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".
Julius Caesar (Blu-ray) (1970)
7.2/10
Director: Stuart Burge
Starring: Charlton Heston, Jason Robards, John Gielgud, Richard Johnson, Robert Vaughn, Ri...
The growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to ass... Read more
They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
6.1/10
Director: Gordon Douglas
Starring: Anthony Zerbe, Martin Landau, Sidney Poitier, Barbara McNair
Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is a veteran homicide detective, investigating the murder of a prostitute. The primary suspect is San Francisco politica... Read more
Shadows Of Fear (1970)
7.5/10
Starring: Ray Smith, Michael Craig, Ian Bannen, Peter Barkworth, Anthony Bate
Anthology series in which characters find themselves in weird and scary situations. Not evoked by the supernatural but by other people. Read more
The Beguiled (Blu-Ray) (1970)
6.3/10
Director: Don Siegel
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Geraldine Page, Elizabeth Hartman
Offbeat Civil War drama in which a wounded Yankee soldier, after finding refuge in an isolated girls' school in the South towards the end of the war,... Read more
La Rupture ( The Breach ) (1970)
6.6/10
Director: Claude Chabrol
Starring: Annie Cordy, Michel Bouquet, Stephane Audran, Jean-Claude Drouot, Jean-Pierre Ca...
An innocent woman falls prey to the machinations of her abusive husband, his wealthy father, and a shady family friend. Read more
When Eight Bells Toll (1970)
6/10
Director: Etienne Perier
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Nathalie Delon, Robert Morley, Jack Hawkins
Alistair MacLean adapted the screenplay for 'When Eight Bells Toll' from his own novel. It stars Anthony Hopkins as a ruthless spy, moving about Scotl... Read more
The Secret of Dorian Gray (1970)
Director: Massimo Dallamano
Starring: Helmut Berger, Herbert Lom, Margaret Lee, Richard Todd, Marie Liljedahl, Maria R...
In the late 60s in London, the model Dorian Gray (Helmut Berger) meets an aspiring actress, Sybil Vane (Marie Liljedahl), and they fall in love. Meanw... Read more
Cold Sweat (1970)
5.9/10
Director: Terence Young
Starring: Charles Bronson, James Mason, Jill Ireland, Liv Ullmann
Aka "De la part des copains". One evening, Joe Martin (Charles Bronson), an American living in France, is approached by Captain Ross (James Mason), an... Read more
Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
7.2/10
Director: Joseph Sargent
Starring: Gordon Pinsent, Susan Clark, Eric Braeden
The granddaddy of all "computer run amok" films, 'Colossus: The Forbin Project' concerns a huge electronic brain designed to control the American miss... Read more
The Beguiled (1970)
6.3/10
Director: Don Siegel
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Geraldine Page, Elizabeth Hartman
A rewarding, off-beat tale set in the Civil War about a wounded soldier (Clint Eastwood) bought to a girls' school to recuperate but becomes the catal... Read more