tense backdrop

Movies with tense vibe

First Kill

1491. First Kill

Action Thriller Crime Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller Police Procedural
5.0

20171h 37min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Steven C. Miller

A police chief tries to solve a kidnapping that involves a bank robber holding a young boy hostage.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Loss and resilience, Betrayal and deception, Duty versus family, Power and accountability, Corruption in policing

Available on

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

Dunkirk

1492. Dunkirk

War Action Drama World War II Military Action
7.8

20171h 47min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Christopher Nolan

The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.

Themes

Air-sea coordination under limits, Duty vs survival under siege, Evacuation under fire, Identity and deception, Civilian vessels in war, Hope amid grim odds

Available on

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

Radius

1493. Radius

Thriller Drama Horror Mind Game Thriller Psychological Horror
6.2

20171h 33min

Canada

Director: Caroline Labrèche

Liam wakes from a car crash with no memory of who he is. As he makes his way into town to look for help, he finds only dead bodies, all with strange pale eyes. Liam's first assessment is that a virus is present in the air, but he soon discovers the horrible truth: anyone who comes within a 50-foot radius of him dies instantly.

Themes

Trust under threat, Amnesia-driven uncertainty, Co-dependency under pressure, Proximity danger, Police pursuit risk, Twin sister absence

Available on

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

No Game, No Life: Zero

1494. No Game, No Life: Zero

Adventure Animation Drama Fantasy Romance
7.3

20171h 46min

Japan

Director: Atsuko Ishizuka

Six thousand years before Sora and Shiro were even a blink in the history of Disboard, war consumed the land, tearing apart the heavens, destroying stars, and even threatening to wipe out the human race. Amid the chaos and destruction, a young man named Riku leads humanity toward the tomorrow his heart believes in. One day, in the ruins of an Elf city, he meets Schwi, a female exiled "Ex Machina" android who asks him to teach her what it means to have a human heart.

Themes

Trauma and guilt, War and survival, Humanity vs machinery, Human heart vs logic, Individual agency vs hive mind, Power through games

Available on

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

Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!

1495. Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!

Family Animation Adventure Fantasy Anime
6.3

20171h 38min

Japan

Director: Kunihiko Yuyama

Ash Ketchum wakes up late one morning after having broken his alarm clock in his sleep. He eventually makes it to Professor Oak's lab, but is told that the three starter List of Pokémon (Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander) have already been taken by Trainers who were on time. However, Oak reveals that he has one more Pokémon, an Electric-type named Pikachu. Despite its volatile and feisty personality, as well as its refusal to get inside a Poké Ball, Ash happily takes Pikachu for his journey.

Themes

Teamwork under pressure, Rivals spark development, Alternate universe exploration, Adventure and discovery, Travel as growth, Artifact quest and destiny

Available on

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

Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

Themes

Betrayal and loyalty, Leadership under pressure, Underground tunnel, Inter species solidarity, Disease and mutation, Survival of the fittest

Available on

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

6 Days

1497. 6 Days

Action Drama History Thriller Military Action
6.2

20171h 35min

New Zealand, United Kingdom

Director: Toa Fraser

London, England, April 1980. Six terrorists assault the Embassy of Iran and take hostages. For six days, tense negotiations are held while the authorities decide whether a military squad should intervene.

Themes

Crisis negotiation under pressure, Media influence during crisis, Military intervention vs diplomacy, Political leadership under crisis, Hostage dynamics and leverage

Available on

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

Mary and The Witch's Flower

1498. Mary and The Witch's Flower

Adventure Animation Family Fantasy Adventure Epic
6.8

20171h 43min

Japan

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Mary Smith, a young girl who lives with her great-aunt in the countryside, follows a mysterious cat into the nearby forest where she finds a strange flower and an old broom, none of which is as ordinary as it seems.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Abuse of power, Ethics of experimentation, Talent vs expectation, Agency under coercion, Magic vs science

Available on

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

Shot Caller

1499. Shot Caller

Crime Drama Thriller Prison Crime Revenge Thriller
7.3

20172h 1min

United States

Director: Ric Roman Waugh

A newly-released prison gangster is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.

Themes

Prison survival pressures, Gang loyalty and betrayal, Family protection versus crime, Violence escalation and consequence, Institutional surveillance and control, Identity through adaptation and alias

Available on

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

Revolt

1500. Revolt

Science Fiction Action Alien Invasion Sci-Fi Military Action
5.3

20171h 27min

United Kingdom

Director: Joe Miale

The story of humankind's last stand against a cataclysmic alien invasion. Set in the war-ravaged African countryside, a U.S. soldier and a French foreign aid worker team up to survive the alien onslaught. Their bond will be tested as they search for refuge across a crumbling world.

Themes

Trust under pressure, Resilience and improvisation, Collective action under crisis, Fragile human alliances, Technology vs humanity, Survival under alien invasion, Memory and identity disruption

Available on

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