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The thriller genre is an enduring class of film that transcends eras and trends, with quality examples carrying the basic elements of rich, conflicted characters, heart-pounding suspense, and shocking twists.
While carefully constructed set-ups and slow-build reveals are a massive part of why we love great modern thrillers like Gone Girl or Prisoners, a number of films in this category can sometimes drag with sluggish pacing and overly-long run times. Instead, some thrillers forgo the drawn out story beats by diving straight into their enthralling mysteries, while wrapping up the twists and turns in 90 minutes or less.
Enemy (2013)
When a worn-down college professor catches himself in a rental film, he becomes obsessed with tracking down his Doppelgänger. Once these look-a-likes cross paths, their contrasting lives become increasingly entangled as their motives sink into their darker desires.
Supported by a nuanced and skilled dual performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, this film poses a complex scenario steeped in tension and suspense. Directed by the great Denis Villeneuve, Enemy is an expertly crafted dramatic thriller with a unique visual pallet, and a heavy dose of symbolism.
You Were Never Really Here (2017)
A stark crime thriller that wades into the dark criminal underworld of human trafficking, You Were Never Really Here stars Joaquin Phoenix as a Gulf War veteran and New York City fixer hired to locate a politician’s kidnapped young daughter.
From prolific and unparalleled director Lynne Ramsay, this grim and unforgiving film follows its quiet protagonists down the rabbit hole of corruption and conspiracy. At a swift 89 minutes long, Phoenix gives a haunting, understated performance as a man pushed to his breaking point by the cruelty of his latest assignment.
A Perfect Getaway (2009)
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While on an idyllic Hawaiian honeymoon, Cliff and Cydney (played by Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) explore the beauty of their tropical destination, when the local community is rocked by the murder of a young couple, with a man and woman as suspects. With killers on the loose, the newlyweds bump into other cagey, suspicious couples along their travels, leading them to believe they could be targeted next.
A Perfect Getaway is a murder mystery with fast-paced action and slasher qualities. Featuring a talented cast, led by Zahn and Jovovich, jumps off the screen and builds the suspense to its jaw-dropping climax.
Blue Ruin (2013)
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A haggard, unstable man on the fringes of a Delaware beach town travels back to his Virginia home seeking revenge. Inexperienced in a world of violence, this man’s drive for vengeance drags him deeper into a blood feud that ruined his life.
Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin benefits from going into the film knowing as little as possible. With a captivating lead performance by Macon Blair, this grounded, intense thriller patiently reveals itself one shocking layer at a time.
Thoroughbreds (2017)
Former childhood friends, Amanda (Olivia Cooke) and Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy) rekindle their improbable friendship as teenagers in an upper class Connecticut suburb. Noticing Lily’s dislike for her irritable stepfather Mark (Paul Sparks), Amanda’s dark, callous nature influences her straitlaced friend into getting rid of him. Enlisting the services of a local burnout (Anton Yelchin) to pull off the hit, the girls’ plan to murder Lily’s stepfather spirals out of control.
Thoroughbreds’ striking visuals and clever dialogue makes for a riveting and darkly comedic debut from writer/director Cory Finley. This underrated film lures the audience in with a trio of pitch-perfect performances from Cooke, Taylor-Joy and the late Anton Yeltchin.
Killing Them Softly (2012)
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When a trio of junkies and stick-up men rob a mob protected card game, enforcer Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) is hired to track them down, set an example, and bring order to the spiraling criminal economy. Bringing in out-of-town help in the form of an aging hitman, played by the great James Gandolfini, Cogan tries to keep his unreliable colleague in check, and navigate this seedy underworld to quietly finish the job.
Set during the height of the 2008 recession and presidential election, Andrew Dominik’s sleek, crime thriller captures the era’s desperation and hardships through the landscape of unstable mobsters and low-level crooks. As a scathing commentary on the “American Dream”, Killing Them Softly is a stark, methodical film with understated performances and outstanding cinematography.
Arizona (2018)
During the 2009 housing crisis, a down-on-her-luck realtor and single mother (Rosemarie DeWitt) witnesses a murder that entangles her in one idiot’s violent rampage. Caught in a labyrinth of empty Arizona suburbs, this woman struggles to protect her loved ones and escape this oaf’s clutches, as more and more bodies pile up.
As a comedy/thriller, Arizona succeeds at finding absurdity between the violence and mayhem, with strong performances from DeWitt and the hilarious Danny McBride. Coming in at a quick 85 minutes, this underrated film is packed with plenty of laughs, cameos, and shocking twists.
A History of Violence (2005)
When family man, Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen), kills two violent criminals in self-defense after they attempt to stick up his small-town diner, he’s heralded as a local hero and receives an onslaught of unwanted media attention. This newfound fame leads to a number of shady figures unearthing Stall’s mysterious past, causing rifts within his family, marriage, and psyche.
Adapted from the graphic novel of the same name, David Cronenberg’s film delves into the horrors and consequences of violence, as a seemingly honorable man’s life is turned upside down. With an Oscar-nominated performance from the late William Hurt, as well as intense turns by Mortensen and Maria Bello, A History of Violence is a quiet, brutal thriller that raises tensions up until the very end.
Phone Booth (2002)
An arrogant publicist, Stu Shepard (Colin Farrell), enters into the cross-hairs of a dangerous marksman when he answers a ringing telephone in an unsuspecting New York City phone booth. Held hostage over the phone by this unseen sniper, Stu is forced to confess his duplicitous ways in order to survive this caller’s sick form of punishment.
At 81 minutes, this heart pounding film wastes no time with its high-stakes game of life and death. With an intense, captivating turn by Farrell and a harrowing vocal performance by Kiefer Sutherland, Phone Booth is a nail-biting psychological thriller that turns up the intensity with a unique, simple premise.
Green Room
A struggling punk-rock band’s next show carries them to an unfamiliar venue in the fringes of the Pacific Northwest. When the band witnesses a horrific act backstage, they are trapped and hunted by the venue’s ownership and clientele – a gang of violent neo-Nazis.
Anchored by its brilliant cast (Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, Imogen Poots and Callum Turner) and an uncharacteristically unsettling turn from Patrick Stewart as skinhead leader, Darcy, this horror thriller is a claustrophobic and anxiety-inducing battle for survival. Jeremy Saulnier’s follow up to Blue Ruin features outstanding cinematography and shocking story-beats that propels this gory, underrated gem forward at a heart-pounding rate.