25 Best thriller movies of all time

byArya Rai
November 14, 2023
9 minute read
best thriller movies of all time
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Nail-biting, stuck to the edge of the seat, and grabbing all of one’s attention, thriller movies are exciting to watch on movie nights. They cause our sense of anxiety and suspense to heighten, bringing us along for a ride full of subgenres like horror, action, or mystery.

From The Dark Knight Rises to Parasite, thriller movies are distinctive in their storytelling. They make one wonder, guess, and fear as the story progresses.

So, without any further ado, browse through this list of 25 best thriller movies of all time and delve down into the world of suspense and thrill.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman

Stream on: Max

the dark knight

Bruce Wayne lurks under moonlight as a dark vigilante called Batman, who is trying to eliminate criminals from the streets of Gotham City. When a robbery at the bank goes wrong, one of the robbers reveals himself to be the Joker, who only wants to create chaos and mayhem in Gotham through fear and uncertainty. Now, it’s upon Batman to apprehend Joker with the help of his friend, police chief Gordon.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Michael Madson, Tim Roth

Stream on: Paramount +

Reservoir Dogs (1992) Official Trailer #1 - Quentin Tarantino Movie

Joe Cabot invites six gangsters to carry out a diamond heist on his behalf. All gangsters are strangers to each other and go under different aliases. When the heist goes wrong, the police arrive on the scene, and they have to make a hasty escape. Each of them gets to the rendezvous point. They realize that one of them is a mole or an undercover cop.

Inception (2010)

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy

Stream on: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

inception

Cobb, a thief with the ability to infiltrate people’s subconscious and extract information from their dreams, is offered a deal that will help clear his criminal record. His target is Robert Fischer, and he has to, this time, implant memories and ideas instead of extracting them. He forms a team with a forger, a chemist, and a college student studying design.

Joker (2019)

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz

Stream on: Amazon Prime Video, Max

joker

The origin story of the mad clown, Joker, who was one of the biggest nemesis of Batman. Arthur Fleck has been suffering from bullying and low self-esteem all his life. He tries to make it as a stand-up comedian in the 80s but fails because of his shortcomings. Slowly but gradually, this failure, bullying, and trauma led him to have a mental breakdown and start a life of crime and chaos.

Jurassic Park (1993)

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Sam Neil

Stream: Amazon Prime Video

Jurassic Park Official Trailer #1 - Steven Spielberg Movie (1993) HD

The long-extinct dinosaurs are cloned by a wealthy businessman, and he uses them as an attraction to open a wildlife amusement park on the island of Isla Nublar. But after a power shutdown, the visitors, including the wealthy businessman’s family, are trapped with these dinosaurs who have seemed to go out of control.

Kill Bill: Volume 1

Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, David Carradine

Stream on: Amazon Prime Video

kill bill

The Bride, an assassin who used to be a member of an assassin group called the Deadly Viper, becomes the target of her former group. After waking up from a coma, where she was hospitalized for 4 years, she decides to seek revenge on her former group and their boss, Bill, who was the one behind her and her unborn child’s attempted murder. Grieving and enraged, she travels to Japan to get a sword master to forge the best sword to eliminate her enemies.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Haley Joel Osment

Stream on: Disney +

The Sixth Sense (1999) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers

A child psychologist, Malcolm, is struck with grief and regret after a former patient of his attempted to kill him, claiming that he didn’t help him. When Malcolm comes across Cole, a little boy who claims to see dead people walking about, Malcolm decides that he will help Cole without leaving space for regrets.

The Imitation Game (2014)

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode

Stream on: Amazon Prime Video

imitation game

Alan Turing developed an interest in cryptography after a friend at school taught him. After school, during the time of the British and German war, Alan volunteers to be on the team of cryptographers who are responsible for decoding German coded messages. He went on to invent a better decoding machine called Enigma, roping in help from Winston Churchill to help in the construction of the said machine.

The Departed (2006)

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Vera Farmiga

Stream on: Amazon Prime Video

The Departed (2005) Official Trailer - Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson Movie HD

Colin Sullivan is sent by his Irish mob boss to enter the police force’s special investigation unit who was specifically looking into his boss and making a case against him to catch him and send him to prison. On the other hand, Billy Costigan is chosen specifically for his family’s link to the mafia and sent as an undercover cop to infiltrate the Irish Mob and get close to the boss. Throughout the movie, the two realize that there is a mole, and it’s a chase between who will discover who first.

V for Vendetta (2005)

Starring: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Fry

Stream on: Amazon Prime Video

v for vendetta

It is a dystopian movie set in futuristic Britain. It is ruled by a fascist government called Norsefire. V, a masked anarchist and vigilante, is executing several Norsefire supporters and members when his path crosses Evey’s. Evey is an orphan whose parents died in jail after they became activists against the government. V ropes in Evey in his plans and makes her witness several of his mayhem and destruction.

Parasite (2019)

Starring: Lee Sun-kyun, Park So-dam, Choi Woo-shik

Stream on: Amazon Prime Video

Parasite - Official Trailer (2019) Bong Joon Ho Film

Kim Ki-taek and his family live in a basement room, and they earn their living through folding pizza boxes. But when his son’s friend asks his son to take over his tutoring job at a wealthy house, the Kim family sees an opportunity to take over other jobs of chauffeur, cook, and art teacher by hook or crook.

Prisoners (2013)

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano

Stream on: Netflix

Prisoners Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal Movie HD

Two families celebrating Thanksgiving realize that their daughters are missing. Immediately calling the police, the desperate search for two girls starts. The first suspect is a boy with low intelligence who is released by the police as deemed unfit to kidnap anyone or even plan one. Keller, one of the fathers, decides to start his own investigation to look for his daughter.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Starring: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux

Stream on: Paramount +

MULHOLLAND DR. (2001) | 4K Restoration | Official Trailer | Dir. by David Lynch

On the winding road of the Hollywood Hills on Mulholland Drive, a girl survives a car crash and breaks into an apartment. When the owner’s niece arrives, the girl tells her she has forgotten everything, even her name, but picks the name Rita from a poster in the room. Together, they decide to look for Rita’s real identity and the mystery behind her car accident.

The Prestige (2006)

Starring: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Cain

Stream on: Paramount +

THE PRESTIGE Trailer (2006)

A science fiction and psychological thriller, The Prestige is a story about two fellow magicians who used to be friends, but when one’s wife dies in an accident, it causes a rift wide enough to end their friendship. Starring their own careers, Borden has a neat trick of traveling from one place to another, wowing his audience. Angier, the other magician, grows bitter and jealous, obsessing over figuring out the method behind his trick, and it leads him to a scientist in America who had invented a real transportation machine.

Gone Girl (2014)

Starring: Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck, Neil Patrick Harris

Stream on: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video

gone girl

Nick Dunne returns home to find his wife has disappeared, and he becomes the prime suspect of the police in his wife’s disappearance case but also the poster boy for sympathy by the media. The truth starts to unravel about their married life, his cheating, and his wife’s mysterious past, making the disappearance more and more uncanny and thrilling.

Leon (1994)

Starring: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman

Stream on: Amazon Prime Video

Leon: The Professional Trailer

Mathilda, a twelve-year-old girl, takes cover under Leon after her abusive parents and her little brother are killed by some corrupt DEA agents. Leon is a professional Hitman and wants nothing to do with a mere kid. But Mathilda resolves to take revenge against the perpetrators responsible for her brother’s murder and asks Leon to impart his skills to her.

Room (2015)

Room | Official Trailer HD | A24

Joy is kidnapped by a deranged man who keeps her captive in a room. Born out of this stay in captivity, Joy’s only support is her son, Jack, who is 5 years old and curious about the outside world. Joy is holding on to find a way so that she and she can escape one day and live a life of freedom outside the room that is their prison.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin

Stream on: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video

The Usual Suspects - Trailer

A boat in San Pedro Bay is set on fire, and two small-time con artists are rescued from the burner debris. While one is in a coma with severe burns, the other, Kint, is grilled by a US customs agent in an LAPD station. They are after finding a link between the con artist’s boss and the robbery of jewelry and a drug called China White.

Memories of Murder (2003)

Starring: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roi-ha

Stream on: Apple TV

memories of murder

Two clumsy detectives start a series of investigations in the cases following the same pattern where a woman is kidnapped, raped, and then killed. Based on a true crime story in South Korea, the detectives give it all to find a culprit associated with this heinous and gruesome crime.

Casino Royale (2006)

Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen

Stream on: Amazon Prime Video

Casino Royale Official Trailer (2006) James Bond Movie HD

In the dangerous game of poker and pursuit, Bond, a British secret spy agent has to go on a mission to stop a criminal aiding banker who is employed by a very vile criminal organization. In the high stakes of poker and survival, Bond has to stop Le Chiffre from getting a winning hand, or else the consequences will be bad.

Memento (2000)

Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jorja Fox

Stream on: Amazon Prime Video

Memento (2000) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers

Leonard Shelby is a man who has anterograde amnesia, which stops his brain from retaining any new memories and as the last proper memory he has is of his dying wife, he is determined to take his due revenge. Previously an investigative journalist, Leonard carries a camera around with him, taking pictures to remind himself of where he was, what he did, and who he met.

Get Out (2017)

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, LaKeith Stanfield

Stream on: Netflix

get out

A man finds his girlfriend’s seemingly normal American family to be hiding something underneath their friendly facade when he visits them with his girlfriend for a party at their house. Staying for the weekend, Chris starts to notice his things going missing or his phone left uncharged while the maid and the groundskeeper in the family seem to want to say something to him and, at the same time, avoid him.

Mystic River (2003)

Starring: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon

Stream on: Amazon Prime Video

mystic river

Three men who were friends go a separate way and follow different life paths. Jimmy runs a shop but is an ex-convict. Sean is a detective at the Massachusetts State Police Station. Dave is a manual worker. When Jimmy’s daughter is kidnapped and found murdered, Sean starts to work the case while Jimmy decides to look for the killer himself. In the meantime, Dave is discovered by his wife to come home with his clothes full of blood on the day Jimmy’s daughter is murdered.

Nightcrawler (2014)

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed

Stream on: Max

Nightcrawler TRAILER 1 (2014) - Jake Gyllenhaal Crime Drama HD

Lou, a thief, discovers the life of freelance journalism, recording crime scenes and selling the footage to the local news station. He makes a deal with Nina, the director of a news station, to record violent crimes happening in the city. Lou gets so immersed in his job of photography that he starts manipulating crime scenes to take better pictures, and he starts doing morally questionable actions in his aim to leave behind the competition.

Gravity (2013)

Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris

Stream on: Amazon Prime Video

gravity

A science fiction thriller, Gravity follows two American astronauts, Matt and Ryan. Matt is on his last expedition while it’s Ryan’s first. But as they are between their spacewalk, a warning is sent before space debris leaves their space shuttle damaged and stuck to float in orbit aimlessly.
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Arya Rai