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.

Gozu

2401. Gozu

Horror Comedy Crime Thriller Mystery
6.9

20032h 10min

Japan

Director: Takashi Miike

Minami mistakenly kills a gangster associate of his named Brother. Almost as soon as the murder takes place, the body of the deceased man is gone, prompting Minami to conduct a search. While looking, he finds a mysterious isolated hotel where he decides to take a rest. Not only are the front desk clerks a bit strange, but even the ambiance feels unusual. Minami soon realizes he may have gotten more than he bargained for.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Loyalty and betrayal, Power and control dynamics, Identity ambiguity through disguise, Surreal hotel environment, Underworld coercion

Available on

Screambox Amazon Channel
Cineverse
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Veronica Guerin

2402. Veronica Guerin

Drama Crime Thriller Narcotics Crime Investigation Suspense
6.8

20031h 38min

Ireland, United Kingdom

Director: Joel Schumacher

In this true story, Veronica Guerin is an investigative reporter for an Irish newspaper. As the drug trade begins to bleed into the mainstream, Guerin decides to take on and expose those responsible. Beginning at the bottom with addicts, Guerin then gets in touch with John Traynor, a paranoid informant. Not without some prodding, Traynor leads her to John Gilligan, the ruthless head of the operation, who does not take kindly to Guerin's nosing.

Themes

Drug trade encroachment, Working-class disruption, Public response and policy change, Media exposure consequences, Investigative risk and retaliation, Trafficker deception

Available on

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

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

2403. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Action Thriller Science Fiction Epic Action Computer Threat Thriller
6.3

20031h 49min

Germany, United Kingdom

Director: Jonathan Mostow

It's been 10 years since John Connor saved Earth from Judgment Day, and he's now living under the radar, steering clear of using anything Skynet can trace. That is, until he encounters T-X, a robotic assassin ordered to finish what T-1000 started. Good thing Connor's former nemesis, the Terminator, is back to aid the now-adult Connor … just like he promised.

Themes

Dystopian warfare ethics, Man versus machine, Preemption vs autonomy, Trust in technology, Ai existential threat, Protective sacrifice

Available on

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

High Tension

2404. High Tension

Horror Thriller Mystery Home Invasion Horror Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller
6.7

20031h 31min

France, Romania

Director: Alexandre Aja

Best friends Marie and Alexia decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But on the night of their arrival, the girls' idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror.

Themes

Survival under attack, Violence as control, Obsessive attachment, Surveillance and misperception, Blurred boundaries of victim and aggressor, Isolation and domestic threat

Available on

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

A Snake of June

2405. A Snake of June

Romance Drama Thriller Erotic Thriller Psychological Drama
6.8

20031h 17min

Japan

Director: Shinya Tsukamoto

A woman is being stalked by a stranger. His stalking turns to blackmail when he sends her copies of photos of her in an embarrassing position. Now he controls her and she has to do anything he says. Anything.

Themes

Blackmail and coercion, Sexual awakening under threat, Voyeurism and control, Privacy invasion and exposure, Breast cancer and coercion, Marital strain under manipulation

Available on

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

Bang Bang You're Dead

2406. Bang Bang You're Dead

Drama Thriller Coming-of-Age Drama Mind Game Thriller
7.7

20031h 27min

United States

Director: Guy Ferland

A troubled and bullied high school student fights against judgement from his community after threatening to bomb the football team.

Themes

School shooting threat, Bullying and peer pressure, High school violence, Ethics of retaliation, Theater as coping mechanism, Community protest and response


Wrong Turn

2407. Wrong Turn

Horror Thriller Gore Horror Survival Thriller
6.1

20031h 24min

Germany, United States

Director: Rob Schmidt

Chris crashes into a carload of other young people, and the group of stranded motorists is soon lost in the woods of West Virginia, where they're hunted by three cannibalistic mountain men who are grossly disfigured by generations of inbreeding.

Themes

Group dynamics under stress, Survival under threat, Loss and coping under danger, Cannibal violence exposure, Isolation amplifies fear, Ethical tension in survival

Available on

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

Dogville

2408. Dogville

Crime Drama Thriller Organized Crime Psychological Drama
8.0

20032h 58min

Denmark, Finland

Director: Lars von Trier

A woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town, she learns that their support has a price.

Themes

Class inequality, Violence and coercion, Exploitation and labor, Betrayal and complicity, Mob mentality, Moral testing under pressure

Available on

MUBI
MUBI Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Swimming Pool

2409. Swimming Pool

Crime Thriller Mind Game Thriller
6.7

20031h 42min

France, United Kingdom

Director: François Ozon

Crime novelist Sarah Morton escapes to her publisher’s serene French retreat, seeking silence, structure, and a clean new draft. But when the hedonistic Julie arrives, her diary, the pool, and a charming waiter become props in Sarah’s routine—until her carefully observed inspiration twists into a shattering reality she can no longer control.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Creative block pressure, Solitude versus intrusion, Voyeuristic boundary crossing, Female rivalry dynamics, Generations conflict

Available on

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

Shade

2410. Shade

Action Thriller Crime Con Artist Crime Mind Game Thriller
6.3

20031h 41min

United States

Director: Damian Nieman

Tiffany, Charlie and Vernon are con artists looking to up the ante from their typical scams. They figure a good way of doing this is taking down Dean "The Dean" Stevens, a well-known cardsharp, in a rigged game. However, they first need enough money to enter a game with Stevens, so they decide to strike a deal with fellow crook Larry Jennings to scam a local gangster -- which turns out to be a bad idea.

Themes

Risk and reward, Deception under pressure, Betrayal within crime networks, Alliance volatility, Manipulation of chance, Urban legends vs reality

Available on

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