The end of May is near, meaning there’s less than a week to watch select movies on Netflix before they leave the streamer. Some notable selections departing by June 1 include The Hunger Games, the dystopian drama based on the beloved young adult novel; Happy Gilmore, Adam Sandler’s hilarious golf comedy; and You’ve Got Mail, a memorable romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
Unfortunately for cinephiles, more great movies are leaving Netflix in May. Make sure to watch all of these movies by June 1. Our three selections include an Oscar-winning crime noir set in the 1950s, a hilarious buddy cop spoof, and a psychological thriller from a supernatural master.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
It’s 1950s Los Angeles, and corruption is at an all-time high, especially in the LAPD. After a massacre occurs at a coffee shop, three policemen — Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), Bud White (Russell Crowe), and Edmund Exley (Guy Pearce) — are drawn to the case for different reasons. Vincennes wants to be famous and feeds classified information to a tabloid journalist (Danny DeVito). White uses violent tactics on criminals.
Finally, Exley is the son of a murdered cop who still believes in legal justice. All three men’s paths intertwine as they navigate a corrupt LAPD and celebrity culture. Fans of Chinatown, another L.A.-set crime noir, will enjoy L.A. Confidential, which is boosted by an Oscar-winning script and star-making performances from Crowe and Pearce.
Stream L.A. Confidential on Netflix.
The Other Guys (2010)
The best Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg collaboration is The Other Guys, not Daddy’s Home. Directed by Adam McKay, The Other Guys is a hilarious spoof on the buddy cop genre with legitimate laugh-out-loud moments. After two superstar cops die, the NYPD needs heroes, but officers Alan Gamble (Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) are not expected to fill the void.
Alan is a passive forensic accountant, while Terry shot Derek Jeter. Therefore, their peers do not take either man seriously. When Alan and Terry investigate faulty scaffolding permits tied to a British billionaire (Steve Coogan), they uncover a larger conspiracy involving corruption and financial manipulation. Are the “other guys” ready to step up and save the department?
Stream The Other Guys on Netflix.
Split (2016)
With any M. Night Shyamalan film, expect a supernatural plot and twist endings. Shyamalan delivered on both aspects in Split, the standalone sequel to 2000’s Unbreakable. Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) has dissociative identity disorder, which in his case ,eams he lives with 23 distinct personalities (“alters”). Kevin’s notable alters include Barry, the leader; Patricia, an orderly woman; Hedwig, a 9-year-old boy; and Dennis, an angry man with OCD.
Dennis kidnaps three teenage girls (Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, and Jessica Sula) and holds them hostage in an underground facility beneath the Philadelphia Zoo. The rest of Kevin’s personalities warn the girls about a 24th personality, “The Beast,” which is a superhuman creature sent to rid the world of impure people. The girls must escape the facility soon or face the Beast’s wrath. After a string of critical failures in the years prior, Split was a return to form for Shyamalan, who crafts a tense popcorn thriller with a terrific performance from McAvoy.
Stream Split on Netflix.
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