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".
Dempsey and Makepeace: Season 1 (1984)
7.5/10
Starring: Michael Brandon, Glynis Barber, Ray Smith, Desmond Cullum-Jones, David Baxt
Lt. James Dempsey, a Serpico-like Brooklyn cop is sent to Scotland Yard and partnered with the glamorous but tough Sgt. Harriet Makepeace. Dempsey fin... Read more
Runaway (1984)
5.9/10
Director: Michael Crichton
Starring: Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes, Gene Simmons, Kirstie Alley
Michael Crichton ('Jurassic Park', 'Timeline') wrote and directed this sci-fi thriller. Tom Selleck is Jack Ramsey, a cop and single dad in a future... Read more
The Jigsaw Man (1984)
5.3/10
Director: Terence Young
Starring: Michael Caine, Susan George, Laurence Olivier, Robert Powell, Charles Gray
Cold war spy thriller in which in return for betraying his country, a former Russian agent is provided with a completely new identity. However, there... Read more
Red Dawn (1984)
6.4/10
Director: John Milius
Starring: Patrick Swayze, C Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Ben Johnson, Harry Dean Stanton,...
It's gung-ho action all the way as a troop of small-town teenagers take on the Commies when the U.S. of A. gets invaded. Opening with a truly memorabl... Read more
Against All Odds (1984)
5.9/10
Director: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Rachel Ward, James Woods, Alex Karras, Jane Greer, Richard Widmark
Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges), a cynical ex-football star, is hired to find Jessie Wyler (Rachel Ward). According to nightclub owner Jake Wise (James Wo... Read more
The Terminator (1984)
8/10
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Paul Winfield, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger
A cyborg is sent from the future to present-day Los Angeles on a deadly mission. He's got to kill a young woman whose life will have great significanc... Read more
The Terminator (Blu-ray) (1984)
8/10
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Paul Winfield, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger
A cyborg is sent from the future to present-day Los Angeles on a deadly mission. He's got to kill a young woman whose life will have great significanc... Read more
Body Double (1984)
6.8/10
Director: Brian De Palma
Starring: Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, Gregg Henry
Brian De Palma once again pays tribute to Alfred Hitchcock in this tale of an actor involved in a murder where he is the prime witness. Craig Wasson i... Read more
Crimes of Passion (1984)
6.4/10
Director: Ken Russell
Starring: Kathleen Turner, Anthony Perkins, John Laughlin
A highly charged erotic thriller from Ken Russell that features some of the hottest love scenes ever for a Hollywood film. Kathleen Turner is an enigm... Read more
The Mean Season (1984)
6.1/10
Director: Phillip Borsos
Starring: Kurt Russell, Mariel Hemingway, Richard Jordan, Andy Garcia
When a reporter becomes confidant to a manic serial killer and lets his quest for headlines cloud his judgement, the consequences are deadly. This ten... Read more