12 Best Classic Movies on HBO Max (September 2026): ‘Risky Business’ and More

Wayward youth Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) likes causing carnage — he and his gang of “droogs” assault strangers on the street and even sexually assault a woman while singing the classic song, “Singin in the Rain.” Alex is evil and needs to be stopped, but at what cost? The government decides to reform him by subjecting him to torture and aversion therapy, but is a lobotomized Alex reformed? Or is it just a temporary cage for a monster with no morals?

One of the most divisive films of the 20th century, A Clockwork Orange is designed to be an unpleasant experience. From its extreme filmmaking (prepare yourself for a soul-deadening score and shots of a dystopian Britain populated by grotesque characters) to its despicable protagonist, the film doesn’t ask you to relate to it or even like it. But you can appreciate it, and the genius of A Clockwork Orange is that it’s unrelenting in its drudgery. It’s a vision of a future where the state controls everything, and director Stanley Kubrick argues that that’s far worse than anything Alex is allowed to do.

Joel Goodsen (Tom Cruise) lives up to his surname — he’s a bright high school senior who doesn’t misbehave and even mows the lawn without being asked to. But when his parents go out of town for a week, he seizes the opportunity to rebel and hires a blonde bombshell sex worker, Lana (Rebecca De Mornay), for a night of no-frills fun. But Joel gets way more than he bargained for when Lana’s pimp, Guido (Joe Pantoliano), enters the picture, and suddenly, his entire future is in jeopardy, all because his hormones got the better of him. 

On paper, Ricky Business is your typical ‘80s teen sex comedy, filled with gratuitous nudity and cheesy jokes, but the actual film is a lot more complex than its sleek surface would suggest. Writer-director Paul Brickman made the seminal ‘80s sell-out film, chronicling the precise moment Generation Xers like Joel sold out their principles for money. Ostensibly about sex, Risky Business is all about money — who has it, who wants it, and what everyone does to get it and keep it. Cruise was never more appealing and, yes, sexy, than he was here, but this is De Mornay’s film. Her Lana is one of the most Sphinx-like characters of the decade, and even today, you still can’t quite get a read on her. 

Nobody wants to be Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) — especially Carrie White. Picked on for being only slightly different, she endures relentless teasing by her peers. One of her classmates, Sue Snell (Amy Irving), takes pity on her by having the most handsome boy at school, Tommy Ross (William Katt), ask her to the prom. But that’s just a pretext for mean girl Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen) to pull the ultimate mean prank on her — and to unleash a supernatural rage that will make the high school dance one to remember for those who survive it. 

A bona fide horror classic, Carrie is also one of the great teen films ever made. It conveys all the rage and terror at being bullied, which makes its bloody finale so impactful — and satisfying. Spacek and co-star Piper Laurie earned Oscar nominations for their performances, and they deserved to win for their twisted portraits of a daughter and mother whose love for each other proves fatal. Look out for a young John Travolta as Chris’ dim-witted boyfriend and prepare yourself for one of the best shocking endings of the century. 

If you’ve never seen Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal but find that Bengt Ekerot’s visage as Death looks familiar, that’s because this Swedish film from the ’50s inspired the Grim Reaper in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. But before Bill or Ted, there was knight Antonius Block (Max Von Sydow), who returns from the Crusades to find his home in the throes of the Black Death. He competes in a game of chess against Death for his life, while setting off on a journey of the soul to redeem himself.

Widely considered to be a masterwork of cinema, The Seventh Seal is also influential in many areas of pop culture. In addition to Bill & Ted, it’s been parodied by The Muppets, Woody Allen and even the Animaniacs, and inspired Iron Maiden’s song “Dance of Death.” 

This irreverent romantic crime drama from Jean-Luc Godard stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as Ferdinand Griffon, a bored husband seeking some excitement in his mundane life. When he hires a babysitter named Marianne (Anna Karina), Ferdinand falls madly for her and leaves his family. However, Marianne has a shady past that’s catching up with her, and the two find themselves pursued by foreign adversaries.

Subversive, unorthodox and a cornerstone of 1960s French New Wave cinema, Pierrot le Fou features characters breaking the fourth wall and odd editing choices, such as the insertion of unrelated images to break up otherwise seamless cuts between shots. Pierrot le Fou is chaotic and violent but also extremely romantic, and feels even fresher and more alive than many contemporary films.

Nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is an American expatriate living in Casablanca when he discovers that his old girlfriend, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), is in town with her new husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Resistance leader Laszlo is being hunted by the Nazis, and Ilsa knows she can turn to Rick to help her husband get out of the country. But Rick and Ilsa’s reunion brings up unresolved feelings between them.

Easily one of the greatest films of all time, in addition to one of the best Hollywood films of all time, Casablanca snagged the Academy Award for Best Picture back in 1943 and has continued to stand the test of time with its skillful hybridization of engaging romance, drama and gripping political thriller.

Aimless petty criminal Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo) aspires to be like Humphrey Bogart and wanders around Paris, but soon finds himself on the lam after impulsively killing a policeman. He hides out with his American girlfriend, Patricia (Jean Seberg), in her apartment while he attempts to scrounge money for the two of them to escape to Italy. But Patricia begins to reconsider the nature of their relationship and Michel’s unpredictable behavior.

French director Jean-Luc Godard’s groundbreaking film is a free-wheeling, unconventional work of avant-garde cinema that was at the forefront of the then-burgeoning French New Wave movement. Breathless features a bold, playful style that recontextualizes the preconceived notions of filmmaking technique, influencing films for generations to come.

The Beatles‘ irreverent feature film debut is an energetic comedy adventure film that follows a day in the life of the Fab Four through mockumentary-style filmmaking. A Hard Day’s Night was released during the apex of “Beatlemania” and thus much of the film showcases the young men dodging hordes of screaming female fans. When they aren’t, they find themselves in various eccentric scenarios, such as with Paul McCartney’s gambling grandfather and Ringo Starr getting arrested.

Andrew Sarris of The Village Voice once deemed A Hard Day’s Night to be “the Citizen Kane of jukebox musicals,” and he may still be right. The free-spirited film is full of plenty of classic Beatles hits, in addition to a wacky narrative that allows the young men to showcase their particular cheeky sense of humor.

A beautiful pair of earrings changes hands through the extramarital exploits and betrayals of an artistocratic couple in late nineteenth-century Paris. Countess Louise (Danielle Darrieux) sells the earrings her husband gave her to secretly pay off debts, claiming she’d simply lost them. When her husband, André (Charles Boyer), discovers them in a pawn shop, he purchases them for his mistress. After the mistress suffers a gambling loss, she too sells the earrings, this time to an Italian aristocrat.

While The Earrings of Madame De… received initially mixed reviews, it has gone on to be considered a great work of French cinema. Director Max Ophüls‘ lavish, kinetic camerawork gracefully shepherds viewers through a tragic but compelling tale of love, passion and loss.

A scientific mission has been stalled when the crew of a space station falls into emotional distress as they orbit a planet called Solaris. A psychologist named Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) travels to the space station to understand what happened, but instead finds himself succumbing to what befell the astronauts. It turns out that something on Solaris evokes repressed memories and obsessions in those who are exposed to it.

This science-fiction drama was director Andrei Tarkovsky’s attempt to imbue more psychological depth into what he deemed as “shallow” sci-fi films of the era, and Solaris does endure as one of the greatest sci-fi works of all time. A hypnotic slow-burn that puts you under its spell, Solaris would go on to be remade by Steven Soderbergh, starring George Clooney as Kelvin.

Disillusioned suburban housewife Laura (Celia Johnson) heads home from a shopping trip at the train station, where she meets a kind doctor named Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard). The pair strikes up a persistent, weekly rapport, but their friendship soon blossoms into something more emotionally profound. Ultimately, the two must contend with the domino effect that their love for one another would have on their lives, and whether it would be worth it to continue.

Make sure to have a box of tissues handy when watching Brief Encounter, a tragic love story that could easily challenge the likes of Titanic. The moody atmosphere of its largely train station-set location adds to the evocative nature of the film, coupled with two affecting lead performances and a narrative that will rip your heart out.

One of Akira Kurosawa’s great masterworks, Rashomon examines the philosophy of truth and justice through the four different perspectives concerning the murder of a samurai and the sexual assault of his wife. A woodcutter and a Buddhist monk return from offering evidence in the trial, considering the conflicting testimonies. When a stranger asks to know what happened, the film intercuts flashbacks of the trial, present discussion, and portrayals of each skewed perspective.

With a bold style, gripping narrative and compelling performances, Rashomon is a compelling and thought-provoking drama whose stylistic approach through showcasing multiple perspectives has gone on to inspire countless other films, such as Pulp Fiction and The Usual Suspects.