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The best thrillers on Amazon Prime Video right now

The thriller genre is always good for a nail-biting surprise or two, with plenty of flicks keeping our eyes glued to the screen for hours at a time. It’s the kind of addictive cinema we all crave now and then, and there are plenty of excellent titles on Amazon Prime Video to choose from. The only drawback is just how many thriller films the streaming platform is home to.

One could scroll endlessly to try and find something new and exciting to indulge in, which is why we’ve put together this rotating roundup of Prime Video’s best heart-pounders. We aim to highlight an equal blend of classics and fresh releases, so be sure to check back next month to see what’s new!

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.

Mad Max (1979)

Mad Max
62 %
4.7/10
r 91m
Genre Adventure, Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Stars Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Directed by George Miller
Before Tom Hardy took on the famous role in Mad Max: Fury Road, the O.G. desert warrior was played by Mel Gibson in director George Miller’s adrenaline-fueled Mad Max. Taking place in a future where any semblance of Australia’s civility is on its way out the door, police officer-turned-vigilante Max Rockatansky is tasked with tracking down members of a radicalized biker gang that terrorizes what’s left of humanity

The Descent (2005)

The Descent
71 %
5.7/10
r 99m
Genre Adventure, Horror
Stars Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid
Directed by Neil Marshall
Exploring subterranean caves may not be everyone’s idea of a great time, and it definitely becomes a chief regret of all the characters in the 2005 film The Descent. Following a group of female cave divers as they journey beneath the earth, what starts out as a brave adventure suddenly devolves into a nightmare when the explorers stumble upon blood-hungry monsters living far below. If you’re easily disturbed by confined spaces, you may want to steer clear of this perilous plummet to hells untold.

Foe (2023)

Foe
44 %
5.4/10
r 111m
Genre Science Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Drama
Stars Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, Aaron Pierre
Directed by Garth Davis
Based on Ian Reid’s 2018 novel of the same name, Foe stars Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal as Hen and Junior, a young couple experiencing marital troubles. Living in an alternate future in the country, it seems that rural living proves quite the challenge in 2065. One day, a man named Terrance (Aaron Pierre) arrives, informing Junior that he’s been preselected to journey to an interstellar settlement orbiting Earth. Led by powerhouse performances from Ronan and Mescal, the film explores the idea of leaving civilization as we know it and how it only propels the couple’s downward spiral.

Saltburn (2023)

Saltburn
61 %
7.1/10
r 131m
Genre Drama, Comedy, Thriller
Stars Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike
Directed by Emerald Fennell

What hells may wealth bring? This is the question posed and explored in writer-director Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn. Barry Keoghan stars as Oxford student Oliver Quick, who is unmoored and disillusioned in his studies. That is until he strikes up a friendship with devil-may-care aristocrat Felix Catton (Priscilla‘s Jacob Elordi). After accepting an invitation to spend the summer at Felix’s luxurious family estate, he becomes immersed in a whirlwind world of socialites. Keoghan delivers an excellent performance in Fennell’s kaleidoscopic follow-up to Promising Young Woman. 

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
60 %
6.5/10
pg-13 137m
Genre Action, Adventure, Comedy
Stars Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba
Directed by David Leitch

In Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaws, F&F alums Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham (The Beekeeper) reprise their roles as the titular characters for another crazy adventure. This one just happens to find the unlikely duo going toe-to-toe with Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), a technologically focused cyberterrorist who’s hell-bent on spreading a world-ending virus across the globe. If you’re a fan of the Fast films, you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. First-time viewers of the franchise can expect never-ending, action-packed sequences, as well as a few big laughs. 

Us (2019)

Us
81 %
6.8/10
r 116m
Genre Horror, Thriller
Stars Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph
Directed by Jordan Peele
With Us, the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut Get Out, writer-director Jordan Peele (Nope) takes another devilish dive into the horror-thriller realm. It follows Adelaide Wilson (played by Lupita Nyong’o), her husband, Gabe, (Winston Duke), and their two children, Zora and Jason (Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex), on a family vacation. Upon arriving at their vacation home, the nuclear unit is soon besieged by a group of menacing doppelgängers called the Tethered. Peele’s second film is one you don’t want to miss.

Dark Nature (2023)

Dark Nature
4.4/10
r 85m
Genre Horror
Stars Hannah Anderson, Madison Walsh, Roseanne Supernault
Directed by Berkley Brady
When life has got you down, one should retreat to the wilderness, right? In the wake of tribulations, getting more outdoor-time is a great way to push your demons away, unless you’re one of the characters in writer-director Berkley Brady’s 2022 film Dark Nature. Starring Hannah Emily Anderson as Joy, a woman on the mend from an abusive relationship, Joy joins her pal Carmen (Madison Welsh) on a wellness retreat into the Canadian woodlands. Spearheaded by the enigmatic Dr. Carol Dunnley (Kyra Harper), the getaway is soon interrupted by a horrific creature. A fitting exploration of PTSD, Dark Nature may retread similar paths, but is ultimately pushed a notch above the rest by its strong female cast.

Wrecked (2010)

Wrecked
61 %
4.4/10
r 86m
Genre Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Stars Adrien Brody, Caroline Dhavernas, Ryan Robbins
Directed by Michael Greenspan

It’s a classic setup from the start. In director Michael Greenspan’s Wrecked, Adrian Brody (Asteroid City) stars as our man-with-no-name. Well, he probably has a name, but his car-crash-rattled brain is taking his faculties on vacation. Waking up at the bottom of a ditch with a firearm, a bunch of cash, and a duo of dead guys, Mr. No Name must free himself from the wreckage, while contending with a wilderness that’s hellbent on keeping him perilously pinned. A solid directorial debut from Greenspan, Wrecked is working with some familiar plot threads and tropes, but what really keeps the wheels turning is Brody’s arresting one-man show. From desperation to determination, he packs it all in, and it’s at least half the reason why the movie is so good.

The Wall (2012)

The Wall
67 %
6.4/10
pg-13 104m
Genre Science Fiction, Drama

What would you do if you were cut off from the rest of civilization by an invisible wall? Short of panicking, most of us would have no clue, but these are the cards dealt to our main character in writer-director Julian Pölsler’s 2012 film The Wall. Starring Martina Gedeck as the unnamed protagonist, when our hero discovers the titular barrier between her and the rest of the world, the woman and her dog Lynx are forced into survival mode as nature starts taking over. Will she succumb to the unmovable façade, or will she perish? Watching The Wall may be a bit of a slow-going experience at times, but if you’re willing to go along with the nearly two-hour runtime, you’ll be privy to quite an amazing performance from Gedeck.

M.O.M. Mothers of Monsters (2020)

M.O.M. Mothers of Monsters
5.8/10
r 98m
Genre Thriller, Drama, Horror
Stars Melinda Page Hamilton, Bailey Edwards, Ed Asner
Directed by Tucia Lyman
In M.O.M. Mothers of Monsters, we get more than your typical found-footage thriller. As viewers, we’re actually signing up for a pretty unique take on the “I think there’s something wrong with my child” narrative. Melinda Page Hamilton stars as Abbey Bell, a mother who fears her teenage son Jacob (played by Bailey Edwards) is plotting a school shooting. But when the boy is able to evade the system, Abbey is forced to act on her suspicions without lawful aid. Admittedly, the title is a bit on the lackluster side, but if you can look past the front cover, there’s a tense and impacting story at the core of M.O.M.

The Swerve (2018)

The Swerve
90 %
6.6/10
r 96m
Genre Thriller, Drama, Horror
Stars Azura Skye, Bryce Pinkham, Ashley Bell
Directed by Dean Kapsalis

Once in a blue moon, a solid psychological thriller comes along that truly dips its toes into the world of disturbed and narratively unreliable psyches. Sure, there are plenty of films that try to dive deep into mental hellscapes, but when you see how brilliantly this type of conflict is pulled off by movies like The Swerve, you realize how many other flicks simply miss the mark. Starring Azura Skye as Holly, a high-school teacher, wife, and mother of two, Holly’s life is seemingly good on the surface. That is until a series of strange and hallucinatory events start unfolding around her. Compounded by the many stresses of daily life, including her rebellious children and an unusual student, Holly’s façade begins to crumble as past demons rear their heads. An excellent story of a methodically-paced breakdown, The Swerve is steered by an emotionally arresting lead performance from Skye.

Inside (2023)

Inside
53 %
4.4/10
r 105m
Genre Drama, Thriller
Stars Willem Dafoe, Gene Bervoets, Josia Krug
Directed by Vasilis Katsoupis
Directed by Vasilis Katsoupis from a script by Ben Hopkins, Inside stars Willem Dafoe as cunning art hief Nemo. After a heist goes south, Nemo is forced to hide out in the New York City penthouse he initially invaded do he could rob its out-of-town owner of his Egon Schiele paintings. When Nemo attempts to flee the premises, the high-rise’s security system traps him inside, subjecting the criminal to long days of starvation and hallucinations. Dafoe never delivers a faulty performance, and his egocentric portrayal of Nemo becomes all the more dizzying when the man’s psychosis starts to kick in.

But after attending her funeral, Ben enters into conversation with the woman’s brother (Boyd Holbrook), a man who swears revenge on whoever took his sister’s life. And it just so happens that Ben is going to tag along on this quest for vengeance. A dark and funny mystery flick, Vengeance is the kind of movie that combines a well-thought-out mystery with plenty of laughs to lead us down the seemingly never-ending trail of breadcrumbs.[/dt_media]

Frozen (2010)

Frozen
43 %
2.3/10
r 93m
Genre Thriller
Stars Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers
Directed by Adam Green
Before Disney dazzled the world with “Let it Go” in 2013’s Frozen, a 2010 feature with the same name focused less on anthropomorphic snowmen and more on ravenous wolves who want to devour a group of trapped skiers on a malfunctioning chairlift. Starring Kevin Zegers, Emma Bell, and Shawn Ashmore as Dan, Parker, and Joe, the trio of pals is enjoying a day on the slopes when a miscommunication between lift operators ends up stranding all three skiers high in the sky. As the weather picks up and the odds for survival decrease, the friends are forced to make some harrowing decisions, or risk dying on the chairlift. Written and directed by Adam Green, Frozen manages to pack quite a bit of emotion into its simple story, and while the feature may not have garnered the kind of diehard fans that Olaf has inspired, it’s still a very fun watch.

After the tragic death, OJ and Em are forced to sell off some horses to a local theme park, but when the sudden emergence of an extraterrestrial life form starts wreaking havoc on the desert community, the brother and sister go all-in on trying to capture evidence of the near-invisible UFO. Delivering another powerhouse picture that proudly pays homage to titans of the genre like Steven Spielberg, Nope is further proof that Peele is an undeniable auteur of modern genre cinema.[/dt_media]

Horror in the High Desert (2021)

Horror in the High Desert
r 80m
Genre Horror, Thriller
Stars Suziey Block, Tonya Williams Ogden, Eric Mencis
Directed by Dutch Marich

Shot in a faux found-footage style, Horror in the High Desert is written and directed by Dutch Marich and focuses on the fictional disappearance of wilderness explorer Gary Hinge (played by Eric Mencis). The disappearance took place in 2017, and the film picks up a few years later, focusing on Hinge’s family and friends, as well as authorities, and the horrific bits of evidence they’ve unearthed.

Filmed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marich shot all the talking-head segments of the film using Zoom footage. And whether it was a necessity or not, the format certainly adds to the cold and clinical feel of this chilling and atmospheric exploration of the shocking and vile. Oh, and if you like what you see, you may want to check out the sequel.

The Boondock Saints (1999)

The Boondock Saints
44 %
7.7/10
r 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.

Thirteen Lives (2022)

Thirteen Lives
66 %
7.8/10
pg-13 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.

All the Old Knives (2022)

All the Old Knives
62 %
6.1/10
r 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. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves‘ Chris Pine and Thandiwe 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.

Jungle (2017)

Jungle
48 %
6.7/10
r 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.

No Time to Die (2021)

No Time to Die
68 %
7.3/10
pg-13 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, one of the best Bond movies ever, 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.

Lansky (2021)

Lansky
45 %
6.2/10
r 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.

The Courier (2021)

The Courier
65 %
7.1/10
r 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.

Blow the Man Down (2019)

Blow the Man Down
72 %
6.4/10
r 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.

The Handmaiden (2016)

The Handmaiden
84 %
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.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

We Need to Talk About Kevin
68 %
7.5/10
r 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 The Flash‘s 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.

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

You Were Never Really Here
84 %
6.8/10
r 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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Michael Bizzaco
Michael Bizzaco has been writing about and working with consumer tech for well over a decade, writing about everything from…
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