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Top 10 all-time thriller Hollywood movies to watch
Here are the top 10 all-time thriller movies that just can’t be missed. From Joker to Dark Knight, read the complete list to pick your next watch!
There are loads of terrific thriller films for an entertaining movie night, ranging from psychological horror and murder mysteries to gripping criminal dramas. Thriller films can be merged with practically any genre, including horror, western, and even superhero pictures, to present a story that elicits feelings of excitement and expectation in the audience. A thriller is defined by the emotional reaction it produces in its viewers, whether it is a big-budget blockbuster like The Dark Knight or a smaller-scale film like Se7en.
A good thriller keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, building up to a finale of plot twists and surprises. The best thrillers have strong writing and frequently star-studded casts, but the true measure of the genre is the film's ability to grab its viewers. A superb thriller is often more concerned with how the audience feels than with what the picture is about, generating a one-of-a-kind experience for spectators. Here are the top ten thrillers to watch right now, including some of the best films ever made.
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Joker
- Genre: Crime and Drama
- Running Time: 2h, 2m
- Director: Todd Phillips
- Writers: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
- Star Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Frances Conroy
- Release Date: October 4, 2019
- Where to watch/OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Arthur Fleck's (Joaquin Phoenix's) terrible past serves as the basis for the character's origin tale in the critically acclaimed psychological thriller film, Joker. The film follows the protagonist as he progresses from a disillusioned local clown hired for parties to a crazed criminal who instigates a revolution in Gotham City.
The contentious film earned mixed reviews when it was first released, and there's a reason for that. Despite being deserving of praise for its ingenuity and fascinating atmosphere, the film falls short in implementing several of its plot aspects during its most essential moments.
Get Out
- Genre: horror, mystery, thriller, comedy
- Running Time: 1h 44m
- Director: Jordan Peele
- Writer: Jordan Peele
- Star Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, and Catherine Keener
- Release Date: February 24, 2017
- Where to watch/OTT platform: Netflix
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Get Out, Jordan Peele's directorial debut is the closest to conventional horror among the great thriller films. The film, which stars Daniel Kaluuya as Chris, follows him and his fiancée Rose as he is asked to meet her parents for the first time. What begins as seemingly awkward back-and-forth chats between Chris and Rose's family transforms into something more horrifying, resulting in a visceral and riveting horror experience full of twists and turns. Get Out, which includes elements of satire, also contains some of Peele's humor.
Shutter Island
- Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
- Running Time: 2h 18m
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Writer: Laeta Kalogridis
- Star Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, and Max von Sydow
- Release Date: February 19, 2010
- Where to watch/OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Martin Scorsese's films are noted for generating intense emotions from their audiences while maintaining a quick tempo and a cast of fascinating characters. Shutter Island is one of Martin Scorsese's real thrillers, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshal assigned to a desolate island asylum in search of a fugitive murderess. While investigating this mystery, Daniels begins to question his reality, taking the audience on an introspective journey filled with startling story twists that will have them thinking about the film for weeks.
Dark Knight
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Running Time: 2h 18m
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- Writers: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
- Star Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman
- Release Date: July 8, 2008
- Where to watch/OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 9/10
The Dark Knight is widely regarded as one of the finest superhero films of all time, and this is because it does not feel like just another superhero film. The Dark Knight is a brutal criminal thriller starring Batman, but Heath Ledger's Joker has long been the film's main talking point. The Joker is dangerous from the start of the film, as he always seems to be one step ahead of the caped crusader. Every battle in the ending of The Dark Knight is about the philosophical beliefs that the Joker is attempting to enforce, creating tremendous stakes concerning human nature.
No Country for Old Men
- Genre: crime, drama, mystery, and thriller
- Running Time: 2h, 2m
- Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
- Writers: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
- Star Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin
- Release Date: November 21, 2007
- Where to watch/OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
No Country for Old Men, a neo-western film by the Coen Brothers, is a Best Picture winner about a man who discovers $2 million in the aftermath of a brutal drug deal. The thrill comes from the man on the hunt for the money, Anton Chigurh, a mysterious and incredibly bright man. Chigurh, played by Javier Bardem in one of the most terrifying villain performances in cinema, is the film's highlight. No Country for Old Men is philosophical and complex, yet it also includes thrilling shootouts and pursuit sequences.
The Prestige
- Genre: drama, fantasy, mystery, and thriller
- Running Time: 2h 10m
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- Writers: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
- Star Cast: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, Rebecca Hall, Andy Serkis, and David Bowie
- Release Date: October 20, 2006
- Where to watch/OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
While the premise of two feuding magicians may sound absurd, the combined talents of Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, and Hugh Jackman pull it off, resulting in a fantastic drama about obsession and vengeance. The Prestige has the outstanding acting and excellent script that one would expect from a Christopher Nolan film. The film's fundamental antagonism devolves into back-and-forth scheming, resulting in jaw-dropping story twists that reward viewers on subsequent viewings.
The Departed
- Genre: crime, drama, mystery, and thriller
- Running Time: 2h 32m
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Writer: William Monahan
- Star Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, and Ray Winstone
- Release Date: October 20, 2006
- Where to watch/OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
The Departed by Martin Scorsese is a fast-paced film from start to finish. The Boston crime epic never stops explaining itself between scenes of violent violence and profanity-laced dialogue, sustaining its steady pace until its narrative twist-filled climax. The film's competing stars, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio are outstanding, but The Departed's greatest strength is its screenplay, with several great side characters, a meandering narrative, and some of the most stunning scenes in crime cinema.
Momento
- Genre: Mystery and thriller
- Running Time: 1h 56m
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- Writers: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan
- Star Cast: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano
- Release Date: September 5, 2000
- Where to watch/OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
The main character in the neo-noir psychological thriller film Momento, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), has anterograde amnesia, which means he is unable to acquire new memories. The former insurance investigator embarks on a perilous voyage after being severely assaulted by two perpetrators who also killed his wife, prompting him to embark on a mission of vengeance.
The non-linear narrative of Christopher Nolan's mind-bending picture is supposed to depict the protagonist's broken point of view. They eventually start to make more sense as Leonard stitches together evidence using his approach, which involves the use of Polaroid photographs and tattoos because it is the only way for him to recollect what he discovers about the assailant.
Se7en
- Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
- Running Time: 2h 5m
- Director: David Fincher
- Writer: Andrew Kevin Walker
- Star Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and John C. McGinley
- Release Date: September 22, 1995
- Where to watch/OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
David Fincher's oeuvre, which includes Gone Girl and Zodiac, is full of dramatic mystery thrillers. Se7en is a dark, murder mystery thriller starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman about two detectives who investigate a serial killer who utilizes the seven deadly sins to designate his crimes. The Seven film's ending is a wonderful ticking clock of tension as the film's antagonist continues to warn the audience that something is going to happen, holding spectators in constant anticipation.
The Silence of the Lambs
- Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
- Running Time: 2h 5m
- Director: Jonathan Demme
- Writers: Thomas Harris, Ted Tally
- Star Cast: Brad Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, and Ted Levine
- Release Date: February 13, 1991
- Where to watch/OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
The Silence of the Lambs, which leans heavily on the horror side of thrillers, is the ultimate Hannibal Lecter film, with Anthony Hopkins giving a renowned performance opposite Jodie Foster's Clarice, a top student in FBI training. The FBI believes Hannibal Lecter can help them with an ongoing serial killer investigation, and Clarice will be the perfect person to entice him to assist them. Clarice and Lecter play a fascinating and lethal game of cat and mouse in Silence of the Lambs.
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