Thrillers often go to dark places, more so than most other movie genres, so it’s relatively rare to find a poignant thriller that doesn’t get too complex or disturbing. Some of the best thriller movies are psychological thrillers that deal with intense, heavy themes or crime thrillers that have plenty of death and egregious violence. While these can be brilliant, it’s good to have some lighter options for a less intense watch.
Thrillers encompᴀss many other genres, including action, crime and mystery movies. This means that there’s a wider variety of thrillers out there, and fans of the genre can likely find something to suit whatever mood they’re in or whatever specific tastes they have. Thrillers are designed to get the audience’s hearts pumping, and it’s possible to do this without being too intense or depressing.
8
Rebel Ridge (2024)
Jeremy Saulnier’s Netflix Thriller Was One Of The Streaming Platforms Biggest Hits In 2024
Jeremy Saulnier established himself as a director worth watching with Blue Ruin and Green Room, and Rebel Ridge sees him continuing his H๏τ streak. The Netflix thriller stars Aaron Pierre as a former Marine who single-handedly takes on a corrupt police department after their actions cause the death of his cousin. It’s a strikingly realistic thriller that avoids too much sensationalism.
The close-combat fight scenes are a highlight.
Rebel Ridge explores contemporary issues of policing in America, but it stops short of anything too revolutionary, which keeps the focus on the characters and the situation rather than wading into political commentary. This means that the story stays grounded and relatable. The close-combat fight scenes are a highlight, and something that a potential Rebel Ridge sequel should look to develop.
7
No Way Out (1987)
Kevin Costner’s Breakout Role Remains One Of His Best
No Way Out is based on a novel by Kenneth Fearing from 1946, and although it updates everything that’s important, it maintains the feel of a twisty noir thriller that would have been just as appropriate in the 1940s. Kevin Costner stars as a Navy commander who gets wrapped up in a murder investigation that he knows far too much about. Gene Hackman is also on top form as a ruthless political operator.
No Way Out combines a domestic thriller with a political conspiracy thriller, and the result is completely captivating. It may take a little while to set things up, but once the dominoes start to fall it’s hard to resist No Way Out‘s grasp. The labyrinthine narrative never feels too confusing or dense, partly because the dialogue and the performances are both so convincing.
6
Layer Cake (2004)
Matthew Vaughn’s Debut Is Credited As Daniel Craig’s Audition For James Bond
Matthew Vaughn’s movies show a clear progression toward stylized violence. In recent movies like Argylle and The King’s Man, some of Vaughn’s fight scenes are barely distinguishable from dance numbers. This is one thing that makes Layer Cake stand out, since Vaughn’s directorial debut is much more grounded. There are still hints of swagger and some vibrant flourishes, but it’s altogether more relatable.
Layer Cake is often cited as one big reason why Daniel Craig landed the role of James Bond. Although there’s less action than any Bond movie, Layer Cake sees Craig at his most charming, with his constant voiceover guiding the audience through a dark tale of British gang violence. His calm demeanor makes the bursts of violence feel even more chaotic and brutal.
5
Double Jeopardy (1999)
Tommy Lee Jones And Ashley Judd Make A Great Pair In An Odd Game Of Cat-And-Mouse
Tommy Lee Jones’ role in Double Jeopardy is reminiscent of his part in The Fugitive. Both characters are gruff law enforcement types tasked with capturing a perpetrator on the lam, and they both bring the best out of Jones’ world-weary demeanor. Double Jeopardy also benefits from Ashley Judd in one of her finest roles as a woman framed for the murder of her husband.
Double Jeopardy may be just one of many similar thrillers from the 1990s, but it deserves some more attention, solely for the intriguing dynamic between the hunter and the hunted. There are a few sticky moral quandaries at the heart of the story, seen through the lens of a legal system that isn’t designed to handle nuance, but this is balanced out by some thrilling action sequences that drive the plot forward.
4
The Little Things (2021)
Denzel Washington Stars In A Throwback Thriller
The Little Things feels like the type of detective thriller that was common 20-30 years ago, especially with Denzel Washington playing law enforcement once again. This is because The Little Things spent almost 30 years in development hell, before emerging as a time capsule that suddenly feels unlike anything else that has been released in the 2020s.
Reviews have been a little harsh to The Little Things, but it deserves to be appreciated for what it is. The twisty detective story leaves behind the confines of a regular whodunnit to lurk in the moral gray zone between legal justice and true justice. Ultimately, the ending of The Little Things leaves a hollow feeling, capping a throwback thriller that gets the best out of its main cast.
3
Frequency (2000)
Frequency Transcends Its Ludicrous Premise
The concept behind Frequency is, frankly, complete nonsense, and one that should be disqualifying. However, it’s a great credit to the movie that it enjoys a positive critical reputation. Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel star as a father and son separated in time by 30 years who manage to communicate with one another via radio due to some freak weather phenomena.
Once Frequency brushes past the “how” of its time-travel narrative, it unfolds into a surprisingly poignant thriller which touches on grief, regret and father-son relationships. There’s also a healthy dose of action to keep things lively, as father and son team up to catch a serial killer in two different decades. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, but Frequency deserves the benefit of the doubt from those who think it seems too far-fetched.
2
Time To Hunt (2020)
The Korean Thriller Deserves A Bigger Audience Overseas
Time to Hunt starts out like many other heist thrillers, as a group of underdogs band together to take one big score from a criminal syndicate. After the heist, however, it morphs into an anxiety-inducing pursuit, with a relentless ᴀssᴀssin tracking the thieves across the country with all the horrifying inevitability of a machine. This sets up some nerve-shredding scenes as the thieves are forced to reckon with the consequences of their actions.
Time to Hunt deserves a larger international audience. It flips the format of a crime thriller upside-down, continuing past the usual triumphant ending of most heists to show that sometimes, happy endings don’t last long at all. The dystopian near-future setting is the perfect backdrop for a terrifying pursuit, since it feels as though the end of society has brought humanity back to its animalistic origins.
1
Thief (1981)
James Caan Stars In An Early Michael Mann Gem
Compared to his later crime thrillers like Heat and Collateral, Michael Mann’s Thief tends to get overlooked. It may not be as action-heavy, but it’s just as exciting, with a great performance from James Caan at the center. Thief follows a professional safecracker trying to pull one last job before retirement, but he keeps being dragged back into the criminal underworld by his friends, his enemies, and cruel fate.
Compared to his later crime thrillers like Heat and Collateral, Michael Mann’s Thief tends to get overlooked.
Thief deserves to be recognized as one of Michael Mann’s best movies, even though it was his directorial debut. His vision of a crime-ridden Chicago is soaked in bright neon lights, and the Tangerine Dream soundtrack also helps set the scene. When the time comes for a tense heist or a brutally violent confrontation, Mann doesn’t hide from his bold stylistic choices, working them into the DNA of his unique thriller.
