Login

Thrillers & Suspense

Thriller and Suspense Films promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension. A genuine thriller is a film that relentlessly pursues a single-minded goal, to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging on the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. Plots of thrillers often involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the menace is sometimes abstract or shadowy. Below is a grand line-up of the best in contemporary Thrillers & Suspense made since 1965. Following a similar theme, with generally a darker look is the "Film Noir" feature, well worth checking out. The exploits of "James Bond 007" may also be accessed stage left. Right: Frances McDormand makes an arrest in the Coen Bros "Fargo".

The Riddle of the Sands (1979)

6.5/10
Director: Tony Maylam
Starring: Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Simon MacCorkindale, Alan Badel

This adaptation of Erskine Childer's novel is set in the early years of the 20th Century, with two British yachtsmen (Michael York and Simon MacCorkin... Read more

The River King (2004)

5.8/10
Director: Nick Willing
Starring: Edward Burns, Jennifer Ehle, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Rachelle Lefevre, Sean McCann

When the body of a schoolboy is found in a river, the official verdict is suicide, but Detective Grey (Edward Burns) thinks it was a hazing prank gone... Read more

The River Wild (1994)

6.3/10
Director: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn, Joseph Mazzello, John C Reilly

This exciting adventure has Meryl Streep playing a mom whose family whitewater rafting trip turns into a battle for survival when they encounter a cha... Read more

The Riverman (2004)

6/10
Director: Bill Eagles
Starring: Bruce Greenwood, Sam Jaeger, Cary Elwes, Kathleen Quinlan

Based on the book co-written by Robert Keppel, formerly chief criminal investigator for the attorney general of Washington State, the film recounts Ke... Read more

The Road (2009)

7.3/10
Director: John Hillcoat
Starring: Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Molly Parker, Robert Duvall, Viggo Mortensen, Kodi...

Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee are featured in this epic post-apocalyptic tale of the survival of a father and his young son as they journey acr... Read more

The Road ( Blu-ray ) (2009)

7.3/10
Director: John Hillcoat
Starring: Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Molly Parker, Robert Duvall, Viggo Mortensen, Kodi...

Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee are featured in this epic post-apocalyptic tale of the survival of a father and his young son as they journey acr... Read more

The Rock (1996)

7.4/10
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn, William Forsythe

An action/suspense tale of a disgruntled marine General (Ed Harris) who takes over Alcatraz, threatening to obliterate San Francisco with high-tech po... Read more

The Rookie (1990)

5.9/10
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Charlie Sheen, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga

World-weary cop Clint Eastwood teams up with rookie Charlie Sheen to track down a murderous auto thief in this actioner filled with car chases and sho... Read more

The Rosary Murders (1987)

5.7/10
Director: Fred Walton
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Belinda Bauer

Slow, but interesting, tale of a parish priest (Donald Sutherland) who hears the confession of a serial killer preying on priests and nuns, and finds... Read more

The Ruins (2008)

5.9/10
Director: Carter Smith
Starring: Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Laura Ramsey, Shawn Andrews, Joe Anderson

A Mexican vacation takes a turn for the violently gruesome when two couples take a detour to explore ancient Mayan ruins and find an armed group of na... Read more