The best films on Amazon Freevee UK
David Farnor | On 08, May 2022
Looking for something to watch without needing to pay a monthly subscription? Enter Amazon Freevee (formerly IMDb TV), Amazon’s streaming platform that provides films and TV shows without any costs – although you will require an Amazon account – with one catch: you will have to watch some adverts. Part of the Prime Video app and Amazon website, Freevee requires an Amazon account to use, but does not require any payment, memberships or subscription. Not everything included with an Amazon Prime subscription is available on IMDb TV and not everything on IMDb TV is included with an Amazon Prime subscription (for a full breakdown on how it works, click here). But it’s stuffed with classics new and old. (For more information on how it works, click here.)
Here are the 30 best films available to stream:
The 39 Steps (1935)
This is the very definition of classic. Hitchcock’s 1935 thriller goes from London to the Forth Bridge and back again, taking in everything from spies to handcuffs. Shackled together for the duration, Robert Donat’s Hannay sets the template for Hitch’s wrong-man-on-the-run, while Madeleine Carroll’s sniping love interest adds a fun comic touch. The low-key climax may not be the Big Ben-straddling stunt of the 1978 remake, but this is cracking, tense stuff.
Top Hat
Fred and Ginger are a joy to watch in full flow in this classic screwball romance.
Scarlet Street
Fritz Lang’s timeless film noir is a deliciously dark tale of delusion and desire.
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Hitchcock’s 1938 classic sees a train-full of passengers holed up in a small hotel for the night, just after the mysterious disappearance of an old governess. The locomotive mystery sees Hitch hit his British peak just as he’s about to depart for Hollywood.
M (1931)
Peter Lorre is on chilling form in Fritz Lang’s gripping thriller about a manhunt for a serial killer.
Ringu (1998)
Hideo Nakata’s chilling, imaginative horror is as unsettling as it is influential.
La Dolce Vita
Fellini’s timeless comedy follows a playboy paparazzo in Rome, who gives us a window into the city’s less-than-sweet underbelly.
Cinema Paradiso
Giuseppe Tornatore’s winning tale of a young boy who falls in love with his local village cinema and goes on to become a director is a heartfelt love letter to romance – and to film itself.
Mean Streets
Martin Scorsese’s scuzzy, stylish gangster drama is a formative flick for the filmmaker and genre alike.
Once
A hugely moving romance about music. And a broken Hoover.
Gattaca
Andrew Niccol has long been one of the most interesting filmmakers working in science fiction and Gattaca is a perfect example. The film, set in the near future, stars the always-excellent Ethan Hawke as Vincent, a man who is genetically flawed, something that prevents him from being sent into space. His solution? Buying the genes of a genetically perfect man (Jude Law) to join the Gattaca program.
The Third Man
This timeless classic, one of the greatest British films, lavishly marries a perfect script, an unforgettable theme tune and the star power of Orson Welles.
The Prince of Egypt
This bold biblical adaptation boasts cracking visuals, a strong voice cast and a stellar soundtrack.
Crimson Peak
Everyone will find something to enjoy in this Gothic horror’s richly painted gorgeousness.
Bronson
As a showcase for Tom Hardy, Nicolas Winding Refn’s portrait of Bronson is arresting, provocative and stunning cinema.
Big Fish
Tim Burton has always had a knack for telling tall tales. Here, he tells more than a few as we follow the life story of Ed Bloom (Ewan McGregor), as he recounts his young adventures to his son on his death bed. The ensuing fantasy features everyone from Marion Cotillard and Billy Crudup to Helena Bonham Carter and Jessica Lange.
Donnie Darko
During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. As you do.
Gosford Park
In 1930s England, a group of pretentious rich and famous gather together for a weekend. That’s the starting point for Robert Altman’s superb and witty ensemble whodunnit, which stars Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kelly Macdonald, Clive Owen… the list goes on.
Monsters
Gareth Edwards forged his own career in this indie sci-fi horror that sees a couple travel through a quarantined zone after an alien invasion.
The Road
An intimate portrayal of a world gone to pot, The Road is hard to watch. Fantastically so.
King of New York
Christopher Walken is on iconic form in Abel Ferrara’s neo-noir crime thriller about a drug lord searching for redemption.
Control
Rock photographer Anton Corbijn makes his feature directorial debut in this stunning portrait of Ian Curtis.
La Vie en Rose
This poignant drama centers on legendary Parisian singer Édith Piaf, whose passion for music saw her through a life filled with tragedy.
Meek’s Cutoff
Kelly Reichardt’s deliberately slow-paced revisionist Western is an acquired taste, but one that rewards revisits.
Battle Royale
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary “Battle Royale” act.
Five Easy Pieces
Jack Nicholson delivers a stunning performance in this 1970 drama about a pianist who returns home with his girlfriend to his father’s deathbed.
It’s a Wonderful Life
What would the world be like if you didn’t exist? Frank Capra’s seasonal classic not only tackles the subject of suicide but also manages to find time for topical anti-bankers commentary, angels and heart-warming family sentiment. It’s hard to think of a Christmas movie that’s more human.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)
Ken Branagh directs and stars in this adaptation of Mary Shelley’s iconic horror tale, but the scene is stolen by Robert De Niro as Frankenstein’s Monster.
They Came Together
Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler are side-splittingly funny in this self-aware rom-com spoof.
Seven Years in Tibet
Brad Pitt stars in this sweeping drama about an Austrian mountain climber who became friends with the Dalai Lama at the time of China’s takeover of Tibet.
