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".
Youth Without Youth (2007)
6.3/10
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Tim Roth, Alexandra Maria Lara, Bruno Ganz, Andre Hennicke, Marcel Iures
At 70, Professor Dominic (Tim Roth) is contemplating suicide; his wife is dead, and he can't seem to complete his life's work on the origin of languag... Read more
Z (1969)
8.2/10
Director: Constantin Costa-Gavras
Starring: Yves Montand, Irene Papas, Jean-Louis Trintignant
A pulse-pounding political thriller, Greek expatriate director Costa-Gavras's "Z" was one of the cinematic sensations of the late sixties, and remains... Read more
Zen (2011)
7.8/10
Starring: Rufus Sewell, Caterina Murino, Ben Miles
Detective Aurelio Zen brings justice to modern-day Italy. Read more
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
7.4/10
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke
Controversial military thriller from director Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker") about the mission by American special operations forces to capture o... Read more
Zero Dark Thirty ( Blu-ray ) (2012)
7.4/10
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke
Controversial military thriller from director Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker") about the mission by American special operations forces to capture o... Read more
Zero Dark Thirty ( Blu-ray ) (Copy) (2012)
7.4/10
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke
Controversial military thriller from director Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker") about the mission by American special operations forces to capture o... Read more
Zero Effect (1997)
7/10
Director: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Kim Dickens, Ryan O'Neal, Bill Pullman, Ben Stiller, Angela Featherstone
Bill Pullman is an eccentric and reclusive master detective hired by wealthy Ryan O'Neal to find a lost key to a safety deposit box that holds evidenc... Read more
Zodiac (2007)
7.7/10
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr, Brian Cox, Joh...
In the late 1960s, Northern California was gripped by fear as a serial killer haunted the nighttime streets of San Francisco. To this day, the identi... Read more
Zodiac: Director's Cut ( Blu-ray ) (2007)
7.7/10
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr, Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Eli...
In the late 1960s, Northern California was gripped by fear as a serial killer haunted the nighttime streets of San Francisco. To this day, the identit... Read more
Zodiac: Directors Cut (2007)
7.7/10
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Chloe Sevigny, Dermot Mulroney, Donal Logue, Elias K...
Zodiac tells the story of the manhunt for the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer who called himself the "Zodiac" and killed in and around the San Francisc... Read more