Entertainment
10 Amazing Thrillers That You Have Been Sleeping On
Thrillers are such a special brand of cinema. Their narratives often eschew anything grandiose or epic in favor of something that cuts right to the bone. Maybe their impact is only skin deep, or maybe it drills deep down into the marrow, but they are more often than not effective and efficient. As a genre, the thriller may be one of the most pliable as well, able to combine with science fiction, horror, Westerns or action with equal ease. It’s maybe because of that pliability that the thriller itself can go a little undervalued.
Thrillers don’t have the devoted fanbase that horror and science fiction do, and even if they have broad appeal, it doesn’t always deliver the same box office success as their more action-packed counterparts. The streaming age has only worsened this situation, with the majority of thrillers bypassing theaters altogether and getting swallowed up by the algorithm. These newer overlooked thrillers are in good company with many older gems that remain hidden. New and old alike, these are ten amazing thrillers that you’ve been sleeping on.
‘Prime Cut’ (1972)
Prime Cut is a nasty little crime thriller that was controversial upon its release for some of its explicitly violent and sexual content. Depicting the conflict between a Kansas meat-packing magnate and a Chicago mob enforcer, the film isn’t afraid to get lurid or downright sleazy. However, it’s elevated above the lowest ranks of exploitation thanks to solid direction, some memorable suspense sequences and an overqualified cast of professionals and rising stars.
Lee Marvin plays Devlin, an enforcer working for the Irish Mob who’s sent to collect a debt from the boss of a meat packing plant in Kansas named Mary Ann, played by Gene Hackman. In the middle of their escalating conflict is the young Poppy (Sissy Spacek in her first screen role), who has been sold into prostitution. Prime Cut was directed by Michael Ritchie, who later became better known for his comedies like Bad News Bears and Fletch, but his direction on this lean piece of pulp shows the same affinity for character. The film isn’t the equivalent of a fine filet mignon, but rather some cheap and juicy chuck that’s still packed with flavor.
‘Race with the Devil’ (1975)
City folk getting more than they bargained for on a rural excursion was a popular premise in the ’70s, as best exemplified by movies like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. Also popular during the decade were car chase movies, such as Smokey and the Bandit and Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry. The underrated thriller Race with the Devil combines both these genres with a dash of Satanic panic that makes it the real road trip from hell.
Peter Fonda and Warren Oates, who both separately starred in car movies, play co-owners of a motorcycle dealership who are headed to Aspen in an RV together for a vacation with their spouses, played by Loretta Swit and Lara Parker. The foursome’s plans are derailed when they witness a human sacrifice performed by a Satanic cult. Thus begins a pursuit across Texas as the couples try to survive increasing attacks from the cult and apathy from local law enforcement. Race with the Devil is a unique road thriller that’s had some minor influence, but deserves more eyes, especially for the shocking ending.
‘Trespass’ (1992)
Walter Hill knows how to make a lean, mean thriller. The director is responsible for cult classics like The Driver, The Warriors, and Southern Comfort, which all put their protagonists up against a gauntlet of external threats. His most underrated effort, which many haven’t woken up to yet, is the tightly wound 1992 siege thriller Trespass. It’s got an all-star cast, a simple but effective premise, and a clever script that keeps things taut until the end.
Bill Paxton and William Sadler play two firemen who come across a map that leads to a supposed treasure hidden in an abandoned building. When they decide to seek out this treasure for themselves, they get a mountain of trouble for it after they unwittingly witness a gang murder. That puts them up against a dangerous group of criminals, which includes Ice-T and Ice Cube in their only film together. Trespass isn’t overly complex or groundbreaking; it’s just a down-and-dirty thriller with a great cast that should’ve been a hit.
‘One False Move’ (1992)
Bill Paxton is the apparent king of underseen thrillers released in 1992. In addition to Trespass, he also played a key role in the massively overlooked neo-noir film One False Move. Co-written by Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars alongside Paxton, and directed by Carl Franklin, the movie received an overwhelmingly positive reception from critics but failed at the box office. Alas, that failure doesn’t diminish its lethal effectiveness.
Thornton is the leader of a trio of criminals who leave a pile of bodies in Los Angeles after they high-tail it out of town to sell a stash of drugs. Paxton is the chief of police of a small town that the trio is headed towards, and he has some secrets of his own. The film has unflinching violence and a stripped-down style that makes it pack a harder punch than you might expect. With a layered script and a perfect cast, One False Move lives up to its title, execution-wise.
‘Running Time’ (1997)
For B-movie fans who only know Bruce Campbell as Ash from the Evil Dead franchise, Running Time offers slick, no-frills thrills that prove the actor has more skills than just slaying deadites. Made on a shoestring budget, this heist movie stands out thanks to its gimmick. The entire film takes place in real time and has the added layer of being filmed to appear as if it is one continuous shot, accomplished through old-school ingenuity and hidden cuts, taking a page out of Alfred Hitchcock‘s Rope.
Campbell plays Carl, an ex-con who has a heist planned for the same day he’s released from prison. That plan isn’t foolproof, as several criminally stupid mistakes put Carl and his crew on the run after the botched robbery. Running Time isn’t flawlessly executed, but it isn’t amateur hour either. There’s an undeniable skill to pulling off the film’s visual gimmick, and any rougher moments in the performances or occasionally stilted dialogue don’t take away from its well-timed thrills.
‘You Were Never Really Here’ (2017)
As based on the novella by Jonathan Ames, there’s a version of You Were Never Really Here that could’ve been made as a much pulpier, more action-fueled movie along the lines of the original Taken. They’re all films about men with a certain set of skills that they use to punish criminals and protect innocents. However, Lynne Ramsay’s caustic thriller has a much sharper psychological edge to it, with a protagonist defined by his trauma in a way that breaks from the Hollywood anti-hero mold. The film was given a limited theatrical release before it promptly disappeared on Amazon, but it should not be allowed to fade away.
Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) is a mercenary whose specialty is saving young victims of trafficking. Brutality seems his second nature, rooted in his violent past. Joe is a fundamentally broken man, and no matter how much blood he spills, it will never free him from his trauma. The violence of You Were Never Really Here is fascinatingly filmed, with Ramsay often cutting away in a manner that denies the bloodthirsty catharsis that most action fans would want. It’s one of many ways in which the film makes its violence even more visceral, and it leaves an impact that will not be forgotten by anyone who watches it.
‘The Lookout’ (2007)
The Lookout was the directorial debut of screenwriter Scott Frank, who had risen to prominence writing crime films like Get Shorty and Out of Sight, and would later find success on streaming with series like The Queen’s Gambit. It’s a small-scale heist film featuring a terrific lead performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the middle of his resurgence as an adult actor.
Gordon-Levitt plays the retroactively distracting Chris Pratt, a once-promising high school hockey phenom who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident, which left him impaired. He works as a janitor at a bank, which is what brings him into the orbit of a former high school classmate, played by Matthew Goode, who manipulates him into robbing the bank. Frank’s script for the film is characteristically clever, and the plot veers in unexpected directions even when it’s repeating beats we’ve seen before. The Lookout is a sublime crime thriller that has been overlooked for far too long.
‘Calibre’ (2018)
Another thriller sacrificed to the algorithm gods, Calibre is a menacing British thriller that premiered on Netflix internationally, making it simultaneously instantly accessible and frustratingly hidden. It’s a taut and terrifying thriller, turning the rural fears that have fueled so many films on its head. It’s a truly discomforting and nerve-wracking film to watch, but it is so well-made that you can’t help but admire it even when it’s making you squirm.
Jack Lowden and Martin McCann play friends Vaughan and Marcus, who have taken a weekend hunting trip together in the Scottish Highlands. After an accident leaves two people dead, the men swear each other to secrecy but quickly find themselves stranded in the nearby town, where tensions with the locals quickly begin to rise. Calibre grabs hold of you early and continues to tighten its grip until you can’t bear it anymore.
‘Bull’ (2021)
Bull is another British thriller with far less recognition internationally than it deserves. It’s a brutal and violent revenge thriller that treads over familiar ground, but does it with such an unrelenting tone that it borders on the horror genre. It also benefits from a strong lead performance by Neil Maskell, who also appeared in the similar genre-shifting Kill List. Revenge thrillers, when done well, can offer a nasty bit of violent catharsis, and Bull does that with blood-soaked tenacity.
As Bull, Maskell is a feared enforcer for a dangerous gangster who is also his father-in-law. After being betrayed and seemingly killed, Bull returns to exact vengeance on those responsible as well as to find his son. Bull doesn’t pull its punches in the least. It means to be an old-school violent revenge thriller, and it is exactly that. It also has a twist ending that may hammer the point home a little too strongly, but the film doesn’t suffer drastically because of it. Fans of films like the aforementioned Kill List and Dead Man’s Shoes should check this one out.
‘Rebel Ridge’ (2024)
Jeremy Saulnier made his name on gritty thrillers like Blue Ruin and Green Room, which both include brutal body counts and bloodletting. His most recent thriller, Rebel Ridge, flips the script on that and presents itself as a non-lethal, or less lethal, action movie that focuses on tension over brutality. It’s been compared to First Blood for its plot that pits a former specialist against a corrupt police department, but even that comparison fails to capture the effectiveness of Saulnier’s thoroughly modern thriller. It’s another film that’s gotten swallowed up by Netflix, but is primed for discovery.
Aaron Pierre gives a star-making performance as Terry Richmond, a former Marine who has traveled to a small town in Louisiana to post bail for his cousin, but has his money unlawfully taken by the local police. That act sets off a chain reaction of escalating events between Terry and the police. It’s a gripping thriller that pulls some of its plot points directly from real issues, but it turns them into fodder for an engaging mystery action thrill ride. Rebel Ridge continues Saulnier’s evolution as a genre director, and it puts all others on notice for how effective its thrills are without riddling bodies with bullets.
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