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".
F/X: Murder by illusion (Blu-ray) (1986)
6.7/10
Director: Robert Mandel
Starring: Brian Dennehy, Bryan Brown, Cliff De Young, Jerry Orbach
Leading film industry special-effects maestro Rollie Turner (Bryan Brown) is approached by DOJ agents with an intriguing proposition: stage the faked... Read more
Matador (1986)
7/10
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Carmen Maura, Assumpta Serna, Nacho Martinez, Eva Cobo
An adventurous black comedy about a retired bullfighter and a female lawyer finding they have similar interests, which happens to be that each attains... Read more
The Hitcher (1986)
7.3/10
Director: Robert Harmon
Starring: C Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rutger Hauer, Jeffrey DeMunn
Rutger Hauer is evil personified in this taut thriller about a young man who is terrorized by a maniacal hitchhiker. Howell, in what may easily be his... Read more
Tough Guys (1986)
6.2/10
Director: Jeff Kanew
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Charles Durning, Eli Wallach
Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas teamed a fifth time for this action-packed adventure. The two screen legends play ex-cons, released after 30 years in... Read more
Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)
5.8/10
Director: Penny Marshall
Starring: Roscoe Lee Browne, Stephen Collins, Whoopi Goldberg, Carol Kane, Annie Potts, Jo...
Whoopi Goldberg made her comedy feature debut (after a dramatic turn in 'The Color Purple') in this comedy/thriller, as bank computer operator Terry,... Read more
Murphy's Law (1986)
5.9/10
Director: J Lee Thompson
Starring: Charles Bronson, Carrie Snodgress, Richard Romanus, Robert F Lyons
This thrilling game of hide-and-seek between a clever psychopath and a lone lawman hellbent on reaping justice stars Charles Bronson as veteran detect... Read more
Mona Lisa (1986)
7.4/10
Director: Neil Jordan
Starring: Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Michael Caine, Robbie Coltrane
Even before The Crying Game, Irish director Neil Jordan received a first round of critical acclaim for this superb 1986 film, a character study of a m... Read more
52 Pick-Up (1986)
6.4/10
Director: John Frankenheimer
Starring: Roy Scheider, Ann-Margret , Vanity , John Glover, Clarence Williams III
Elmore Leonard's best-selling novel makes for an exciting screen thriller. Roy Scheider plays a successful businessman who takes on a group of blackma... Read more
The Big Easy (1986)
6.6/10
Director: Jim McBride
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, Ned Beatty, John Goodman
This scintillating thriller stars Dennis Quaid as a New Orleans detective who becomes involved with sexy district attorney Ellen Barkin, who is invest... Read more
Crime Story (1986)
8.4/10
Director: Kirk Wong
Starring: Jackie Chan, Kent Cheng, Christine Ng
Based on a real life event in Hong Kong concerning the kidnapping of a Chinese businessman. Jackie Chan plays a policeman assigned the job of tracking... Read more