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 Secret Agent (1936)
5.8/10
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: John Gielgud, Madeleine Carroll, Peter Lorre
A week of murder and intrigue in which a spy accidentally kills an innocent man. The real villain is thus free to hunt down his pursuer and continue h... Read more
The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
8.2/10
Director: Juan Jose Campanella
Starring: Ricardo Darin, Javier Godino, Pablo Rago, Guillermo Francella, Soledad Villamil
Aka "El Secreto de sus Ojos". Benjamin (Ricardo Darin, "Nine Queens"), a retired court employee, decides to write a book about an old murder case that... Read more
The Secret of Dorian Gray (1970)
Director: Massimo Dallamano
Starring: Helmut Berger, Herbert Lom, Margaret Lee, Richard Todd, Marie Liljedahl, Maria R...
In the late 60s in London, the model Dorian Gray (Helmut Berger) meets an aspiring actress, Sybil Vane (Marie Liljedahl), and they fall in love. Meanw... Read more
The Secrets We Keep (2020)
5.7/10
Director: Yuval Adler
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman, Chris Messina
In post-WWII America, a woman, rebuilding her life in the suburbs with her husband, kidnaps her neighbor and seeks vengeance for the heinous war crime... Read more
The Sentinel (2006)
6.1/10
Director: Clark Johnson
Starring: Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Basinger, Eva Longoria, Martin Donovan,...
Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas) is a veteran Secret Service agent who has had a long and distinguished career protecting the US president, but when in... Read more
The Sentinel ( Blu-ray ) (2006)
6.1/10
Director: Clark Johnson
Starring: David Rasche, Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Basinger, Martin Donovan, Michael Douglas,...
Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas) is a veteran Secret Service agent who has had a long and distinguished career protecting the US president, but when in... Read more
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
6.8/10
Director: Herbert Ross
Starring: Alan Arkin, Laurence Olivier, Nicol Williamson, Robert Duvall, Vanessa Redgrave
Dr. Watson tricks Sherlock Holmes into travelling to Vienna in order to place him in the care of Sigmund Freud after his abuse of cocaine starts to sp... Read more
The Seven-Ups (1973)
6.8/10
Director: Philip D'Antoni
Starring: Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Larry Haines, Richard Lynch
This was the only directorial effort of Philip D'Antoni, producer of the detective action thrillers "Bullitt" and "The French Connection". Roy Scheide... Read more
The Shadow (1994)
6/10
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Starring: Alec Baldwin, John Lone, Penelope Ann Miller, Peter Boyle, Ian McKellen, Jonatha...
Lamont Cranston, having lived a life of moral degradation, is 'reborn' as a singleminded crimefighter with the ability to cloud men's minds. This adap... Read more
The Shallows (2016)
6.3/10
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Oscar Jaenada, Blake Lively
Medical student Nancy (Blake Lively) has traveled to Mexico to surf the same waters her late mother visited while she was pregnant with her. She catch... Read more