If it’s slow-burning devastation you’re seeking, look no further than Amazon Prime’s amazing curation of top-notch thriller films. And whether you’re into multimillion dollar A-list showcases or bite-sized indie efforts with shoestring funding, Prime Video’s library of cinematic suspense films is a collection that has something for everyone. As subscribers and fans of the platform, it’s up to us to keep you in the loop, which is why we’ve created this roundup of the best thrillers you can stream on Prime Video right now.
Amazon Prime may have a robust catalog, but it doesn’t have everything. Luckily, we’ve also curated roundups of the best thrillers on Netflix and the best thrillers on Hulu.
New to Amazon Prime Video this month
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The Northman2022 -
Memory2022
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Ambulance2022
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Thirteen Lives2022
122m
Genre
Action, Crime, Thriller
Stars
Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin
Directed by
Denis Villeneuve
In Sicario, director Denis Villeneuve shelves his now-iconic sci-fi chops in favor of a narrative landscape that’s still dirty and dusty, but objectively more down to earth. Emily Blunt stars as FBI Special Agent Kate Macer. After rising through the ranks, Macer is assigned to an elite undercover task force, led by Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro) — a mysterious assassin with a penchant for shooting first and asking questions later. While the mission is to fight the good fight against the Mexican drug cartel, Macer’s grip on reality starts to wane as tension in the field picks up steam. With a script by Taylor Sheridan, Sicario finds Villeneuve harnessing the same widescreen template he employed in films like Blade Runner 2049 and Dune, but instead of using the immense scale to showcase CGI vistas and set pieces, the wider staging in Sicario places greater emphasis on the core characters and the hellish quest they’re ensnared in.
15196-clue
94m
Genre
Comedy, Thriller, Crime, Mystery
Stars
Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn
Directed by
Jonathan Lynn
Not every Hollywood thriller has to focus on genre-defining subject matter like bloody bank heists and psychological chills. In fact, if you’re looking for a thriller that the whole family can wrap their heads around, look no further than Clue. Written and directed by Jonathan Lynn, the film features an ensemble cast made up of famous players like Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, and Michael McKean. Set in 1954, the events of the movie transpire over a single evening. When seven strangers arrive at a secluded New England mansion, a death among the visitors leads to a scramble of finger-pointing, as the figurative skeletons in the guests’ closets begin emerging. A cinematic adaptation of the iconic board game, Clue’s theatrical run included three unique endings that were different based on the screening you attended (with all three endings present in the film’s home-video release).
101m
Genre
Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Richard Dawson, María Conchita Alonso
Directed by
Paul Michael Glaser
A loose adaptation of the 1982 Stephen King (aka Richard Bachman) novel of the same name, The Running Man stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Ben Richards, a helicopter pilot framed for the massacre of 60 individuals during a riot. Sentenced to a labor camp, Richards escapes the compound with the help of two accomplices, with plans to expose the internal corruption of the government that scapegoated him. But as it turns out, Ben’s best shot at bringing down Big Brother is as a contestant on a bloody game show called The Running Man, where players are hunted down by brutal mercenaries, and where staying alive is the ultimate prize. More an action-vehicle for Schwarzenegger than a faithful book-to-screen transcription of King’s source text, The Running Man is still a great watch and a worthy addition to Arnold’s “beat ’em up” canon.
94m
Genre
Drama, Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars
Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio del Toro, Connie Nielsen
Directed by
William Friedkin
The Hunted is a riveting 2003 action-thriller from the maestro of decades-spanning, cross-genre filmmaking, William Friedkin. Starring Tommy Lee Jones and Connie Nielsen as L.T. Bonham and Abby Durrell, a retired combat instructor and an FBI agent, both Bonham and Durrell must team up to track down one Aaron Hallam (Benicio del Toro), a former student of Jones’ who has become an unhinged assassin. A nail-biting film packed with suspense and strong performances, The Hunted is a brutal exercise of thriller elements from one of cinema’s foremost visionaries.
Genre
Thriller, Drama
Directed by Brad Anderson from a script by Scott Kosar, The Machinist stars Christian Bale as Trevor Reznik, a machinist who’s crippling bout of insomnia has left the man unable to sleep for an entire year. A condition that leads to truly horrific emaciation, Trevor’s waking life is thrown into further turmoil when he accidentally injures a coworker, leading Trevor into a disturbing downward spiral of paranoia and hallucinations. Christian Bale went to great lengths to achieve his characters’ unforgettable look, and the narrative proves just as wiry and wicked as the protagonist’s crumbling vessel of skin and bones.
116m
Genre
Thriller, Drama, Crime
Stars
Christian Bale, Zoe Saldaña, Woody Harrelson
Directed by
Scott Cooper
In his follow-up to 2009’s Oscar-winning Crazy Heart, co-writer-director Scott Cooper’s Out of the Furnace casts Christian Bale as Russell Baze, a Pennsylvania steelworker who sets off on a blood-soaked manhunt for one Harlan DeGroat, a backwoods maniac who is the main culprit in the recent disappearance of Russell’s brother, Rodney (Casey Affleck). While it’s not the most original film as far as the premise goes, Out of the Furnace is able to rise above familiar genre fare thanks to its arresting core cast and thoughtful direction from Cooper.
137m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars
Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang
Directed by
Robert Eggers
After disturbing genre-goers with films like The Witch and The Lighthouse, Robert Eggers upped the stakes and budget for his third feature film, The Northman. Starring Alexander Skarsgård as Viking prince Amleth, the story follows his wayward journey toward putting a sword to his uncle’s head (Claes Bang) and getting his revenge for the slaying of his father (Ethan Hawke). Big, bold, and bizarre in the way that only an Eggers film can be, The Northman is a prestige picture for the ages.
108m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars
Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus
Directed by
Troy Duffy
An adrenaline-heavy cult film like no other, The Boondock Saints stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus as Irish-Catholic siblings Conner and Murphy. Tiring of the crumbling world around them, the brothers summon up all their religious spirit as the modus operandi for a spree of vigilante killings. But as they take down one mobster after another, a whip-smart FBI agent (Willem Dafoe) starts zeroing in on their killing spree. Wearing its influences on its sleeve, Boondock Saints looks and feels like an amalgamation of Tarantino cinema and B-movie action spectacles, a narrative and atmospheric blending that aims to please and does so effectively, at least for the most part.
83m
Genre
Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Science Fiction
Stars
Sarah Bolger, Amy Aquino, Olivia Wilde
Directed by
David Gelb
In director David Gelb’s The Lazarus Effect, Mark Duplass stars as Frank, a matriculating medical researcher, alongside and Olivia Wilde as Zoe, his fiancé. Together, they have come up with a way to bring the dead back to life. But after a non-approved experiment forces the dean of Frank’s university to put an ax to Frank’s efforts, a freak accident leaves Zoe dead, allowing Frank to use his recent scientific breakthroughs to play God and revive his partner. As one could guess though, the returned Zoe behaves in a much more sinister fashion, post-death. It’s not exactly reinventing the wheel, but The Lazarus Effect manages to chill in a number of compelling ways, and the stellar casting goes a long way toward making this genre pic feel a little more at home.
114m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars
Liam Neeson, Guy Pearce, Taj Atwal
Directed by
Martin Campbell
Memory stars Hollywood heavy Liam Neeson as Alex Lewis, a talented assassin on the cusp of retirement, but there’s one more job to do. As it turns out, though, it’s a convoluted assignment that tasks Alex with doing some heinous work for some truly awful malcontents. But when Alex refuses to complete the mission, the walls start closing in on the assassin-for-hire, forcing Alex to do battle with the forces that sought him out in the first place, along with the FBI. All of this is further complicated by the fact that Alex is beginning to lose his memories. It’s not the greatest action-thriller we’ve seen Neeson cast in, but Memory delivers plenty of emotional gravitas, twists, turns, punches, and kicks, plus a number of cool adrenaline-fueled sequences. It’s par for the course when it comes to Liam. But who’s to say that’s a bad thing?
136m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars
Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González
Directed by
Michael Bay
Buckle up for safety, because when director Michael Bay is behind the wheel of a 2022 remake of a 2005 Danish heist action-thriller, you know there’s going to be major explosions as far as the eye can see. Strapped for cash, ex-Marine Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) wants to earn his living the right way. Yet when the allure of a quick in-and-out bank robbery with his con artist brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) beckons him, Will agrees to pull off the crime with his sibling. But when the job goes haywire, Will and Danny are forced to hijack an ambulance as their getaway vehicle, with two first responders in tow. In terms of A-to-B adrenaline, Ambulance is your typical Michael Bay film, although the exceptional acting, lightning-fast camerawork, and kinetic editing allows this one to rise a few pegs above the director’s other flicks.
147m
Genre
Drama, Thriller
Stars
Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton
Directed by
Ron Howard
In director Ron Howard’s harrowing and emotional Thirteen Lives, is the real-life story of the Wild Boars, a Thai soccer team made up of twelve players and their coach. When the team ventures off into the Tham Luang cave, heavy rains flood the cavern, trapping them inside. After the parents of the boys alert authorities, a globalized rescue effort, comprised of professional divers and other emergency responders, must race against the clock to save the Wild Boars before it’s too late. Dialing in the dramatized strengths from other Howard-honed pictures like Apollo 13, there’s plenty at stake in Thirteen Lives, and the longtime auteur deftly tackles the many anxiety-inducing feats of one of the world’s most death-defying search-and-rescue efforts.
101m
Genre
Thriller, Action
Stars
Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton, Jonathan Pryce
Directed by
Janus Metz
Espionage thrillers make up a unique subset of the genre, and director Janus Metz’ All the Old Knives is a more than fitting contribution to the narrative traditions. Chris Pine and Thandie Newton star as Henry Pelham and Celia Harrison, CIA operatives and ex-lovers who are forced to work together to uncover a mole within the organization’s Vienna satellite location. As the duo closes in on the perpetrator, chemistry resurfaces and past demons arise, leading to some near-insurmountable obstacles that stand in the way of their mission. Pine and Newton are at the top of their game in this one, delivering a dynamic performance fueled by old haunts and new deceit.
Genre
Drama
Based on the Joyce Maynard novel of the same name, Labor Day stars Josh Brolin as convict Frank Chambers, a man on the run who forces Henry (Gattlin Griffith), a 13-year-old boy, and his depressed mother, Adele (Kate Winslet), to take him in after encountering the pair at a grocery store. Hiding out in Adele’s home, both Henry and his mother begin to take a liking to the grizzled nomad. But when authorities start closing in, Frank’s tragic past threatens to tear everything apart. Featuring strong performances from the main players, Labor Day dips its toes into multiple genres but works best as a dramatic thriller where anything could wrong in seconds.
115m
Genre
Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Daniel Radcliffe, Thomas Kretschmann, Alex Russell
Directed by
Greg McLean
A cinematic retelling of Yossi Ghinsberg’s 1981 foray into the Amazon jungle, director Greg McLean’s Jungle stars Daniel Radcliffe as Ghinsberg, an Israeli outdoorsman who travels to Bolivia. Taking up a local guide’s offer to venture into the heart of the jungle with a group of fellow adventurers, Ghinsberg’s fight-or-flight instincts are soon put to the test when the expedition goes completely haywire. A tantalizing survival thriller that leans on the desperation and resourcefulness of its core cast, with Radcliffe leading the charge. Jungle may not be the greatest “nature versus man” film, but it’s a gritty and captivating addition to the sub-genre nonetheless.
163m
Genre
Adventure, Action, Thriller
Stars
Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Rami Malek
Directed by
Cary Joji Fukunaga
This is the cinematic sendoff to actor Daniel Craig’s tenure as the ever-charismatic and highly skilled James Bond. No Time to Die finds the decorated ex-MI6 agent in peaceful retirement on the shores of Jamaica — at least until Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) of the CIA arrives. Bond agrees to one last daring mission, and the objective is to rescue a kidnapped scientist from enemy clutches. This is the kind of quest that Bond is certainly used to. But it turns out that this foe and his plans are more layered and far more devilish than anyone could imagine. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga delivers a well-executed swan song for Craig, bringing Bond’s arc as an intelligence operative to a solid close.
119m
Genre
Action, Crime, Thriller
Stars
Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Scott Eastwood
Directed by
Guy Ritchie
Wrath of Man is a towering action-thriller from the king of stylized punches, kicks, and gunshots, Guy Ritchie. A story told in four parts, the film stars Jason Statham as Patrick Hill, nicknamed “H,” the new armored truck guard for Fortico Security. During a robbery, Hill surprises his coworkers when he takes out all of the perpetrators with savage grace. As time goes on though, we discover that Fortico’s new hire comes bearing an unfathomable bit of baggage that calls for nothing but vengeance. Making use of non-linear storytelling, Wrath of Man sees Statham doing what he does best, and the same can certainly be said for Ritchie. The film is filled with fight scenes, explosions, and other iterations of all-out mayhem, and while it may not be particularly original in any way, it’s certainly good fun.
109m
Genre
Action
Stars
Michael Keaton, Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by
Martin Campbell
As a child, Anna (Maggie Q) was rescued from certain death by legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) who raises her as any assassin would: To become the world’s most skilled contract killer. When Moody is murdered, Anna vows revenge against the enigmatic killer (Michael Keaton) whose attraction to her is beyond typical hunter and hunted. As their confrontation turns deadly, the many loose ends of Anna’s assassin life begin to unravel and then weave themselves tighter together.
119m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Harvey Keitel, Sam Worthington, John Magaro
Directed by
Eytan Rockaway
Meyer Lansky (Harvey Keitel), a notorious crime lord, is on his last leg, a fact that the authorities are all too aware of. Hoping to track down Lansky’s hidden fortune, the Feds do everything in their power to make Lansky talk — and talk he does. In the vein of The Usual Suspects, the patriarchal puppet master begins weaving an intricate tale of his past, with specifics on how he rose to power. Keitel is perfectly cast as Lansky, delivering a tour-de-force performance that carries much of this true-crime thriller.
112m
Genre
Thriller, History, Drama
Stars
Benedict Cumberbatch, Merab Ninidze, Rachel Brosnahan
Directed by
Dominic Cooke
Based on a true story, The Courier stars Benedict Cumberbatch Greville Wynne, your run-of-the-mill British businessman who’s handed the seemingly impossible task of negotiating with a Soviet spy (Merab Ninidze) to defuse international tensions, a massive effort by the U.K.’s MI-6 to put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis. A tactful and rewarding espionage thriller, The Courier finds Benedict Cumberbatch at the top of his powers, delivering yet another engrossing leading-man performance.
Digital Trends Streaming Roundup
97m
Genre
Horror, Thriller, Drama, Crime, Mystery
Stars
Carol Kane, Charles Durning, Colleen Dewhurst
Directed by
Fred Walton
Featuring one of the most terrifying openings of any horror/thriller to date, When a Stranger Calls stars Carol Kane as Jill Johnson, a babysitter who receives the shock of her life when a disturbed merchant seaman preys upon her and the children she’s sitting for. After she escapes his clutches, the perpetrator returns seven years later after breaking out of a psychiatric institution to continue stalking Jill and her new family. A well-rounded film with earnest performances and an edge-of-your-seat story, When a Stranger Calls may attempt a little too much storyline at times, but its greatest successes are had when the film focuses on the torment of Jill Johnson and her fight for survival.
90m
Genre
Thriller, War, Drama
Stars
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Cena, Laith Nakli
Directed by
Doug Liman
The Wall is a very stripped-down thriller with only three major roles. In Iraq, military sniper Shane Matthews (John Cena) and his spotter, Sergeant Allen “Ize” Isaac (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), are assigned to make sure that a pipeline construction site is clear from enemy forces. Unfortunately, a feared sniper known as Juba (Laith Nakli) successfully draws them into a trap, and wounds both men. As the soldiers hide behind a crumbling wall, Juba uses the radio to learn more about them and to advance his larger plans. That’s because Juba has done this before, and his words are also weapons in his arsenal.
90m
Genre
Drama, Mystery, Comedy
Stars
Morgan Saylor, Sophie Lowe, Margo Martindale
Directed by
Danielle Krudy, Bridget Savage Cole
From writer-director duo Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, Blow the Man Down is a bleak seaside thriller with black comedy undertones. Siblings Priscilla (Sophie Lowe) and Mary Beth Connolly (Morgan Saylor) aren’t on the greatest of terms after their mother’s funeral. Further complicating their sisterly struggle is a murder they must commit (in self-defense). Disposing of the body, the sisters are far from out of the woods when local law enforcement begins a search for the very man the duo pitched in the ocean. Add to that another body washing up on the shore, and Blow the Man Down sheds a layer to reveal a deeper underbelly of feminist power-playing and malicious intent. A film that builds an immersive tone and atmosphere from the get-go, Blow the Man Down is a whodunit that keeps you drawn in for its 90-minute runtime.
118m
Genre
Thriller, Drama
Stars
Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Morrison
Directed by
Scott Z. Burns
A star-studded cast, including Adam Driver, Annette Bening, and Jon Hamm, tackled this film’s deep-dive into the investigation of and controversy around torture used by the CIA following the terrorist attacks on September 11. Examining the full 6,700-page report by Daniel Jones of the Senate Intelligence Committee, the story is based, in part, on Katherine Eban’s Vanity Fair article “Rorschach and Awe.” Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2019, the Amazon Studios movie had a brief theatrical release then went straight to the streaming service.
145m
Genre
Thriller, Drama, Romance
Stars
Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo
Directed by
Park Chan-wook
Dubbed an erotic psychological thriller, this South Korean film, also known as Ah-ga-ssi, is inspired by the novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, with a change in setting from the Victorian era to Korea during Japanese colonial rule. At the heart of the story is a con man with a sinister plot to seduce a Japanese heiress so he can have her committed and steal her money.
113m
Genre
Drama, Thriller
Stars
Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller
Directed by
Lynne Ramsay
Lionel Shriver’s psychological thriller, We Need to Talk About Kevin, was adapted for the screen by director Lynne Ramsay with Ezra Miller in the title role. Regardless, this movie belongs to Tilda Swinton, who plays Kevin’s mother, Eva. John C. Reilly also has a rare dramatic turn as Eva’s husband and Kevin’s father, Franklin. The story begins in the present, as Eva struggles to deal with the enormity of Kevin’s crime against society and herself. But as Eva examines her past, she begins to wonder what part she had to play in raising a monster under her own roof. Swinton’s performance is electric, and it carries the film all the way to its conclusion. However, Miller’s Kevin is the rare screen monster who is all too human with the evil he inflicts upon the world.
89m
Genre
Thriller, Drama
Stars
Joaquin Phoenix, Judith Roberts, Ekaterina Samsonov
Directed by
Lynne Ramsay
Joaquin Phoenix is on point in Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here. The Oscar-winning actor plays Joe, a brutalizer-for-hire, with a specialty in rescuing trafficked girls. Suffering from suicidal thoughts and years of trauma from his childhood through his military career, Joe agrees to a new mission. It’s standard fare: Rescue a senator’s daughter and take down anyone that gets in the way. The only trouble is that those involved are part of a much deeper political conspiracy, and Joe lands right in the middle of the villains and their victims. You Were Never Really Here has teeth, and it bites — a lot. Those uneasy with gore may want to choose something else on this list. For those that can stomach Joe’s reign of hammer-blows, you’ll be rewarded with a brilliantly directed character study and a mesmerizing lead performance from our latest cinematic Joker.
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