. It also has an explosive score. However, this adaptation may not be for everyone. The script is a mess, cobbled together from multiple previous unproduced attempts at an Arthur movie, but the film is truly remarkable in the ways it pushes digital filmmaking’s limits, including some of the best montage sequences in recent Hollywood memory. If you’re willing to have a silly time with an overwhelming visual feast, give Legend of the SwordA stab. —Pete Volk

Hulu – Watch Movies Online

Grand Budapest Hotel

Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Year: 2014
Genre: Wes Anderson
Run time: 1h 39m
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Saoirse Ronan
Hulu is leaving the U.S. Sept. 29

One of Wes Anderson’s finest works, Grand Budapest Hotel It is a coming of age story that’s both touching and funny, a hilarious ensemble comedy and an encounter between the director and his unique style.

The movie takes place at a luxury hotel in a fictional nation, and follows the trials and tribulations of the attentive concierge (Ralph Fiennes), his lobby boy (Tony Revolori), and the hotel’s many guests and employees. The fascist government grows around the hotel.

With a large cast highlighted by Anderson regulars giving some of their best performances (including Willem Dafoe as a sinister hitman and Harvey Keitel as the leader of a prison gang), it’s easy to enjoy Grand Budapest Hotel as one of the best examples of the director’s particular approach to filmmaking. But there’s a deeper reflection here, for those willing to look for it: Anderson’s style often evokes a romanticization of the past, but the past was very much not romantic for everyone. Grand Budapest This nostalgic scene brings the horrors of fascism to life. —PV

Watch Prime

The Apartment

United Artists

Year: 1960
Genre: Romantic drama
Run time: 2h 5m
Director: Billy Wilder
Cast: Jack Lemmon Shirley MacLaine Fred MacMurray
Prime: Sept. 30

The ApartmentIt is considered to be one of the best films ever produced. This reputation has been well-earned.

Jack Lemmon’s character, Bud Baxter, allows executives to use his apartment in order to have extramarital affairs. The insurance giant where he is employed thinks that this move will make him more valuable. Bud does gain some money at work but the true result is that his superiors abuse him to the point where he can’t sleep in bed with his wife or go home. Bud is swept up in the love of Shirley MacLaine, an elevator operator at his building. He wants to get back into control and regains all power.

It’s a heartfelt and hilarious romantic comedy, and director Billy Wilder deftly balances the combination of corporate fatigue and newfound love with the outstanding comedic abilities of the cast. The ApartmentEveryone should watch this movie at least once. —PV