The streaming world is still a whirlpool of confusion. Tempting titles pop up on one service and then, with a week or two’s warning, migrate disloyally to one of its competitors. The information in our pick of 50 great movies is correct at time of publication, but there is no sign of that churn ceasing any time soon. There is good news for fans of films first released before 2000. Though Netflix is still shamefully short of older titles, Prime Video has greatly increased its stock of classics. Our selection even includes one silent film. All of the movies we list are available for the relevant subscription fee alone. No extra rental fee.

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Alien

Ridley Scott, 1979

The entire extended Alien universe is now on Disney+. The best among all the features – and, now, TV series – remains Scott’s unbearably tense opener. A masterclass in showing only what is required of your monster. Disney+

The Awful Truth

Leo McCarey, 1937

A contender for the best screwball comedy ever. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne play a couple who irritate each other hilariously after filing for divorce. First-class turn by Asta the dog. Prime Video

The Battle of Algiers

Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966

As watched by Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another. Extraordinary study of Algerian resistance against the French colonisers that feels eerily close to documentary. Prime Video

Bicycle Thieves

Vittorio De Sica, 1948

Often figuring high in polls of the greatest films ever made, De Sica’s neorealist heartbreaker follows a bill poster, travelling postwar Rome with his young son, as he copes with losing his precious bicycle. Untouchable. Prime Video

Blow Out

Brian De Palma, 1981

This conspiracy thriller, featuring John Travolta as a suspicious sound technician, has risen over the years to become one of De Palma’s most celebrated films. Extraordinary ending.