Entertainment
4 Greatest Thriller Movies on Netflix Right Now
While Sia may have believed in a cheap thrill, movie lovers tend to love a great thrill. A thriller that is. The wide-spanning genre has given audiences a chance to be glued to their seat as they await the juicy twists and turns coming their way. Whether the thriller be a mystery, an action-adventure, or a crime drama, the ability to keep an audience engaged is the trick for films that live under that umbrella.
With so many titles on your Netflix list, it can be difficult to know what to watch next. If you know you’re in the mood for a thriller, let us help you out with four excellent titles that provide a vast range of thrilling sensations. From classic characters to real-life individuals, portrayed by some of Hollywood’s finest, these titles are perfect for your next dive into the world of thrillers. Whatever you fancy, if you’re looking for something to make your adrenaline pump, these movies will satisfy your needs.
1
‘Caught Stealing’ (2025)
While we’ll talk about a different kind of king later, Austin Butler, the actor who formerly portrayed The King, has been moving swiftly into action films as of late. Joining forces with the legendary Darren Aronofsky, Butler proves his turn into a complete Hollywood leading man in Caught Stealing. Based on the novel of the same name by Charlie Huston, Caught Stealing follows Hank Thompson (Butler), a former baseball star-turned-bartender who, after agreeing to pet sit for his neighbor, Russ Miner (Matt Smith), unwittingly runs afoul of New York City’s criminal underbelly as he’s pursued by various gangsters searching for a mysterious item. A violent and chaotic dark comedy, Caught Stealing brings the vibrant city circa 1998 to life through an array of oddball characters.
With a stacked cast of stars, including Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Liev Schrieber, and Bad Bunny, among others, Caught Stealing became a sleeper hit of 2025. A throwback thriller of sorts, Caught Stealing proves that Butler has more charisma than we’re prepared for. Through fast action and stellar performances, Caught Stealing ticks all the right boxes for a perfect thriller. Though it may not be peak Aronofsky, it will certainly satisfy your itch.
2
‘Sew Torn’ (2024)
Having first blown up after appearing in the 2024 South by Southwest Film Festival, Sew Torn helped establish Freddy Macdonald as a “wunderkind” filmmaker. The dark comedy thriller follows Barbara (Eve Connolly), a grieving, isolated Swiss mountain seamstress on the verge of bankruptcy. After stumbling upon a botched drug deal, a suitcase of cash, and a bunch of injured men, her split decision at the scene of the crime leads to drastically different outcomes along the way. Exploring how Barbara’s different, split-decisions create three alternate (and increasingly dangerous) timelines, Sew Torn is a bombastic film that rightly makes Macdonald a director to keep an eye on.
Stitching together a wild ride after a mundane quest, Sew Torn‘s ability to present the repercussions of the three paths — commit the perfect crime, call the police, or drive away — further pushes Barbara’s crusade to save her store to the highest of stakes. Expanded from Macdonald’s short film of the same name, Sew Torn balances whimsical, if not absurd, moments with tense and thrilling elements that keep you gripped. We’ve all pondered the “what-ifs” in our own lives, but Sew Torn pushes it to extremes in a genius manner. This film is genuinely unlike anything you’ve witnessed before.
3
‘Skyfall’ (2012)
For some diehard James Bond fans, the Daniel Craig era of 007 started off tepid, but by the time we reached Skyfall, the reactions soon changed. Perhaps the strongest of his tenure, Skyfall follows the MI6 agent after an assignment goes horribly wrong. Bond’s loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested when a terrorist attack on MI6 forces him to track down a villain from M’s past, determined to destroy everything they hold dear. With MI6 compromised inside and out, Bond is aided by a field agent, Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), as he follows a trail to one of the most vile villains, Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), who is dead set on settling an age-old score. Richly dark and twisted, thanks in part to Barden’s superb and ferocious villainy, Skyfall is James Bond at his finest.
Even if you enter the James Bond universe for the first time with this film, Skyfall will likely get you hooked, as you have the iconic hero take on the most sinister of villains. As the story unfolds, Bond must face the reality of MI6 and what it truly means to him. Is it worth fighting for? Skyfall is a wonderful epic, bringing Bond into the modern age with technology while still maintaining the integrity of the past. Solidly directed by Sam Mendes, Skyfall is a sexy, riveting, dangerous thriller. If you can hear Adele when you see the title of the film, that’s a good sign.
4
‘The King’ (2019)
Come Oscar night, Timothée Chalamet may be a new king in Hollywood, but before then, he played a historical king in the 2019 epic, The King. Directed by David Michôd from a script by Michôd and Joel Edgerton and based on several of William Shakespeare‘s Henriad plays, the drama tells the story of young Hal (Chalamet), a reluctant prince who inherits the English throne as Henry V upon his father’s (Ben Mendlsohn) death. Putting the focus on Hal’s navigation through palace intrigue, the chaotic wars, and the burdens of leadership, The King is a “rise within the ranks” story as you’ve never seen before.
Renowned for its gritty and realistic depiction of medieval warfare, The King is a massive epic that is stunning to behold. Perhaps an underrated period drama, the hostility of palace politics and war-torn terror allows The King to tackle every aspect of this carouser-to-warrior king story. Like Shakespeare’s own take on the tale, The King is inspired by a true story that honors Shakespeare while putting forth something refreshing through a modern lens. That said, tried-and-true historians found the film to be more of a work for entertainment. Nevertheless, The King boasts a brilliant cast that includes Sean Harris, Lily-Rose Depp, and Robert Pattinson. The King is impressive filmmaking through and through.
