Even under the Warner Bros. Discovery regime, Max still has one of the best lineups of films thanks to the vast Warner Bros. Pictures library of titles. But even among the blockbuster hits, there are always underrated movies on Max that fell under the radar when they were theatrically released.
This month, we’re throwing the spotlight on three underrated movies on Max that you need to watch in October. They include a cyberpunk revenge thriller, one of the best Liam Neeson action flicks, and a darkly dramatic turn from Denzel Washington that earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Flight (2012)
Director Robert Zemeckis’ Flight begins with a harrowing plane ride from hell that is only prevented from turning into a national tragedy by the pilot, Captain William “Whip” Whitaker (The Equalizer 3‘s Denzel Washington). It’s the perfect all-American story of heroism except for the fact that it’s a lie. While it’s true that Whip saved the plane, he was intoxicated at the time and he put all of his passengers and crew in jeopardy due to his negligence.
Regardless, Whip is hailed as a hero in the aftermath, and his serious lapse in judgment is swept under the rug. But Whip’s self-destructive tendencies won’t end there as he finds himself on a personal spiral that he may not be able to pull up from.
Watch Flight on Max.
The Grey (2011)
The Grey is one of the rare post-Taken Liam Neeson action movies where he’s not trying to out-Taken Taken. Instead of Neeson’s typical revenge thrillers, this film has his character, John Ottway, contemplating taking his own life out of grief following the death of his wife. John and the rest of his co-workers take a plane from their oil facility, but they crash-land in the Alaskan wilderness, with little hope of rescue.
To make things worse, a pack of grey wolves begins stalking the survivors and preying upon anyone that they can corner alone. The oil company paid John to kill wolves as a sharpshooter, but now John has to take his particular set of skills and battle the wolves at close range if the group is to have any chance of survival.
Watch The Grey on Max.
Upgrade (2018)
Very few people saw Upgrade when it was in theaters, so they don’t realize that this is basically a cyberpunk John Wick. That’s not a bad thing at all, even though the film doesn’t have the highest production values. What it does have is a lot of great action and a thrilling revenge story. Logan Marshall-Green stars as Grey Trace, an auto mechanic whose life is shattered when he is paralyzed in a brutal attack that claims the life of his wife.
Like any amoral billionaire, Eron Keen (Harrison Gilbertson) seizes upon this chance to test his new STEM implant on Grey to restore his mobility. Much to Grey’s surprise, STEM (Simon Maiden) has a consciousness in Grey’s head. And STEM also has the ability to turn Grey into a lethal instrument who can dish out vengeance with his own hands … but not without a price.
Watch Upgrade on Max.
