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".
The Streets of San Francisco: Season 1, Volume 1 (1972)
7.3/10
Starring: Karl Malden, Michael Douglas
This action-packed series made a star of the then up-and-coming actor Michael Douglas, who, along with Karl Malden, played a father-and-son-like duo o... Read more
Images (1972)
7.2/10
Director: Robert Altman
Starring: Susannah York, Rene Auberjonois, Marcel Buzzuffi, Cathryn Harrison
Susannah York received a Best Actress gong at Cannes for her portrayal of a woman descending into madness in Robert Altman's haunting drama/thriller a... Read more
The Mechanic (1972)
7/10
Director: Michael Winner
Starring: Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland
Charles Bronson is a steely-eyed 'mechanic', an unparalleled professional assassin who takes a cold-hearted apprentice (Jan-Michael Vincent) under his... Read more
The Hot Rock (1972)
6.8/10
Director: Peter Yates
Starring: Robert Redford, George Segal, Zero Mostel, Ron Leibman, Paul Sand, Moses Gunn
Fresh out of prison, thief Robert Redford is coaxed by brother-in-law George Segal to join his planned heist of a priceless diamond from a museum. The... Read more
The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972)
6.1/10
Director: Lamont Johnson
Starring: George Peppard, Michael Sarrazin, Christine Belford, Cliff Potts, James Olson
A violent blast destroys the U.S. government's top secret Groundstar Research Complex, and six high ranking scientists are incinerated. The saboteur,... Read more
The Getaway (1972)
7.5/10
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Starring: Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Al Lettieri, Sally Struthers
Great adventure and excitement occur when Bank robbers Steve McQueen and wife Ali MacGraw take on the law when a robbery goes haywire. Read more
Frenzy (1972)
7.5/10
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Jon Finch, Barry Foster, Barbara Leigh-Hunt
A great Hitchcock thriller: the wrong man is suspected when his wife is murdered. Full of Hitchcock's humour, the film stars Alec McCowen, Vivien Merc... Read more
Sleuth (1972)
8/10
Director: Joseph L Mankiewicz
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine
Mystery tour-de-force based on Anthony Shaffer's play starring Laurence Olivier as an eccentric writer of mystery novels coercing his wife's lover Mic... Read more
Deliverance (1972)
7.7/10
Director: John Boorman
Starring: Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty, Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds
Four Atlanta businessmen's weekend canoe trip turns into a desperate fight for survival in John Boorman's riveting adaptation of James Dickey's novel.... Read more
In The Eye Of The Hurricane (Blu-ray) (1971)
6.2/10
Director: José María Forqué
Starring: Jean Sorel, Rosanna Yanni
Ruth and Michel separate after Ruth finds another man, Paul. Ruth and Paul go to her sunny, idyllic beach side villa to spend summer. They are having... Read more