Did you know that Plex has free movies on demand? I’m sure many customers use Plex as a personal media server, and rightfully so. It’s an effective platform where users essentially create their personal streaming services. For those who love customization, Plex is the server for you.
If you’re already using Plex, then take advantage of its library of free movies. This weekend, our top recommendation from the library won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 1998 Oscars. The other two movies that made our list are a culinary drama and perhaps Quentin Tarantino’s most underrated project.
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Escape from New York
Kurt Russell teams with John Carpenter for a dystopian classic
John Carpenter’s work from 1978 to 1986 needs to be mentioned when discussing the great directorial runs. Starting in 1978, Carpenter directed Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, The Thing, Christine, Starman, and Big Trouble in Little China all in succession. The latter three movies are up for debate, but Carpenter’s run from Halloween to The Thing is the stuff of legends.
The lone sci-fi movie in that four-movie run, Escape from New York, is my favorite of the bunch. Set in an alternate version of 1997, the island of Manhattan is now a maximum-security prison. Air Force One is hijacked, and U.S. President John Harker (Donald Pleasence) crash-lands onto Manhattan. Now a hostage, Harker will be killed if the government attempts a rescue mission. The only way to save Harker is to get a criminal on their side. Enter Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former soldier and outlaw who agrees to save the president in exchange for a pardon.
The 1970s were packed with antiheroes like Travis Bickle and “Dirty” Harry Callahan. Russell ushered in a new form of antihero never before seen in a sci-fi movie. With his signature eye patch and long hair, Snake Plissken doesn’t care about exacting revenge on those who wronged him or achieving glory. Snake’s only goal is to survive, and if he ruffles feathers in the process, so be it. Snake’s grittiness and punk rock attitude carried him to cinematic greatness.
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Jackie Brown
Max Cherry forever
In the mid-1990s, Quentin Tarantino could have made whatever movie he wanted following the success of Pulp Fiction. The crime saga elevated Tarantino to auteur status and led to his first Oscar win for screenplay. Because he plays by his own rules, Tarantino elected to direct an adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch, which became Jackie Brown, his homage to the blaxploitation films he fell in love with during the 1970s.
Flight attendant Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) finds herself in hot water after the police arrest her for smuggling. Jackie convinces crime lord Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) to let her work with the authorities to smuggle in the rest of his money. Yet Jackie plans to go against Ordell and the cops and keep the money for herself. For all to go well, she’ll need some help. Enter Max Cherry (Robert Forster), a kind bondsman with a crush on Jackie.
Grier plays Jackie like a rock star, with the beauty, charisma, and presence of a leading woman. Grier’s chemistry with Forester, who received an Academy Award nomination for his work, is tender and loving. No sex scene is required to sell this romance. Before Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Jackie Brown was easily Tarantino’s sweetest movie.
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LA Confidential
A neo-noir in the City of Angels
Admittedly, it took me a long time to watch L.A. Confidential, the Los Angeles neo-noir set in the 1950s. If we’re being more specific, I waited until 2026 to watch L.A. Confidential for the first time. Look, we all have our misses. I take full responsibility for my actions, but I’m making up for it now by putting it as my top movie to watch this weekend.
The year is 1953; corruption runs rampant in the Los Angeles Police Department. Sergeant Edmund Exley (Guy Pearce), the son of a murdered officer, believes in honesty, even if that means selling out his fellow officers. Officer Bud White (Russell Crowe) is a loyal, old-school cop who believes in settling issues with his fists. Sergeant Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) is more interested in magazine covers than justice. All three men become entangled in a murder investigation involving dirty cops and wealthy business associates.
L.A. Confidential is a satisfying murder mystery with an intriguing premise, riveting suspense, and an explosive conclusion. Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland wrote a brilliant script that deserved its Oscar win. Seeing how the careers of the three leads ended up, why didn’t Pearce become as big as Crowe and Spacey? Pearce is just as good, if not better, than his Oscar-winning co-stars. I would say “justice for Pearce,” but the Academy finally nominated the Australian actor last year for his work in The Brutalist.
Remember that all three movies are streaming for free on Plex. You don’t even need an email to watch the movies.
After watching on Plex, check out our recommendations for more free movies to stream, including Scream on Pluto TV. If you like action, watch Alan Ritchson’s latest Netflix movie, War Machine.
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