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 Thin Man (1934)
8.1/10
Director: W S Van Dyke
Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan
This madcap blend of screwball comedy and murder mystery marked the first pairing of what was to become one of the movies great romantic teams, Willia... Read more
The Third Man (1949)
8.2/10
Director: Carol Reed
Starring: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard
Joseph Cotten is pulp fiction writer Holly Matins, who arrives in Vienna to work for his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to be told that Lime h... Read more
The Third Man ( Blu-ray ) (1949)
8.2/10
Director: Carol Reed
Starring: Alida Valli, Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard
Joseph Cotten is pulp fiction writer Holly Matins, who arrives in Vienna to work for his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to be told that Lime h... Read more
The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
7/10
Director: Josef Rusnak
Starring: Craig Bierko, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Gretchen Mol
This thought-provoking dark thriller, in keeping with "The Matrix" and "Dark City", is set in a computer-generated parallel world like 1930s L.A. with... Read more
The Thirteenth Floor ( Blu-ray ) (1999)
7/10
Director: Josef Rusnak
Starring: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Craig Bierko, Dennis Haysbert, Gretchen Mol, Vincent D'Onof...
This thought-provoking dark thriller, in keeping with "The Matrix" and "Dark City", is set in a computer-generated parallel world like 1930s L.A. with... Read more
The Thirty-Nine Steps ( The 39 Steps ) (1978)
6.6/10
Director: Don Sharp
Starring: Robert Powell, David Warner, Eric Porter, Karen Dotrice, John Mills
This suspenseful thriller is much closer to John Buchan's original novel than has been filmed before. With a fine cast of British character actors inc... Read more
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
7/10
Director: Norman Jewison
Starring: Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke, Jack Weston
A bored millionaire (Steve McQueen) masterminds the perfect bank robbery and is pursued by a dogged insurance investigator (Faye Dunaway) determined t... Read more
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
6.8/10
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis Leary, Faye Dunaway
This suspense-filled remake of the 1968 Steve McQueen / Faye Dunaway number stars Pierce Brosnan as the thrill-seeking billionaire who pulls off his b... Read more
The Thomas Crown Affair ( Blu-ray ) (1999)
6.8/10
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Denis Leary, Faye Dunaway, Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo
This suspense-filled remake of the 1968 Steve McQueen / Faye Dunaway number stars Pierce Brosnan as the thrill-seeking billionaire who pulls off his b... Read more
The Tiger Brigades (2006)
5.9/10
Director: Jerome Cornuau, Francois Cornuau
Starring: Clovis Cornillac, Diane Kruger, Edouard Baer, Olivier Gourmet, Stefano Accorsi
This film (and the popular television series it sprang from) has earned the nickname 'the French Untouchables' for its gritty story of an elite force... Read more