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 (1986)
6.7/10
Director: Robert Mandel
Starring: Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Diane Venora
A fast paced, well acted suspense thriller about a special effects wizard hired to fake the assassination of a mob figure. After successfully completi... Read more
Manhunter (1986)
7.2/10
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Brian Cox
From the novel 'Red Dragon' by Thomas Harris ('The Silence of the Lambs', 'Hannibal') comes this thriller about a neurotic FBI agent specialising in s... Read more
The Morning After (1986)
6/10
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Raul Julia, Diane Salinger
Jane Fonda stars as a struggling alcoholic who awakens in a strange bed next to a murdered man. With Jeff Bridges and Raul Julia. Read more
The Name Of The Rose (1986)
7.8/10
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Starring: Sean Connery, F Murray Abraham, Christian Slater
Sean Connery and F. Murray Abraham star in this intriguing tale set in a 14th century monastery where a spate of bizarre deaths fills the monks with s... Read more
Raw Deal (1986)
5.5/10
Director: John Irvin
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kathryn Harrold, Darren McGavin, Sam Wanamaker, Paul Shen...
This violent and tongue-in-cheek thriller stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a small-town sheriff (and former FBI agent) who single-handedly takes on the... Read more
The Stepfather (1986)
5.6/10
Director: Joseph Ruben
Starring: Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack
This may look like your average mad slasher movie, but don't be misled by the packaging. This exploration of a deranged man just trying to find and ma... Read more
The Whistle Blower (1986)
6.2/10
Director: Simon Langton
Starring: Michael Caine, James Fox, Nigel Havers, John Gielgud
A tense thriller of espionage, spies and counterspies, in which one man's search leads him to the top levels of government intelligence where things a... Read more
Cobra (1986)
5.7/10
Director: George Pan Cosmatos
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, David Rasche
This vigilante drama stars Sly as a two-fisted, quick-triggered LA cop nicknamed Cobra who shoots, blasts, punches and mauls his way through the ranks... Read more
Smooth Talk (1985)
6.5/10
Director: Joyce Chopra
Starring: Treat Williams, Laura Dern, Mary Kay Place, Elizabeth Berridge
A free-spirited 15-year-old girl flirts with a dangerous stranger in the Northern California suburbs and must prepare herself for the frightening and... Read more
The Protector (1985)
5.8/10
Starring: Jackie Chan, Danny Aiello, Victor Arnold
Two New York City cops, Billy Wong and Danny Garoni, head to Hong Kong after the daughter of a rich businessman is kidnapped by the drug lord, Mr. Ko. Read more