tense backdrop

Movies with tense vibe

Arthur Christmas

2671. Arthur Christmas

Drama Animation Family Comedy Family Animation
7.1

20111h 37min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Sarah Smith

For hundreds of years, the Claus family has delegated the title "Santa" to a chosen few of its members, which can be passed down upon retirement. Each Christmas, Santa and his vast army of highly trained elves produce gifts and distribute them around the world in a one-night high-tech operation. However, when one of 600 million children to receive a gift from Santa on Christmas Eve is missed, it is deemed ‘acceptable’ to all but one—Arthur Claus, the current Santa’s misfit son deemed ineligible for the title, who executes an unauthorised rookie mission to get the last present halfway around the globe before dawn on Christmas morning.

Themes

Intergenerational conflict, Tradition vs modernization, Error tolerance in service, Family pressure and responsibility, Hereditary duty vs merit, Technology vs magic

Available on

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

The Intouchables

2672. The Intouchables

Drama Comedy Relationship Drama Buddy Comedy
8.5

20111h 53min

France

Director: Éric Toledano

A true story of two men who should never have met – a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects.

Themes

Class inequality, Cross-class friendship, Independence within care, Art as bridge, Disability and agency, Risk and adventure

Available on

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

Haywire

2673. Haywire

Action Thriller One-Person Army Revenge Thriller
5.8

20111h 33min

United States, Ireland

Director: Steven Soderbergh

A black ops soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and left for dead.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Loyalty under pressure, Covert operations ethics, Betrayal and framing, Trust under doubt, Professional danger and risk

Available on

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

The Double

2674. The Double

Action Drama Crime Spy Action Political Drama
5.9

20111h 38min

United States

Director: Michael Brandt

The mysterious murder of a US senator bearing the distinctive trademark of the legendary Soviet assassin 'Cassius', forces retired CIA operative, Paul Shepherson to team with rookie FBI agent, Ben Geary to solve the crime. Having spent his career chasing Cassius, Shepherdson is convinced his nemesis is long dead, but is pushed to take on the case by his former supervisor, Tom Highland. Geary, who wrote his Master's thesis on Shepherdson's pursuit of the Soviet killer, is certain that Cassius has resurfaced.

Themes

Surveillance and misdirection, Deception and allegiance, Double agent, Legacy of espionage, Mysterious murder, Dual identities and loyalty

Available on

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

Sleep Tight

2675. Sleep Tight

Thriller Horror Psychological Horror Domestic Thriller
7.2

20111h 41min

Spain

Director: Jaume Balagueró

César, an unhappy concierge, maintains a peculiar relationship with the very diverse inhabitants of the upper-class apartment building where he works in Barcelona.

Themes

Class inequality, Manipulation and control, Loneliness and alienation, Abuse of trust, Surveillance and intrusion, Privacy violations

Available on

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

Trespass

2676. Trespass

Thriller Domestic Thriller
5.3

20111h 31min

United States

Director: Joel Schumacher

Kyle and Sarah Miller have it all: a huge gated house on the water, fancy cars, and the potential for romance in their relationship. He's just back from a business trip and their teen daughter Avery is sneaking out to a party, when four thugs in security uniforms and ski masks stage a home invasion. They want what's in the safe: cash and diamonds. As Kyle stalls them, trying to negotiate for Sarah's freedom, the fault lines in Kyle and Sarah's marriage and the pasts of the four robbers come into play. Is there room here for heroism?

Themes

Trust and betrayal, Deception under duress, Survival under threat, Crime and coercion, Financial precarity, Family fault lines

Available on

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

The Thing

2677. The Thing

Horror Science Fiction Mystery Alien Horror Alien Contact Sci-Fi
6.2

20111h 43min

United States

Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.

When paleontologist Kate Lloyd travels to an isolated outpost in Antarctica for the expedition of a lifetime, she joins an international team that unearths a remarkable discovery. Their elation quickly turns to fear as they realize that their experiment has freed a mysterious being from its frozen prison. Paranoia spreads like an epidemic as a creature that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish in this spine-tingling thriller.

Themes

Paranoia under isolation, Survival versus trust, Contamination anxiety, Quarantine dynamics within a group, Fear of the unfamiliar, Deception and uncertainty

Available on

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

EVA

2678. EVA

Science Fiction Drama AI Sci-Fi Psychological Drama
6.6

20111h 34min

France, Spain

Director: Kike Maíllo

In 2041, humans live side-by-side with robots and androids. A well-known cybernetic engineer, Alex Garel, returns to his hometown to create a new model of robot child.

Themes

Robot child expectations, Androids coexistence dynamics, Future earth ethics, Cybernetic engineer ethics, Robotics governance pressure, Human android relationship strain

Available on

Fandango at Home Free
Plex
Plex Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Desire

2679. Desire

Drama Romance Relationship Drama Passionate Romance
5.4

20111h 43min

France

Director: Laurent Bouhnik

In a social context deteriorated by a countrywide economic crisis, the life of several people will be turned upside down after they meet Cécile, a character who symbolizes desire.

Themes

Prostitution and lust, Desire under economic crisis, Couple dynamics under desire, Promiscuity and unfaithfulness, Sexuality and exhibitionism, Sexual fantasy and risk

Available on

Apple TV
Fandango at Home Free
Tubi TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Shame

2680. Shame

Drama Psychological Drama
7.2

20111h 42min

Canada, United Kingdom

Director: Steve McQueen

Brandon, a thirty-something man living in New York, eludes intimacy with women but feeds his deepest desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his younger sister temporarily moves into his apartment, stirring up bitter memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's life, like his fragile mind, gets out of control.

Themes

Sex addiction consequences, Family boundary strain, Emotional isolation in urban life, Sexual commodification and exploitation, Self-loathing and longing, Intimacy avoidance

Available on

Apple TV
HBO Max
Fandango At Home
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.