Great Movies to Rent

Netflix Movies

Great movies to rent are, in the usage of this particular site, those movies that are considered classics. Plenty of "great movie lists" are available in various places on the Internet. One good example is AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list.

Some of them are even available offline. (Roger Ebert'sThe Great Movies is a book available on Amazon, for example. Another book of great movies is The Best 1000 Movies Ever Made.) My goal with this page is to provide some suggestions from the "great movies" genre that are both available to rent and still accessible to modern audiences.

  1. 12 Angry Men12 Angry Men (1957) - Sidney Lumet directs one of the first, best, and most famous courtroom dramas in the history of film. If you enjoy legal dramas on television, then you owe this movie a look, as it's the step-grandfather of the entire genre. 12 Angry Men stars Henry Fonda in one of his most famous roles, as a juror who wants to take his time making the decision about someone's life. 12 Angry Men is available to rent on DVD via Netflix.
  2. The Big Sleep (1946) - Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall co-star in this film adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel of the same name. A rich family called the Sternwoods are being blackmailed, and it's up to Philip Marlowe (Bogart) to take care of things for them. Any list of "Great Movies" is going to include at least one film from director Howard Hawks, and The Big Sleep is as good as any of his films. It's available for rent from Netflix, and you can also watch it streaming if you have a Netflix account.
  3. Casablanca (1942) - Speaking of Humphrey Bogart, he's probably as famous for Casablanca as he is for any other film role, and justifiably so. Ingrid Bergman costars as Ilse, the most important side of the love triangle. Michael Curtiz directs. It's available to rent on DVD or Bluray at Netflix, and you can also watch it streaming.
  4. Citizen Kane (1941) - The best example of director and star Orson Welles' genius available. Citizen Kane has consistently been the top consensus pick for greatest movie ever made by film critics for decades. And 60+ years later, it's still a remarkably effective story.
  5. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) - This John Ford classic stars a young Henry Fonda as Tom Joad in this classic about the dust bowl. John Carradine shines as the fallen preacher. The Grapes of Wrath is available for rent via Netflix on DVD.
  6. The Hustler (1961) - Paul Newman stars as Fast Eddie Felson in a movie about pool, winning, losing, and character. Jackie Gleason costars as Minnesota Fats, and Piper Laurie gives a breathtaking performance as the female lead. And George C. Scott's performance is simple unbelievable. It's available to rent on DVD from Netflix.
  7. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - This is as good an example of Frank Capra's directing style as any. It's a Christmas classic starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, who gets a chance to see what the world would have been like if he'd never been born. It's available to rent on Bluray or DVD at Netflix.
  8. The Manchurian Candidate (1961) - Don't bother with the newer remake starring Denzel Washington; rent the original instead. It's as good today as it was then. Before Angela Lansbury charmed America's senior citizens onMurder She Wrote, she starred alongside Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey in one of the best thrillers of the 1960s. John Frankenheimer directs. The Manchurian Candidate is available to rent on DVD from Netflix.
  9. Notorious (1946) - Please don't confuse this with the biopic of the rapper. Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious pairs Cary Grant with Ingrid Bergman in a remarkable film about espionage, marriage, and love.Notorious is available to rent on DVD via Netflix.
  10. Psycho (1960) - Another solid entry from director Alfred Hitchcock, Psychomade women all over the country afraid to take a shower. Anthony Perkins stars in an unforgettable role as Norman Bates, one of the most interesting predecessors to Hannibal Lecter in film history. It's not only available to rent via Netflix on DVD, but it's also available in a streaming format.
  11. Rear Window (1954) - Another entry from Alfred Hitchcock, starring Jimmy Stewart as a voyeur who witnesses something horrible in his neighbor's window. It's a shame everyone thinks he's imagining things. Grace Kelly and Raymond Burr costar. Rear Window is available to rent from Netflix on DVD.
  12. The Searchers (1956) - John Ford directed this pitch-perfect Western starring John Wayne and a very young Natalie Wood. Ethan Edwards is one of the richest characters in film, and his redemption is as powerful as anything you'll ever seen on film. (I still get choked up toward the end of the movie.) The Searchers was a big influence on a lot of later directors, including George Lucas, who says it was part of the inspiration for Star Wars. The Searchers is available to rent on Bluray or DVD. If you can see it on a really good home theater system with Bluray, do that, because the visuals are breathtaking.
  13. Shane (1953) - George Stevens directs Alan Ladd in this classic Western about a gunslinger who's trying to reform. Pale Rider, starring Clint Eastwood, was a loose remake of Shane. Jack Palane is great as the villain. It's available to rent on DVD from Netflix.
  14. Singin' in the Rain (1952) - This is one of the best-known musicals in the history of film, and Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor all turn in unforgettable performances. It's also a great example of a movie that's actually a story about the movies. Singin' in the Rain is available to rent on DVD at Netflix, and it's also available in streaming format.
  15. Some Like It Hot (1959) - This Billy Wilder comedy was the forerunner of many imitators, including the television show Bosom Buddies, but few can top the original. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon are hilarious, and Marilyn Monroe is as fetching in this movie as she is in any of her other vehicles. Some Like It Hot is available to rent on both DVD and Bluray via Netflix.
  16. Sunset Boulevard (1950) - Another great movie from Billy Wilder, this one is a black comedy and a film noir at the same time. Sunset Boulevard, likeSingin' in the Rain, is a movie about the movie industry. William Holden stars as a screenwriter, and Gloria Swanson costars as an aging silent movie star.Sunset Boulevard is available to rent on DVD via Netflix.
  17. Vertigo (1958) - Vertigo is another Alfred Hitchcock movie, this one starring Jimmy Stewart as a retired cop who's afraid of heights. A friend asks him to do some private detective work for him following his wife (Kim Novak), and things get stranger and darker from there. Vertigo is available to rent as a DVD, and it's also available via Netflix streaming video on your computer.

Please note that I only listed those "great movies" that I've actually seen and liked. There are arguably some great films available to rent which have been made after 1961, but one of the criteria for being a classic is to have withstood the test of time. 50 years isn't the typical age that's used to judge a classic in literature, but it will do in the case of film, which is such a young medium.

For another perspective on great movie lists, I recommend Roger Ebert's blog post on the subject: The Greatest Movies Ever Made

You should also note that I limited myself to great movies that were available to rent via Netflix. I don't have a Blockbuster account, but I'd be surprised if these weren't also available to rent there. My main goal when creating this list was to avoid listing those great movies which aren't available to rent.

If you want to buy movies, Amazon has the lowest prices anywhere.

Good Netflix Movies to Rent

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