Any good recent thrillers?

donfers

first of all, it's hard to define what a thriller is


i guess it's a movie with a strong element of suspense, excitement and tension that doesn't fall easily into any of the other categories i.e. you can't simply box it off as a horror, action movie, sci-fi etc.

as a kid, i remember there being a lot of thrillers, certainly in the 80's and 90's it seemed as if there were a lot more of them about

however i don't think there are as many being made these days, i can't remember the last decent thriller i watched, the international was ok I suppose, fair game and the next three days weren't particularly thrilling

is it a case that the studios are getting more and more targeted in terms of the demographics they want for a movie and are therefore making movies with a much narrower focus and with a more specific categorisation - does the thriller fit these days? does the thriller appeal anymore?

any decent thrillers guys from recent times, please recommend

Mickeroo

Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy and The Town both spring to mind.

Tinker,Tailor...is pretty dense and I would advise watching with a clear head, its brilliant though, full of suspense. The Town is more a straight up gangster/heist movie but a very good one.

couple that come to mind not really all that recent but good ones not that commonjust in case you haven't seen...

Fracture
Body of Lies
safe house (recent - not bad)

johnny_ultimate

I Saw The Devil qualifies as a thriller according to a quick google A suspenseful, unusual game of cat & mouse. Similarly, The Yellow Sea is another recent thrilling production from South Korea. I wasn't as fond of it as I was of the director's previous The Chaser (that also counts!) but it should hit the mark with its intense, visceral chases and suspense.

Korea's Japanese neighbours have also proven on the ball with this genre. Confessions is a highlight: a taut, psychological thriller about a teacher seeking revenge on her class. I'd also recommend the thrilling duo of Outrage and Cold Fish, but they're gangster and serial killer movies respectively.

Kill List defies simple classification, but combines a tense hitman thriller with some surreal, bold horror. It is not for everyone, but has won itself deserved admirers. Not for anyone who expects a standard format film though.

I would second Tinker, Tailor for its well realised Cold War paranoia and suspense. Beautifully acted and directed, although has proven too sedate and slow paced for some audiences. I personally thought it was exciting throughout.

Also, for something completely different: Margin Call. The thrills come in the form of complex formula and economic collapse, but if you liked All the President's Men and its ilk you should find much here.

krudler

another thumbs up for Margin Call here, great cast

Daveysil15

I thought Man on a ledge was very good. Safe House is also a good film.

donfers

thanks guys, i have seen a lot of the ones mentioned

saw margin call on netflix and liked it

the company men was also decent, if economic crisis is your thing

but quality thrillers are hard to find, as johnny ultimate mentioned, maybe it is necessary now to venture into korean cinema, i have the chaser on itunes but haven't gotten around to watching it

one thriller that i did enjoy and that didn't get a lot of plaudits was changing lanes, i just thought it was a solid entertaining movie that kept my interest the whole way through which is a rare thing these days

maybe the thriller genre has been hijacked by the upsurge in quality serialised tv shows from the usa in the last 10-15 years, most recent being homeland or maybe i am making theories up as i go along

if you like thrillers like homeland I found "The Killing" to be pretty good. I watched the american version but I hear that the original Scandinavian version is also good.

fish fingers

Headhunters is another good one.

mark_jmc

also saw safe house recently - enjoyed it

Daveysil15

Actually there seems to be an endless amount of thrillers lately. I'd like to see more action comedies like Rush Hour, Bad Boys, Knight and day, and more recently Mission Impossible 4, not exactly a comedy but there was some very funny bits in it.

bertie4evr

Would The Machinist count as a thriller? It's very Hitchcockian and atmospheric.

Sad Professor

A lot of good thrillers in recent years, though most of them aren't coming from Hollywood. Off the top of my head:

Killer Joe, The Secret in Their Eyes, Headhunters, The Ghost Writer, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (US version), Snowtown, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Animal Kingdom, Mother, The Chaser, Cell 211, I Saw the Devil.

Mickeroo

Sad Professor wrote: »

A lot of good thrillers in recent years, though most of them aren't coming from Hollywood. Off the top of my head:

Killer Joe, The Secret in Their Eyes, Headhunters, The Ghost Writer, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (US version), Snowtown, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Animal Kingdom, Mother, The Chaser, Cell 211, I Saw the Devil.

Serial killer story aside, I would hasten to call Snowtown a thriller. It's a great movie for sure but i don't think it was particularly thrilling. More a grim psychological drama than anything.

sweeney1971

The Fourth Protacol, The Firm, the Other Man,

Very good french thriller "Point Blank" that I forgot about.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1545759/

weemcd

Insomnia by Nolan springs to mind