5 great movies leaving Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max at the end of August 2022

This month’s list of streaming departures includes some old classics, new favorites, and some underseen gems in between.

There’s Spike Lee’s masterful Do the Right Thing, the classic mystery thriller Klute, and a legal thriller from the showrunner of Andor, as well as an action-horror DTV master class and so much more.

Let’s get into it.

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Do the Right Thing

Set over the course of a swelteringly hot day in Bed-Stuy, Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing is a masterful drama that traces the simmering racial tensions between a local Italian American pizzeria and the African American community living beside them. With impressive performances by Danny Aiello, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Lee himself, not to mention a fantastic opening sequence featuring none other than the Rosie Perez — in her debut film role, no less — dancing and shadowboxing to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” Do the Right Thing is an essential milestone of American filmmaking that cannot be missed. —Toussaint Egan

Do the Right Thing leaves Peacock Aug. 31.

Gattaca

Ethan Hawke stars in Andrew Niccol’s 1997 debut Gattaca as Vincent Freeman, a genetically “inferior” man born in a eugenic caste society who yearns to become an astronaut. Assuming the identity of Jerome (Jude Law), a physically gifted athlete who is paralyzed from the waist down following an automotive accident, Vincent’s dream is almost within his reach — that is, until the administrator of the Gattaca Aerospace program is murdered, causing a swarm of government agents and detectives to descend en masse in their attempt to nab the culprit. With an inimitable retro futuristic style, scenes shot in and around some of the most iconic minimalist architecture of San Francisco, a stirring score by composer Michael Nyman, and trio of terrific supporting performances by Jude Law, Uma Thurman, and the late, great Gore Vidal, Gattaca is an absolute sci-fi treasure. —TE

Gattaca leaves Netflix on Sept. 1.

Klute

One of the best thrillers from an era absolutely filled with them, Klute is the first of Alan J. Pakula’s thematic “paranoia trilogy,” followed by the also excellent The Parallax View and All the President’s Men (which resulted in one of three Oscar nominations for Pakula).

In Klute, Jane Fonda gives an all-time great performance as Bree Daniels, a call girl who gets pulled into a detective’s (Donald Sutherland) investigation into an executive’s disappearance. A tense thriller with gorgeous cinematography from Gordon Willis (the Godfather movies) and an appropriately eerie score from frequent Pakula collaborator Michael Small, Klute is too good to miss out on. —Pete Volk

Klute leaves HBO Max Aug. 31.

Midnight Run

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

In Midnight Run, Robert De Niro is an ex-cop who has turned to the life of bounty hunting after being chased out of a corrupt police department. When he’s sent to fetch an accountant (Charles Grodin) who embezzled money from the mob, he has to deal with gangsters, cops, and general hijinks.

A hilarious adventure with two very different people who annoy the piss out of each other, De Niro and Grodin’s incredible odd-couple chemistry elevates the movie to a delightful, memorable romp. De Niro is great as always as a cantankerous ex-cop, but Grodin steals the show as the sensitive, straight-faced accountant trying to convince his new buddy to let him go.

Midnight Run also has more depth than your average buddy comedy. De Niro’s ex-cop quit the force because of a moral conflict, and the movie’s situation forces him to confront his values again. Add a playful, energetic score from Danny Elfman, and you have a wonderful time at the movies. —PV

Midnight Run leaves Peacock and the Criterion Channel Aug. 31.