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".
Lord Jim (1965)
6.7/10
Director: Richard Brooks
Starring: Peter O'Toole, James Mason, Eli Wallach, Jack Hawkins, Paul Lukas, Akim Tamiroff
After being discredited as a coward, a 19th century seaman lives for only one purpose: to redeem himself. Read more
Lord of War (2005)
7.6/10
Director: Andrew Niccol
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Ethan Hawke
In this black comedy/drama Nic Cage plays opportunistic businessman Yuri Orlov who has made a killing (excuse the pun) selling the left-over Soviet we... Read more
Lorna's Silence (2008)
Director: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Starring: Fabrizio Rongione, Jeremie Renier, Arta Dobroshi
Lorna is a young Albanian woman living illegally in Belgium whose desire for citizenship leads her into a dangerous world. In order to get the proper... Read more
Lost (2004)
8.4/10
Director: Darren Lemke
Starring: Dean Cain, Danny Trejo, Ashley Scott
Jeremy Stanton (Dean Cain) is an obnoxious yuppie driving from Santa Barbara to his new home in small town Nevada. However, as he makes his way throug... Read more
Lost Junction (2003)
5.6/10
Director: Peter Masterson
Starring: Billy Burke, Jake Busey, Neve Campbell, Charles Powell
Fast-paced, offbeat thriller with a romantic twist centres on a hitchhiker (Billy Burke) who becomes enamoured of a beautiful young woman (Neve Campbe... Read more
Lost River (2013)
5.8/10
Director: Ryan Gosling
Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Eva Mendes, Matt Smith, Saoirse Ronan, Iain De Caestecker, Chris...
A single mother is swept into a dark underworld while her son discovers an underwater town. Read more
Love (2005)
6.7/10
Director: Vladan Nikolic
Starring: Sergej Trifunovic, Geno Lechner, Peter Gevisser, Didier Flamand, Mario Padula
This decidedly European New York tale from director Vladan Nikolic interweaves the stories of a hitman from the former Yugoslavia, his ex-girlfriend a... Read more
Love And Monsters (2020)
6.9/10
Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Michael Rooker, Dan Ewing
Seven years after the Monsterpocalypse, Joel Dawson (Dylan O'Brien), along with the rest of humanity, has been living underground ever since giant cre... Read more
Love at Large (1990)
5.8/10
Director: Alan Rudolph
Starring: Ann Magnuson, Anne Archer, Annette O'Toole, Elizabeth Perkins, Kate Capshaw, Kev...
Director Alan Rudolph's ('Choose Me') well-crafted and offbeat tribute to '40s detective movies has Tom Berenger on the trail of the ruthless ex-lover... Read more
Love Crime (2010)
6.5/10
Director: Alain Corneau
Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas, Ludivine Sagnier
This masterclass in filmmaking is set in the sterile offices of a large multinational company where Isabelle works for Christine, a powerful woman who... Read more