Diksha Sundriyal
Thrillers are perhaps the most exciting movies to watch due to their deeper insights into human minds. But why do so many of us like thriller and suspense films? First of all, they’re also accessible to a large audience as they all differ in style and genre combination, giving each and everyone the opportunity to find the right match. They also have interesting concepts, a thick plot that only gets denser by the minute, troubled characters who can’t seem to get a handle on their lives, and crime, most often, to join them all. From suspense-striking runs and jumps for the heart, to disturbing or complex revelations to the brain, they dive into our body’s visual perceptions and explode into a million pieces of excitement and thrill.
With the advent of online streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon Prime, movie lovers can now watch almost every movie from the comforts of their home. With a vast collection of thriller movies, Amazon Prime stands above the rest. So, take that popcorn and get ready to spend two hours on the edge of your seats. Here’s the list of top thriller movies on Amazon Prime that are our recommendations for you and your friends. The list includes psychological thrillers and crime thriller movies.
10. Without Remorse (2021)
Inspired by Tom Clancy’s 1993 novel of the same name, ‘Without Remorse’ is an action thriller film that stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Lauren London. The Stefano Sollima directorial follows Senior Chief Petty Officer John Kelly, who, along with a team of US Navy SEALs, rescues a CIA operative supposedly abducted by a pro-Assad paramilitary group. Although CIA officer Robert Ritter disagrees, the SEALs later learn that the Russian military may be responsible for the kidnapping instead of the pro-Assad militants.
Three months later, the worst fears of some of the officers involved in the mission are realized when a few of them are murdered by Russian FSB operatives, who also end up killing Kelly’s wife after breaking into his house. While Kelley manages to murder some of them, he is not the type to stop until he gets his full revenge.
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9. The Usual Suspects (1995)
Starring Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, and Kevin Pollak, ‘The Usual Suspects’ is a crime mystery thriller film written by Christopher McQuarrie. The Bryan Singer directorial follows the interrogation of a conman and criminal named Roger “Verbal” Kint, who is one of the survivors of a dangerous heist that turned into a massacre. He recounts the complicated story of how five criminals accidentally came across each other and eventually banded together to pull off the seemingly impossible under the guidance of an unknown crime lord—known as Keyser Söze.
The investigators must not only listen intently, but they should also use the information provided by him to get their hands on the mastermind, who led several unsuspecting people to their deaths, to achieve his twisted goals.
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8. Mother! (2017)
Darren Aronofsky had made some truly spectacular films like ‘Black Swan’ and ‘Requiem for a Dream’. ‘Mother!’ was another of his bold steps at making another unusual film. It may not have turned out as good as his other works, still, ‘Mother!’ deserves attention. Whether it is a good film or a bad one will remain a topic of debate for quite some time. It tells the story of a couple who welcome guests in their house but find difficulty in getting rid of them. The film plays on many themes, layered one after another. From a take on what we are doing to Mother Nature to drawing allegories from biblical stories, this film has a lot of thought-provoking points to make.
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7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Based on Stieg Larsson’s 2005 novel of the same name, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ is a neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher. The Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara-starrer follow the journalist-hacker pair of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander, who is hired by the uncle of Harriet Vanger. The duo is expected to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of the woman who has been missing for over four decades. Although they are dedicated to their work and investigate diligently, Blomkvist and Salander do not know how far the Vanger clan is willing to go to keep their secrets.
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6. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Eva always knew that there was something wrong with her son Kevin. Even when he was a child, he exhibited abhorrent behavior which only escalated as he grew up. When he commits a massacre at his school, he is sent to prison and Eva is forced to look back on her time with Kevin to find out where she went wrong with him, where she could have stopped all these bad things from happening. Tilda Swinton plays the role of the tormented mother Eva and Ezra Miller plays the role of the psychopathic teen Kevin with absolute perfection.
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5. The Terminator (1984)
James Cameron’s ‘The Terminator’ is a science fiction action thriller film produced by Gale Anne Hurd. It recounts the story of a cyborg who is sent from the future on a mission to kill a young waitress named Sarah. She is destined to give birth to a son who will go on to save humanity from a hostile artificial intelligence called the Skynet. Therefore, the existence of the human species lies on the small possibility that Kyle Reese, a soldier sent from the future, will manage to stop the killer cyborg from murdering Sarah. But will it be possible to prevent a robot with superhuman powers from murdering a mere mortal whose life is far more fragile? In order to find out, you will have to watch the blockbuster film from the mid-80s that continues to inspire filmmakers to this day.
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4. The Naked Kiss (1964)
Kelly is trying to leave her past behind and trying to let go of her career as a prostitute. She arrives in a small town where she tries to make a new life for herself. The police chief of the town doesn’t trust her owing to her past and tries to drive her out of town. However, a wealthy man of the town falls in love with her and they decide to get married. But the man is hiding his true personality and it turns out that he is not as sophisticated and good as he seems to be on the outside. When Kelly kills him by mistake, she is forced to prove her innocence in front of everyone, considering that no one is privy to the rich guy’s true nature.
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3. The Handmaiden (2016)
A psychological erotic thriller by acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook, ‘The Handmaiden’ is set during the time when Japan was under Korean occupation. The story begins with a con-man whose aim is to marry a rich heiress in order to make her wealth his own and live lavishly off it. In order to ensure that this happens quickly, this con-man hires a handmaiden for the young lady whose job will be to encourage her to marry this man as soon as possible. However, the plan does not work out when the heiress ends up falling for this handmaiden and the two of them begin a passionate sexual affair. Loosely inspired by the Victorian crime novel ‘Fingersmith’, ‘The Handmaiden’ is full of the director’s trademark style where he infuses even the ordinary scenes with an air of mystery and intrigue. The film works both as a character study and a highly-engaging thriller.
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2. The Conversation (1974)
Francis Ford Coppola made some astounding movies beyond ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’ which are not spoken of enough. However, ‘The Conversation’ is the film which helped the director win his second Palme d’Or, making him one among a handful of directors to have managed the same. ‘The Conversation’ is the story of Harry Caul, a surveillance expert who has been hired by a man to trail and record the interactions of a young couple. As Harry continues to pursue them, a memory from a previous case keeps haunting him. Moreover, Harry slowly begins to realize that he has gotten himself into some deep trouble which goes much beyond the scope of his job. The film is suspenseful from the beginning to the very end and the shocking climax will make you realize why ‘The Conversation’ is considered one of the greatest thrillers of American cinema.
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1. You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Lynne Ramsay’s ‘You Were Never Really Here’ is a neo-noir psychological thriller film that is based on Jonathan Ames’s 2013 novella of the same name. The Joaquin Phoenix and Ekaterina Samsonov-starrer centers upon a traumatized veteran who takes the mission to rescue a missing girl. As he tries to search for clues that can potentially lead to her, he finds corruption and abuse of power every step of the way. However, he is ready to put everything on the line to rescue the girl he is searching for. But it soon becomes evident that this mission is unlike any other, and it may potentially cost him his sanity or, in the worst-case scenario, even his life.
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