A good thriller can keep an audience utterly entranced throughout the entire runtime, building tension, suspense, and mystery all the while in a gripping manner. Compared to other movie genres, thrillers are actually somewhat loosely defined. Some double as horror movies, punctuating their suspense with blood, gore, and scares galore, whereas others are crossbred with very different genres, resulting in fusions like dark thriller romances or political thrillers.
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The one thing all thrillers have in common is their commitment to building tension, which, when done well, can easily hypnotize a viewer into being totally engrossed for the entire runtime. These films usually pay off their slow unfolding of a complicated, layered mystery with incredible payoffs of totally unexpected twists, rewarding audiences for their efforts. It’s not an easy thing to keep someone hooked for the entire length of a film, but the best thrillers are able to do so brilliantly.
You are watching: 10 Thrillers Guaranteed To Keep You Hooked From Start To Finish
10
Prisoners
A gripping abduction thriller
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Prisoners
R
Drama
Mystery
Thriller
8/10
7.3/10
Release Date
September 20, 2013
Runtime
153 minutes
Director
Denis Villeneuve
Writers
Aaron Guzikowski
Cast
See All
-
Hugh Jackman
-
Jake Gyllenhaal
After getting tired of waiting for the police to find the person responsible for taking two young girls, Keller Rover takes the law into his own hands to get the answers he wants. This crime drama was directed by Denis Villeneuve and stars Hugh Jackman (Keller Rover), Jake Gyllenhaal (Detective Loki), and Terrence Howard (Franklin Birch).
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Abductions and missing persons cases are the solid foundation for many a brilliant thriller, offering a clear mystery to be solved from the very beginning. Prisoners is one of the best examples of such an idea, coming from the filmography of visionary director Denis Villeneuve. Villeneuve’s first Hollywood English-language film stars Hugh Jackman as a father whose young daughter, along with her friend, suddenly goes missing. Leading the investigation is Jake Gyllenhaal’s Detective Loki, who prompts Jackman’s character to take justice into his own hands.
Unsurprisingly, Jackman and Gyllenhaal are phenomenal dual leads as they go about their investigations in very different ways.
The film keeps the suspense high throughout by stringing along particularly stressful moments, such as Jackman’s Keller brutally interrogating a lead suspect. Unsurprisingly, Jackman and Gyllenhaal are phenomenal dual leads as they go about their investigations in very different ways. Of course, the actual answers to the mystery are quite shocking when they are finally revealed, ensuring that the build-up of stress is ultimately worth it.
9
Oldboy
Thrives in cruelty
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Oldboy
R
Mystery
Drama
7.5/10
Release Date
November 21, 2003
Runtime
120 Minutes
Director
Park Chan-wook
Writers
Park Chan-wook, Hwang Jo-yun, Lim Jun-hyung
Prequel(s)
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Cast
See All
-
Choi Min-sik
-
Yoo Ji-tae
After 15 years of solitary confinement, Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) hunts down his captors and falls in love with chef Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung), but soon realizes all the messed up reasons that led him to such a distressing predicament. The 2003 South Korean mystery thriller is the second installment in director Park Chan-wook’s The Vengeance Trilogy and the original South Korean movie that inspired Spike Lee’s eponymous 2013 American remake.
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Proving that Asian cinema is just as adept, if not more so, at handling weighty thrillers as Hollywood, Oldboy douses its intrigue in a slick oily coating of brutal action. The plot centers on a man who has been imprisoned for years by some unseen captor, kept captive in total isolation in a small room. When he’s finally released, he goes on a violent rampage hoping to procure revenge on his captor, revealed to be even crueler than thought possible by the blinding twists and turns of the narrative.
Oldboy has some of the most intense action of any thriller ever made, emphasizing the rabid quest for revenge from behind the perspective of a man with nothing else left. Clawhammers and other improvised weapons go splintering across the screen as a breadcrumb trail of answers is slowly doled out, keeping the adrenaline up all the while. In the end, the shocking final revelation of Oldboy is the nasty-tasting cherry on top of a bleak, but captivating thrill ride.
8
The Game
A masterwork by one of the best thriller auteurs ever
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The Game
R
Drama
Mystery
Thriller
Release Date
September 12, 1997
Runtime
128 Minutes
Director
David Fincher
Writers
John Brancato, Michael Ferris
Cast
See All
-
Michael Douglas
-
Sean Penn
-
Deborah Kara Unger
-
James Rebhorn
Directed by David Fincher, The Game is a mystery thriller released in 1997. Michael Douglas stars as Nicholas Van Orton, an investment banker brought into a mysterious game by his brother hosted by the wealthy. As the game continues to integrate into his life, he begins to see the cracks in the facade of the group’s game, ultimately revealing a dark conspiracy at the center.
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The works of David Fincher make up some of the most vile, disturbing, yet impossible to look away from thrillers. The Game is no exception, maintaining some of the most consistently enrapturing story despite being undervalued compared to Fincher’s other work. Michael Douglas stars as a wealthy investment banker who is granted access to the titular mysterious game by his brother as a gift, which soon proves to be a curse as the dangerous organization running the game soon begins threatening his life and livelihood.
Douglas excels in the role of a self-aggrandizing financial savant who questions how important his life may be to warrant such meddling.
The eerie actions of the game turn the narrative into a slowly-boiling miasma of nightmarish consequence that feels impossible to look away from. With an oppressive atmosphere and a keen sense of mystery, The Game traps audiences into playing whether they like it or not.
7
Shutter Island
A haunting glimpse into psychosis
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Shutter Island
R
Mystery
Thriller
Drama
7/10
8.6/10
Release Date
February 19, 2010
Runtime
138 minutes
Director
Martin Scorsese
Writers
Laeta Kalogridis, Dennis Lehane
Cast
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-
Leonardo DiCaprio
-
Emily Mortimer
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island is based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley. Set in 1959, Shutter Island follows two U.S. Marshalls – Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Ruffalo) as they are sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a hospital specializing in psychiatric care.
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Despite being better known for crime epics and scathing character studies, Martin Scorsese is quite adept with the art of the thriller. No film proves this better than Shutter Island, a noir thinkpiece that descends into the furthest caverns of human madness. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a detective who travels to an Alcatraz-like insane asylum located on the eponymous island to investigate the whereabouts of a missing patient. However, the real truth he ends up circling is far more shocking.
Shutter Islands has one of the best twist endings of any film following the turn of the century, and does a phenomenal job getting there. The eerie atmosphere of the island and its residents seep into every pore of the visuals, providing a striking backdrop for DiCaprio’s Marshal Teddy Daniels to descend into madness. Even for those adept at guessing where movies are going, Shutter Island is able to totally isolate and misdirect right up until the last minute.
6
Memento
Weaponizes time against the viewer
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Memento
R
Mystery
Thriller
10/10
10
9.5/10
Release Date
May 25, 2001
Runtime
113 minutes
Director
Christopher Nolan
Writers
Christopher Nolan
Cast
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-
Joe Pantoliano
-
Guy Pearce
Christopher Nolan’s Memento is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Leonard, a former insurance investigator who suffers from a disease that prevents his brain from storing short-term memories. The one thing he can remember is murder of his wife, for which he wishes to exact revenge. Starring Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss, the movie was released in 2000 to widespread acclaim, launching the director’s successful Hollywood career.
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The movies of Christopher Nolan are famous for their often broken chronology, as the visionary director is fond of hopping back and forth through time to weave an elaborate story. Memento was his first, and arguably best, use of this technique, directly incorporating a shattered order of events into the narrative. The film centers on Guy Pearce’s Leonard Shelby, a former insurance adjuster whose life is complicated by retrograde amnesia in an accident, leaving him unable to form new memories.
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Christopher Nolan explores the nature of memory in his mystery-thriller Memento. Here’s a breakdown of the movie’s timeline and what its ending means.
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All Shelby knows is that someone murdered his wife and deserves his revenge, though piecing together the identity of the culprit is no easy task without a linear sense of time. Telling the story in reverse order, Memento manages to keep audiences guessing as it works its way backwards to the chronological beginning of the narrative. The patchwork of thoughtful, somber performances and unbelievable plot developments combine into a satisfying whole.
5
The Prestige
Misdirects audiences from the very beginning
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The Prestige
PG-13
Sci-Fi
Mystery
Thriller
Drama
9/10
25
9/10
Release Date
October 20, 2006
Runtime
130 minutes
Director
Christopher Nolan
Writers
Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
Cast
See All
-
Michael Caine
-
Christian Bale
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, The Prestige follows the lives of two stage magicians in Victorian London. Once colleagues, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden become hated rivals after a tragedy involving Angier’s wife tears them apart. The two magicians each go on to have their own lives and careers while competing to see who can pull off a seemingly impossible teleportation trick. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale star as Angier and Borden.
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Yet another top-notch thriller from the mind of Christopher Nolan, The Prestige also presents the order of events in its story in a broken fashion, but doesn’t rely on the trick to conceal its shocking twists as much. The film stars Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as stage magicians in 1900s London, starting out as friends and colleagues but becoming bitter enemies after the death of Jackman’s character’s wife following a botched trick. In an obsessive journey to outdo one another, the two make some alarming discoveries about each other’s acts.
The most clever thing about The Prestige is how it waives its shocking final reveal in front of the viewer the entire time, being obvious enough on repeat viewings to make viewers feel ridiculous for not figuring it out. But even beyond its flashy tricks, the grounding performances of the all-star cast and fascinating use of Nolan’s trademark timeline-hopping provide enough substance so as not to feel gimmicky. Few films can boast a better slight-of-hand than the thrills of The Prestige.
4
Parasite
Goes from jovial comedy to shocking thriller
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Parasite
R
Comedy
Thriller
Drama
9/10
12
9.5/10
Release Date
November 8, 2019
Runtime
132 minutes
Director
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Bong Joon Ho
Writers
Jin Won Han, Bong Joon Ho
Cast
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-
Yeo-Jeong Jo
-
Myeong-hoon Park
Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite follows the impoverished Kim family, who live in a small apartment and consistently struggle to make ends meet. After they chance across the gullible and wealthy Park family, the Kims ingratiate themselves through lies and deceit, earning themselves jobs taking care of the household. However, their newfound luck is built on an ever-growing foundation of mistruths – one that threatens to fall down around them at any moment.
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Parasite is one of the most interesting cases of a film that switches genres abruptly halfway through. The story centers on a desperately poor South Korean family struggling to make ends meet by any means possible. They seem to strike it big when they manage to worm their way into the lives of a wealthy family, becoming their tutors, chauffeurs, and housekeepers. However, a shocking revelation about the family’s old help soon twists things into a gruesome thriller.
The first Best Picture Oscar winner from a foreign film for good reason, Parasite is engrossing all the way through.
Parasite starts out quite steeped in comedy, with the protagonist family being fun, scrappy underdogs to root for as they rob the unassuming wealthy family for all they’re worth. But the horrors of capitalism soon rear their heads, and Parasite descends into bloody madness examining just how wide the gulf between the haves and have-nots can be. The first Best Picture Oscar winner from a foreign film for good reason, Parasite is engrossing all the way through.
3
Se7en
A bleak horror film from a police perspective
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Se7en
R
Thriller
Drama
Crime
Mystery
8/10
29
8.5/10
Release Date
September 22, 1995
Runtime
127 minutes
Director
David Fincher
Writers
andrew kevin walker
Cast
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-
Brad Pitt
-
Gwyneth Paltrow
David Fincher’s crime thriller Se7en follows the seasoned Detective William Somerset after he is assigned a new partner, the young and idealistic David Mills (Brad Pitt). The two find themselves investigating a deranged killer staging murders inspired by each of the seven deadly sins. On the hunt for the twisted John Doe (Kevin Spacey) before he can kill again, the two detectives soon discover that they’re much deeper into the case than they realized.
Main Genre
Crime
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Blurring the lines between horror, thriller, and police procedural, Se7en is an infamously captivating but ghastly tale. The film describes a slasher horror serial killer from the perspective of two police detectives, played by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, who examine the gruesome murder scenes he leaves behind while trying to piece together his identity. Crafting his killings based on the seven deadly sins of Christianity, the killer soon takes an alarmingly personal interest in the detectives themselves.
Se7en just might be the magnum opus of David Fincher, carrying a brutality to it that’s impossible to look away from in the same way a tragic disaster is. Kevin Spacey is disturbingly proficient as the insidious killer, who taunts his would-be pursuers right up until the infamously appalling downer ending. The definition of a film best watched through covered eyes, Se7en is an unforgettable thriller that irrevocably marks its viewers with dour disgust.
2
The Silence Of The Lambs
A masterpiece in slow-burn horror
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The Silence of the Lambs
R
Crime
Drama
Thriller
9/10
15
9.5/10
Release Date
February 14, 1991
Runtime
118 Minutes
Director
Jonathan Demme
Writers
Thomas Harris, Ted Tally
Cast
See All
-
Jodie Foster
Clarice Sterling
-
Anthony Hopkins
Dr. Hannibal Lecter
The Silence of the Lambs follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling, portrayed by Jodie Foster, as she seeks the help of imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, to solve a series of gruesome murders. Directed by Jonathan Demme, this 1991 psychological thriller delves into the dark world of criminal profiling and the complex relationship between a young investigator and a brilliant, but dangerous, psychopath.
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As great as Se7en is, it owes much of its success to The Silence of the Lambs from a few years earlier. Likewise, The Silence of the Lambs centers on an investigation of a serial killer. FBI rookie Clarice Starling is tasked with finding the kidnapped daughter of a Senator, believed to be held hostage by the deranged murderer nicknamed Buffalo Bill. To help her investigation, Starling seeks the aid of the infamous psychiatrist turned gourmand cannibal serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who assists in dissecting Buffalo Bill’s psychological profile.
Anthony Hopkins gives one of the most brilliant performances ever captured on film as Hannibal Lecter, who soon eclipses Buffalo Bill in threat as he jumps at the chance to use Starling’s investigation to escape. Jodie Foster is also phenomenal as the inexperienced, but fearless Agent Starling, who is easy to sympathize with and relate to as she navigates the brutality of a serial killer. Thrilling and disgusting all the way through, The Silence of the Lambs is considered a classic for a good reason.
1
The Departed
A nerve-wracking tale of double-crossing spies
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The Departed
R
Thriller
Drama
Crime
9/10
10
9.5/10
Release Date
October 6, 2006
Runtime
151 minutes
Director
Martin Scorsese
Writers
William Monahan, Alan Mak, Felix Chong
Cast
See All
-
Martin Sheen
-
Matt Damon
A remake of the 2002 film Infernal Affairs, Martin Scorcese’s The Departed is one of the definitive crime epics. It follows Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a Massachusetts State Police officer who serves as an informant for mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), and Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), an undercover cop placed within Costello’s organization. Both Sullivan and Costigan scramble to uncover the other’s identity in order to save their own lives from the wrath of Costello and his gang.
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Another feather in Scorsese’s cap as a trustworthy thriller pilot, The Departed is still one of the most prestigious works in an impressive filmography. The South Boston-set caper centers on a police effort to infiltrate the Irish Mafia by way of an informant mole living among them deep undercover. Unfortunately for the law, however, the criminals have a similar idea, and send their own double agent to infiltrate the mechanisms of the police themselves.
Few films are able to maintain tension as well as The Departed, weaponizing dramatic irony as both agents seem inches away from having their covers blown at multiple points. It becomes impossible for the viewer to pick a side as Scorsese throws the two warring factions against one another in the ultimate clash of law vs. order. Laden with brilliant performances from a stacked cast of A-listers and slick action sequences, The Departed is one thriller that’s impossible to look away from once it begins.
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