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".
La Commare Secca ( The Grim Reaper ) (1962)
6.9/10
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: Carlotta Barilli, Lorenza Benedetti, Clorinda Celani, Vincenzo Ciccora
Bertolucci's debut feature was written by his friend Pier Paolo Pasolini and bears that filmmaker's mark of realism. When a prostitute is murdered in... Read more
La Piscine (The Swimming Pool) (Blu-ray) (1969)
7/10
Director: Jacques Deray
Starring: Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet, Jane Birkin
Lovers Marianne and Jean-Paul spend their vacation in a villa near St.-Tropez. The main feature of the villa is a swimming pool, stage for most of the... 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
Lady in Cement (1968)
5.9/10
Director: Gordon Douglas
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Raquel Welch, Dan Blocker, Richard Conte
In this sequel to 'Tony Rome', Frank Sinatra is back as the Miami private eye. This time around he's hired by a small time hood to find his missing gi... Read more
Lake Mungo (2008)
6.1/10
Director: Joel Anderson
Starring: David Pledger, Martin Sharpe, Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, Steve Jodrell
A faux-documentary shot in the style of "The Blair Witch Project" in which sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When... Read more
Lakeview Terrace (2008)
6.1/10
Director: Neil LaBute
Starring: Samuel L Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Ron Glass, Justin Chambers,...
Newlyweds Chris and Lisa are excited to be moving into the exclusive gated community of Lakeview Terrace, but they soon discover their neighbour, L.A.... Read more
Land of the Blind (2006)
6.6/10
Director: Robert Edwards
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Donald Sutherland, Lara Flynn Boyle, Tom Hollander, Marc Warren,...
An unsusual blend of surrealism and satire, this political allegory is set in a fictional totalitarian country ruled by a vain and heartless dictator,... Read more
Lansky (2021)
5.3/10
Director: Eytan Rockaway
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Sam Worthington, John Magaro, Minka Kelly
When the aging Meyer Lansky is investigated one last time by the Feds who suspect he has stashed away millions of dollars over half a century, the ret... Read more
Last Action Hero (1993)
6.3/10
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, F Murray Abraham, Art Carney, Charles Dance, Frank McRae,...
Schwarzenegger's 'Heaven's Gate'. Big, loud, expensive ... but with plenty of satire which was missed by many first time around. Worth re-assessing in... Read more
Last Man Standing (1996)
6.4/10
Director: Walter Hill
Starring: Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, Bruce Dern
An explosive re-working of Akira Kurosawa's 'Yojimbo' (which was previously remade as 'A Fistful of Dollars') stars Bruce Willis as the mysterious gun... Read more