Gone by Thursday: Seven superb movies leaving Netflix this week

While there are daily drops of new material on Netflix, everything from crazy reality shows to classic rom-coms, there’s also a constant churn of content dropping off the global streaming service.

So although you might think a movie or TV show will be available to watch on there forever, the truth is that’s very much not the case, some only available for a few months at a time.

In order to assist those keen to get the most out of their subscription, and in order to help with your viewing priorities, Stuff to Watch has come up with a list of seven superb movies that won’t be around come Thursday morning – so catch them while you can.

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The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino and Charlize Theron star in this supernatural horror (based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Andrew Neiderman) about a hotshot lawyer who gets more than he bargained for when he learns his new boss is Lucifer himself.

“Directed in bold, energetic strokes by Taylor Hackford, Devil is fine disreputable fun, a stylish and watchable hoot,” wrote Los Angeles Times’ Kenneth Turan.

Pixie (2020)

Ready Player One and Sound of Metal’s Olivia Cooke headlines this comedic crime-thriller about a young woman who masterminds a heist in order to avenge her mother’s death.

However, in order for it to succeed, she’ll have to flee across Ireland from gangsters, take on the patriarchy and choose her own destiny. The eclectic cast also includes Colm Meaney and Alec Baldwin.

“Some gorgeous Irish scenery along with stunning (sometimes violent) plot twists and snappy one-liners (and some gorgeous scenery) make Pixie a quirky winner, ideal for the weekend while knocking back a Guinness,” wrote San Jose Mercury News’ Randy Myers.

The Rundown (2003)

This was perhaps the first movie to prove that The Rock was the natural successor to the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger.

Peter Berg’s action-comedy saw the wrestler-turned-actor also known as Dwayne Johnson play a bounty hunter (who naturally is also an aspiring chef) who attempts to square a debt by heading to the Amazon jungle to bring home a mobster’s son. Seann William Scott (remember him?) co-starred.

“The frenetically edited fight sequences will satisfy the blood lust of the target audience,” wrote Newsweek’s David Ansen.

Silence (2016)

In the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver) travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumoured to have committed apostasy. Liam Neeson plays the missing Father Cristóvão Ferreira who, after suffering brutal torture and spending 15 years away, announces that he believes Christianity is futile in Japan.

Martin Scorsese directs and co-wrote this adaptation of Shusaku Endo’s 1966 novel of the same name.

“What beauty. What brutality. What madness,” wrote Chicago Sun-Times’ Richard Roeper.

Suffragette (2015)

With a star-studded cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham-Carter, Brendan Gleeson and Romola Garai, grey palette and grim backdrop, one could be forgiven for thinking that this was essentially Les Miserables, sans songs.

However, despite the depiction of woeful working conditions and “marching of the people who will not be slaves again”, this presents its 1910s-set London story in a far less melodramatic way.

Yes, it is one person’s story set against the backdrop of massive social unrest, but Abi Morgan’s script excels at depicting the risks and toll these women’s political actions had on their personal and family lives.

Taxi Driver (1976)

Both an intense Robert De Niro and a barely teenaged Jodie Foster turned many heads with powerful and provocative performances (the latter allegedly inspiring one man to try and kill US President Ronald Reagan just to impress her) in Martin Scorsese’s tale of one man’s descent into madness.

Cybill Shepherd was also great as the object of DeNiro’s Travis Bickle’s affections, while Bernard Hermann’s score added much to the atmosphere.

“No other film has ever dramatized urban indifference so powerfully; at first, here, it’s horrifyingly funny, and then just horrifying,” wrote The New Yorker’s Pauline Kael.

A United Kingdom (2016)

While the political machinations of this based-on-fact tale intrigue, it’s the central love story of Amma Asante’s drama about heir to the throne of Bechuanaland and the Englishwoman he wants to spend his life with that compels.

That’s thanks largely to two magnificent performances from Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo. The pair’s chemistry is palpable, while their character’s individual strengths and weaknesses are apparent. Elegant, intelligent, evocative and emotion-inducing cinema

“A rich, stirring look at one of modern society’s most enduring — and yes, inspirational — marriages,” wrote indieWire’s Kate Erbland.