Thriller movies have a very different fan base. These movies need a viewer’s full attention to catch on to the details and not miss the zest of unraveling the plot. They charge the audience and keep them excited throughout the two hours.
In cinema, there are no language barriers. Just the movement on the screen can tell you the story and give you an exhilarating experience. Thriller movies from around the world have caught attention and fame. The plot, acting, and visuals have left some of them to live rent-free in our minds. Here are the top 25 thriller movies that you can add to your watchlist list.
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1. Momento (2000)
The protagonist, Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. But Shelby suffers from a rare, untreatable short-term memory loss which makes his task difficult. He has notes, and memos tattooed on his body that serves as reminders for him.
2. With A Friend Like Harry (2000)
During the heat wave, Claire and Michel go on a vacation with their three small daughters. Unexpectedly Michel meets his high school pal, Harry. Harry inserts into the couple’s lives and things take a sinister turn.
3. Mulhound Drive (2001)
A surrealist neo-noir mystery film directed by David Lynch. The plot revolves around an aspiring actress named Betty Elms, who meets and befriends an amnesiac woman recovering from a car accident. The story also follows several other incidents and characters even from Hollywood.
4. Ripley’s Game (2003)
The movie directed by Liliana Cavani revolves around Trevanny and Ripley. Ripley persuades Trevanny, an art framer to commit murder in return for a large sum of money. Ripley blackmails Trevanny into committing another murder while Trevanny finds his life spiraling out of his control.
5. Oldboy (2003)
Dae-Su Oh who was held captive for 15 years is released with a cell phone, a large sum of money, and expensive clothes. Unless he finds his captor in five days, a much worse fate awaits the man.
6. Zodiac (2005)
An unsolved mystery that leaves the audience stranded. Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist by profession, finds himself obsessively thinking of the Zodiac killer. The American psychological thriller is based on the serial killer who was prevalent during the 1970s in northern California. The movie has a strong line of cast.
7. Buried (2010)
The whole movie can leave you suffocating. Paul Conroy, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, a US truck driver is attacked by a group of Iraqis and buried alive inside a coffin. With only a cell phone and lighter, it is a race against time in order to escape the claustrophobic death situation.
8. Gone Girl (2014)
A wife traps her husband with an unforgettable psychopathic game. With his wife’s disappearance, Nick Dunne becomes the center of media attention. With further investigation, the pieces of evidence turn against the husband. but little does the world know that the whole crime is the master plan well executed by Amy, his wife.
9. The Handmaiden (2016)
A movie full of twists and turns, a budding romance with edge-of-your-seat suspense, ‘The Handmaiden‘ focuses on a rich Japanese woman and her journey to freedom. She hires a handmaiden, who works hand in hand with a con man to cheat her out of her wealth. With a passionate romance between the handmaiden and the mistress, the plot undergoes turbulent changes.
10. Searching (2018)
The movie is entirely set on smartphones and laptop screens as a father struggles to find his missing daughter. David Kim tries to find his 16-year-old daughter by tracing her digital footprints before she disappears forever. A hyper-modern thriller that can keep you etched to your seats.
11. Black Swan (2010)
A melodramatic movie filled with intense passion, which is gloriously and darkly absurd. It centers on the performance of a ballerina that is heroic but with conflicts between good and evil in Tchaikovsky’s ballet ‘Swan Lake’. As the ballerina, Nina takes up her role with complete passion, she loses her mind in the art. Her performance in the movie gained Natalie Portman the Oscar for Best Actress in 2010.
12. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
American science fiction presents Earth that has moved forward in time with advanced technologies and artificial intelligence. The new Blade Runner Officer K, played by Ryan Gosling unearths a long-buried secret that can put society into chaos. With his discovery, he goes in search of the former Blade Runner, Rick Deckard who has been missing for about thirty years.
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13. Memories Of Murder (2003)
A movie inspired by real-world crimes that remain unsolved. The plot revolves around the lead detective Park doo-man along with another cop is trying to find the serial killer who molested young girls over the years. 2003 movie shows the ineffectiveness of the then-police system and the poor safety of the Korean population, as the criminal remains free amidst the public. The film leaves a lot of staggering questions to be answered.
14. I Saw The Devil (2010)
The movie is a shocking and stunning tale of murder and revenge. Soo-Hyun, an elite special agent sets out to take revenge on the murderer of his pregnant wife. The journey to find this psychopathic killer puts Soo-Hyun twisted between good and evil. Thus by tracking down the serial killer he himself has turned into a monster.
15. Nightcrawler (2014)
The film is a psychological thriller that focuses on a symbiotic relationship between unethical journalism and consumer demand. Louis Bloom, a petty thief finds out that he could make money by selling the footage of violent events late at night to the local television news channel. Filled with greed and ambition, sociopathic Louis resorts to extreme methods to get the photos.
16. Gravity (2013)
What if lost in the void of space? Filled with suspense and wonder, ‘Gravity‘ is about an individual psyche that has to survive a physical and emotional catastrophe. On a mission to outer space, Dr. Ryan Stone, an engineer, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut are hit by high-speed space debris. With Stone as the lone survivor, she has to find a way back home.
The Departed (2006)
An epic crime thriller film, ‘The Departed’ is about an undercover cop, Billy Costigan who tries to infiltrate the organization of gangland chief Frank Costello. At the same time, a career criminal, Colin Sullivan infiltrates the police department and reports police activities to the syndicate bosses. As the organizations find out about these infiltrations, Billy and Colin try to save themselves.
18. The Lives Of Others (2006)
The film is about freedom, solitude, compassion, and love that is lost while living under an oppressive regime. The plot of the German drama is about the monitoring of the East Berlin residents by the East German secret police. Under these circumstances, a pro-socialist playwright’s flat is bugged to find incriminating pieces of evidence against him when a corrupt official falls for his girlfriend.
19. The Prestige (2006)
At the onset of a sudden tragedy, two fellow friends and magicians become bitter enemies. With increased competition and rivalry, they fight for fame and publicity. But this is followed by terrible consequences.
20. Arrival (2016)
A science fiction thriller that can blow your mind both with the plot and creativity. The movie focuses on a linguist, Louise Banks who is enlisted by the US Army in order to communicate to the extra-terrestrials who have landed on earth, What Banks learns through the encounter has the power to change so many things.
21. Shutter Island (2010)
Another movie that would play with your mind. The psychological thriller develops around two US marshals who are sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a mental asylum on a remote island. But Teddy discovers a shocking truth about the place. His discoveries don’t end there. It spirals around as he understands more about himself.
22. Get Out (2017)
The movie revolves around a young African American, Chris who decides to visit his white girlfriend Rose for the weekend. Everything seems fine at first. But slowly the lead experiences a simmering uneasiness in his reception which slowly reaches its boiling point. Chris was not ready for the horrors that lie ahead of him.
23. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
A blend of thriller and horror that cannot be missed. ‘The Silence of Lambs‘ had the power to describe a new phase in the genre of thrillers. Clarice Sterling, a young FBI agent seeks out the help of a psychopathic serial killer Hannibal Hector in order to catch another serial killer who has been claiming female victims. Whereas Hector through the deal tries to find a way to escape.
24. Parasite (2019)
A South Korean black comedy thriller movie, that questions the existing class division and discrimination in society. The poor Kim family finds their support and solace in the wealthy Park family. They develop a symbiotic relationship that finally ends in tragedy. The movie clearly portrays the daily struggles of the poor, that deem of improving their condition.
25. Inception (2010)
The film is set within the architecture of your mind. Dom Cobb, a thief, well versed in stealing secrets using dream-sharing technology is asked to plant an idea in the head of a CEO. But with a dangerous enemy who seems to predict their all moves, Cobb and his team are unable to execute their plan effectively. The Christopher Nolan movie like any other is a masterpiece that can transcend through time.
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