From single-location mysteries that slowly unravel to pulse-pounding, psychological terrors threatening to rip someone apart, thriller films come in all shapes and sizes, and Netflix is one of the best places to experience the full breadth of the genre.
Whether you’re looking for something new or old, Netflix has plenty of thrillers to choose from, and we’ve put together this roundup of the best thrillers on Netflix to help you select some winners for your weekend binge.
We’ve also rounded up the best thrillers on Amazon Prime Video and the best thrillers on Hulu if Netflix doesn’t have what you’re looking for.
Recently added to Netflix
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The Platform2019 -
Deliverance1972
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Nightcrawler2014
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Seven1995
95m
Genre
Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Iván Massagué, Antonia San Juan, Zorion Eguileor
Directed by
Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Have you ever seen or heard of famed French-Canadian Denis Villeneuve’s short film Next Floor? If not, here’s a quick summary: A baroquely-costumed set of aristocrats gorge on a handsome feast, with their increasingly accrued weight plummeting them (and their table, chairs, and food) through the floor, where they resume said gorging. Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s The Platform plays with some of the same narrative bits, albeit in the form of a more realized social commentary. The story follows the imprisoned residents of a Vertical Self-Management Center, a dystopian vessel that delivers food to its captives by way of an elevator system. In order of randomized hierarchy, those at the top get the most food, while those at the bottom get the scraps. Inevitably, this leads to an uprising of horrific proportions. The Platform is a satirical production that grapples with Darwinism in some bizarre and all-consuming ways. One thing is for sure: It’s a flick you don’t want to miss.
109m
Genre
Drama, Adventure, Thriller
Stars
Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty
Directed by
John Boorman
Backwoods horror is a unique breed unto its own, complete with map-less enviroments, living-off-the-land miscreants, and Mother Nature’s worst. Cinematically, you can find all of these hazards and more in John Boorman’s Deliverance. Based on the James Dickey novel of the same name, the story follows four Atlanta-based businessmen (Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox) who journey out into the Georgian wilderness to have one last row on a river before it’s dammed up. Not long after their pilgrimage begins, a band of mountain folk descend on the wayward fellas, a brutal reminder that deep in the pines, no one can save you. Grim and exciting, unrelenting, and fueled by solid performances from the main ensemble, Deliverance is a ‘70s gem like no other.
118m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed
Directed by
Dan Gilroy
Nightcrawler is an after-hours masterpiece from writer-director Dan Gilroy, chronicling the life and times of LA’s wiry and bizarre Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a hard-to-peg gentleman with a penchant for trying to make a buck any way he can. His latest exploit: documenting crime scenes and selling the footage to a news network. But the deeper down the rabbit hole of cataloging Louis descends, the deadlier the stakes become for the cameraman, his fast-acting assistant (Riz Ahmed), and his local news contact (Rene Russo). A kinetic picture with incredible cinematography, a mesmerizing score, and an unforgettable Gyllenhaal performance, Nightcrawler is a nocturnal thriller for the ages.
127m
Genre
Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Stars
Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow
Directed by
David Fincher
David Fincher has become a prolific auteur in the mainstream-adjacent world of Hollywood filmmaking, delivering noteworthy titles like Fight Club, Panic Room, and Gone Girl, but it was the 1995 thriller Seven that truly introduced audiences to the director’s penchant for deep dives into the seedy underbellies of American life. In this noir-inspired flick, Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt star as detectives William Somerset and David Mills, two tough lawmen tasked with tracking down a sadistic serial killer who chooses his victims and carries out his murders based on the Christian Bible’s seven deadly sins. A morbid amalgamation of drama and thriller elements, Seven features excellent performances from its core cast and an oft-quoted bit of third-act dialogue from Mr. Pitt that comes just before one of the film’s most disturbing revelations.
151m
Genre
Drama, Thriller, Crime
Stars
Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon
Directed by
Martin Scorsese
Double-crossing is the modus operandi of choice in director Martin Scorsese’s 2006 thriller The Departed, which is actually a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Internal Affairs. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon star as Boston cops Billy Costigan and Colin Sullivan. Costigan goes undercover in order to worm his way into the good graces of Irish mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). On the other side of the law is Sullivan, a plant in the Massachusetts State Police who reports to Costello. When both the police and criminal empire discover that their activities are being spied on, Costigan and Sullivan are thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse, both with each other and the Irish mob. An adrenaline-packed thrill ride from start to finish, Scorsese is at the top of his game with The Departed, doing what he does best — giving viewers a mesmerizing and brutal depiction of the inner workings and livelihoods of the world’s most dangerous people.
114m
Genre
Crime, Drama
Stars
Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks
Directed by
Martin Scorsese
Without Taxi Driver, we wouldn’t have movies like Joker. Both are films about isolated and disillusioned outcasts living on the fringes of decrepit, crime-ridden cities — men who want to take a stab at heroism and grandeur with homegrown theatrics and hidden weaponry. In the case of the former, a young Robert De Niro stars as Travis Bickle, a fractured Vietnam vet and lonely city dweller who takes a job as a New York cab driver. Absorbing the city and its many malcontents during the midnight hour, Bickle’s grasp on reality weakens further and further, leading the man behind the wheel to take radical aim at the corrupt political powers of the suffering metropolis. From its gritty camerawork to De Niro’s tour-de-force performance, the disintegration of the American Dream is front and center in Taxi Driver, a quietly violent film about the devastating consequences of trauma and detachment.
120m
Genre
Drama, Thriller
Stars
Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin
Directed by
Ben Affleck
In Ben Affleck’s third directorial effort, Argo, the veteran actor stars as Tony Mendez, a CIA extractor who is called upon by the U.S. government to come up with a plan to rescue 66 American hostages from the U.S. embassy in Iran. Needing to come up with a plan that won’t draw the wrong kind of attention, Mendez and his team come up with a brilliant scheme: Mendez will don the guise of a Hollywood producer, one scouting locations for a fabricated film, and the displaced Americans will be passed off as the film’s Canadian crew. Based on Mendez’s memoir The Master of Disguise, Argo showcased some impressive chops across the board, from its powerhouse cast to its nail-biting narrative. The film even cleaned house at the 85th Academy Awards, winning Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
107m
Genre
Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, Jurnee Smollett
Directed by
Joseph Kosinski
Spiderhead tears down all the bars, gates, and imposing walls of the traditional prison thriller. And it totally flips the sub-genre on its head with a bit of sci-fi thrown in for good measure. The film stars Chris Hemsworth as Steve Abnesti, the tech-warden-savant of a revolutionary new prison, one where inmates are fed mind-altering drugs for their respective sentences as opposed to literal time “behind bars.” But when two new inmates, Jeff (Miles Teller) and Lizzy (Jurnee Smollett), enter the facility, they form a unique bond that calls Abnesti’s experimental practices into question. Based on the George Saunders short story Escape from Spiderhead, the film adaptation aims for a high-brow blending of wit and adrenaline. While it doesn’t completely nail either, screen-stealing performances from its main ensemble, particularly Hemsworth, are enough to keep us here for the long haul.
98m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Adventure
Stars
Elsa Pataky, Luke Bracey, Aaron Glenane
Directed by
Matthew Reilly
In director Matt Reilly’s Interceptor, Elsa Pataky stars as Captain JJ Collins, the spearhead of an isolated nuclear missile facility smack-dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. When the weapons hub falls under attack from enemy forces led by a former U.S. intelligence operative (Luke Bracey), Collins must use her military background and quick ingenuity to thwart the evildoers before they overrun the base. Interceptor is a decent example of a Netflix-backed action-thriller, driven by a kinetic pace that hits all the beats but misses here and there. A refreshing change of pace is seeing a woman in a role that would normally be helmed by Bruce Willis, and Pataky tackles her heroine character with muscle and grace.
100m
Genre
Thriller
Stars
Tuppence Middleton, Hannah Gross, David Cronenberg
Directed by
Albert Shin
As a child, Abby inadvertently witnessed a harrowing deed: A kidnapping carried out in broad daylight. Now an adult (played by Tuppence Middleton), Abby returns to her hometown of Niagara Falls, Ontario, after inheriting a family-run motel in the wake of her mother’s passing. Upon taking up residence at the Clifton Hill resort, Abby’s memories of the childhood kidnapping return full force. She begins reconstructing the crime from her memories, becoming a vigilante detective that follows a trail of loose leads that could reveal what happened to the boy she saw taken away years ago. A grim and stylish thriller with tinges of noir tossed in for good measure, Disappearance at Clifton Hill is an excellent foray into the world of independent genre filmmaking.
113m
Genre
Crime, Action, Comedy
Stars
Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding
Directed by
Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie films are always at their best when the plot involves some kind of dirty dealings amongst two-bit criminals and the fortunes they wish to make off with. Such is the case with the director’s return to form in 2010’s The Gentlemen. Starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Pearson, an American expat who has built his monetary empire through overseas marijuana. When the news breaks that Pearson is seeking to sell off his infamous drug business, the criminal underbelly takes shots at Pearson’s legacy through bribery and blackmail, hoping to rock the magnate from his throne. A powerhouse action-thriller with blasts of comedy throughout, The Gentlemen is your typical Guy Ritchie fare, and we’re more than OK with the formula at play.
128m
Genre
War, History, Drama
Stars
Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald
Directed by
John Madden
Operation Mincemeat stars Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen as Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley, two British World War II intelligence officers who are tasked with protecting resistance troops that are planning an all-out siege of Sicily by July of that year. To do so, both men are inspired by the 1939 Trout Memo to send a corpse filled with misleading information and a false identity onto enemy shores. What follows is an act of wartime deception unlike any other. Based on Ben Macintyre’s historical text of the same name, Operation Mincemeat features powerhouse performances from both Firth and Macfadyen, and a plot full of memorable turns and nail-biting subterfuge.
125m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Crime, Adventure
Stars
Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam
Directed by
J.C. Chandor
In Triple Frontier, an ensemble of recognizable talents are given the action-hero treatment for what amounts to a heist thriller that dares to say more about the genre, and succeeds. Our story follows a team of ex-Special Forces comrades as they band together to steal away the fortune of a South American drug lord. But as the group’s collective hubris threatens to deconstruct their mission, their adversaries gain ground, forcing the mercenaries to fight for their lives.
92m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars
Alban Lenoir, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Rod Paradot
Directed by
Guillaume Pierret
Lost Bullet is exactly what the world needs right now: A taut action-thriller with adrenaline-fueled everything — cinematography, editing, score, etc. Starring Alban Lenoir as Lino, a talented mechanic, Lino is in over his head when charges for a crime he committed in a horrific past life catch up to him. To escape the clutches of the crooked cops that want him put away, Lino must journey once more into the world of underground ram-driving to find his true freedom. Loud, caustic, and a ton of fun, Lost Bullet does both the familiar and daring with the sub-genre it lives within.
138m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough
Directed by
Antonio Campos
In writer-director Antonio Campos’ The Devil all the Time (an adaptation of the Donald Ray Pollack novel of the same name), the lives of several small-town post-World War II citizens are changed forever when the fervor of evangelical religion descends upon their rural community. Powered by an ensemble cast (Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland chief amongst the players), the source material may have been a bit too much to pull off for the creative team, but The Devil all the Time manages to serve up plenty of maniacal thrills, regardless of the bumpy nature of its narrative coherence.
92m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Jason Segel, Lily Collins, Jesse Plemons
Directed by
Charlie McDowell
In Windfall, Jason Segel stars as an unnamed home invader. Breaking into the regal estate of a billionaire CEO, the man seeks to make off with whatever he can find, but his plans are thwarted when the owner of the home (Jesse Plemons) and his spouse (Lily Collins) arrive unexpectedly. As the robbery devolves into a hostage situation, the three home inhabitants are forced to contend with both their actions and intentions, all while some long-held secrets boil to the surface. A bare-bones thriller that really gets the job done, thanks in part to the strengths of its core cast, Windfall will have you glued to the edge of your couch for its entire 90 minutes.
89m
Genre
Thriller, Mystery
Stars
Leighton Meester, Christina Wolfe, Ziad Bakri
Directed by
Kim Farrant
Based on the 2020 Sarah Alderson novel of the same name, The Weekend Away stars Leighton Meester as Beth, a woman who boards a flight to Croatia to spend time with her best friend, Kate (Christina Wolfe). It turns out that Kate’s marriage isn’t going so well, but after a night on the town, the women agree to make the most of their getaway. But when Beth wakes the next morning, Kate is nowhere to be found. As she begins looking for her lost friend, the plot continues to thicken for Beth as she realizes that their simple trip may have been more than the girl’s retreat it was made out to be.
111m
Genre
Crime
Stars
Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario
Directed by
Joe Berlinger
An adaptation of the Elizabeth Kendall memoir The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile stars Zac Efron as the infamous serial killer and Lily Collins as his longtime girlfriend, Liz. As news of Bundy’s crimes start making headlines, the authorities descend on the murderer, putting him behind bars. At first, Liz is hesitant to believe that Ted could commit such horrific crimes, but as the evidence starts piling up, her steadfast belief in her partner starts to wane. Featuring great lead performances and a captivating story told from the perspective of someone who doesn’t want to believe their lover is a psychopath, Extremely Wicked is unnerving from start to finish.
117m
Genre
Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson
Directed by
Joe Penna
From Gravity to Passengers, the sci-fi-meets-thriller sub-genre has seen a lot of attention over the last decade. Stowaway, a new entry to the fold, honors the close-quarters iconography of the flicks that came before it while delivering its own unique set of thrills. Our story follows a three-person crew (Toni Collette, Anna Kendrick, and Daniel Dae Kim) on a voyage to Mars. After takeoff, the trifecta discovers a fourth passenger is also onboard, a presence that threatens the lives of the four space-bound humans. Faced with life-or-death decision making, Stowaway leans on the acting gravitas of its main ensemble and tight script to tell a familiar yet gripping story of choices and consequences.
93m
Genre
Thriller, Drama, Mystery, Horror
Stars
María Valverde, Guillermo Pfening, Dolores Fonzi
Directed by
Claudia Llosa
A hypnotic adaptation of the Samantha Schweblin novel of the same name, Fever Dream centers on the story of two young mothers that are brought together in psychologically mind-bending ways when their children fall victim to a mysterious poisoning. A commentary on some of Argentina’s environmental troubles, the film takes a bold visual approach, building an overbearingly eerie tone as the fates of several characters become unbreakably intertwined.
116m
Genre
Drama, Action, Thriller
Stars
Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda
Directed by
Sam Hargrave
Retiring his superhero cape in favor of gritty militant threads, Extraction stars Thor alum Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake, a cunning Australian mercenary. Hired to rescue the kidnapped son of a Mumbai crime lord, Tyler’s descent into hostile territory quickly proves to be more than the black-ops soldier ever bargained for. Packed with electric action sequences and a strong performance from Hemsworth, Extraction is an octane-charged foray into the familiar amalgamation of the action-meets-thriller sub-genre.
108m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Liam Neeson, Marcus Thomas, Laurence Fishburne
Directed by
Jonathan Hensleigh
The Ice Road stars thriller-stalwart Liam Neeson as Mike, a big-rig truck driver. When a crew of diamond miners is trapped inside their working quarters in the wake of a collapse, Mike must drive his eighteen-wheeler across the harsh Canadian tundras, over frozen waters and through a devastating storm, to rescue the miners. But as Mother Nature begins prevailing, Mike and his backup team are in for much more than they bargained for. Playing out much like a number of Liam Neeson’s cinematic escapades, The Ice Road doesn’t seek to reinvent the action-thriller but provides plenty of gravitas in the form of big dialogue, big effects, and big locations.
101m
Genre
Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller, Horror
Stars
Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan, Katie Aselton
Directed by
Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson
Steve (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan) are lifelong best friends and paramedic co-workers operating in New Orleans. When a series of horrific accidents are called into the duo, the pair believes it will be work as usual. That is until Dennis’ daughter disappears, forcing both men to question the true properties of a dangerous drug that has been found amongst all the accident victims. Is the drug capable of actually bending time in some way? Or are Steve and Dennis beginning to lose their minds with all the pressure at work. A mind-bender with tinges of sci-fi-like bits of bread crumbs along the way, Synchronic will make you ever more empathetic to the lives and hardships of first-responders — especially those affected by dimension-breaking narcotics.
108m
Genre
Thriller, Mystery, Drama, Horror, Crime
Stars
Kang Ha-neul, Kim Moo-yul, Moon Sung-keun
Directed by
Jang Hang-jun
Jin-seok (Kang Ha-neul) has just moved into a new house with his parents and older brother, and it’s quite the unusual place. While there’s seemingly nothing that is blatantly out of the ordinary, Jin-seok just doesn’t feel right under the new roof. This is further compounded when his brother is suddenly kidnapped, returning close to three weeks later. After his sibling’s reemergence, Jin-seok notices that his entire nuclear unit is acting funny. Then they hit him with the news: It’s not actually 1997, but 2017. What in tarnation is going on? A slick entry in the South Korean action-thriller canon, Forgotten is a visual feast set against a compelling and complex narrative.
93m
Genre
Thriller, Horror
Stars
Daniel Gillies, Erik Thomson, Miriama McDowell
Directed by
James Ashcroft
The feature debut of James Ashcroft, Coming Home in the Dark stars Daniel Gillies and Matthias Luafutu as Mandrake and Tubs, a pair of hellbent maniacs who attach themselves to the doomed Hoaganraad family, a nuclear unit of four hoping to enjoy a weekend away from it all. As the family gets to know Mandrake more, they soon realize that his surface-level charisma is but a thin wall that holds back a much more sinister plan, a scheme he has been planning for nearly two decades. Powered by a devilish lead performance from Daniel Gillies, Coming Home in the Dark will feel familiar to anyone who was watched movies like Funny Games, but it’s a welcome entry to the constantly rotating sub-genre of domestic invasion thrillers.
80m
Genre
Thriller, Action, Drama
Stars
Olga Kurylenko, Marilyn Lima, Michel Nabokoff
Directed by
Julien Leclercq
Revenge-thrillers are a dime a dozen, so what makes Sentinelle any different than the rest? Well, for starters, it’s completely unrelenting. The plot follows Klara (Olga Kurylenko), a discharged soldier sent home after a harrowing close call during combat. The woman’s trauma is only compounded when she uncovers a web of crime that could lead to her sister’s death. Taking justice into her own hands, Klara utilizes her weapons training and intellect to hunt down the could-be killers. As mentioned, Sentinelle hits hard and fast, delivering a blazing action-thriller in less than 90 minutes.
127m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Comedy
Stars
Matthias Schweighöfer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ruby O. Fee
Directed by
Matthias Schweighöfer
Serving as a prequel to Zack Synder’s adrenaline-pumping Army of the Dead, Army of Thieves was co-written by Matthias Schweighöfer and Synder and directed by Schweighöfer. Our story follows Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer), operating as Sebastian, a safecracking expert living in Potsam. When one of Sebastian’s safecracking instructional YouTube videos receives attention from a mysterious viewer, he journeys into the city where he is recruited to join an elite heist-team led by Gwendoline (Natalie Emmanuel). Together, the band of thieves concoct a plan to crack a series of impenetrable safes throughout Europe. A brilliant extension of the Army universe, Thieves stands on its own two legs, thanks to memorable performances and riveting set-pieces.
188m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery, Western
Stars
Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Directed by
Quentin Tarantino
When a raging blizzard descends upon post-Civil War Wyoming, a stagecoach carrying a medley of hard-to-trust lawmen, bounty hunters, and criminals arrives at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a secluded outpost already host to its own set of mysterious lodgers. As the snow sets in, the forces of good and evil are placed into a pressure-cooker. Personalities clash and lives are challenged, all while hidden intentions of some of the inhabitants rise to the surface. A spiritual sequel to Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight is a close-knit siege thriller in the style of John Carpenter’s The Thing (a noted inspiration for the film).
91m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Jake Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough
Directed by
Antoine Fuqua
LAPD officer Joe Baylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) is working the night shift for 9-1-1 dispatch. Awaiting a court hearing for an initially-unknown incident that occurred months before, Joe receives a call from a woman claiming to be kidnapped. As Joe does everything in his power to help his abducted caller, it soon becomes clear that this singular call may have more to do with Joe and his past than he’s aware of. A fist-clenching thriller, one led by an extremely captivating lead performance from Gyllenhaal, The Guilty may not be as great as the original 2018 Danish film, but the talent onscreen and close-quarters cinematography is undeniably gripping.
102m
Genre
Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Katie Douglas, Celina Martin, Peter Outerbridge
Directed by
Danishka Esterhazy
In a dystopian school for young women, educators prepare their incumbents for adopted life outside the walls of the institution. Vivien (Katie Douglas) and Sophia (Celina Martin) are two friends living on level 16 of the facility — the final stage before release. But as their termination date draws near, it becomes clear to the girls that the militant establishment they’ve spent their entire lives in may have untimely plans for those residing in its cells. A mesmerizing blend of genre elements, with touches of Suspiria and The Stepford Wives sprinkled here and there, Level 16 is a sci-fi shocker that will keep you guessing, eventually unfurling into third-act chaos and madness.
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115m
Genre
Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Boyd Holbrook, Cleopatra Coleman, Michael C. Hall
Directed by
Jim Mickle
Our story begins in 1988. Thomas Lockhart (Boyd Holbrook) is faced with a macabre investigation in Philadelphia — one where several victims all hemorrhage to death at the same time, with puncture wounds located on each of their heads. Following leads that inevitably result in an even deeper mystery, Lockhart’s investigation goes dormant until a series of copycat killings resurfaces nine years later. A great blend of mystery-meets-sci-fi, In the Shadow of the Moon may not land with all viewers, but as a made-for-Netflix caper, it’s an arresting genre-dive you won’t want to miss.
116m
Genre
Drama, Thriller
Stars
Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Directed by
Tom Ford
When art curator Susan Morrow receives the manuscript for her ex-husband’s latest novel entitled Nocturnal Animals, she begins reading the book. As Susan unpacks the novel, we watch the prose unfold onscreen. In the text, a teacher (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his family have a horrific run-in with a pack of miscreants on a deserted country road, leading the patriarch down a twisted path of revenge. The more Susan reads, the more she realizes how several events of the book echo significant moments from her past with Edward (also played by Gyllenhaal), her writerly ex. A tension-packed modern noir laced with incredible performances, Nocturnal Animals is one you don’t want to scroll past.
82m
Genre
Horror, Thriller
Stars
Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice, Katie Aselton
Directed by
Patrick Brice
When shoestring videographer Aaron (Patrick Brice) accepts a paying gig from a mysterious new client, his visit to the man’s remote mountain residence soon devolves into a bizarre nightmare as Josef (Mark Duplass), the homeowner, claims to be making a video for his unborn child before he dies from a brain tumor. At least that’s what Josef wants Aaron to believe. The truth, as the viewer will come to discover, is far more sinister. Taking the found footage sub-genre to thrilling new places, Creep feels like a very small film, but one packed with suspense and misdirects as Josef’s intentions become increasingly murkier.
114m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars
Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Chloe Coleman
Directed by
Navot Papushado
In this rollicking action thriller, Karen Gillan stars as Sam, a high-octane assassin carrying out hits for an underground organization known as The Firm. Abandoned at a young age by her mother (Lena Headey), a fellow hitman, Sam’s estrangement has reinforced her cold-blooded tendencies. In the wake of a hit gone wrong, Sam is forced to re-examine her allegiance to the organization that provides her lifestyle and the life of an innocent 8-year-old girl (Chloe Coleman). An intense film from start to finish, Gunpowder Milkshake gives us an intriguing premise with excellent players and top-notch filmmaking.
118m
Genre
Crime, Action, Thriller
Stars
Freddie Highmore, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Riley
Directed by
Jaume Balagueró
In The Vault, Freddie Highmore stars as Thom, a prolific engineer who happens upon some intoxicating intel. Learning of a hidden treasure trove located underneath The Bank of Spain, Thom and his group of allies concoct a master plan to break into the compound and make off with the riches while the rest of the country is distracted by Spain’s World Cup Final. Powered by energetic performances from its main ensemble and buttressed by some incredible set pieces and memorable locations, The Vault hits all the beats that a heist thriller should, making for an excellent watch.
Genre
Thriller, Mystery, Crime
Cast
Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgård, James Badge Dale
In his follow-up to the ultra-violent Green Room, Jeremy Saulnier takes to the great wilds of Alaska for an adaptation of William Giraldi’s Hold the Dark. Starring Jeffrey Wright as wolf-tracker Russell Core, the animal expert is hired by Medora Slone (Riley Keough), a woman convinced that a pack of vicious wolves made off with her young son. As Russell begins his investigation, Medora’s spouse, Vernon (Alexander Skarsgård), arrives home from Iraq. Troubled by the horrors of frontline warfare, Vernon begins an all-out descent into madness as Russell begins to uncover more than he bargained for in the unrelenting tundra. Working with his biggest budget yet, indie stalwart Jeremy Saulnier delivers a grim reimagining of Giraldi’s already-macabre prose, complete with big action sequences and a touch of folkloric horror.
105m
Genre
Science Fiction, Thriller, Drama, Mystery
Stars
Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Grace Park
Directed by
Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
When Chloe (Lexy Kolker) dares to dream of the world outside the four walls of her home, the girl’s wishes are more than granted after discovering she possesses supernatural powers. She is one of thousands of gifted human beings known as Abnormals, a massive population of so-called freaks that the government is hunting. After learning that her mother, presumed dead, is an Abnormal herself and being held captive in a hidden prison, Chloe must tap into her extrasensory abilities to rescue her family and outsmart the hunters who want her dead. A film experienced through the eyes of its main character, the awestruck Chloe, Freaks blends thriller, horror, and sci-fi elements for a perplexing but addictive amalgamation of tropes old and new.
112m
Genre
Thriller, Mystery, Science Fiction
Stars
Park Shin-hye, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Sung-ryung
Directed by
Lee Chung-hyun
In Chung-hyun Lee’s The Call, we follow two different timelines, with a telephone call linking both eras. Seo-Yeon (Shin-hye Park) spends her days in the present while Young-Sook (Jong-seo Jun) lurks in the past. One is a serial killer, the other the victim. A bizarre amalgam of sci-fi-meets-psychological-thriller, The Call scores high with us for its nail-biting narrative, moody tone, dedicated performances, and plenty of originality.
Genre
Thriller
Cast
Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Nanna Blondell, Anastasios Soulis
David (Anastasios Soulis) and Nadja (Nanna Blondell), a set of young newlyweds, lead a stressful life of work, school, and poor communication skills. When Nadja learns that she’s pregnant, she decides to save the news for an adventurous ski trip to Sweden’s far north with David. As the couple begins to lose themselves to nature’s bounty, a hidden assailant begins stalking David and Nadja. It’s a nightmarish fight for survival in the merciless winter wilderness, as the infamous red dot of a rifle-sight follows every move the married couple makes. An energy-packed survival thriller, Red Dot is effective in making us feel just as lost and drenched in paranoia as the film’s leading talents.
118m
Genre
Drama, Comedy, Thriller
Stars
Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage
Directed by
J Blakeson
Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) is a daring and destructive Massachusetts con artist. Malicious in ways most of us could never be, Marla targets the elderly. Her modus operandi? A court-appointed legal ward, she and her lover, Fran (Eiza González), make their living by funneling the assets of their octogenarian clients via legal means. That is, until they cross paths with Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest), a wealthy senior with no living family — the perfect target for Marla and Fran. It just so happens that Jennifer comes with some not-so-forgiving mafia connections. What unravels is a vicious game of sharks versus sharks as the mob closes in on Marla’s daring exploits. Featuring a fantastic performance from Pike and a nail-biting script, I Care a Lot dares to be bold and does so more than effectively.
103m
Genre
Thriller, Drama
Stars
Javier Gutiérrez, Mario Casas, Bruna Cusí
Directed by
Àlex Pastor, David Pastor
In The Occupant, Javier Gutiérrez stars as Javier Muñoz, a high-ranking executive who falls on hard times. Forced into unemployment, the big earner watches as his luxurious penthouse home is put on the seller’s market. When new tenants move in, the psychologically troubled Javier becomes obsessed with the occupants and begins making himself known to them in unsavory ways. Gutiérrez is a standout in The Occupant, packaging corporate greed, intellect, and a touch of humanity into a chilling lead performance that truly steers the film.
113m
Genre
Thriller, Mystery, Horror
Stars
Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Zawe Ashton
Directed by
Dan Gilroy
The art world is a strange one to live in, particularly when the tortured spirits of dead artists start wreaking havoc on the outside world. These are the cards we’re dealt with Dan Gilroy’s insanely odd Velvet Buzzsaw, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Morf Vandewalt, an eccentric art critic that comes in contact with the possessed paintings of Vetril Dease (Alan Mandell). Death, dismemberment, and other macabre occurrences soon descend on the principal players, leaving us to wonder where the line is drawn between reality and fiction. Big, odd, and loaded with color, Velvet Buzzsaw is one you won’t forget.
82m
Genre
Thriller, Horror, Mystery
Stars
Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa
Directed by
Nicolas Pesce
Reed is a near-homicidal family man who needs an outlet for his inner rage. So, he decides on a prostitute. Not for sex. For murdering. What he didn’t expect was Jackie (Mia Wasikowska), a call girl just as cunning, sadistic, and merciless as Reed himself. When the two get together, Reed’s killer plan disintegrates before his eyes, and a wicked game of cat and mouse begins. Piercing is an adaptation of Ryū Murakami’s novel of the same name, source material that writer-director Nicholas Pesce pays great respect to. This vision is only furthered by the perfectly-cast Abbott and Wasikowska, two versatile actors who flourish as the wretched psychopaths of Piercing.
Genre
Horror, Thriller
Cast
Jack Lowden, Martin McCann, Tony Curran
When two lifelong friends, a businessman and his pal from boarding school, head out for a hunting weekend in the Scottish Highlands, things quickly turn ugly. The old friends find themselves unexpectedly panicked and dealing with dire situations they never thought they would face. The British thriller, originally released on Netflix, was described by Variety as an “intensely terrifying twist on Deliverance.”
Genre
Documentary
Cast
Bryan Fogel, Dave Zabriskie, Don Catlin
While exploring and experimenting with the idea of illegal doping in sports and how easy it is to use performance-enhancing drugs and evade detection, Bryan Fogel uncovers an international doping scandal. The documentary follows Fogel through his journey in amateur cycling and the explosive allegations by Grigory Rodchenkov, the head of the Russian anti-doping laboratory. Rodchenkov started out by simply helping Fogel with his experiment before eventually revealing alleged Olympic doping programs and his involvement with them. The movie earned Fogel an Academy Award for Best Documentary Film.
Genre
Crime, Drama, Thriller, Action
Cast
Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Charles Baker
For fans of the AMC series Breaking Bad, this flick is the epilogue they’ve been waiting for to address the unanswered question of what happened to Jesse Pinkman. For others who might not have seen Breaking Bad, it’s still a fabulous film about a young man on the run from a clearly sordid past. It wraps Pinkman’s story up with a nice little bow and delivers plenty of cameos and throwback references from the original series to make it a worthwhile watch for any fan who has been missing the show.
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