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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".

10 to Midnight (1983)

6.3/10
Director: J Lee Thompson
Starring: Charles Bronson, Lisa Eilbacher, Andrew Stevens, Geoffrey Lewis, Gene Davis

Charles Bronson stars as Leo Kessler, a cynical Los Angeles cop on the trail of Warren Stacey (Gene Davis), a homicidal maniac who turns rejection fro... Read more

Midnite Spares (1983)

5.7/10
Director: Quentin Masters
Starring: Max Cullen, Bruce Spence, David Argue, Tony Barry, Terry Camilleri, Gia Carides,...

This hilarious action-filled adventure stars James Laurie as Steve, a young man who returns home after a long absence only to find that his father has... Read more

The Osterman Weekend (1983)

5.9/10
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Starring: Meg Foster, Rutger Hauer, Dennis Hopper, John Hurt, Craig T Nelson, Chris Sarand...

Sam Peckinpah's last film is based on Robert Ludlum's novel and tells a complicated story of espionage, revenge and duplicity. Stars Rutger Hauer, Bur... Read more

Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)

6.4/10
Director: Steve Carver
Starring: Chuck Norris, David Carradine, Barbara Carrera, Leon Isaac Kennedy, L Q Jones, R...

Probably Chuck Norris' best film has him cast as the lone wolf Texas Ranger who goes mano-a-mano with arms smuggler David Carradine. This spaghetti-we... Read more

Never Say Never Again (1983)

6.2/10
Director: Irvin Kershner
Starring: Klaus Maria Brandauer, Sean Connery, Max von Sydow, Barbara Carrera, Kim Basinge...

SPECTRE agents under the command of Ernst Blofeld infiltrate a US air force base situated in the UK and steal two Tomahawk cruise missiles. When NATO... Read more

WarGames (1983)

7.1/10
Director: John Badham
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, Ally Sheedy

Computer hacker David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) can bypass the most advanced security systems, break the most intricate secret codes and master eve... Read more

Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles (Richardson) (1983)

7.6/10
Director: Douglas Hickox
Starring: Ian Richardson, Martin Shaw, Glynis Barber, Denholm Elliott, Connie Booth

"It was a brave man who would cross the wild Devon moorlands in darkness - for the ancient legend of the Hound of the Baskervilles had persisted in fa... Read more

Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four (Richardson) (1983)

7.6/10
Director: Desmond Davis
Starring: Ian Richardson, Cherie Lunghi

Following the disappearance of her father, the beautiful Miss Morstan has received each year a mysterious present. She consults Sherlock Holmes (Ian R... Read more

Blood Simple (1983)

Director: Joel Coen
Starring: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M Emmet Walsh

A critically acclaimed thriller set in rural Texas combines chilling suspense with offbeat black humour. Double and triple crosses build to a blood-cu... Read more

Gorky Park (1983)

6.8/10
Director: Michael Apted
Starring: Brian Dennehy, Ian Bannen, Lee Marvin, William Hurt

Three mutilated bodies are found in a Moscow park, and its up to a Russian policeman (William Hurt) to find the maniacal killer. Based on the best-sel... Read more