tense backdrop

Movies with tense vibe

The Wave

1911. The Wave

Action Thriller Drama Epic Action Survival Thriller
6.6

20151h 45min

Norway

Director: Roar Uthaug

Although theorised, no one is really ready when a mountain pass above the scenic and narrow Geiranger fjord in Norway collapses and creates a tsunami over 300 feet high. A geologist is one of those caught in the middle of it.

Themes

Family in peril resilience, Avalanche risk management, Hotel evacuation ethics, Bomb shelter safety, Tsunami response timing, Tourism vulnerability

Available on

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

War Room

1912. War Room

Drama Family Drama
6.5

20152h

United States

Director: Alex Kendrick

The family-friendly movie explores the transformational role prayer plays in the lives of the Jordan family. Tony and Elizabeth Jordan, a middle-class couple who seemingly have it all – great jobs, a beautiful daughter, their dream home. But appearances can be deceiving. In reality, the Jordan’s marriage has become a war zone and their daughter is collateral damage. With the help of Miss Clara, an older, wiser woman, Elizabeth discovers she can start fighting for her family instead of against them. Through a newly energized faith, Elizabeth and Tony’s real enemy doesn’t have a prayer.

Themes

Marital strain under pressure, Faith as intervention, Accountability and confession, Financial risk and resilience, Elder mentorship and guidance, Parenting and bonding

Available on

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

Bloodsucking Bastards

1913. Bloodsucking Bastards

Comedy Horror Dark Comedy Vampire Horror
5.7

20151h 24min

United States

Director: Brian James O'Connell

A down on his luck cubicle worker and his slacker best friend discover their new boss is a vampire who is turning their coworkers into the un-dead.

Themes

Loyalty versus ambition, Power and control at work, Group conformity under stress, Office politics under siege, Outsider threat within team, Performance-driven leadership

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
The Roku Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Holding the Man

1914. Holding the Man

Drama Relationship Drama
7.4

20152h 8min

Australia

Director: Neil Armfield

Tim and John fell in love while teenagers at their all-boys high school. John was captain of the football team, Tim an aspiring actor playing a minor part in Romeo and Juliet. Their romance endured for 15 years in the face of everything life threw at it – the separations, the discrimination, the temptations, the jealousies and the losses – until the only problem that love can't solve tried to destroy them.

Themes

Memory and mourning, Stigma and discrimination, Secrecy and family pressure, Activism and identity exploration, Illness and relationship resilience, Enduring same-sex love

Available on

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

No Escape

1915. No Escape

Thriller Action Political Thriller Epic Action
6.8

20151h 43min

Thailand, United States

Director: John Erick Dowdle

In their new overseas home, an American family soon finds themselves caught in the middle of a coup, and they frantically look for a safe escape in an environment where foreigners are being immediately executed.

Themes

Survival under siege, Moral ambiguity under duress, Economic manipulation by outsiders, Family safety under threat, Debt-trap diplomacy, Foreign corporate leverage

Available on

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

Woo-jin, a furniture designer who wakes up in a different body every day, falls for Yi-soo, a woman he meets through his work.

Themes

Embodiment instability, Deception and disclosure tension, Trust across changing bodies, Gossip related anxiety, Commitment across borders

Available on

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

Hitman: Agent 47

1917. Hitman: Agent 47

Action Crime Thriller One-Person Army Organized Crime
5.7

20151h 36min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Aleksander Bach

An assassin teams up with a woman to help her find her father and uncover the mysteries of her ancestry.

Themes

Trust and deception, Duty versus humanity, Identity and selfhood, Genetic enhancement ethics, Hidden lineage implications, Shadow organization manipulation

Available on

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

American Ultra

1918. American Ultra

Action Comedy Spy Action Dark Comedy
6.1

20151h 36min

Switzerland, United States

Director: Nima Nourizadeh

Mike is an unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe, is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.

Themes

Memory manipulation ethics, Secrecy and power, Trust under surveillance, Ordinary life disruption, Love under threat, Autonomy under covert control

Available on

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

Mistress America

1919. Mistress America

Comedy Awkward Comedy
6.7

20151h 24min

United States, Brazil

Director: Noah Baumbach

A college freshman cures her disappointment and loneliness by allowing herself to be pulled into the wacky schemes of her future stepsister.

Themes

Class inequality, Deception and perception, Ambition and dependence, Female friendship dynamics, Creative validation and risk, Urban aspiration and domestic security

Available on

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

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

1920. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Comedy Action Adventure Spy Action Buddy Comedy
7.2

20151h 56min

United States

Director: Guy Ritchie

At the height of the Cold War, a mysterious criminal organization plans to use nuclear weapons and technology to upset the fragile balance of power between the United States and Soviet Union. CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the evildoers in their tracks. The duo's only lead is the daughter of a missing German scientist, whom they must find soon to prevent a global catastrophe.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Covert alliances under pressure, Cold war tension, Mutual distrust, Nuclear weapons race, Duty over loyalty

Available on

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