Thriller backdrop

Thriller movies

Edge-of-your-seat suspense and psychological tension that keeps your heart racing from start to finish.

Subgenres include: Mind Game Thriller, Domestic Thriller, Cover-Up Thriller.

A Most Violent Year

1751. A Most Violent Year

Crime Drama Thriller Organized Crime Cover-Up Thriller
6.9

20142h 4min

United Arab Emirates, United States

Director: J.C. Chandor

A thriller set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically one of the most violent years in the city's history, and centered on the lives of an immigrant and his family trying to expand their business and capitalize on opportunities as the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built.

Themes

Immigrant ambition vs exploitation, Capitalism and corruption, American dream under pressure, Financial leverage and ethics, Risk management and deception, Law and business tension

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Gambler

1752. The Gambler

Thriller Crime Drama Organized Crime Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller
6.0

20141h 51min

United States

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Literature professor Jim Bennett leads a secret life as a high-stakes gambler. Always a risk-taker, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Staying one step ahead, he pits his creditor against the operator of an illicit gambling ring while garnering the attention of Frank, a paternalistic loan shark. As his relationship with a student deepens, Bennett must risk everything for a second chance.

Themes

Debt-driven coercion, Gambling as self-destructive escape, Power dynamics and coercion, Risk vs consequence, Moral hazards in mentorship, Dual lives and legitimacy

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Poker Night

1753. Poker Night

Thriller Action Crime Horror Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller
6.2

20141h 44min

United States, Canada

Director: Greg Francis

When a new detective is caught by a vicious psychopath and locked in a basement, he must use the knowledge he learned from some of the best detectives at Poker Night, then match wits against his captor.

Themes

Confinement under pressure, Risk management under threat, Group storytelling as strategy, Shared tactical knowledge, Cat and mouse dynamic, Trust under coercion

Available on

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Taken 3

1754. Taken 3

Thriller Action One-Person Army Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller
6.0

20141h 49min

France, United States

Director: Olivier Megaton

Ex-government operative Bryan Mills finds his life is shattered when he's falsely accused of a murder that hits close to home. As he's pursued by a savvy police inspector, Mills employs his particular set of skills to track the real killer and exact his unique brand of justice.

Themes

False accusation and pursuit, Protective father figure, Deception and exposure, Loyalties under pressure, Family safety versus risk, Restraint and justice

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Black Sea

1755. Black Sea

Adventure Drama Thriller Treasure Hunt Survival Thriller
6.4

20141h 55min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Kevin Macdonald

A rogue submarine captain pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure rumored to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and desperation take control on-board their claustrophobic vessel, the increasing uncertainty of the mission causes the men to turn on each other to fight for their own survival.

Themes

Trust under pressure, Betrayal and manipulation, Risk and consequence, Greed vs survival, Cross-cultural crew dynamics, Isolation and claustrophobia

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Connection

1756. The Connection

Thriller Crime Action Narcotics Crime Investigation Suspense
7.1

20142h 15min

Belgium, France

Director: Cédric Jimenez

Newly transferred to the bustling port city of Marseille to assist with a crackdown on organized crime, energetic young magistrate Pierre Michel is given a rapid-fire tutorial on the ins and outs of an out-of-control drug trade. Pierre's wildly ambitious mission is to take on the French Connection, a highly organized operation that controls the city's underground heroin economy and is overseen by the notorious —and reputedly untouchable— Gaetan Zampa. Fearless, determined and willing to go the distance, Pierre plunges into an underworld world of insane danger and ruthless criminals.

Themes

Underground drug economy, Corruption within law enforcement, Loyalty and defection, Personal cost of duty, Illegal surveillance, Organized crime vs justice

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Late Phases

1757. Late Phases

Horror Thriller Werewolf Horror Survival Thriller
6.0

20141h 35min

United States

Director: Adrián García Bogliano

When deadly attacks from a nearby forest beset a secluded retirement community, it is up to a blind army veteran to discover what the residents are hiding.

Themes

Aging independence strain, Disability resilience under pressure, Isolation fuels suspicion, Retirement community danger, Supernatural threat presence, Loss drives endurance

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

After surviving the Quarter Quell, Katniss finds herself in the hidden stronghold of District 13, where the rebellion against the Capitol is gaining momentum. Struggling with the weight of becoming the symbol of resistance, she must navigate fragile alliances while trying to protect those she loves. As propaganda battles rage and Panem moves closer to full-scale war, Katniss is forced to confront the true cost of revolution.

Themes

Leadership under crisis, Propaganda and manipulation, Resistance and revolt, Female agency under oppression, Class prejudice and subjugation, Collective action and sacrifice

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Peacock Premium
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

High school student Shun Takahata is bored. Bored with the day-to-day monotony of school and life, he prays for change, for something exciting. Suddenly, he and his classmates are forced to play deadly children's games and facing terrifying creatures from a talking Daruma doll to a sharp-clawed lucky cat.

Themes

Peer pressure dynamics, Boredom fueling violence, Malicious peer intent, Survival under coercive games, Group danger under stress, Risk and consequence perception

Available on

Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Fandango At Home
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Imitation Game

1760. The Imitation Game

History Drama Thriller War Biographical History
8.0

20141h 53min

United States, United Kingdom

Director: Morten Tyldum

Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.

Themes

Code breaking pursuit, World war ii pressure, Homophobia prejudice, Cryptography under pressure, Secrecy burden, Intellectual isolation

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.