road trip thriller movies on netflix

13 Best Road Trip Movies on Netflix (March 2024)

Road trip movies often send out a deeper message than just going from point A to B. They depict transformations of those who embark on them and also stress immensely the value of the journey a lot more than the final destination. We understand the value of road trips for you. We also understand that, at times, a little push is needed to get the courage to leave behind everything for a while and go on one. However, there are also road trip movies that incorporate a different genre, like thriller or action or action thriller. In such movies, the plot is underscored by the trip, but that doesn’t dampen the theme and the emotions of the story, which is what the following movies capture.

13. Bad Trip (2021)

‘Bad Trip’ is a hilarious comedy road movie that will surely have you falling out of your chair in laughter. Chris Carey (Eric André) and Bud Malone (Lil Rel Howery) are two friends who are completely dissatisfied with the direction their lives have taken. Stuck at dead-end jobs with no progress or promotion, the two yearn for even the slightest bit of excitement. However, when Chris unexpectedly comes across his high-school crush, Maria Li, the friends decide to set out on a road trip from Florida to New York City so that Chris can win her over. Thus, the friends then steal a car and set out on a trip that ensues one hilarious incident after the other, while unbeknownst to them, Bud’s sister, the actual owner of the car, appears hot on their trail. You can check out the film here .

12. End of the Road (2022)

Directed by Millicent Shelton, ‘ End of the Road ’ is a sinister take on a road trip movie. Starring Queen Latifah and Ludacris, it tells the story of Brenda, her two kids, and her brother Reggie, whose cross-country road trip across the New Mexico desert to a new place for a new job (after losing her old one) and a new life, goes haywire. A halt on the way makes them witnesses to a murder, following which the killer puts them in his crosshair. Moreover, Reggie takes something from the crime scene that belongs to the killer, something that is a huge mistake, and Brenda knows it. How she and her family get rid of this maniac is what follows in this high-octane road trip thriller. You can stream the movie here .

11. Dirty Grandpa (2016)

‘Dirty Grandpa’ reveals the fun/casual side of Robert De Niro, who stars as Dick, the grandfather to Zac Efron’s Jason Kelly, who is a lawyer and is about to be married. Dick has just lost his wife and wants to have all the fun he couldn’t in the last 15 years or so. So when Jason takes him on a Spring Break road trip to Florida, he unlocks the raunchy side of himself that Jason had no idea existed. Directed by Dan Mazer, the ‘Dirty Grandpa’ cast also includes Zoey Deutch as Jason’s classmate Shadia, Aubrey Plaza as Shadia’s friend Lenore, and Julianne Hough as Jason’s fiancée Meredith. The exploits of the grandpa-grandson duo are what ‘Dirty Grandpa’ is made up of, and it’s a fun riot. You can be a part of it right here .

10. Kodachrome (2017)

Matt, played by Jason Sudeikis, is often overshadowed by his father’s reputation as a famous photojournalist. Upon finding that he has cancer, Matt’s father’s last wish is to go on a road trip with his son from New York to Kansas to get his last few Kodachromes developed before it’s too late and the memories get lost in unprocessed films. The movie will bring back some pleasant memories to those who once used Kodachromes for taking pictures with Kodak cameras before the company went bankrupt and shut down completely. The film is very predictable overall, but that’s how most road-trip feel-good kind of movies are, right? We do not watch them for a predictable storyline. We watch them for the whole positive vibe that the movie gives out to touch us and, at times, even inspire us deeply. You may watch the film here .

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9. The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

Put the Antman star, Paul Rudd , in any film, and he’ll surely give you a great performance and some hilarious jokes to remember. ‘The Fundamentals of Caring’ is one such film where Paul Rudd plays the role of a writer who has recently experienced the loss of a loved one. To recover from that, he decides to become a caregiver. This is when he meets an angry and frustrated teenager who has never left his home because of his disability. During the journey, the two get close and get a deeper understanding of friendship and aspiration. This movie is a pure entertainer when you’re in a feel-good kind of mood and will make you laugh and cry at the same time. You can watch it here .

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8. Seventeen (2019)

‘Seventeen,’ also known as ‘Diecisiete’ in Spanish , follows Hector, a spirited and lively 17-year-old who has been confined to a juvenile detention center for two years. While most believe that Hector is a spoilt teen with no regard for rules, he does have a kind heart and even befriends a dog named Oveja while on a visit to an animal rescue center. Hector appears intent on working towards his freedom and becoming a better person. However, things go haywire once Oveja goes missing, and Hector, fraught with concern, breaks out of prison to search for the missing dog. Surprisingly, the 17-year-old’s loved ones support such a venture, and Hector, along with his brother, Isamel, and their grandmother, soon embarks on a road trip through the Spanish region of Cantabria. You can stream ‘Seventeen’ here .

7. The Trader (2018)

As the title suggests, ‘The Trader’ (Georgian: ‘Sovdagari’) is a documentary that follows a poor traveling trader living in poverty and selling his wares in the rural Republic of Georgia. His travels take him to remote corners of the country and provide an authentic sneak peek into the daily lives of the people from that part of the region. The documentary even portrays previously unheard practices like using potatoes as the only unit of currency. For fans who are curious to know more about different cultures and people from around the globe, ‘The Trader’ will surely be an eye-opening experience. You can stream the film here .

6. Expedition Happiness (2017)

Travel documentaries are a joy to sit through, and ‘Expedition Happiness’ satisfies every craving in that regard as it follows filmmaker Felix Starck and his then-girlfriend Selima Taibi on a road trip across North America. Felix and Selima originally hail from Berlin, Germany , but soon grew tired of the big city with its highrises, noisy traffic, and congestion. Thus, longing for fresh air, a change in scenery, and new experiences, the pair obtain and refurbish a school bus before setting out on an epic road trip across North America along with their dog. Filmed by the pair themselves, ‘Expedition Happiness’ provides a fresh take on North America and can easily be considered a must-watch. You may watch it here .

5. Dhak Dhak (2023)

A Bollywood drama directed by Tarun Dudeja, ‘Dhak Dhak’ brings together four women from different social lifestyles and age groups. Together, they set off on a bike trip to Ladakh, India, a place that is considered the highest mountain pass in the world and can be reached by vehicle. The journey also becomes a spiritual one as each experience brings about new realizations, thereby adding to the meaning of life and what it means to be free. The film stars Dia Mirza, Ratna Pathak Shah, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Sanjana Sanghi. You can watch it here .

4. 4L (2019)

‘4L,’ known popularly as ‘4 latas’ in Spanish, revolves around Tocho, an alcoholic with bad manners, and Jean Pierre, a past womanizer who still reminisces about his glory days. The film opens with Tocho reading a letter that informs him about his old friend, Joseba, who is seemingly on his deathbed in Timbuktu. The letter makes Tocho realize what he has lost, and soon, he makes up his mind to meet his friend before his death. On top of it, the two also plan on taking Joseba’s estranged daughter, Ely, to her father. Interestingly, apart from agreeing to the trip at a moment’s notice, Ely even provides the men with an old 1982 Renault, the same car the three friends had once used to cross the desert. Thus, they embark on a massive road trip from Paris to Timbuktu while being surrounded by fond memories. Moreover, even though the experiences they have on the road change their outlook on life, the film ultimately teaches us the value of friendship, family, and love. You can watch ‘4L’ here .

3. Qarib Qarib Single (2017)

A Hindi-language Bollywood feel-good rom-com directed by Tanuja Chandra, ‘Qarib Qarib Single’ stars Irrfan Khan and Parvathy Thiruvothu. When two strangers meet via an online dating platform, it’s usually a date that decides whether they will agree to go on further dates with each other. For Jaya (a 35-year-old widow) and Yogi (a not-that-famous poet), it is an adventure that decides it. After some humorous experiences, the two decide to go and visit Yogi’s three ex-girlfriends. Thus begins a memorable trip for our duo as well as for us. From Dehradun to Jaipur to Gangtok, the journey is full of humor, confusion, and humor-filled confusion and ends in a perfect manner. Stop guessing, as you can stream the film right here .

2. Paddleton (2019)

A road trip meets the trip of life in this comedy-drama directed by Alexandre Lehmann. It tells the story of two misfits/neighbors/best friends, Michael and Andy, between whom Michael is diagnosed with terminal cancer . With six months to live, Michael, accompanied by a reluctant Andy, set off on a 6-hour drive to the nearest pharmacy that has the required meds. Their experiences during the journey, which throw light on their friendship and the reality of life in general, make ‘Paddleton’ an enriching road trip movie. The cast includes Mark Duplass as Michael, Ray Romano as Andy, Kadeem Hardison, Christine Woods, Stephen Oyoung, Marguerite Moreau, and Alana Carithers. Feel free to check out the movie here .

1. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)

Directed by Zoya Akhtar, ‘ Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara ’ is an Indian Hindi-language movie that tells the story of three friends who come together after a long time when one of them gets engaged. The bachelor trip that follows folds out into a buffet of experiences, both physically and emotionally, as the lives of all three begin to reveal themselves. Pain, regret, fear, mistakes, love, happiness, and insecurities take center stage and address the title of the movie, which translates to ‘Life never happens twice.’ The cast includes Farhan Akhtar , Hrithik Roshan , and Abhay Deol as the three friends, along with Katrina Kaif , Kalki Koechlin , Naseeruddin Shah , and Deepti Naval. You may watch the film here .

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Home » Blog » 25 Best Travel Movies On Netflix

25 Best Travel Movies On Netflix

I think every wanderlust lover enjoys a great travel movie! These films can make you travel the world in a little under two hours and can be super inspiring. Though finding the right movies to watch when traveling can be time-consuming and even complicated if you’re on an international trip. That’s why Netflix is life-saving for all travel lovers wanting to watch movies on the road! 

For me, one of the best gifts for travel lovers is a streaming subscription! This allows us to download movies and watch them whenever suits us better while on a trip. It’s practical and stress-free! Plus, Netflix has an impressive movie catalog that includes some of the most beloved travel films out there. That’s why I decided to create this roundup. Keep reading to find out what are the best travel movies on Netflix! 

1. Eat, Pray, Love (2010)

This movie is an absolute classic! Not only is this story filled with beautiful landscapes, but it’s also quite moving. It’s based on a true story, so you’re for sure getting the real deal here. The plot follows a freshly divorced woman, Liz, as she embarks on a 9 month-long trip to find herself. The story kicks off in New York but Liz travels to Italy, India, and Bali on this self-discovery journey. It’s fast-paced (only about an hour and a half long) and filled with travel motivation. As you can probably tell, this movie is as inspiring as it gets! 

2. Lion (2016)

This is another touching film based on true events. It’s the story of Brierley, who got lost and separated from his parents at only 5 years old. He ended up on the other side of his home country, India, and never saw them again, getting adopted later and moving to Australia. But the story kicks off when Brierley decides to go on a journey to find them! The movie will take you on a heart-wrenching journey across India and Australia. It lasts almost two hours, so get cozy! 

3. Chasing Liberty (2004)

For anyone longing for a 2000’s rom-com after two emotional films, I’ve got you! This is such a feel-good type of movie that it’s perfect for anyone stuck at a boarding gate, bus terminal, or rainy day when camping ! The story follows the daughter of the President of The United States as she steps off on a European adventure to rebel against the constant security imposed on her. It’s got European travel destinations, 2000’s nostalgia, and romance! 

4. Expedition Happiness (2017)

If you want to check out some of the best United States road trip destinations , then this film is for you!  Expedition Happiness follows a German couple as they set off on a road trip across the USA, Mexico, and Canada. They explore all of North America with their dog and a converted school bus. The views are spectacular and will definitely inspire you to travel!  It lasts 96 minutes and will convince you to pack your bags before you even get to watch half of it! 

5. Mamma Mia (2008)

Another outstanding classic! I couldn’t leave Mamma Mia out of this list, especially when it’s such an uplifting and comforting film. The story takes place on a Greek island ( anyone else longing for some sun right now?) and follows a young woman named Sophie who’s about to get married. She wants her father to be there but doesn’t know who she is. So Sophie invites all three of her potential dads to the wedding! It’s a true rollercoaster of a film. Plus, it’s a musical, so there’s even more to love about it! 

6. Ibiza (2018)

Okay, so this movie is pretty much a rulebook for what NOT to do on a business trip. Which makes it all that much more fun and enjoyable! The plot follows Harper, a 30-year-old woman from NYC who travels to Barcelona for work. But (of course) everything goes off track when she meets a handsome DJ! It’s only an hour and a half long, so you can definitely squeeze it in the middle of any busy day! 

7. The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

Alright, we’re back to the moving travel movies category. For real now, this is the ultimate road trip movie! It follows the story of Ben, a writer turned caregiver in charge of a teenager with muscular dystrophy, Trevor. As the boy loves American roadside attractions, Ben convinces his mother to go on a road trip across the country. It’s an emotional film packed with views of the open road! 

8. The Terminal (2004)

Pretty much everyone and their mother knows this is a great movie. This commercial success follows the ordeal of an Eastern European man stranded inside of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport because his passport is no longer valid. But the same reason why they won’t let him in is the same reason why he can’t leave: his country suffered a military coup and his life would be in danger. So he stays there, making a terminal his new home as he waits for asylum. This is a classic and you should not miss it! 

9. Casino Royale (2006)

James Bond films are always quite the show! They’re bound to make you have fun while traveling. This one follows Bond as he is earning his license to kill and is involved in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale, Montenegro. The movie was shot in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy, and the United Kingdom. So you’ll see lots of different places! 

10. Amelie (2001)

If you’ve ever longed for a trip to Paris, then this movie is for you! The story follows Amelie, a girl whose childhood was conditioned by her mistakenly diagnosed heart condition. As she barely got any real-life interactions with people, she resorted to her own fantasy world that resulted in a vivid imagination even as an adult. Her life changes when she moves to Paris and that’s where this story begins. It’s a cinematic masterpiece and a very acclaimed film! 

11. Into the Wild (2007)

This great movie will take you deep into the wilderness of Alaska. It’s the story of Christopher McCandless, as he sells all of his possessions after graduating from university and departs to Alaska. He even donates all of his savings to give it all up and live in the wild. Along the way, he’ll encounter people that will forever make an impact on his life. It’s quite a long film (almost two and a half hours long) but definitely worth your time! 

12. Adrift (2018)

This moving film is based on an inspiring true story and will leave you shaken. It follows the adventures of two sailors who embark on a trip across the seas only to find themselves in the eye of one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in history. After the storm, their boat is shredded to pieces and one of them is badly injured. Now all they have to do is try to survive. It’s a gripping story, that’s for sure! 

13. Crystal Fairy and the Magical Cactus (2013)

This movie is for those who want a bit of fun when they’re away or daydreaming of being on the road! Meet Jamie, a let-loose American who’s traveling in Chile. There, he joins a woman keen to discover the benefits of a local South American hallucinogen: the San Pedro cactus. You’re bound to have a good laugh with this one. It’s short (1:40 hours) and hilarious!

14. Forrest Gump (1994)

This American classic is one you’ve probably seen dozens of times before. But we never get tired of this movie! This story follows the beloved character, Forrest Gump, across a tale of his eventful life while he waits at a bus stop. His memoirs also depict a series of key events in American history, so it’s quite the emotional ride. It’s a longer movie, almost two and a half hours long, but certainly an unskippable one! 

1 5. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

This Netflix documentary follows the life of 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono and his work at his renowned sushi restaurant. It also touches upon his relationship with his son as he is under the pressure of taking over the restaurant. Meanwhile, Jiro sets out on his lifelong quest to create the perfect piece of sushi. It all happens in Tokyo, so it’s a great movie for those longing to visit Japan! 

16. Faces places (2017)

This documentary is the perfect road trip film! The French protagonists, 89-year-old New Wave director Agnés Varda and 33-year-old photographer JR, embark on an artistic journey that’s caught on camera. They travel around the small villages of rural France, as they create portraits of the people they come across on their trip. It’s simple, subtle, and comforting! It’s a great movie for a road trip, so head over to our Road Trip section to start planning your next one.  

17. In Search Of Fellini (2017)

This story is both dreamy and relatable in certain ways! The protagonist is a small-town girl from Ohio who isn’t too keen on reality but adores movies. When she discovers the artistic and bizarre films of Federico Fellini, she takes off on a passionate trip across Italy just to find him. It’s a coming-of-age memoir mixed with a heavy dose of wanderlust. And if you like Italy’s landscapes, you can’t skip it! 

18. The Mummy (1999)

This one is another classic! If you’re in the mood for an adventure comedy, this is what you need to watch. Out of all these travel movies, The Mummy has a very distinct vibe. Is a mix of romance, adventure, comedy, and terror that just ticks all the right boxes! It tells the story of an expedition of treasure-seeking explorers in the Sahara Desert. When they uncover an ancient tomb, they set free a  3,000-year-old mummy by accident. And I’ll let you find out the rest from there! Get ready to visit Egypt! 

19. The Way (2010)

The Way is visually stunning and emotionally touching. It tells the story of a man who goes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to gather the remains of his deceased adult son. His son died in a storm while attempting to complete the Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James trail). There, he decides to embark on the pilgrimage himself to honor his son’s desires. It’s an emotional ride but a beautiful one! 

20. The Bucket List (2007)

A travel movie with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman is a film worth watching! This comedy-drama follows two men suffering from a terminal illness as they set out on a once-in-a-lifetime kind of road trip. On their journey, they will check off everything they need to from their bucket lists before actually “kicking the bucket”. It’s funny, it features lots of cool places and activities, and it’ll sure keep you company while on the open road! 

21. On The Road (2012)

On The Road is the compelling take of a road trip fuelled by grief and a need for inspiration. Writer Sal Paradise embarks on a trip across the open road to regain clarity and motivation. On his journey, he encounters the free-spirited Dean Moriarty and his charismatic girlfriend. Together they travel the American Southwest in search of the unknown. The landscapes present in this movie are stunning and it’s always great to get to see more of the US! 

22. Wild Oats (2012)

This film is for those who want to watch movies that are a ton of fun! Wild Oats is a great movie capable of getting a laugh out of most of us. The story kicks off when a retired high school teacher receives a $5,000,000 check for her deceased husband’s $50,000 life insurance policy. Influenced by her friends, she decides to make the most out of the mistake and embark on a wild trip to the Canary Islands. The location of this film is beautiful and the storyline is hilarious! 

23. The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Everyone knows The Da Vinci Code in one way or another, right? Whether you’ve read the book or seen the film, this is a travel movie worth watching. The story follows symbologist Robert and cryptologist Sophie as they find themselves in the middle of a political and religious battle amid different believers. I don’t want to spoil anything else but this one is a must-watch!

24. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) 

This is one of the best comedies/rom-coms of all time! Not only does it make everyone laugh and cringe a little, it’s also set in beautiful Hawaii. The plot follows Peter, who was dumped by his girlfriend (actress Sarah Marshall) and decided to take off to Hawaii. He hopes to relax but, as he’s checking in, he spots Sarah and her new boyfriend. The events that follow are bizarre, hilarious, and worth watching! 

25. Cairo Time (2009)

Finishing off this roundup of travel movies on Netflix with Cairo Time seems like the right move. This movie is poetic to its core and has some really strong performances. It’s a romantic drama that focuses on an unexpected affair in Cairo. Of course, it features the best views of the city and a few of Egypt’s most iconic landmarks. For those of you who love the Pyramids, this one’s for you! 

What are your favorite travel movies and shows on Netflix?

Those are the 25 best travel movies on Netflix! Each and every one of these films is perfect for sparking that wanderlust flame or preparing for an upcoming trip. Even more, you can watch them while traveling on a road trip or at the hotel! So just download them and get ready to be entertained for a while. What is your favorite travel movie? Let me know in the comments. Now go enjoy those wanderlust-packed films! 

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Wonderful & Amazing Blog Post about Travel Movies on Netflix!

Hello and warm regards from sunny Singapore!

Been following your IG and now subscribed to your blog. Thanks for this travel list. Cant wait to watch them. Thanks for your recommendations.

Ms Shan Lim

This is such a great list!! I am such an Egypt fanatic, how I have never heard of Cairo Time? Totally going to watch that tonight, thanks for the recommendations!

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The 10 Best Road Trip Thriller Movies

There is a natural tension to the open road, with its isolation broken only by a complete stranger piloting their own ton or two of steel, glass and rubber where only suckers heed the speed limits. Most of the world might be carved up by roads, but that doesn’t mean that civilization grew up alongside them. It’s still a frontier, with plenty unknown on either side of the asphalt. Here are ten terrific pictures about why that cancelled road trip might be a blessing in disguise.

1. The Hitcher (1986)

When The Hitcher was first released, it proved a modest commercial success, largely ignored or reviled by critics. It grew in stature as HBO played it incessantly, and now it routinely shows up on the lists like this one. The premise couldn’t be more basic, as a young man (C. Thomas Howell) drives cross country to deliver a car from Chicago to San Diego and on one dark and stormy night, picks up a hitchhiker (Rutger Hauer). The script operates like those great seventy-minute B-movies of the thirties and forties, wasting no time with back stories or set-ups. Howell picks up Hauer in the opening moments and minutes later, Hauer calmly explains he’s going to kill this good Samaritan.

The script manages to keep its foot on the gas for the rest of the movie, finding clever ways to leap to where other movies like this might end, and pressing on to more unexpected, and depraved terrain. Jennifer Jason Leigh does her best to elevate her roadside waitress into someone more interesting and nearly pulls this off. But this is Hauer’s movie, and rarely has an actor seemed to delight as much in playing an apex predator. The movie wisely subscribes to the Michael Myers school of character development for its antagonist, understanding that childhood trauma and rationales only make monsters in such movies less intimidating.

Howell makes for a fine everyman here, though stumbles when the movie needs him to process his trauma is more disturbing ways. Richard Harmon directs this with competence and care, benefiting from an era where he got to blow up real cars, so the chases and crashes have a weight missing from contemporary movies that aren’t Fury Road. It’s a satisfying little thriller, but its screenwriter Eric Red would go on to produce far more intriguing genre experiments, writing both Near Dark and Blue Steel for Kathryn Bigelow. And unfortunately, Hauer would never get the chance to bare his teeth like this again.

2. Joyride (2002)

Before JJ Abrams became the anointed remixer of juggernaut franchises, he co-wrote this nifty B movie with Clay Tarver about a trio of young folks who play a nasty prank on a truck driver using an old CB radio. It earned some respectable reviews and its money back, but like a few others on this list, its reputation only grew over time.

Here Paul Walker offers to drive his college crush (Leelee Sobieski) home, with his clownish pal (Steve Zahn) along for the ride. By this movie, Zahn perfected his persona as a destructive, if well-meaning, moron. Zahn’s prank fuels the story and builds organically, never lurching into outright cruelty, but hurtful enough that the wrong person would take it very, very personally, which a truck driver with the CB handle of Rusty Nail (sumptuously voiced by Ted Levine) most certainly does. The twists are small but satisfying, refusing to take the big plot swings that made JJ’s company Bad Robot so famous for intriguing premises, jaw-dropping second acts, and deeply flawed endings.

The movie’s secret weapon is oddly enough the director, who quietly built his name on a string of accomplished neo-noirs in the nineties like Red Rock West and The Last Seduction. John Dahl balances the tone well, keeping this a high-grade thriller with nasty streak, as opposed to a more overt horror play, that might strip the plot down to a grocery list of kills. Rusty Nail and this trio are well-matched the whole way through, with an ending that can still produce shivers after repeat viewings. It’s exactly the type of thriller that people shrug off as simple, when in fact it’s a high-wire walk few pull off.

3. Breakdown (1997)

The generic title didn’t do this movie any favors, but it still became a small bore hit on its release, reminding everyone why its lead, Kurt Russell, has been a star for decades. The movie opens with Russell in a near collision with a truck driver, followed by a brief argument at a gas station, only to find his car breaking down in the middle of nowhere. He lets his wife hitch a ride with another trucker to get help, and naturally, she disappears into thin air. What follows is hardly groundbreaking, but the tension swells with rock solid story logic that too few of these movies ever bother to employ.

This was the directorial debut for Jonathan Mostow, who has the reliable chops that would have made him the second coming of Don Siegel or Robert Aldrich given enough time cranking out movies like this. Hardly a revelatory stylist, Mostow knows what he has in Russell and his script, and isn’t afraid to let those things shine here. But he shows a gift for sharing narrative information visually and letting the audience add two and two for themselves, as at one point, he unveils the time and scope of the conspiracy at work in a single image.

Still, this movie relies on Russell to deliver the goods, and he does, as he’s a delight to watch get frustrated, lose his cool, regain it, all with his average Joe aplomb. Few actors can play exasperated without ever falling into self-pity as Russel does so naturally. He’s just doing the best he can and looking for a break that is long overdue. This is stellar middlebrow entertainment, of the kind that shouldn’t make that an insult.

4. Detour (1946)

Long heralded as one of great no-budget noirs of the 1940s, Detour is a miracle for more than its financial constraints. Its director Edward G. Ulmer managed to stitch together his movies with used sets, hungry actors and a few, very few, well-placed lights. In this one, a down on his luck piano player (Tom Neal) hitches a ride with a bookie (Edmund MacDonald) to California to meet up with his girlfriend in Hollywood. Along the way the bookie ends up dying in an accident no one would believe happened. Too nervous to trust the police, Neal assumes the bookie’s identity and if his luck wasn’t already circling the drain, it’s flushed away upon picking up the one hitchhiker (Ann Savage) that knows that bookie.

Savage swiftly blackmails Neal, assuming exactly the kind of foul play the cops would. She’s not a garish femme fatale though, looking to gobble him up whole. She’s a fragile, broken soul that believes the only way to get what she needs is to harass, cajole and snatch it from the world around her. And Neal, desperate to put the detour behind him tries to escape her any way he can.

Now an established classic, Detour has the strange luxury of looking better now than it did in 1945. A recent 4K restoration has turned its glaring whites into a hypnotic glow, and its blacks into velvet shadows. Its longevity can’t be credited only to its place as an early noir, but rather, what kind of noir it is. Yes, the genre is built around bad, mostly criminal decisions, but the best have an aura of inevitability. It’s not simply a matter of falling for the wrong girl or aiming for the quick fix, but of trying to do the best with bad circumstances only to sink even deeper into trouble. Neal didn’t want anything but to reunite with the love of his life and yet, the open road had other plans.

5. The Vanishing (1988)

Stanley Kubrick once called this French-Dutch thriller the scariest movie he’d ever seen, and reached out to its director George Sluizer, to discuss how he edited it. This makes sense given that the suspense is built on the need to know, which had to resonate with Kubrick, a man who clearly had a ravenous curiosity.

It begins with a haunting rehearsal of the crime to come, as a pair of lovers, played by Gene Bervoets and Johanna ter Steege are separated when their car breaks down, only to be swiftly reunited. But then at a crowded rest stop, she goes to the bathroom and never returns. Bervoets waits and waits, but there is simply no sign of her, though some workers saw her with another man, implying that she might have simply left her boyfriend behind. This is a movie, so that’s clearly not the case, and soon The Vanishing splits its POV, following the killer (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu) as he plots the kidnapping, and Bervoets as he devotes his life to finding out what happened.

As it turns out, Donnadieu is a sweet family man and chemistry professor whose sociopathic tendencies are bundled up as tight as those in a 19th century Russian novel, intellectualized until it’s a bloodless act within an indifferent universe, until it’s not. As Bervoets unravels from his grief, Donnadieu only grows in calm and power, sending him post cards inviting him to meet, only to stand him up over and over again. Truly great horror filmmakers require an expansive understanding of the human condition to avoid relying on crude sadism and genre clichés alone. And here, the shocking finale arrives when the lead can’t resist the urge to know, and credibly becomes a willing ally in the killer’s larger design.

8 Replies to “The 10 Best Road Trip Thriller Movies”

Thanks for a good solid list (road films are a weakness of mine), I appreciate your knowledge and insights.

…….Vanishing Point….YES! Looking for Kalifornia but alas, no.

It should be noted that Charlotte Rampling’s appearance in Vanishing Point is in the U.K. version of the film.

Damn, some excellent stuff here.

Solid collection, and I only clicked the link to make sure Hitcher was #1 – one of the most underrated thrillers

And never mentioned that shoddy remake.

Where is Stranger than paradise?

What about indy Thomas Jane’s Dark Country (2009)?

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The 22 best thriller movies on Netflix

The best thriller films on Netflix that are guaranteed to get your pulse rate up and make your palms clammy

It’s a universal experience in the age of streaming: it’s the end of a long work week, and you get yourself nice and cozy on the couch for a solo Netflix-and-chill session. You throw on a movie you’ve been dying to see, pull up a blanket… then wake up on the couch five hours later to the Netflix home screen, with not a single recollection of the movie itself. 

If you want a shot of cinematic adrenaline guaranteed to keep your eyelids open and pulse racing, nothing is better than a thriller, and Netflix has plenty of them. Of course, it also has plenty of catalogue-fodder that’ll make you regret not turning in sooner. So we’ve gathered together the 20 best thrillers currently streaming that you won’t hate yourself for watching the next morning.

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Best thrillers on Netflix

1.  Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

The original Knives Out   revived the old-school murder mystery in the most Clue -y sense of the term, investigating the death of a rich old man and relishing in every cliche of the genre. Its inevitable sequel modernises the details – a billionaire tech douche (Ed Norton) invites a bunch of his douchey friends to his private island, only to have one of them turn up dead – but the formula remains more or less the same, and thank goodness for that. Really, they could (and probably will) make a million of these things and they’ll all be fun, as long as Daniel Craig and his utterly unconvincing Southern accent keep returning as ace sleuth Benoit Blanc.

2.  Bad Genius (2017)

Cheating on school tests is a trope from teen sitcoms, but this Thai production gives it high-stakes, heist movie energy. Criminally slept-on outside its home country, Bad Genius deserves delayed cult status for its whip-smart script and the direction of Nattawut Poonpiriya, who manages to make the act of sitting at a desk answering questions as heartracing as rappelling into the Louvre to steal the Mona Lisa. 

3.  I Care A Lot (2021)

You’re forgiven for not knowing that Rosamund Pike won a Golden Globe for her role in this jet-black comedy-thriller – it’s the Golden Globes, after all. But you really should see I Care a Lot , namely for Pike, delectably devilish in the role of a con-artist specialising in bilking seniors, until she defrauds the wrong gangster’s mother. 

4.  They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

Every time it seems like Netflix has gone completely creatively bankrupt, it drops something like this must-see sci-fi Blaxploitation mash-up. After seemingly dying in a motel shootout, nice-guy drug dealer Fontaine (a great John Boyega) reawakens at home without a scratch, and enlists the help of a local pimp (Jamie Foxx) and sex worker (Teyonah Parris) to figure out just what the hell is going on. It’s among the most original movies you’ll see this year, and heralds the arrival of first-time director Juel Taylor as a talent to watch.  

5.  Oldboy (2004)

Like a Greek tragedy with hammer fights, Korean firebrand Park Chan-wook’s international breakthrough is shocking, violent and, frankly, a little convoluted, but it’s delivered with such brutal intensity it takes on a dramatic weight that’s nearly backbreaking. A brutally intense Choi Min-sik stars as a man imprisoned by unknown captors for over a decade. Upon his sudden release, he finds himself spiralling to unimaginable depths in his quest for vengeance.

6.  Emily the Criminal (2022)

Do not sleep on this jittery, Aubrey Plaza-led late-capitalism nailbiter. It emerged from Sundance and has found a home on Netflix where it packs all the raw materials for a nerve-zapping night in. Plaza plays the titular Emily, an LA dweller who falls behind on her student loans and finds herself drawn into wholesale credit card fraud, from where things go badly awry. Plaza layers her sarky on-screen persona with some no-shits-given edge as a kind of freedom fighter against a broken system. 

7.  Creep (2014)

In what will likely stand as the last, truly novel example of the found-footage fad, Mark Duplass plays the creep in question, an initially congenial, if eccentric, man dying from an inoperable brain tumour who hires a videographer (Patrick Brice) to help him shoot a keepsake for his unborn child. It only gets (wait for it) creepier from there.

8.  Gerald’s Game (2017)

This Stephen King-penned thriller has an admittedly compelling logline: a married couple retreat to a remote cabin for a weekend of kinky sex, but then he dies of a heart attack while she’s handcuffed to the bedposts. The question is, how do you turn that premise into a movie anyone would want to watch? Somehow, director Mike Flanagan ( The Haunting of Hill House ) manages to take a nightmare scenario and turn it into an actual feature-length nightmare that stands among the better King adaptations to come along in a while. 

9.  I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)

• 4 out of 5 stars
• Recommended

Melanie Lynskey, the breakout star of Yellowjackets , delivers a powerfully caustic performance in this darkly comic thriller that plays like a gender-flipped, backwoods take on the ’90s Michael Douglas revenge fantasy Falling Down . After her home gets robbed, nursing assistant Ruth Kimke (Lynskey) teams up with the neighbourhood weirdo (Elijah Wood) to figure out who took her stuff – and allowing her long-simmering rage over the direction of her life to finally boil over. 

10.  Calibre (2018)

A kind of Deliverance  in tweed, this indie nerve-shredder follows the aftermath of a Highland shooting outing gone horribly wrong. Jack Lowden is great as a man whose arrogant best friend leads him into a whole mess of bloody problems in a tight-knit Scottish community. The woodland setting makes a particularly effective arena for the game of cat-and-mouse that ensues.

11.  The Gray Man (2022)

In a year of bad news for Netflix, the Russo brothers’ spy thriller is a big, brash, bodacious victory for the streamer. Just about the most fun action flick the streamer has ever produced, it stars Ryan Gosling as a convicted killer turned CIA assassin codenamed ‘Sierra Six’ who breaks away from the Agency after learning of some nefarious dealings and finds himself duelling it out with a highly trained hitman (Chris Evans). 

12.  The Killer (2023)

• 3 out of 5 stars

Adapted from the French graphic novel of the same name, with clear allusions to the Jean-Pierre Melville classic Le Samourai , David Fincher’s action noir has strong nouvelle vague vibes, mixed with the director’s signature antiseptic touch. Michael Fassbender plays a hitman in the midst of an existential crisis following a botched job. It’s a bit cold, as many of Fincher’s films tend to be, but also stylish and alluring – a psychological thriller heavy on the psychology.

13.  Hold the Dark (2018)

A wolf expert (Jeffrey Wright) is summoned to a remote Alaskan village and asked to hunt down a lupine pack thought to have killed three local children. What he uncovers amidst the whiteout, however, is much more unsettling. If you’ve seen writer-director Jeremy Saulnier’s previous film, Green Room , then you know to expect a movie that’ll leave you shaken. 

14.  I Am Mother (2019)

Nodding unambiguously toward the high-minded sci-fi of Ridley Scott and early James Cameron, this Australian production stars Clara Rugaard as the ‘daughter’ of a robot tasked with repopulating the earth following an extinction-level event. But when a stranger (Hilary Swank) shows up outside their bunker, the true nature of their relationship is cast into doubt. Its reference points may be obvious, but director Grant Sputore keeps things lean, focused and suspenseful.

15.  Cam (2018)

An internet cam girl suddenly finds herself competing for views with her own doppelganger. Now that’s a deep fake! It sounds like the plot of a Black Mirror episode, but the knotty script and strong lead performance from Madeline Brewer give it an identity all its own.

16.  The Platform (2019)

One of those pandemic-era time wasters that was actually well worth revisiting, this Spanish sci-fi comes with a high concept: a platform slowly descends through a multi-tiered prison laden with food. If everyone takes only their share, the convicts on the lower levels get to eat. It’s a metaphor for capitalism with a helping of Trading Places , because prisoners swap levels at random. Imagine Snowpiercer , only vertical.

17.  El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

• Action and adventure

Did this movie-length coda to the Breaking Bad saga really need to be made? Not really. After all, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) laugh-sobbing as he speeds off towards an uncertain future is a satisfying enough ending for the character. But as with every addition to Vince Gilligan’s great American crime story so far, the kinetic visual language and tight, tense storytelling more than justifies its existence. 

18.  The Stranger (2022)

Sean Harris is a profoundly jittery presence as suspected child murder Henry Teague in this Aussie undercover cop thriller, delivering an unsettling performance even by his own edgy standards. Joel Edgerton’s detective goes deep cover as part of a phoney criminal organisation to try to get a confession out of Harris’s scary drifter. The way it all plays out would be unbelievable if you didn’t know it was based on a true story.

19.  Oxygen (2021)

Those prone to claustrophobia should probably avoid this sci-fi thriller from French sicko Alexandre Aja, but if you’re the sort of viewer who enjoys the vicarious thrill of being slowly suffocated, well, here’s the flick for you! Melanie Laurent ( Inglourious Basterds ) stars as a woman who awakens inside a cryogenic chamber with no memory of how and only a small amount of rapidly depleting oxygen left. She’s able to communicate with the outside world, but that doesn’t make finding a way out any easier.

20.  Shimmer Lake (2017)

For his debut feature, director Oren Uziel brought together a bunch of recognisable – if not entirely identifiable – TV comics for a reverse-chronology murder mystery that plays like the Coen brothers remaking Memento . A small-town sheriff (Benjamin Walker) is investigating a bank robbery gone wrong that involves both his brother (Rainn Wilson) and two sketchy locals. Its backward narrative and ‘hey, I know that guy!’ casting make for a surprisingly engrossing watch on a do-nothing Saturday night. 

The 100 Greatest Thrillers of all Time

100 best thriller films of all time

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End of the Road Trailer: Queen Latifah Leads Netflix’s Road Trip Thriller

By Maggie Dela Paz

Netflix has released the official trailer for End of the Road , the upcoming road trip thriller starring Queen Latifah and Chris Bridges aka Ludacris. The film will be available for streaming on September 9.

RELATED: Day Shift Interview: Jamie Foxx & Dave Franco Discuss Netflix Movie, Natural Chemistry

The End of the Road trailer, which you can check out below, features Latifah’s character as she tries everything she can to protect her family from the criminals trying to chase after them.

End of the Road  is directed by Millicent Shelton from a screenplay being written by David Loughery ( The Intruder , Obsessed ) which was based on Christopher Moore’s original script. The film stars Latifah, Ludacris, Shaun Dixon, Mychala Lee Beau Bridges, France Lee McCain, Jesse Luken, and more.

“The film is about a mom of two kids who relocates across the country with her kids and brother,” reads the synopsis. “The family’s move to the southland is thrown into complete chaos when they witness a murder on their road trip. Now, the murderer will stop at nothing to find them.”

RELATED: Do Revenge Trailer: Maya Hawke & Camila Mendes Team Up for Dark Comedy

End of the Road is executive produced by Latifah and Shakim Compere through their Flavor Unit Entertainment banner. It is produced by Tracey Edmonds, Twisted Pictures’ Mark Burg, and Brad Kaplan.

Latifah’s notable film credits include The Bone Collector , Chicago , Bringing Down the House , Stranger than Fiction , Last Holiday , Hairspray , and the blockbuster and critically-acclaimed comedy Girls Trip , with Chicago earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Maggie Dela Paz has been writing about the movie and TV industry for more than four years now. Besides being a fan of coming-of-age films and shows, she also enjoys watching K-Dramas and listening to her favorite K-Pop groups. Her current TV obsessions right now are FX’s The Bear and the popular anime My Hero Academia.

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An unsung dystopian road trip thriller hitches a ride on the Netflix charts

Throwing multiple genres together into a filmmaking blender can often yield a delicious cinematic smoothie, while on the occasions it goes wrong we can end up with a foul concoction that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Fortunately, David Michod’s The Rover fell firmly into the latter camp.

Is the unassuming independent film a dystopian thriller? A post-apocalyptic social parable? An unlikely buddy adventure? A road trip movie? A violent crime story? A near-future neo Western? The answer is yes to all, but the shifts are subtle, and often happen within the space of a same scene.

Set a decade after an economic collapse in an Australia that’s one step away from Mad Max territory, Guy Pearce’s Eric travels the desolate highways foraging an existence and searching for any worthwhile signs of life that aren’t people trying to kill him.

However, when thieves steal his car, he vows to reclaim his most prized possession whatever the cost, and he just so happens to have an unwilling inside man that comes in the form of Robert Pattinson’s Rey, the brother of one of the carjackers who was ditched and left for dead.

The Rover isn’t a sprawling or splashy tale, but it’s a highly effective one nonetheless, something Netflix subscribers are discovering firsthand. As per FlixPatrol , the unsung melting pot of disparate elements has hitched a ride on the platform’s global most-watched charts, eight years after sinking without a trace by virtue of a mere $3.2 million box office haul.

It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but the performances of Pearce and Pattinson are enough to stick around for.

Netflix’s ‘End of the Road’ – Queen Latifah and Ludacris Hit Netflix’s Highway to Hell This Week

Netflix thriller End of the Road pits Queen Latifah  and Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges up against a killer, and we’ve learned today that it’s premiering this week, on Friday, September 9 .

Netflix previews, “In this high-octane action thriller, a cross-country road trip becomes a highway to hell for Brenda and her family. Alone in the New Mexico desert, they have to fight for their lives when they become the targets of a mysterious killer.”

Beau Bridges, Mychala Faith Lee, Shaun Dixon , and  Frances Lee McCain  also star.

Millicent Shelton  directed the thriller, written by  Christopher J. Moore  and  David Loughery .

Producers include Tracey E. Edmonds, Mark Burg, and Brad Kaplan. Executive producers are Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere, Ben Pugh, Erica Steinberg, and Daniel Jason Heffner.

Watch the previously released End of the Road trailer below.

END OF THE ROAD (2022) Chris Bridges as Reggie, Shaun Dixon as Cam, Mychala Faith Lee as Kelly and Queen Latifah as Brenda. Cr: NETFLIX

END OF THE ROAD (2022) Queen Latifah as Brenda and Chris Bridges as Reggie. Cr: Ursula Coyote/NETFLIX

END OF THE ROAD (2022) Queen Latifah as Brenda. Cr: Ursula Coyote/NETFLIX

Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has four awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

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7 New Horror Movies Releasing This Week Including Netflix Shark Movie ‘Under Paris’

This week’s horror releases bring a killer shark onto Netflix and the feature debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan into theaters, and that’s only the beginning of the tidal wave of new horror.

Here’s all the new horror releasing June 3, 2024 – June 9, 2024 !

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

The breakout Korean blockbuster  Exhuma was released in theaters here in the United States back in March, and Well Go USA Entertainment brought it home to VOD this Tuesday.

Exhuma  is directed by  Jang Jae-Hyun  ( Svaha: The Sixth Finger ) and stars popular Korean actors  CHOI Min-Sik  ( Oldboy, I Saw the Devil ),  KIM Go-Eun  ( Hero, Little Women ),  YOO Hai-Jin  ( A Taxi Driver ), and  LEE Do-Hyun  ( Prison Playbook, Sweet Home ).

In the film, “When a renowned shaman (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician (YOO Hai-jin) and the country’s most revered geomancer (CHOI Min-sik), they soon trace the affliction’s origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground.

“Sensing an ominous aura surrounding the burial site, the team opts to exhume and relocate the ancestral remains immediately. But as something much darker emerges, they soon discover what befalls those who dare to mess with the wrong grave.”

DeskPop Entertainment kicks off their summer slate with the North American VOD release of Insane Like Me? , which is now available on Amazon, Apple TV, and other outlets.

Director  Chip Joslin’s   Insane Like Me?  is a supernatural thriller about a combat veteran who returns home after a tour of duty overseas. He becomes the lead suspect in his girlfriend’s disappearance and is subsequently wrongly convicted and incarcerated. Nine years later he is released from the mental asylum, he returns home to find the truth and settle the score.

The horror film is a Bankhead Productions feature from a script by Britt Bankhead . Bankhead stars and produces alongside Grace Patterson ( Slotherhouse ) as former lovers whose complicated past is nothing compared to what lies ahead when they reunite.

The supporting cast is rounded out by Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee  Eric Roberts, Samantha Reddy, Jack Maxwell, Paul Kolker  and  Meg Hobgood .

Indie director Bruce Wemple  ( Monstrous, Dawn of the Beast ) is back with DREAD’s latest horror movie The Hangman , which was also released onto VOD outlets on Tuesday.

In The Hangman , “During a camping trip from hell, a father battles a murderous cult and a bloodthirsty demon, known as The Hangman, to save his kidnapped son.”

Lindsey Dresbach, Richard Lounello, Jefferson Cox, Daniel Martin Berkey and Mar Cellus star.

Here’s the full synopsis: “To mend their troubled relationship, a middle-aged door-to-door salesman, Leon (LeJon Woods), takes his teenage son on a camping trip into deep rural Appalachia. Little do they know of the mountainous region’s sinister secrets. A local cult has summoned an evil demon born of hate and pain, known to them as The Hangman, and now the bodies have begun to pile up. Leon wakes up in the morning to discover that his son is missing.”

“Leon must face the murderous cult and the bloodthirsty monster that is The Hangman.”

The latest from French filmmaker Xavier Gens ( Frontiers, Cold Skin ), shark attack horror movie Under Paris has premiered over on the Netflix streaming service today, June 5.

Following in the grand tradition of  Jaws , a celebration turns into a PR nightmare when a hungry shark comes to Paris. One shark. A whole lot of tasty humans. That’s how we like it.

“Set in Summer 2024, the film unfolds in Paris which is hosting the World Triathlon Championships on the Seine for the first time. Sophia, a brilliant scientist, learns from Mika, a young environmental activist, that a large shark is swimming deep in the river.

“To avoid a bloodbath at the heart of the city, they have no choice but to join forces with Adil, the Seine river police commander.”

Bérénice Bejo  ( The Artist ) and  Nassim Lyes  ( Overdose ) star.

A job at a marijuana farm turns nightmarish in director  Ariel Vida’s  Trim Season , and Blue Harbor Entertainment is bringing the film to select theaters and VOD Friday, June 7.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker and production designer Ariel Vida,  Trim Season  stars  Bethlehem Million  ( Sick , “And Just Like That…”) as Emma, an adrift, jobless, 20-something seeking purpose. Along with a group of young people from Los Angeles, she drives up the coast to make quick cash trimming marijuana on a secluded farm in Northern California.

“Cut off from the rest of the world, they soon realize that Mona ( Jane Badler ) – the seemingly amiable owner of the estate – is harboring secrets darker than any of them could imagine. It becomes a race against time for Emma and her friends to escape the dense woods with their lives.”

The cast also includes “Scream” and  Hell Fest ‘s  Bex Taylor-Klaus ,  Starry Eyes , “Midnight Mass” and  Doctor Sleep ‘s  Alex Essoe ,  Ally Ioannides  ( Synchronic ),  Cory Hart  (“Fear the Walking Dead”),  Ryan Donowho, Marc Senter  and  Juliette Kenn De Balinthazy .

Based on the novel by  John Ajvide Lindqvist  ( Let the Right One In ), NEON’s horror drama Handling the Undead is expanding into more theaters in select cities on Friday, June 7.

Handling the Undea d is a drama with elements of horror about three families, a story about grief and loss, but also about hope and understanding of what we can’t comprehend or control.

In the film, “On a hot summer day in Oslo, the dead mysteriously awaken, and three families are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them.

“Who are they, and what do they want? A family is faced with the mother’s reawakening before they have even mourned her death after a car accident; an elderly woman gets the love of her life back the same day she has buried her; a grandfather rescues his grandchild from the gravesite in a desperate attempt to get his daughter out of her depression.”

Thea Hvistendahl  ( Adj ø  Montebello ) directed the film, with script by John Ajvide Lindqvist in collaboration with Thea Hvistendahl. Renate Reinsve ,  Anders Danielsen Lie, Bjørn Sundquis, Bente Børsum, Bahar Pars,  and  Inesa Dauksta  star.

From producer  M. Night Shyamalan  and director  Ishana Night Shyamalan  comes  The Watchers , headed to theaters courtesy of New Line Cinema on Friday, June 7.

The film follows Mina, a 28-year-old artist, who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.

The Watchers  stars  Dakota Fanning  ( Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ),  Georgina Campbell  ( Barbarian ),  Oliver Finnegan  (“Creeped Out”) and  Olwen Fouere  ( The Northman ).

The Watchers  is based on the novel by  A.M. Shine .

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40 Psychological Thrillers on Netflix That Will Make You Question Everything

From ‘the wonder’ to ‘don’t worry darling’.

Watching horror movies that give us actual nightmares is one thing (we’re looking at you, The Conjuring ). But that’s not the only genre that has us on the edge of our seats and dreaming of sinister clowns for weeks on end. Psychological thrillers can be just as terrifying and suspenseful because they delve into the complexities of our own minds, making them a whole different level of scary. And, OK, a lot of them are entertaining.

From mind-bending films like The Vanished to international thrillers like The Call, we found 40 of the best psychological thrillers on Netflix right now. So, pop the popcorn and be prepared to hide under a blanket . You won’t be sleeping for a while.  

The Top 10 Shows on Netflix Right Now (Including a #1 New Series)

1. Clinical (2017)

• Director: Alistair Legrand
• Cast:  Vinessa Shaw, Kevin Rahm, William Atherton
• Rating: TV-MA
• Run time: 1 hour 44 minutes

You may want to watch this one with the lights on. In Clinical , Dr. Jane Mathis (Vinessa Shaw) is a psychiatrist who suffers from PTSD and sleep paralysis, all because of a patient’s terrifying attack. Against her doctor’s advice, she continues her practice and treats a new patient whose face is horribly disfigured from a car accident. When she takes on this new patient, strange things begin to occur in her home.

2. Tau (2018)

• Director: Federico D’Alessandro
• Cast:  Maika Monroe, Ed Skrein, Gary Oldman
• Run time: 1 hour 37 minutes

A young woman named Julia (Maika Monroe) falls asleep at home and wakes up to find herself in a jail cell with a glowing implant in her neck. While trying to escape her high-tech prison, she discovers that she’s being used as a test subject for an even bigger project. Will she ever hack her way out?

3. Fractured (2019)

• Director: Brad Anderson
• Cast: Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Stephen Tobolowsky
• Run time: 1 hour 40 minutes

After his wife, Joanne (Lily Rabe), encounters a stray dog and suffers injuries, Ray (Sam Worthington) and their daughter decide to take her to the hospital. As Joanne goes to see a doctor, Ray falls asleep in the waiting area. When he wakes up, he finds that both his wife and his daughter are missing, and the hospital seems to have no record of them. Prepare for your mind to be blown.

4. Steel Rain (2019)

• Director: Yang Woo-seok
• Cast: Jung Woo-sung, Kwak Do-won, Kim Gap-soo
• Run time: 2 hours 19 minutes

An attempted coup triggers a war between North and South Korea. As chaos ensues, the North Korean supreme leader must be kept alive, lest the countries descend into nuclear war.

5. Calibre (2018)

• Director: Matt Palmer
• Cast: Jack Lowden, Martin McCann, Tony Curran
• Run time: 1 hour 41 minutes

Childhood friends Vaughn (Jack Lowden) and Marcus (Martin McCann) go on a weekend hunting trip in a remote part of the Scottish Highlands. What starts off as a pretty normal trip turns into a series of nightmarish scenarios that neither of them prepared for.

6. The Platform (2019) 

• Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
• Cast: Iván Massagué, Antonia San Juan, Zorion Eguileor
• Run time: 1 hour 34 minutes

If you’re into dystopian thrillers, then you’re in for a treat. In this compelling film, prisoners are kept in a Vertical Self-Management Center, also known as “The Pit.” And in the tower-style building, a wealth of food typically descends by floor where the lower-level inmates are left to starve while those on top eat to their heart’s content. 

7. The Call (2020)

• Director: Lee Chung-hyeon
• Cast: Park Shin-hye, Jun Jong-seo, Kim Sung-ryoung
• Run time: 1 hour 52 minutes

In this fascinating South Korean thriller, we follow Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye), who lives in the present, and Young-sook (Jeon Jong-seo), who lives in the past. Both women get to connect through a single phone call, which winds up twisting their fates.

8. The Girl on the Train (2021)

• Director: Ribhu Dasgupta
• Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Aditi Rao Hydari, Kirti Kulhari
• Run time: 2 hours

This Bollywood remake of the terrifying 2016 film (originally based on Paula Hawkins’s book of the same name) actually jumped to the third spot on Netflix’s top ten list earlier this month. Parineeti Chopra stars as Mira Kapoor, who looks forward to observing a seemingly perfect couple during her daily commute. But one day, when she witnesses a disturbing event, causing her to get entangled in a murder case.

9. Bird Box (2018)

• Director: Susanne Bier
• Cast: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich
• Run time: 2 hours 4 minutes

Based on Josh Malerman’s best-selling novel of the same name, this movie takes place in a community where people are driven to commit suicide if they make eye contact with the manifestation of their worst fears. Determined to find a place that offers sanctuary, Malorie Hayes ( Sandra Bullock ) takes her two children and embarks on a terrifying journey—while totally blindfolded.

10. Fatal Affair (2020)

• Director: Peter Sullivan
• Cast: Nia Long, Omar Epps, Stephen Bishop
• Rating: TV-14
• Run time: 1 hour 29 minutes

Ellie Warren, a successful lawyer, agrees to have a few drinks with David Hammond (Omar Epps), an old college friend. Although Ellie is married, sparks seem to fly, but before things go too far, Ellie takes off and returns to her husband. Unfortunately, this prompts David to obsessively call and stalk her, and it escalates to a point where Ellie begins to fear for her safety.

11. The Occupant (2020)

• Directors: David Pastor, Àlex Pastor
• Cast: Javier Gutiérrez, Mario Casas, Bruna Cusí
• Run time: 1 hour 43 minutes

Due to unemployment, former advertising executive Javier Muñoz (Javier Gutiérrez) is forced to sell his apartment to a new family. But he can’t seem to move on, because he begins to stalk the family—and his motives are far from pure.

12. The Weekend Away (2014)

• Director: Kim Farrant
• Cast: Leighton Meester, Christina Wolfe, Ziad Bakri
• Run time: 1 hour 31 minutes

Beth heads to Croatia with her best friend, Kate, for a needed getaway. But when Beth mysteriously vanishes after a night of clubbing, it’s up to Beth to investigate what really happened. As she gets closer to the truth, however, she uncovers a disturbing secret.

13. The Son (2019)

• Director: Sebastián Schindel
• Cast: Joaquín Furriel, Martina Gusmán, Luciano Cáceres
• Run time: 1 hour 32 minutes

This critically acclaimed Argentinian film follows Lorenzo Roy (Joaquín Furriel), an artist and father whose pregnant wife, Julieta (Martina Gusman), exhibits disturbingly erratic behavior during her pregnancy. Once the child is born, her behavior gets even worse, putting a huge strain on the entire family. We won’t give away any more details, but the twist ending will definitely leave you speechless.

14. Lavender (2016)

• Director: Ed Gass-Donnelly
• Cast: Abbie Cornish, Diego Klattenhoff, Justin Long

Over 25 years after her entire family gets murdered, Jane (Abbie Cornish), who has amnesia due to a head injury, revisits her childhood home and discovers a dark secret about her past.

15. Dangerous Lies (2020)

• Director: Michael J.F. Scott
• Cast: Camila Mendes, Jessie T. Usher, Jamie Chung

Riverdale star Camila Mendes is Katie Franklin, a caregiver whose life is turned upside down after she inherits the estate of her wealthy, elderly client. She comes to realize that she’s been drawn into a dangerous web of dark secrets—one that starts to make her question the people closest to her.

16. Intrusion (2021)

• Director: Adam Salky
• Cast: Freida Pinto, Logan Marshall-Green, Robert John Burke

Therapist Meera Parsons and her husband, Henry, move from Boston to an isolated home in New Mexico in hopes of leading a more peaceful life. But when they become victims of a deadly home invasion, Meera is traumatized and desperate for answers. As she struggles to recover from the incident, however, she starts to think that she can’t trust the people around her.

17. The Woman In the Window (2015)

• Director: Joe Wright
• Cast: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Julianne Moore

In this remixed version of The Girl on the Train , an agoraphobic child psychologist named Dr. Anna Fox starts to spy on her new neighbors, the Russell family. But when she witnesses a brutal crime in their apartment, she suspects that her mind is playing tricks on her—thanks to her drinking addiction and her medications.

18. Before I Wake (2016)

• Director: Mike Flanagan
• Cast: Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay
• Rating: PG-13

After losing their son, Mark and Jessie decide to adopt an 8-year-old foster child named Cody. But when their dead son appears to them in their living room, they learn that their newly adopted son can make his nightmares become reality. Can they get to the bottom of his mysterious ability before his nightmares destroy them all?

19. The Paramedic (2020)

• Director: Carles Torras
• Cast: Mario Casas, Déborah François, Guillermo Pfening

An accident leaves paramedic Ángel Hernández (Mario Casas) paralyzed from the waist down, and, unfortunately, things only go downhill from there. Ángel’s paranoia leads him to suspect that his partner, Vanesa (Déborah François) is cheating on him. But when his disturbing behavior pushes her to leave him for good, his obsession with her actually increases tenfold.

20. The Warning (2018)

• Director: Daniel Calparsoro
• Cast: Raúl Arévalo, Aura Garrido, Hugo Arbués

Ten years after he witnesses his friend get killed at a gas station, a mathematician named Jon comes to realize that there’s a numerical pattern behind all the deaths that occurred there. But is it enough to save the next target?

21. Rebirth (2016)

• Director: Karl Mueller
• Cast: Fran Kranz, Adam Goldberg, Nicky Whelan

In this thriller, we follow Kyle, a suburban dad who’s convinced to go on a weekend-long Rebirth retreat that requires him to give up his phone. Then, he gets pulled down a bizarre rabbit hole that’s virtually inescapable.

22. Red Dot (2021)

• Director: Alain Darborg
• Cast: Nanna Blondell, Anastasios Soulis, Thomas Hanzon
• Run time: 1 hour 26 minutes

After Nadja and her husband, David, learn that they’re expecting a child, they attempt to rekindle their relationship by going to Sweden for a romantic hiking trip. But their trip takes a dark turn when a mysterious killer begins to stalk them.

23. The Perfection (2018)

• Director: Richard Shepard
• Cast: Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber
• Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes

In this twisty horror-thriller, a once-promising music prodigy reconnects with her former mentors, only to find them taken with a talented new pupil.

24. Secret Obsession (2019)

• Cast:  Brenda Song, Mike Vogel, Dennis Haysbert

After Jennifer Williams (Brenda Song) gets struck by a car, she wakes up in a hospital with amnesia. Shortly after, a man appears and introduces himself as her husband, Russell Williams (Mike Vogel), proceeding to fill her in on all the details she’s forgotten. But after Jennifer is discharged and Russell takes her home, she suspects that Russell isn’t who he says he is. 

25. Spiderhead (2022)

• Director: Joseph Kosinski
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, Jurnee Smollett
• Run time: 1 hour 47 minutes

Set in a futuristic world, where convicted felons can choose to shorten their sentence by participating in a medical experiment, one prisoner decides to test out a drug that can generate feelings of love. As a result, he starts to question if any of his emotions are real.

26. Gerald’s Game (2017)

• Cast: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas

A kinky sex game between a married couple goes horribly wrong when Gerald (Bruce Greenwood), Jessie’s (Carla Gugino) husband, suddenly dies of a heart attack. As a result, Jessie is left handcuffed to the bed—without a key—in an isolated house. Worse yet, her past begins to haunt her and she starts to hear strange voices.

27. Hypnotic (2021)

• Directors: Suzanne Coote, Matt Angel
• Cast: Kate Siegel, Jason O'Mara, Dulé Hill

Jenn is not only unhappy and unfulfilled at her job, but her love life is also a mess. In a desperate attempt to improve her life, she enlists the help of a hypnotist named Dr. Collin Meade. And at first, it works. But she soon realizes that she’s trapped in a deadly mind game.

28. Circle (2015)

• Directors: Aaron Hann, Mario Miscione
• Cast: Julie Benz, Mercy Malick, Carter Jenkins

The film’s plot is kind of like a competitive game, except there’s a deadly and sinister twist. When 50 strangers awake to find themselves trapped in a darkened room, with no memory of how they got there…and they’re forced to choose the one person among them who should survive.

29. The Devil All the Time (2020)

• Director: Antonio Campos
• Cast: Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough
• Run time: 2 hours 18 minutes

The star-studded film revolves around a group of bizarre characters—from a spider-eating preacher to a murderous couple, whose paths intersect at the end of World War II. If you’re into slow-burn thrillers that tackle deep themes, add this to your list.

30. Fever Dream (2021)

• Director: Claudia Llosa
• Cast: María Valverde, Dolores Fonzi, Germán Palacios
• Run time: 1 hour 33 minutes

The haunting film centers on Amanda, a suffering patient at a clinic who can’t seem to remember how she got there. But with her is a teenager named David, who is desperately trying to get her to remember.  Prepare to be thoroughly creeped out to the point of questioning everything.

31. The Ritual (2017)

• Director: David Bruckner
• Cast: Arsher Ali, Rob James-Collier, Rafe Spall

Four college friends embark on a hike through the Swedish wilderness after the death of their good friend. But one wrong turn leads them into a mysterious and deadly forest, where ancient evil spirits live.

32. Sightless (2020)

• Director: Cooper Karl
• Cast: Madelaine Petsch, Alexander Koch, December Ensminger
• Rating: TV14

Ellen Ashland, a former violinist, is left blind after surviving a violent assault. As she starts to recover, she's helped by a kind caregiver named Clayton. But over time, she begins to suspect that the people around her aren't really who they claim to be.

33. The Drug King (2018)

• Director: Woo Min-ho
• Cast: Song Kang-ho, Cho Jung-seok, Bae Doona

The Drug King charts the rise of petty narcotics dealer Lee Doo-sam as he becomes an infamous drug lord in 1970s Korea. Diamonds, socialites and a prosecutor hot on his tail—what could go wrong?

34. Under the Shadow (2016)

• Director: Babak Anvari
• Cast: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi
• Run time:   1 hour 24 minutes

A former medical student and her daughter stay in war-torn Tehran. As the fighting grows worse, mother and child must also figure out how to protect themselves from the invisible presence of the Djin, whose apparitions haunt them.

35. Mirage (2018)

• Director: Oriol Paulo
• Cast: Adriana Ugarte, Chino Darín, Javier Gutiérrez, Álvaro Morte, Nora Navas, Miquel Fernández
• Run time: 2 hours 9 minutes

An old camcorder serves as a glitch in the space-time continuum, pulling Vera Roy from her life and family in 2014 to 1989 during the fall of the Berlin Wall. One action changes her future, and now she must fight to get it back.

36. The Wonder (2022)

• Director: Sebastián Lelio
• Cast: Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, Kíla Lord Cassidy
• Run time: 1 hour 49 minutes

The Wonder is a psychological thriller on Netflix that is based on historical events of the Victorian-era “fasting girl.” Florence Pugh plays a nurse, Lib Wright, hired by a village to observe Anna O’Donnell, whose family claims she has not eaten in four months. As time weathers on, Lib uncovers sinister family secrets that put Anna’s life at risk.

37. Don’t Worry Darling (2022)

• Director: Olivia Wilde
• Cast: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine
• Run time: 2 hours 2 minutes

In an idyllic ’50s company town, everything is picture perfect. That is, until one of the housewives, Alice Chambers (played by Pugh), starts asking too many questions. Soon, she must decide how much she is willing to pay for the truth.

38. The Earthquake Bird (2019)

• Director: Wash Westmoreland
• Cast: Alicia Vikander, Riley Keough, Naoki Kobayashi
• Run time: 1 our 46 minutes

The psychological thriller features Daisy Jones and the Six star Riley Keough. It takes place in 1989 in Tokyo, Japan, and follows a Swedish immigrant who’s arrested for the murder of her friend. Flashbacks explore their friendship before a love triangle destroys it all.

39. Missing (2023)

• Director: Will Merrick, Nicholas D. Johnson
• Cast: Storm Reid, Nia Long, Megan Suri
• Run time: 1 hour 50 minutes

When 18-year-old June’s mother goes missing while on a trip to Columbia, the teenager must use digital evidence to uncover a web of dangerous deceptions and bring her mom back home.

40. Unfriended (2014)

• Director: Levan Gabriadze
• Cast: Shelley Hennig, Moses Bohrer, Mickey River
• Run time: 1 hour 22 minutes

A group of friends find their video chat haunted by a former classmate who committed suicide following the upload of an embarrassing viral video. As the night progresses, secrets are revealed and lives gruesomely taken. Will anyone survive?

The 31 Best Thriller Books Of All Time (Good Luck Getting a Peaceful Night’s Sleep Again!)

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25 Essential Road Trip Movies of the Last 25 Years

We’re looking down the horizon and beyond for some of the best road trip movies that defined the genre over the last 25 years! To rev up this list, we selected American movies movies, journeys that begin in the States (where they actually finish is part of the fun). The movies celebrate the sights and sounds of the country, or at least will inspire you to pull out that camping gear, putting the convertible top down, and hitting the open road. These rides can be cross-county ( Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle ), on the freeway ( Dog , Sideways ), trekking across a few state lines ( Little Miss Sunshine , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ), hitting a new time zone ( Road Trip ), or even runnin’ coast-to-coast ( Rat Race , Transamerica ). Even the Academy has felt the need for reasonable speed, awarding Best Picture to both Green Book and Nomadland . Carpool lane? Of course: we’ve got an Oscar strapped in the passenger seat!

So whether you’re looking for a map to a long summer drive or fixing a flat in your life, turn to these essential 25 road trip movies of the last 25 years (in chronological order)!

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) 50%

The Straight Story (1999) 94%

Tumbleweeds (1999) 82%

Almost Famous (2000) 91%

Road Trip (2000) 57%

Rat Race (2001) 45%

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) 75%

Sideways (2004) 97%

Transamerica (2005) 77%

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) 91%

Cars (2006) 75%

Zombieland (2009) 89%

Away We Go (2009) 67%

Paul (2011) 70%

We're the Millers (2013) 48%

Chef (2014) 87%

Grandma (2015) 91%

Mississippi Grind (2015) 91%

Pee-wee's Big Holiday (2016) 83%

Green Book (2018) 77%

Nomadland (2020) 93%

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) 97%

Bad Trip (2021) 79%

Dog (2022) 77%

Joy Ride (2023) 90%

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32 Best Thrillers on Netflix Right Now

These thrillers are actually thrilling.

Below, you'll find classics like The Beguiled as well as more recent films like The Devil All the Time— starring Riley Keough, Tom Holland , and Robert Pattinson—and the chilling Stephen King adaptation Mr. Harrigan's Phone . You shouldn't miss Society of the Snow — which is based on a horrifying true story —either. No matter what you choose, you'll find exactly what you're looking for: a thriller that you can watch without being scared shitless. We have a different list for that.

Leave the World Behind

In Leave the World Behind , a family's vacation on Long Island is cut short when another family knocks on their door. They claim there's been a blackout—and the vacation house is theirs. As the world around them falls apart, both camps have to rely on each other for safety.

Society of the Snow

Society of the Snow is every frequent flyer's worst nightmare. Set in 1972, this film follows a Uruguayan rugby team whose flight to Chile crashes into the Andes. When the survivors realize they're stranded, they take extreme measures to make it home.

Rebecca stars Lily James as a newlywed woman who visits her in-law's estate in England. Upon her arrival, she learns about her husband's first wife, Rebecca, who died years ago. Her husband may have moved on, but his family certainly has not.

The Good Nurse

Jessica Chastain stars as Amy Loughren in The Good Nurse . When one of her colleagues is accused of murdering several of his patients, she's hesitant to believe it. But when a formal investigation begins, Amy realizes that her coworker might not be as innocent as he seems.

In The Gift , Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall star as an ordinary married couple named Simon and Robyn. One day, they run into a man named Gordo, who claims to be Simon's old friend. As Robyn begins to learn more about their relationship, she questions if her husband is who he says he is.

Luckiest Girl Alive

Luckiest Girl Alive is based on Jessica Knoll's best-selling novel of the same name. The story follows Ani, a successful journalist with a seemingly perfect life in New York City. Her world implodes when she's asked to participate in a true-crime documentary based on a high school tragedy.

The Stranger

In The Stranger, Mark—who works as an undercover cop—forms a close relationship with a murder suspect. He hopes to get a confession, but instead, Mark puts both their lives at risk while searching for the truth.

Emily the Criminal

In Emily the Criminal , Aubrey Plaza stars as a college graduate who embarks on a credit-card scam to get out of debt—but the scheme proves to be more dangerous than she bargained for.

Before I Wake

When a young boy admits that he's afraid to go to sleep, his guardians think it's just childhood nerves. But when a dead person appears in their home, they discover the boy's dreams and nightmares have the power to transform reality. Creepy!

Mr. Harrigan's Phone

We don't want to spoil too much here, but Mr Harrigan's Phone sees, yes a mysterious phone give a young boy named Craig the ability to communicate with the dead.

In Hypnotic , Kate Siegel, the queen of scary movies, plays a young woman who hires a hypnotist to quell her anxiety. Things take a dangerous turn when her hypnotist turns out to be a master manipulator.

Intrusion is your classic home-invasion nightmare. In the film , a couple's home is broken into, leaving the wife fearful of everyone around them. Who can you trust when everyone's a suspect?

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

I'm Thinking of Ending Things is a Charlie Kaufman flick, which should give you an idea of what you're queuing up. Meaning: It's better to press play without knowing too much beforehand.

The Devil All The Time

British actors Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland brush up on their Ohioan accents for this American gothic tale of a town haunted by its mistakes. Harry Potter star Harry Melling also excels in his role as an evangelical preacher who pours spiders all over his head to prove his faith in God.

Jake Gyllenhaal sitting in a chair and responding to a single 911 caller gave Netflix one of the most thrilling films of 2021. On top of the stressful conversation, an asthmatic Gyllenhaal is also blasting his inhaler at full force just to get through the night.

The Platform

In a nightmarish scenario, residents of a strange facility known as the Pit are fed via a platform that is filled with food on top floors and slowly descends until the scraps reach those out of favor toward the bottom. A commentary on wealth inequality, this Spanish film is as revolting as it is captivating.

Army of Thieves

A prequel to zombie thriller Army of the Dead , Army of Thieves follows Matthias Schweighöfer's expert safecracker on a grand heist with Game of Thrones ' Nathalie Emmanuel, all while Earth is being overridden by the undead.

The Beguiled

This Sophia Coppola flick combines the best of the thriller genre: the threat of danger, sexual tension, and an incomprehensible Nicole Kidman accent. Long live the genre. Set during the Civil War, it follows an ailing soldier who finds comfort in a school for women, but obviously, things get complex really quickly.

You know how sometimes you go to space with two other people and everything is fine , and then all of a sudden, someone falls out of the roof of the ship because they were doing last-minute maintenance and now y'all don't have enough oxygen for everyone to live? Bummer .

The Woman in the Window

Notoriously awful? Messy in scope? Sure. Those things are true. But also , The Woman in the Window is a psychological thriller that is so over-the-top and campy that it's impossible to stop watching. Seeing Amy Adams navigate the fallout after witnessing a murder is intoxicating, especially as you decide whether or not she's a reliable witness.

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12 Best Irish Movies On Netflix In March 2024

By Author Keith O'Hara

Posted on Last updated: March 11, 2024

This is a guide to the best Irish movies on Netflix . And, I’ll level with you… there aren’t many!

In years past Netlflix had some of  the best Irish films ever made available to watch but, as of March 2024, it’s pretty slim pickings.

However, there are some decent Irish films on Netflix, including  ‘My Sailor My Love’  (set on Achill Island) and the comedy  ‘Hard Times’ .

Table of Contents

The best Irish movies on Netflix

Photos via Tourism Ireland press pack

We’ve done our best below to bring together a mix of the best Irish movies Netflix has to offer. Unfortunately, you won’t find old-school favourites, like The Commitments, as it isn’t part of their catalogue.

You will, however, find a heap of movies that you (hopefully) haven’t watched/heard of that’ll keep you gripped from start to finish, like ‘Waking The Titanic’ .

1. Hard Times

One of the few Irish comedy films on Netflix is  ‘Hard Times’ . The film is set in the fictional village of Kilcoulin’s Leap – an area that’s down on its luck.

A group from the village decide the best way to bring prosperity back to the town is to steal a consignment of ‘blue pills’ and then sell them in Amsterdam.

However, things take a turn when they store the stolen pills in the village’s Holy well. I watched this recently and very much enjoyed it!

The need-to-knows about the movie:

• Genre: Comedy-drama
• Release date: 2009
• Starring: John Lynch, Linda Hamilton, Cornelius Clarke and Lochlainn O’Mearain
• Plot in a nutshell: In an attempt to bring prosperity to their town, villagers steal a consignment of ‘blue pills’

2. My Sailor My Love

Photos via Shutterstock

One of the more overlooked Irish movies on Netflix is  ‘My Sailor My Love’ , set on Mayo’s Achill Island.

The story follows a retired sea captain who lives on his own in a scenic but rural part of Ireland that has lost his way, letting both himself and his home deteriorate.

That is until his daughter hires a local woman to help him around the house and love (eventually) blossoms. If you’re after Irish romance movies on Netflix, give this a bash.

• Genre: Romance-drama
• Release date: 2022
• Starring: James Cosmo, Brid Brennan and Catherine Walker
• Plot in a nutshell: Story follows a retired sea captain living alone on an island who starts a relationship with a local widow

3. Apocalypse Clown

One of the more unusual Irish films on Netflix is  ‘Apocalypse Clown’ , which was filmed in Dublin and Kildare.

The story follows a clown called  ‘Bobo’ who, along with some other clowns and a reporter called  ‘Jenny’ try to uncover what caused Ireland’s technology to collapse.

The world has gone into a spin and chaos has hit Ireland – this is the clowns last chance to ‘Make it big’ . This sounds a bit mental. Hit play above. It  looks  mental, too!

• Genre: Comedy
• Release date: 2023
• Starring: David Earl, Natalie Palamides and Amy De Bhrún
• Plot in a nutshell: Ireland’s technology is mysteriously brought to a halt and chaos ensues, forcing a group of clowns to give their dream one last short

4. The Irish Wish (arrives March 15th)

One of the newest Irish movies on Netflix lands on March 15th – ‘The Irish Wish’ , starring Lindsay Lohan was recorded in Dalkey, Temple Bar, Wicklow and in parts of Clare.

It follows a book editor, played by Lohan, who’s set to be a bridesmaid at her friends wedding. However, a few days before the big day, she wishes she  was  the bride.

She wakes up the next day and, Voilà, she’s the bride. The plot doesn’t  sound  great but, as it’s being released around St. Patrick’s Day, it’ll likely become one of the most popular Irish romance movies on Netflix by month end.

• Genre: Romantic-comedy
• Release date: 2024
• Starring: Lindsay Lohan
• Plot in a nutshell: A book editor, played by Lindsay Lohan, wishes to be the bride at her friend’s wedding and wakes up the next day to find her wish magically granted

5. Waking The Titanic

This is  not  a documentary about the Titanic – it’s so much more! ‘Waking The Titanic’  tells the story of 14 people from the village of Addergoole in County Mayo who sought a better life.

Out of the 14 boarded the Titanic, only 3 survived. The movie tells the tale of the loss experienced by those who’s loved ones were lost to the sinking of the Titanic.

• Genre: Docu-drama
• Release date: 2012
• Starring: Rachel Duffy, Caroline Hegarty and Miriam Kelly
• Plot in a nutshell: The documentary tells the story of 14 people that left a small village in Ireland in search of a better life

Arguably one of the better known Irish films on Netflix is  ‘Belfast’ , starring Caitriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan.

It follows the lives of a working-class Protestant family living in Belfast and facing the challenges experienced during the Troubles in Belfast.

The movie is seen through the eyes of  ‘Buddy’  who’s father has gone to England for work. Life for the family becomes increasingly unsafe and they are forced to make a life-changing decision.

• Genre: Drama
• Release date: 2021
• Starring: Caitriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan
• Plot in a nutshell: It follows the challenges faced by a working-class family in Belfast during the Troubles

7. Black Ice

One of the older Irish movies on Netflix is  ‘Black Ice’ , starring Killian Scott and Jane McGrath. It’s set in Donegal but the movie was filmed in Leitrim and Sligo.

It looks at the world of underground car racing in rural Ireland. The story follows siblings Alice who’s brother lost his life during a race. She is in a relationship with Jimmy (Scott) who is well-known on the car racing scene.

The pair attempt to break into the legitimate rally scene, but things aren’t as straightforward as they may seem

• Release date: 2013
• Starring: Jane McGrath, Killian Scott, Dermot Murphy and Marian Quinn
• Plot in a nutshell: Siblings Tom and Alice escape small town boredom by rallying around rural Irish roads

8. Derry Girls

Right, it’s not a movie, but it’s one of the only Irish series on Netflix at the minute and, as you’re probably aware, it’s a belter!

Derry Girls was created and written by Lisa McGee and is set in County Derry in Northern Ireland during the 1990s.

The show follows Erin and her friends as they battle the highs and lows of teenage life in Derry.

If you’re in search of a great show and you’re not bothered about whether or not it’s Irish, dive into our guide to the 17 best series on Netflix Ireland .

The best eh-they’re-only-kinda Irish films on Netflix

I define an ‘Irish movie’ as one that’s set in Ireland. If you disagree with that then fair enough! 

There’s an absolute clatter of movies on Netflix that are widely regarded as ‘Irish movies’, as they feature Irish actors or because they are partly set in Ireland.

Below, you’ll find three of the most popular Irish films on Netflix that are very debatably Irish.

1. The Foreigner

The film follows Ngoc Minh Quan’s (Jackie Chan) search for answers and justice when his daughter is caught up in an IRA attack.

Quan ultimately decides to seek vengeance instead of waiting for the perpetrators to be caught. Travelling to Ireland, he pursues and attempts to confront former Provisional IRA member, Liam Hennessy (Pierce Brosnan) who is now the Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland and knows more than he lets on. 

Director Martin Campbell has crafted a nail-biting action movie and also stars Charlie Murphy.

2. P.S. I Love You (25% on Rotten Tomatoes)

P.S. I Love You is based on a book of the same name by Cecelia Ahern, who penned it when she was just 21, in 2004.

Now, if horrific Irish accents trouble you, avoid this one . Whoever gave the OK for Gerard Butler’s Irish accent needs a good kick up the backside.

Holly and Gerry are happily married. Then tragedy strikes and Gerry passes away. Holly discovers that Gerry has left her letters that she receives at random intervals. One takes her to Ireland.

This is arguably one of the most notable movies set in Ireland on Netflix, with many visiting Ireland every year to see the filming locations.

3. The Siege of Jadotville (64% on Rotten Tomatoes)

Set in 1961, during the United Nations Operation in the Congo, this action film is the story of how an Irish Army peacekeeping unit fends off an attack by a group of mercenaries hired by mining companies who support a new Congolese government.

Directed by Richie Smyth, and leading the charge is Jamie Dornan, as Commandant Pat Quinn, with Guillaume Canet as the mercenary Rene Faulques, and Mark Strong as zealous Conor Cruise O’Brien who try to prevent an escalation in the conflict.

FAQs about the best Irish movies on Netflix

We’ve had a fair few emails about this guide since it first went live, like ‘Why isn’t x movie included?’.

Below, we’ll attempt to answer the most FAQ, but shout in the comments if you have one that hasn’t been tackled.

What are the best Irish films on Netflix?

In our opinion, the best Irish movies on Netflix are Hard Times, My Sailor My Love, Waking The Titanic and Black Ice.

Are there any comedy Irish movies on Netflix?

As of March 2024, the only Irish comedy on Netflix is Hard Times. Netflix have removed a lot of great movies over the past year.

Keith O’Hara has lived in Ireland for 35 years and has spent most of the last 10 creating what is now The Irish Road Trip guide. Over the years, the website has published thousands of meticulously researched Ireland travel guides, welcoming 30 million+ visitors along the way. In 2022, the Irish Road Trip team published the world’s largest collection of Irish Road Trip itineraries . Keith lives in Dublin with his dog Toby and finds writing in the 3rd person minus craic altogether.

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Tuesday 21st of March 2023

Rick J Lynch

Wednesday 3rd of November 2021

carol barron

Wednesday 20th of January 2021

Calm with horses

Monday 18th of January 2021

In the name of the father. One of the most important Irish movies made.

Sunday 25th of October 2020

Song of the Sea!!!

Wednesday 17th of March 2021

Song of the sea is awesome

• Streaming calendar

50 best Netflix thriller movies of all time – Ranked (Updated March 2024)

Netflix offers a wide range of thriller films in various languages from different countries, providing a plethora of options for everyone.

Who doesn’t enjoy a little excitement here and there? Our daily lives certainly can’t be full of suspense and surprises, making us anticipate what comes next all the time. Perhaps this is why we enjoy thrillers so much.

Netflix’s library has enough thrillers to keep you engrossed whenever you wish for it. The streaming platform has films from different countries and different time periods, allowing the audience to pick the setting of their choice. 

After going through Netflix’s library, we have picked the 50 best Netflix thriller films; that is, these films are either Netflix originals or were acquired by Netflix. 

The films have been ranked based on the ratings and the reviews each of them received as well as the opinions of our editors.

Here are the top 50 Netflix thriller films, including psychological, crime, political, and action thrillers, that every thriller fan must watch:

( Co-authors:   Muskan Chhatwani , Nadeem Abdul ,  Rishabh Chauhan ,  Rahul Shinde ,  Prabal Sharma , and  Anweshak Tejendra )

Editor’s note:  This article was last updated in March 2024

50. Fractured (2019)

Cast: Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Stephen Tobolowsky, Adjoa Andoh, Lucy Capri 

Director: Brad Anderson

This psychological thriller is set on a fateful night when Ray Monroe is driving back home with his wife Joanne and daughter Peri after spending Thanksgiving with the grandparents. 

The family halts at a highway rest stop where Peri falls and fractures her arm. The trio rushes to a nearby hospital and has some difficulty getting Peri checked.

As the doctor finally sees her, Ray falls asleep, only to wake up and realize that his family is missing. The hospital staff claims that he came alone and nothing makes sense. 

Now, it is up to him to get to the bottom of this mind-boggling mystery.  Fractured  had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 22, 2019. It was released on Netflix a month later. 

49. Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, Zawe Ashton, Tom Sturridge, Natalia Dyer, John Malkovich

Director: Dan Gilroy

A film encapsulating the Los Angeles contemporary art scene,  Velvet Buzzsaw  introduces art critic Morf Vanderwalt, a highly dogmatic critic who wields immense power.

Soon after, a woman named Josephina discovers the body of an artist named Vetril Dease, who lived a troubled life. Furthermore, she discovers several curious paintings in his studio.

She takes them, and it is not long before anyone associated with these stolen artworks starts dying in a gruesome manner. Vanderwalt finally discovers the truth behind these killings, but it might be too late.

The film vaguely resembles the life of Henry Darger, a recluse artist whose work was heralded after his death. Just like Dease’s character, Darger also spent some time in an asylum. 

48. Shimmer Lake (2017)

Cast:  Benjamin Walker, Rainn Wilson, Stephanie Sigman, John Michael Higgins, Mark Rendall, Rob Corddry, Ron Livingston

Director: Oren Uziel

Another neo-noir crime thriller,  Shimmer Lake  is unique in its narrative style as the tale is told backward from Friday to Tuesday. 

The story focuses on a bank robbery gone wrong and sheriff Zeke Sikes investigating the same. We find out that his brother Andy and two former friends are involved in it. 

As the plot reverses to the day of the heist, a shocking revelation about Zeke flips the whole plot on its head. 

The film was mentioned in the 2009 Black List, a record of the “most liked” unmade scripts in Hollywood. Netflix acquired the distribution rights for it in 2016. 

47. Rogue City (2020)

Cast: Lannick Gautry, Stanislas Merhar, Kaaris, David Belle, Patrick Catalifo, Jean Reno, Moussa Maaskri

Director: Olivier Marchal

A tale of chaos, corruption, and gang violence, this French thriller is set in Marseilles and narrows in on an anti-gang Police unit, infamous for its unorthodox methods.

After a gang conflict results in a mass shooting at a nightclub, the squad engages in an investigation, and the situation starts spiraling. 

Amid allegations of corruption, a key witness is murdered in custody, and the narcotics team locks horns with the anti-gang brigade for killing one of their undercover officers in an operation. 

To make things worse, the gangs decide to bring the fight to the corrupt authorities.  Rogue City  was the second most-streamed film on Netflix during the first week of its release on October 30, 2020.

46. Code Name: Emperor (2022)

Cast: Luis Tosar, Alexandra Masangkay, Georgina Amorós, Laura Domínguez, Miguel Rellán

Director: Jorge Coira

A political spy thriller,  Code Name: Emperor  is a Spanish film revolving around Juan, an intelligence agency operative who oversees a small team and is assigned to stop an illegal import of black market Cobalt-60 into the country.

The target is a wealthy couple, and Juan woos their maid, Wendy to gain access to the house. Incidentally, he starts falling for her but is distraught when she discovers the truth.

Furthermore, he is instructed to honeytrap a seemingly clean politician using an underage teenager. 

Shockingly, his investigation reveals startling information about the intelligence agency itself, and Juan decides to blow the whistle on his employers.

The film was originally titled  Código Emperador  and has been nominated in eight categories at the upcoming 21st Mestre Mateo Awards.

45. Monica, O My Darling (2022)

Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi, Radhika Apte, Sikander Kher

Director: Vasan Bala

The plot of this neo-noir crime thriller focuses on a talented engineer Johnny who, despite being engaged, has an affair with a woman named Monica Machado.

In a shocking turn of events, Monica reveals she is pregnant and starts blackmailing Johnny. He later learns that he isn’t the only one being tortured by the woman and hatches a devious plan with the other two men.

They plan to murder Monica for good, but things fall apart when she survives and someone else is killed. As a police investigation begins, a bigger and more complicated ploy is revealed.

The film is an adaptation of the 1989 Japanese novel  Burutasu No Shinzou (Heart of Brutus)  by Keigo Higashino. The title was inspired by the lyrics of the song “Piya Tu Ab To Aja” from the 1971 Hindi film  Caravan.

44. The Post-Truth World (2022)

Cast: Joseph Chang, Edward Chen, Caitlin Fang, Aviis Zhong, Amber An, Shih Chih-tian, Chan Tzu-hsuan     

Director: Chen I-fu 

The Post-Truth World  is a 2022 Taiwanese film that revolves around Chang Cheng-yi, a former sports star who is jailed for allegedly murdering his girlfriend. 

Seven years later, he escapes from prison and takes a news anchor Liu Li-min, hostage to gain public attention. 

The anchor uses this situation to take a shot at fame and decides to investigate Chang’s case. However, his probe unveils much more than he anticipated. 

The film was nominated in three categories at the 59th Golden Horse Awards.

43. The Lost Patient (2022)

Cast: Txomin Vergez, Clotilde Hesme, Rebecca Williams, Audrey Dana, Stéphane Rideau, Matthieu Lucci, Alex Lawther

Director: Christophe Charrier

A French murder mystery thriller,  The Lost Patient  (originally titled  Le patient )   follows 19-year-old Thomas Grimaud, who wakes up in a hospital after three years in a coma. 

Unable to recall anything about the cause of his condition, his psychologist Anna reveals to him that his family was murdered.

Thomas is the only survivor of the slaughter, while his sister Laura is still missing. Now, he must set out on a journey to locate Laura and discover the truth about that fateful night with Anna’s help. 

It is based on the 2019 comic book of the same name by Timothé Le Boucher. 

42. Rebecca (2020)

Cast: Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas, Keeley Hawes, Tom Goodman-Hill

Director: Ben Wheatley

Maxim De Winter is a recently widowed man who meets a young woman and falls in love with her in a very short span of time. He marries her and takes the new Mrs. De Winter back to his mansion in Manderley, England.

Mrs. De Winter meets the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who makes it very clear that she despises this woman who has come in place of Rebecca, Maxim’s previous wife. 

As Mrs. De Winter learns more about Rebecca and how her life ended, she is also faced with rough treatment from Mrs. Danvers who tries to drive a wedge between her and Maxim. 

This romantic thriller is based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier, which was previously adapted in 1940 by Alfred Hitchcock.

41. Yara (2021)

Cast: Isabella Ragonese, Alessio Boni, Sandra Toffolatti, Mario Pirrello, Thomas Trabacchi

Director: Marco Tullio Giordana

When a 13-year-old girl goes missing in the small town of Bergamo, Prosecutor Letizia Ruggeri is assigned to the case and becomes obsessed with finding her. 

As her investigation progresses there is increased media scrutiny and pressure from the public, and her superiors to solve the case. 

The film is based on the real-life murder of Yara Gambirasio in 2010. The killer was caught several years later thanks to an extensive DNA database established when she first disappeared. 

The film has a forlorn tone backed by a grim background score as the case of who kidnapped and eventually killed Yara is revealed.

40. Loving Adults (2022)

Cast: Dar Salim, Sonja Richter, Sus Noreen Jondahl Wilkins, Mikael Birkkjær, Katinka Lærke Petersen

Director: Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg

Christian and Leonora have been married for many years but their marriage is put to the test when their teenage son is diagnosed with a serious illness. 

They assume the worst is done when their son is given a clean bill of health, but Leonora soon finds out that her husband is having an affair. 

They both have secrets in their past that would ruin them if they got out so the couple resorts to terrible means to ensure that their relationship stays intact and they stay out of prison. 

A suspense-filled thriller about a turbulent marriage that is turned on its head, Loving Adults is unpredictable and dark in its tone. The film is based on a novel and is the first Netflix original film from Denmark.

39. Bird Box (2018)

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Jacki Weaver, Lil Rel Howery, Sarah Paulson

Director: Susanne Bier

In a post-apocalyptic world, humans are beset by entities that show them their worst fears and push them to commit suicide. Malorie Hayes is a pregnant woman who bands with a group of survivors as they aim to learn more about the situation they are facing. 

One by one, the group’s number dwindles until Malorie and Tom are the only ones left along with Malorie’s newborn baby and the baby of another woman. They survive in a cabin in the woods for five years before learning of a safe haven where they can live without fear. 

Malorie must overcome major obstacles to get herself and the children to safety, all while trying to avoid looking at the entities and losing her mind. 

Bird Box is adapted from a novel of the same name with the film rights optioned to Universal Pictures before the release of the novel in 2013. It was eventually picked up by Netflix in 2017. 

Bird Box comes in third place on the list of/ most-watched films on Netflix based on hours streamed.

38. In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)

Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Cleopatra Coleman, Bokeem Woodbine, Michael C. Hall, Rudi Dharmalingam

Director: Kim Mickle

When multiple strange deaths occur miles away from each other in Philadelphia, Police officer Thomas Lockhart and his partner, Maddox are tasked with investigating the crime along with Lockhart’s brother-in-law, Detective Holt. 

Things get more complicated when Lockhart confronts the primary suspect, a young woman who reveals intimate details about his life. What follows is a complex case that spans several years as Lockhart gradually untangles the mystery behind the stranger. 

The time-travel aspect of this film is easy enough to understand and the mystery remains consistently intriguing in this sci-fi thriller. 

The film had its original screening at Fantastic Fest held in Austin, Texas before releasing on Netflix a week later.

37. The Devil All the Time (2020)

Cast: Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, Bill Skarsgård, Jason Clarke, Riley Keough

Director: Antonio Campos

A slew of sinister characters is tied together by the cruel threads of fate as they carry out their misdeeds and eventually face the consequences of their actions. 

Abuse, murder, crime, and insanity are all central themes in this tale of revenge with a young orphan named Arvin at the center of it. The story begins sometime during World War II and moves through the 1960s, as Arvin grows up and learns about the troubles of the world.

With a remarkable ensemble cast, The Devil All the Time contains serious subject matter with gruesome visuals. Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson are especially wonderful in this somber narrative.

The screenplay was adapted from the eponymous 2011 novel by author Donald Ray Pollock, who also serves as the narrator in the film. This was Pollock’s first time doing any narrating work, as he had not even done the narration for the audiobook.

36. The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

Cast: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Simon McBurney, Timothy Spall, Toby Jones

Director: Scott Cooper

Augustus Landor is a retired detective who is down in the dumps with very little going his way. He’s an alcoholic, a widower, and his only daughter has run away from him. 

Landor is called in by the military academy at West Point to investigate the murder of a cadet by what seems to be ritualistic means since his heart was carved out. Landor enlists the help of another cadet, Edgar Allan Poe, who shows an interest in the case. 

As more cadets go missing, Landor and Poe dig deeper into the mystery and arrive at a stunning conclusion to the identity of the murderer. 

Films that involve Edgar Allan Poe always have a grim, gothic tone to them and The Pale Blue Eye is no different, the brilliant score and the haunting locations contribute to a serious and intriguing story. 

Bale and Melling are the standouts of the film, with their chemistry overflowing and their individual performances truly the pick of the bunch.

35. Manhunt (2017)

Cast: Hanyu Zhang, Masaharu Fukuyama, Ha Ji-Won, Jun Kunimura, Angeles Woo, Stephy Qi

Director: John Woo

Based on the novel Kimi yo Funnu no Kawa o Watare by Juko Nishimura, Manhunt follows Du Qiu, a lawyer working for a huge pharmaceutical firm in Japan. 

Qiu has defended the company in several lawsuits but things begin to spiral right before his relocation to the United States. 

Qiu is framed for murder and consequently goes on the run while trying to clear his name in the face of two determined detectives and many deadly assassins sent to kill Qiu. 

He ultimately manages to uncover a huge drug conspiracy and the identity of the real murderer after a mountain of bloodshed. 

Manhunt is directed by the legendary John Woo and contains all the hallmarks of the influential filmmaker including high-octane action sequences, fabulous visuals, and buckets of fun.

34. Extraction (2020)

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda, Golshifteh Farahani, Pankaj Tripathi, David Harbour, Bryon, Ryder Lerum, Priyanshu Painyuli

Director: Sam Hargrave

When an innocent young boy becomes the victim of a morbid underworld of weapons dealers and traffickers, it’s upon one of the world’s most fearful mercenaries, Tyler Rake, to move into one of the world’s most impenetrable cities and rescue the young boy.

Acting as deadly hurdles in the mission are countless thugs and henchmen of drug lords who are engaged in warfare of their own. However, Rake, a mercenary with a grim past and broken mind, moves about without a care for his life, or anyone else’s.

Joining him in the deadly mission are others who often find it difficult to carry out an already impossible endeavor, thanks to Rake’s nothing-to-lose fervor and philosophy to most things.

Navigating the crowded and congested streets of Bangladesh, the characters in the movie are put to the wringer and the weather extremities, as the camera employs a kinetic pace and movement, thanks to director Sam Hargrave’s work and sensibilities as a stuntman.

33. Unlocked (2023)

Cast: Chun Woo-hee, Im Si-wan, Kim Hee-won, Park Ho-san, Kim Ye-won, Oh Hyun-Kyung, Jeon Jin-oh, Kim Joo-Ryoung, Gil Hae-Yeon

Director: Kim Tae-Joon

A thrilling crime drama revolving around the banes of technology, Unlocked follows the woes and worries of a woman who loses her phone, which falls into the worst hands imaginable.

The dangerous man getting a hold of Lee Na-Mi’s lost smartphone is Jun-Yeong, who uses the modern invention to carry out a series of moves that enable him to infiltrate Lee Na-Mi’s life, without raising her suspicion.

Gradually, Lee Na-Mi’s situation worsens and her social life is rendered obsolete, but a twist during the finality of the film entails a thrilling series of events that catch up to the antagonist while unravelling chilling secrets about him as well.

In his directorial debut, Kim Tae-Joon weaves into the narrative a couple of elements pertaining to the themes of drama, mystery, thriller, and crime.

32. The Angel (2018)

Cast: Marwan Kenzari, Toby Kebbell, Sasson Gabai, Waleed Zuaiter, Ori Pfeffer, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Hannah Ware, Tsahi Halevi, Guy Adler, Mickey Leon, Slimane Dazi, Mounir Margoum, Mali Levi

Director: Ariel Vromen

As Egypt prepares for war, the country’s top official Ashraf Marwan carries out a perilous game of espionage, with stakes as high as they can be.

The Angel is based on Uri Bar-Joseph’s NYT bestselling book, titled The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel . A true story about the aforementioned spy’s actions that led to a terrible outcome from taking shape, the film weaves in political elements with international espionage.

The real-life Ashraf Marwan was President Nasser’s son-in-law and served as the special adviser and confidant to Anwar Saddat.

31. I Came By (2022)

Cast: Hugh Bonneville, George MacKay, Percelle Ascott, Kelly Macdonald, Varada Sethu, Franc Ashman, Anthony Calf

Director: Babak Anvari

At the centre of I Came By is a young graffiti artist who comes across a shocking secret that stands to destroy him and his loved ones. The antagonist posing these dangers is a judge who masquerades in society as a progressive but harbors an inhuman side that he unleashes on unsuspecting victims inside his home.

Toby Nealy is a young graffiti artist with a heart fueled by his radical, political ideas. He moonlights as a vigilante who leaves his mark on the premises of whatever figure he finds to be corrupt, regressive, or harmful.

Blake, a seemingly progressive judge, moonlights a serial killer and exacts upon his victims, a treatment most inhumane inside the basement of his house. When Toby becomes a victim of the deranged antagonist, it falls upon his loved ones to avenge him and expose the monster in the public eye.

Directed by Babak Anvari, the film deals with a number of themes, ranging from politics, and race, to homosexuality.

30. Re/Member (2022)

Cast: Kanna Hashimoto, Gordon Maeda, Maika Yamamoto, Fuju Kamio, Kotaro Daigo, Mayuu Yokota, Shuntaro Yanagi, Naomi Nishida, Tasuku Emoto

Director: Eiichiro Hasumi

The live-action adaptation of the manga series Karada Sagashi , this Netflix film follows a group of six high schoolers who get trapped inside their school while an unknown entity goes on a bloody hunt throughout the institution’s premises.

Known as “Red Person”, this devious entity eludes most while making many the victims of its unquenchable hunger for flesh. However, there’s a way to stop this entity from continuing to wreak more havoc, and it’s by assembling all the decapitated parts of an unknown corpse, spread throughout the school.

The students must embark on perilous and daring missions to find the different body parts, and they must do it before the time runs out. Should they fail to do so, the threshold is crossed and the time loop resets.

The day begins again, and the students must again try to do what must be done to stop “Red Person.” This deadly and gory rendition of Groundhog Day appeals to the thriller and horror genres while also dealing with the preternatural elements incorporated with its Saw -like game narrative.

29. The Plagues of Breslau (2018)

Cast: Małgorzata Kożuchowska, Daria Widawska, Tomasz Oświeciński, Katarzyna Bujakiewicz, Andrzej Grabowski, Iwona Bielska

Director: Patryk Vega

The premise of The Plagues of Breslau deals with a serial killer, who at 6 pm every day, kills a new person. To track the killer down, police officer Helena Rus turns to the 18th-century history of the city, finding key clues to the mystery of what’s afoot.

The chilling nature of the serial killings often entails bodies being recovered in a most morbid state, with the first corpse that Helena Rus finds being sewn in a cowhide.

Throughout the film, the serial killings proffer a great deal of graphic imagery, along with nudity and moody psychological amidst a dearth of evidence of the killer. Loosely based on the novels of Marek Krajewski, the film features a prominent female cast.

28. God’s Crooked Lines (2022)

Cast: Bárbara Lennie, Eduard Fernández, Loreto Mauleón, Javier Beltrán, Pablo Derqui, Federico Aguado, Adelfa Calvo, Francisco Javier, Samuel Soler, Lluís Soler, Joan Crosas, David Selvas, Luis Sacristán

Director: Oriol Paulo

A moody psychological thriller, God’s Crooked Lines sees a woman checking into a psychiatric ward under fake pretenses in order to investigate a death of an inmate, that occurred amidst dubious circumstances.

Alice is a private investigator whose investigations into a death take her to the psychiatric ward where it took place, under the most mysterious and confounding circumstances.

She signs up for the mission feigning paranoia, but as her investigations move forward, the story unravels twists most unprecedented and unpredictable.

Soon, Alice has to contend with doubts over her own sanity, as the entire picture becomes more and more unclear as well as thrilling with every new turn. Based on the novel Los Renglones Torcidos de Dios , the film deals with Hitchcockian narratives and elements.

27. Army of Thieves (2021)

Cast: Matthias Schweighöfer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ruby O. Fee, Stuart Martin, Guz Khan, Jonathan Cohen, Noémie Nakai, Christian Steyer, Dan Bradford, Tonya Graves, Trent Garrett, Barbara Meier

Director: Zach Snyder

Taking place about six years before the zombie apocalypse, the meek and timid, but brilliant bank teller Sebastian is also a safe cracker enthusiast.

After years of his enthusiasm for the offbeat craft being confined to a YouTube channel, Sebastian’s talents are finally acknowledged by a mysterious Gwendoline, who enlists him to gear up and crack one of the world’s most complex safes.

With an eccentric personality, a big heart, and an even bigger penchant for Richard Wagner, Sebastian embarks on the perilous mission and helps his team pull off the heist, while the authorities leave no stone unturned in their efforts at nabbing Gwendoline and her associates.

The film serves as a prequel spin-off for the character of Sebastian in Zach Snyder’s zombie extravaganza, Army of Dead .

26. Hold the Dark (2018)

Cast: Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgård, James Badge Dale, Riley Keough, Julian Black Antelope, Macon Blair, Tantoo Cardinal, Peter McRobbie, Beckham Crawford, Jonathan Whitesell, Bobbi Jaye

Director: Jeremy Saulnier

Hold the Dark follows a man venturing into the perilous wilderness at the request of a mother who lost her son to the wild wolves. However, the wilderness isn’t the only thing the two lonely souls have to contend with on their extremely dangerous journey.

Russell Core is a retired naturalist and a wolf expert, and after three kids are suspected to be killed by wolves, he’s requested by a young mother, whose son was also killed by a wolf, to help her track down the beasts that took her son.

During their journey to the wilderness, Core and Medora develop a relationship borne out of their mutual lonesomeness at the concurrent point of their lives.

However, apart from the immediate perils that their mission poses to them, they have to contend with more when Medora’s husband returns home from the Iraq war and goes on a rampage after hearing the news of his son’s death.

Shot in the span of 61 days in Alberta, Canada, Hold the Dark features a chilling, atmospheric backdrop to its moody and unsettling narrative.

25. The Perfection (2018)

Cast: Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber

Director: Richard Shepard

Charlotte Willmore, a talented young cellist, is forced to leave the prestigious Bachoff Academy of Music when her mother becomes terminally ill.

Years later, she aims to reconnect with her mentor, Anton, and the school, only to learn that she has been replaced by Lizzie.

Charlotte befriends Lizzie, drugs her, and attempts to hurt her, and it looks like she is doing all of this out of jealousy until it is revealed that her plan is to save Lizzie from something far more sinister.

At first glance, The Perfection appears to be a film about jealousy, but it is actually about how women are harmed by their officials, in this case through art and the demand for perfection.

Williams and Browning’s team-up is one to look out for, and apart from the thrills and chills, the film also comes with some really gross scenes the viewers may have to sit through.

24. The Guilty (2021)

Cast:  Jake Gyllenhaal, Christina Vidal, Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough

Director: Antoine Fuqua

LAPD officer Joe Baylor is awaiting a court hearing for an incident that took place eight months ago. While working a night shift at the 911 call center, he receives a call from a woman named Emily Lighton, claiming that she has been abducted.

Joe goes above and beyond to help Emily out upon learning that she has kids waiting for her at her house.

As he dives deep into rescuing Emily, he learns that this abduction case isn’t what it looks like. The event changes him forever and encourages him to make a responsible decision regarding his upcoming court hearing.

The Guilty is the remake of the 2018 Danish film of the same name. Though the original film is considered to be superior, the remake is still a thrilling ride for those who haven’t seen the Den skyldige directorial.

23. The Ritual (2017)

Cast: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton

Director: David Bruckner

Phil, Dom, Hutch, Luke, and Rob plan a group holiday. Unfortunately, they lose their friend Rob during a bank robbery.

In memory of their friend, four of them hike along the Kungsleden in northern Sweden, and while returning, they opt to take the way through the forest to avoid heavy rain.

The group witnesses strange phenomena in the forest, and soon they start getting hunted down by an ancient god-like entity. Despite receiving mixed reviews, The Ritual continues to be a favorite among thriller and horror fans.

The film makes brilliant use of creepy sounds, sets, environments, and landscapes. The viewers feel like the characters are more or less trapped in some sort of hell from which they cannot escape.

22. Darlings (2022)

Cast: Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah, Vijay Verma

Director: Jasmeet K. Reen

Badru suffers from her love marriage with Hamza, an alcoholic who abuses her every day. There are often times when she thinks of killing him and getting rid of him.

After abusing her, Hamza pretends to care the next day and forces her to forgive him. Badru loses her child because of Hamza, and that’s when she musters up the courage to teach him a lesson.

Badru teams up with her mother, Shamshu, to inflict the same damage Hamza gave her all these years.

Darlings received the highest global opening for a non-English Indian film. Packed with sharp writing and powerhouse performances from the lead cast, the film gives Netflix India a product it was missing for a very long time.

21. The Good Nurse (2022)

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne

Director: Tobias Lindholm

Amy, a compassionate nurse suffering from a heart condition, finds solace in her new partner, Charles ‘Charlie’ Cullen, who joins her at the hospital.

Charlie is just as caring as she is, and they instantly hit it off. Charlie even gets close to Amy’s family. When one of Amy’s patients dies suddenly, the hospital conducts an internal investigation that goes on for seven long weeks.

The case is then handed to detectives. They cross out Charlie as the prime suspect and seek Amy’s help, who defends her friend until another one of her patients dies.

The Good Nurse is a compelling serial killer drama that brings a fresh and different perspective to the genre. It focuses more on the relationship the killer shares with another human being.

The only disadvantage could be the slow pace, which requires commitment if viewers are to enjoy the film.

20. I Care a Lot (2020)

Cast: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage

Director: J Blakeson

Marla Grayson, along with her partner and assistant, Fran, runs a legal firm that gives guardianship services to old people.  Marla aims to be rich. She looks at her business as a means to deceive old people and con the system.

She soon finds herself in trouble when she ends up picking the wrong prey in the form of Jennifer Peterson, who has connections in the underworld.

Led by a stellar cast, I Care a Lot starts out as a comedy but is a film that is deep and uneasy to go through. There is no gore or such things. It’s the way the characters inflict damage on innocents that will drive the viewers to the film’s story.

19. Forgotten (2017)

Cast: Kang Ha-neul, Kim Mu-yeol,Moon Sung-keun, Na Young-hee

Director: Jang Hang-jun

Forgotten follows the story of Jin-seok, who moves into a new house with his family. On a rainy night, Jin-seok watches his brother get kidnapped and pushed into a car.

Jin-seok’s brother surprisingly returns nineteen days later. From that point on, Jin-seok starts finding everything odd about his family. They seem different.

A freaked-out Jin-seok approaches the police, believing that his family is not real and some people are pretending to be his loved ones.

At the police station, he is asked about his age, which results in him finding out that he is not 21 years old anymore and that the year is 2017, not 1997.

Forgotten is one of the finest thrillers on Netflix. It’s unsettling, depressing, and keeps you guessing till the very end.

18. Munich – The Edge of War (2021)

Cast:  Jeremy Irons, George MacKay, Jannis Niewöhner.

Director: Christian Schwochow

Munich – The Edge of War takes place in the 1930s. Hugh Legat, Paul von Hartmann, and Paul’s girlfriend, Lena, all get graduated from Oxford University.

The paths of Legat and Hartmann cross again six years later when Legat starts working as a private secretary for Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who is seeking peace with Adolf Hitler.

Hartmann, on the other hand, is working as a translator for the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin and, at the same time, secretly with a Wehrmacht general to overthrow Hitler.

Believing that his old friend will likely be of help, Hartmann works with Legat, hoping to expose a Nazi secret.

Munich – The Edge of War is a well-acted and directed period drama that adapts Robert Harris’ fictionalized account of negotiations over Hitler’s plan to take over Czechoslovakia from the 2017 novel Munich .

Apart from having the story navigate through two fictional characters, the film tries to put Chamberlain, who was deemed a coward by many, in a sympathetic role.

17. Triple Frontier (2019)

Cast: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal, Adria Arjona

Director: J. C. Chandor

This film follows five former Special Forces operatives who reunite to execute a heist in South America. The mission is to rob a drug lord.

For the first time, their mission is for their own selves and not the country. When events don’t go exactly as planned, the mission threatens to unravel as their loyalties are put to the test.

Its title ‘Triple Frontier’ is a reference to South America’s Tres Fronteras region, which is known for drug trafficking and contraband.

The action thriller boasts a stellar cast and received praise for its engaging narrative, plot twists and pulsating action sequences.

16. Apostle (2018)

Cast: Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen, Mark Lewis Jones, Paul Higgins, Lucy Boynton, Bill Milner

Director: Gareth Evans

Apostle first premiered at the Fantastic Fest in April 2018 and premiered on the streamer one month later. It is based on a British man named Thomas Richardson, who sets out to save his sister from a cult on a remote island.

Set in 1905, Richardson’s mission sees him tussling with the sinister cult form the inside as he poses as a convert.

Apostle does not take the path of easy scares and instead builds up the eeriness till it turns into terror. Stevens, who plays the protagonist, gives a commendable performance as the central figure of the film.

The film has been written and directed by Gareth Evans, who is known for creating the Indonesian action-thriller franchise The Raid.

15. The Platform (2019)

Cast: Iván Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San Juan, Emilio Buale, Alexandra Masangkay

Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

The Platform , a Spanish-language horror thriller, has a rather unique and haunting premise. Set in ‘Vertical Self-Management Center’ the residents are switched each month between its floor.

They are fed through a platform which is filled with food at the top but the further it goes down, the less is left. The residents of the lower floors have to consume just the leftovers. A rebellion could break out at any time.

The Platform premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, where it bagged the People’s Choice Award for Midnight Madness.

The film is a stunning dystopian thriller. Through its premise, The Platform explores how humanity deals with a crisis.

The film’s Netflix premiere could not have happened at a more opportune time, as it was released during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

14. Wheelman (2017)

Cast: Frank Grillo, Garret Dillahunt, Caitlin Carmichael, Wendy Moniz, Slaine, John Cenatiempo

Director: Jeremy Rush

An unnamed getaway driver picks up a crew for a robbery. However, he gets a call from the Handler to abandon them as soon as they stash the money in the car as they have been instructed to kill him.

The driver does not reveal his true name to the crew or the Handler, and is referred to as ‘Wheelman’. Now on the run, he must figure out who set him up and protect his family.

Wheelman is a minimalistic yet thrilling film that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Frank Grillo excels as the titular protagonist of the film.

13. Oxygen (2021)

Cast: Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, Malik Zidi

Director: Alexandre Aja

In this French-language sci-fi thriller, a woman named Liz regains consciousness in a cryogenic unit without any memory of her past.

With the Oxygen in levels in the unit rapidly declining, Liz must race against time and, with the assistance of an AI named M.I.L.O, trace who she truly is.

Oxygen squeezes the most out of its claustrophobic setting and delivers an exhilarating experience. Mélanie Laurent, who plays Liz, gives a riveting performance.

The film had been named ‘O2’ for most of its production phase and was renamed just months before its Netflix release.

12. Gerald’s Game (2017)

Cast: Carla Gugino, Chiara Aurelia, Bruce Greenwood, Carel Struycken, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Adalyn Jones

Director: Mike Flanagan

Gerald’s Game first premiered at London’s BFI Southbank and is based on Stephen King’s 1992 novel which shares the same name.

It follows a married couple who arrive at an isolated house for a holiday. When the husband (Greenwood) passes away after suffering a heart attack, the wife (Gugino) finds herself handcuffed to the bed.

She must now find a way to escape her predicament and more importantly, survive, all the while dealing with her inner demons.

Gugino received plaudits for her portrayal of Jessie, while Flanagan was praised for the direction. After watching the film’s rough cut, Stephen King called it: “hypnotic, horrifying and terrific”

Cast: Sarah Paulson, Kiera Allen, Pat Healy, Sara Sohn, Sharon Bajer

Director: Aneesh Chaganty

Chloe Sherman (Allen) is a disabled homeschooled teenager who desires freedom after years of isolated medical care.

She begins to understand that her own mother (Paulson) might be responsible for holding her back and harbouring dark secrets about her true upbringing.

The film is a captivating psychological thriller that explores the harrowing ‘mother-daughter relationship’. Both the leads give powerful performances that elevate Run. 

Run was released on Hulu in November 2020 in the US, but received its worldwide streaming release through Netflix in April 2021, and was rebranded as a Netflix original in all other territories.

10. I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)

Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Elijah Wood, David Yow, Jane Levy, Devon Graye, Christine Woods, Robert Longstreet, Lee Eddy

Director: Macon Blair

Created by the producers of Certain Women and Green Room, I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore narrates the story of Ruth (Lynskey), a nursing assistant.

Suffering an existential crisis, Ruth finds a newfound purpose after a burglary in her home thrusts her into finding the culprit, alongside her martial-arts enthusiast neighbour Tony. However, the two do not quite realise the depth of danger they are headed towards.

The film is an outstanding combination of humour and thrill with strong performances from numerous actors, especially Lynsekey.

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic.

9. Pandora (2016)

Cast: Kim Nam-gil , Kim Young-ae , Jung Jin-young , Kim Ju-hyeon 

Director: Park Jung-woo

Park Jung-woo’s Pandora is a South Korean disaster film. The events of the film take place in a small town and follow a nuclear disaster. 

Jae-hyeok, the protagonist, works at the local nuclear power plant, which is the sole source of energy for the town and a source of employment for the citizens. Jae-hyeok lives with his mother, his sister-in-law, and his nephew, but he wishes to leave the town one day.

As the authorities pay no heed to the warning of an employee at the plant, an earthquake triggers a nuclear disaster that causes widespread concern throughout the nation. 

Jae-hyeok and the other employees must now risk their lives and return to the plant to stop another nuclear disaster before it is too late. 

Pandora explores the idea of nuclear power being a threat to its beneficiaries as well; it paints a picture of what the world will have to face if a disaster like this occurs and spreads, making the audience fear for the protagonist and for themselves.  

8. The Stranger (2022)

Cast: Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Jada Alberts

Director: T homas M. Wright

Based on Kate Kyriacou’s non-fiction book The Sting: The Undercover Operation That Caught Daniel Morcombe’s Killer, the film follows an undercover agent who sacrifices years of his life as well as his physical and mental health to solve a case.

When a teenager is abducted, Mark Frame, an undercover police officer, is tasked with befriending Henry Teague, the prime suspect, to solve the case. However, it is not easy, as the case starts affecting and haunting Frame day and night.

The case becomes personal for the protagonist, who must get close to the culprit and win his confidence in order to gather evidence against him. 

The film depicts a unique murder investigation. Unlike a whodunnit, the culprit here is already known, and the job of the police is to prove that it is him. 

Daniel Morcombe’s real-life murder case is said to have inspired the film. The makers later claimed that it is a fictionalized account, and the film does not mention Morcombe or the details of his murder. 

7. 1922 (2017)

Cast: Thomas Jane, Dylan Schmid, Molly Parker, Kaitlyn Bernard

Director: Zak Hilditch

Based on a novella of the same name by Stephen King, 1922 revolves around the life of a farmer, Wilf, who convinces his son to aid him in murdering his wife in her sleep.

Wilf destroys his family for his selfish motives, but not without paying a price. Wilf’s mind becomes his greatest enemy, and Wilf suffers every single day. His son, Henry, does not lead a happy life either.

While the plot sounds simple, the film explores the horror and the guilt that comes with killing your kin in their most vulnerable state; the impact that it has on the human psyche is depicted carefully and in a detailed manner.

The critics praised director Zak Hilditch’s work. Thomas Jane’s portrayal of a tortured protagonist living in the year 1922 is considered to be one of his best performances. 

It’s an unsettling slow burn that pulls out the guilt from the mind of the protagonist and depicts it on-screen for the audience to see through his loss of normal life and his sanity. 

6. The Night Comes for Us (2018)

Cast: Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Asha Kenyeri Bermudez

Director: Timo Tjahjanto

The Night Comes for Us is an Indonesian action thriller written and directed by Timo Tjahjanto. It follows an elite Triad crime enforcer, Ito.

When Ito spares a girl’s life and decides to quit his job as a crime enforcer to rescue her. He then becomes a target of the crime syndicate. They send several people, including Arian, a former friend of Ito’s, to kill Ito and the girl. 

The thriller comes packed with stellar performances from the cast and a load of gory action. However, the critics are divided on the action scenes; while some praised it, others felt the film can be unnecessarily violent at times.

Furthermore, it is the gruesome and violent action scenes that prevent this thriller from becoming just another story of an assassin’s change of heart. 

The story was conceived as a screenplay, but it was adapted into a graphic novel before being released as a film. 

5.  El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

Cast: Aaron Paul , Jesse Plemons, Krysten Ritter, Charles Baker, Matt Jones, Robert Forster, Jonathan Banks, Bryan Cranston

Director: Vince Gilligan

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie serves as a sequel as well as an epilogue to the popular Breaking Bad series. The film revolves around Jesse Pinkman, a character from the series.

Following the events that take place in the finale of the series, Jesse manages to escape from captivity. However, his captor is not the one he has to outrun, as he is also a wanted criminal. 

In the midst of all this, Jesse is constantly haunted by his past and the trauma that comes with it. For a better future and a better life, Jesse must find a way to deal with everything that threatens his existence.

Several other characters from the series appear in the film, including Todd Alquist, Jane Margolis, Badger, and Skinny Pete. This was one of the last on-screen appearances of actor Robert Forster, who plays Ed Galbraith. 

The film received positive responses not just from the fans of the series but also from the critics. The film, a conclusion of Jesse’s story, further won many accolades. 

4. Uncut Gems (2019)

Cast: Adam Sandler, LaKeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian

Director: Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie

Uncut Gems is a crime thriller film featuring various celebrities from different fields. Directed by the Safdie brothers, the film was chosen by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures as one of the top ten films of 2019.

Howard Ratner, a jeweler in New York City’s Diamond District, is addicted to gambling. His gambling debts keep mounting and include $100,000 that he has to pay to his brother-in-law, Arno.

When a basketball star insists on holding on to an opal that Howard has smuggled, Howard reluctantly agrees, and that sets in motion a game of high stakes that Howard must win at all costs.

The story of the Jewish protagonist was influenced by Josh and Benny’s father’s experience of working in the Dimond District as well as Jewish actors from the 20th century. 

The Jewishness of the protagonist is central to the story, as it aims to reclaim Jewish stereotypes. The film is character-oriented, and Sandler’s strong performance as the protagonist helps elevate the experience of the tragedy as well as the thrill.

3. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Cast: Daniel Craig , Edward Norton , Janelle Monáe , Kathryn Hahn , Leslie Odom Jr. , Kate Hudson , Dave Bautista  

Director: Rian Johnson

Detective Benoit Blanc returns to solve yet another mystery in the standalone sequel to Knives Out . The unraveling of the mystery takes place on a private island in Greece during the pandemic.

Blanc is invited to join a group of friends on the island where billionaire Miles Bron is hosting a murder mystery game. However, Miles never invited Blanc, and if he did not, then who did?

Blanc believes that every person on the secluded island has a reason to kill Miles and that his life might be in danger. The more time Blanc spends with the group, the more he discovers their secrets. The genius detective must solve this case before it is too late.

With brilliant performances by the cast and Rian Johnson’s strong writing and direction, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is an engaging and entertaining murder mystery. 

Apart from being chosen as one of the ten best films of 2022 by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, the film was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 95th Academy Awards.

2. The Call (2020)

Cast: Park Shin-hy e, Jeon Jong-seo , Kim Sung-ryung , Lee El

Director: Lee Chung-hyun

Based on a British and Puerto Rican film, The Caller , The Call is a South Korean thriller that depicts the intervention of the past in the present that leads to the disruption of the protagonist’s present. 

On her way to meet her sick mother, Seo-yeon loses her phone. She then finds an old cordless phone at her childhood home and receives a call from a woman who claims that she is being tortured. 

Seo-yeon realizes that Young-Sook, the woman on the phone, is living in the same house but in the past. The phone connects two women occupying the same house 20 years apart, and the two end up forming a bond.

The bond between the two turns Seo-yeon’s life upside down when she realizes that Young-Sook has turned into a serial killer. Young-Sook becomes a threat to Seo-yeon’s reality and starts using her to change her own fate.

There is a sense of danger that follows Seo-yeon throughout the film as she tries to get rid of Young-Sook. The film turns into a war of wits between two women whose lives and realities are divided by time.

1. Photocopier

Cast: Shenina Syawalita Cinnamon , Chicco Kurniawan, Lutesha, Jerome Kurnia, Dea Panendra, Giulio Parengkuan, Lukman Sardi , Ruth Marini

Director: Wregas Bhanuteja

A night of celebration costs a college student more than she had ever imagined. Suryani was on the path to success, but she attends a party and the next day, finds her selfies, taken in a drunken state, posted online.

She loses her scholarship and is left with no shelter when her father kicks her out of the house. Having no recollection of the night that changed her life, she determines to investigate what happened to her.

The Indonesian crime drama also serves as a commentary on social issues. The film provides an authentic depiction of society, riddled with inequalities. Despite having its fair share of emotional scenes, it does not lose its thrill. 

The brilliant direction and performances by the actors won the film 12 of Indonesia’s prestigious Citra Awards.

Photocopier is a story of the voices that go unheard; it is a story of a victim who refuses to be silenced. 

Also Read: 50 best Netflix thriller shows – Ranked (February 2023)

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We're halfway through 2024. Here are the 10 best movies of the year (so far).

The sauciest tennis movie maybe ever. A queer bodybuilding revenge thriller. A very different Bible tale.

When it comes to the films of 2024, these are a few of our favorite things.

Last year was an amazing year for movies . This year, though, has been a little rough. People are freaking out over box-office receipts, and high-profile flicks – most recently, "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" and "The Garfield Movie" – aren't exactly raking in the cash; in fact, only five films in 2024 have cleared the $100 million bar domestically. And the movies themselves have been just OK on the whole. Usually, Hollywood backloads the really good stuff, and after " Madame Web ," "Argylle" and other rather middling fare, more quality is desperately needed.

Thankfully, there have also been some standouts. Here are 2024’s best movies so far, definitively ranked:

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10. 'The First Omen'

"The Omen" franchise receives a nice refresh with this prequel to the original 1976 movie. Nell Tiger Free stars as a young American novitiate at an Italian orphanage who becomes embroiled in a rogue Catholic Church conspiracy to birth the antichrist. There's plenty of nun horror and a jaw-droppingly gonzo finale, but feminist undertones and a timely take on religion bring depth and relevance to a demonically effective chiller.

Where to watch: Hulu , Disney+

9. 'The Book of Clarence'

Jeymes Samuel's thoughtful and subversive take on the biblical resurrection story stars LaKeith Stanfield as Clarence, a streetwise Jerusalem man in Jesus' time. Seeing the power and swagger Jesus has, Clarence proclaims himself "the new messiah," tries his hand at miracles and runs afoul of the Romans in a spiritually touching Everyman story anyone can relate to, whether you’re a believer or not.

Where to watch: Netflix

8. 'Late Night With the Devil'

David Dastmalchian makes everything he's in better, from the "Ant-Man" movies and "The Suicide Squad" to "Oppenheimer" and "The Boogeyman." He gets a hell of a lead role in this discomforting and mind-bending retro horror movie, starring as a 1970s late-night TV host who is tired of losing in the ratings to Johnny Carson and brings on a supposedly possessed girl in a Halloween gambit that spirals supernaturally out of control.

Where to watch: Shudder

7. 'Drive-Away Dolls'

Director Ethan Coen's goofball crime comedy is a playfully madcap turn on the “Thelma & Louise” model, with Geraldine Viswanathan and Margaret Qualley playing lesbian friends needing to get away from their everyday lives. Driving a rental car to Florida, they find something weird in the trunk and wind up on a campy, noir-spattered road trip. (Extra cool points for including a fun bit from cameo king Matt Damon.)

Where to watch: Peacock

6. 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'

In the prequel to "Mad Max: Fury Road," Anya Taylor-Joy takes over Charlize Theron's title role as young Furiosa embarks upon an epic revenge quest that involves vehicular mayhem, explosive action sequences, rampant road rage and the weirdest villain Chris Hemsworth will probably ever play . It's no "Fury Road" but "Mad Max" mastermind George Miller again delivers a wild and worthy dystopian thrill ride through the Wasteland.

Where to watch: In theaters

5. 'Hit Man'

Glen Powell may be a rising star after "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Anyone But You," but the real talent scouts have been on board since his wise ballplayer in Richard Linklater's "Everybody Wants Some!!" They team again for an irresistible noir comedy and Powell's most wide-ranging role to date, a nerdy philosophy professor who moonlights as a fake assassin on cop crime stings and falls for a "client" (Adria Arjona) wanting to off her hubby.

Where to watch: In theaters now, on Netflix Friday

4. 'Challengers'

Just when you think sports movies are all the same, director Luca Guadagnino ("Call Me By Your Name") serves up an art-house topspin with his engaging, hot-blooded tennis melodrama . Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor star as young doubles partners and Zendaya is the teen singles sensation who creates an emotionally complicated love triangle that unfolds in fierce fashion on and off the court over several tumultuous years.

Where to watch: Apple TV , Fandango at Home , Amazon

3. 'Love Lies Bleeding'

Eyes lock between pumped-up Midwestern bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O'Brian) and introverted gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) and a love connection sparks. Then everything falls apart, and bodies start hitting the ground, in director Rose Glass' sultry, sweaty and sufficiently bizarre neo-noir thriller . Come for the bullets and barbells, stay for O'Brian's fantastic star-making turn, deftly capturing the troubled soul underneath Jackie’s muscles.

2. 'Civil War'

With his riveting cautionary tale , director Alex Garland takes our current political and cultural divide to a disturbing place and makes audiences confront what an actual modern civil war would look like. The thriller doubles as a journalism movie, too, with Kirsten Dunst turning in an outstanding performance as a world-weary photographer who takes a rookie (Cailee Spaeny) under her wing on the dangerous road to a scoop for the ages.

1. 'Dune: Part Two'

For a much-anticipated epic sci-fi movie, director Denis Villeneuve's 2021 "Dune: Part One" was aggressively average. (Heck, that David Lynch "Dune" was more enjoyable.) But all is forgiven now, Denis: "Part Two" is a sprawling, sandworm-filled triumph . Timothée Chalamet finally finds his way as the messianic Paul Atreides – plus digs into the thorny issues that come with being a savior figure – in a gripping, action-packed sequel exploring power, colonialism and religion.

Where to watch: Max

The Guilt Trip (2012) Streaming: Watch & Stream Online via Netflix

D irected by Anne Fletcher, the road comedy film The Guilt Trip (2012) follows business owner and inventor Andy, who is eager to succeed in his venture. He travels to sell his creation across the country for 8 days with his mother and meets a former love. The film follows the emotional roller coaster of succeeding in business, strengthening the mother-son bond, and forging a love life along with it.

Here’s how you can watch and stream The Guilt Trip (2012) via streaming services such as Netflix.

Is The Guilt Trip (2012) available to watch via streaming?

Yes, The Guilt Trip (2012) is available to watch via streaming on Netflix.

The heartfelt comedy-drama follows organic chemist Andy Brewster, who has invested all his savings into developing an effective home cleaning product. However, he is struggling to make any sales. Planning a cross-country road trip to pitch his product to potential distributors, he starts his journey by visiting his overconfident mother, Joyce, in New Jersey. They have a complicated relationship, as he finds her meddling. Meanwhile, she is constantly worried about his single status and his career.

As they travel from city to city, the duo faces various comedic and emotional challenges, from awkward sales pitches to personal misunderstandings. Through these experiences, they begin to understand each other better, and their relationship grows stronger. Andy learns to appreciate his mother’s quirks, while Joyce comes to see her son's struggles and aspirations in a new light.

In the film, Seth Rogen plays Andrew “Andy” Brewster, Ari Graynor plays Joyce Margolis, and Barbara Streisand plays Joyce Brewster. Moreover, Brett Cullen plays Benjamin Graw and Adam Scott plays Andrew Margolis, Jr.

Watch The Guilt Trip (2012) streaming via Netflix

The Guilt Trip (2012) is available to watch on Netflix. It is a renowned streaming service that gives users access to its vast library of movies, TV shows, documentaries, and more, by choosing a membership tier of their choice.

You can watch via Netflix by following these steps:

• Visit netflix.com/signup
• $6.99 per month (standard with Ads)
• $15.49 per month (Standard)
• $22.99 per month (Premium)
• Enter your email address and password to create an account
• Enter your chosen payment method

The cheapest Netflix Standard with Ads Plan provides all but a few of its movies and TV shows. However, it will show ads before or during most of its content. You can watch in Full HD and on two supported devices at a time.

Its Standard Plan provides the same but is completely ad-free while also allowing users to download content on two supported devices with an additional option to add one extra member who doesn’t live in the same household.

The Premium Plan provides the same as above, though for four supported devices at a time, with content displaying in Ultra HD. Users get to download content on up to six supported devices at a time and have the option to add up to two extra members who don’t live in the same household. Netflix spatial audio is also supported.

The official synopsis of The Guilt Trip (2012) reads:

NOTE: The streaming services listed above are subject to change. The information provided was correct at the time of writing.

The post The Guilt Trip (2012) Streaming: Watch & Stream Online via Netflix appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More .

Netflix Just Followed Baby Reindeer With an Even Weirder Thriller

Don’t let the puppet fool you.

Netflix Originals have been on a hot streak lately. With the streamer now releasing more original content than ever, there’s room to let underseen creatives take bigger swings. Recently, this strategy paid off with Baby Reindeer , an adaptation of a solo theatrical show from creator Richard Gadd. Now, hot on its heels is another wild show from another playwright, and this one is even more ambitious.

Eric follows Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch), the creator of a popular Sesame Street -esque children’s show, as he copes with his son Edgar's sudden disappearance. In his desperation, he begins seeing the puppet his son designed in the days before he went missing: a giant, horned monster named Eric. As Vincent gets increasingly desperate to save his son, his marriage, and his show, Eric pushes him to extremes to the point where it’s unclear if he’s saving his son’s life or ruining his own.

The show’s best element is separate from Vincent’s storyline. Detective Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III) is tasked with finding Edgar in a dirty, crime-riddled 1985 New York, a world where children seemingly vanish into thin air. Edgar’s case collides with past missing person cases and Ledroit’s own life to expose a dark truth lying in the center of the NYPD.

Calling Eric ambitious would be an understatement. In its scant six episodes, Eric covers grief, substance abuse, class issues, corruption, human trafficking, and the AIDS crisis, often in the same breath. Sometimes it feels like the story’s bitten off more than it can chew, but it builds to a satisfying finale that finds small moments of justice.

Benedict Cumberbatch delivers the kind of performance masterfully balanced between manic and solemn that audiences expect from him, but the true breakout is Belcher as Detective Ledroit, who portrays the frustrations and challenges of attempting to solve seemingly unsolvable cases while living as a Black, queer cop in the 1980s. The supporting cast, like Gaby Hoffman as Vincent’s beleaguered wife and Dan Fogler and Roberta Colindrez as his co-workers, bring nuance to their roles, and even the puppet used for Eric is expressive enough to match the rest of the ensemble’s subtlety.

The scenes with Vincent’s imaginary friend are trippy but convincing.

Written by playwright-turned-screenwriter Abi Morgan, best known for Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady , Eric is not exactly a feel-good series. The tone gets bleak, and there are whole episodes where it feels like nothing will ever be good again. But just as the setting juxtaposes a brightly colored children’s show against a grungy New York, Vincent’s own life contrasts his relentless hope with a world determined to destroy it. He’s not the textbook definition of an optimist, but he survives nonetheless.

Eric, much like Baby Reindeer , is not a Netflix series you should binge. But with the right pace and the right mindset, even its bleak story dotted with otherworldly delusions offers a bright spot in 2024’s streaming landscape.

Eric is streaming on Netflix .

The Only Keanu Reeves Movie To Pass $1 Billion at the Box Office Will Surprise You

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The Big Picture

• Keanu Reeves' role in Toy Story 4 as Duke Caboom triggered emotional depth and humor.
• Toy Story 4 continues the legacy of quality storytelling within the franchise, leading to critical and commercial success.
• Toy Story 4 surpassed $1 billion at the box office due to exceptional storytelling and the introduction of memorable new characters like Duke Caboom.

It’s rare for an actor to maintain popularity and longevity in Hollywood, and yet, Keanu Reeves has been a box office darling for over three decades. From Ted in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure to shooting his way through Paris as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4 , Reeves is one of the few movie stars left to bring audiences to the theaters. With so many iconic roles in the expanse of his filmography, such as Neo in The Matrix movies, it would be safe to assume that one of Reeves’ franchise movies has crossed over into the $1 billion box office club. Surprisingly, a franchise movie that Reeves was involved with has passed $1 billion, but it’s not one where Reeves stars as an assassin or an officer of the law. Instead, his sole entry to the $1 billion box office club is a movie where he voices an animated stuntman – Toy Story 4 .

Toy Story 4

When a new toy called "Forky" joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.

Duke Caboom Showcases Keanu Reeves’ Voice Acting Range

Reeves is one of the new cast members who jumped into the fourth installment of this beloved Pixar franchise as one of the new toys Woody ( Tom Hanks ) and Buzz Lightyear ( Tim Allen ) encounter while on a road trip with their new owner, Bonnie ( Madeleine McGraw ). While his character doesn’t bring the same jokes per minute as Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele do as Ducky and Bunny, respectively, Reeves succeeds in making his mark in a franchise filled with memorable toys as Canadian stuntperson, Duke Caboom.

Based on a fictionalized version of Evel Knievel , Duke Caboom is one of the new toys Woody meets in his efforts to rescue Forky ( Tony Hale ) from Gabby Gabby ( Christina Hendricks ). Canada’s greatest stuntman is a friend and ally of Bo Peep ( Annie Potts ), who’s still living in the antique shop where Forky is held captive. Based on the rapport between Duke and Bo, it’s certainly suggested that the two may have had a romantic past, similar to that of Bo and Woody; for example, he refers to Bo’s sheep as his girls. Thanks to Keanu Reeves’ line delivery, Duke’s charm is enough for Woody to feel a little threatened by the posing stuntman.

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The voice of the iconic Pixar character has been voiced by not one, but two Hanks.

Speaking of posing, Duke Caboom is a standout side character despite having less than ten minutes of screen time . When Duke rides on his motorcycle, he carries with him the bravado and confidence of a celebrity. After being introduced to Woody, Duke wastes no time showing off his athleticism by hopping through poses. Shortly after, when he initially refuses to help Bo and Woody, Duke punctuates his refusal by posing again, practically acting like a toddler without a temper tantrum. Like a child, Duke has a naivety, shown earlier in that scene when Bo describes Woody’s unwise actions of trying to get Forky undetected. Reeves’ delivery in conjunction with the animation transforms a small moment like this into comedy gold.

It’s not just humor that Keanu Reeves brings to Duke Caboom. When he learns that Woody still has a kid, it triggers Duke’s trauma of how he became a lost toy. It turns out that Duke Caboom was a Boxing Day gift to a Canadian kid, Rejean, but after Rejean realized that he couldn’t jump as far as the toy was advertised in a commercial, Duke became a lost toy and second-hand news. Recalling this memory makes him break down in tears, which is simultaneously humorous. It’s that mix of humor and gravitas that Reeves can expertly jump back and forth from thanks to years of perfecting that skill. Eventually, Duke does pull through for Woody and Bo after he jumps and crashes twice. The Canadian stuntman defies the odds to help Woody get to Forky, as well as later at the carnival when he helps Woody, Bo, Gabby Gabby, Bunny, and Ducky find Bonnie. He later permanently joins Woody and Bo’s crew to find homes for fellow lost toys.

'Toy Story 4' Triumphs Because of Pixar's Track Record of Quality Storytelling

Despite the memorable role Keanu Reeves brought to Toy Story 4 , he was not the sole reason why Toy Story 4 would go on to cross $1 billion at the box office. Granted, additions such as him, Keegan-Michael Key, and Jordan Peele, certainly helped keep the comedy going in a movie targeted at kids. Toy Story 4 is part of a long-running franchise that has been critically and commercially praised. Toy Story was the first feature film by Pixar Studios; coincidentally, the year Toy Story was released was the year Reeves starred as Jack Traven in Speed alongside Sandra Bullock . Toy Story 2 is largely considered one of the best sequels ever made because of how it elevates the themes and the stakes of a computer-animated movie about toys. Toy Story 3 marks the end of an era of growing up with Andy ( John Morris ) as he goes off to college, but the beginning of a new chapter with Bonnie. The previous three Toy Story movies are excellent in their own right, thus having a lot of goodwill going into the fourth installment, which later translated into the 2019 box office.

In addition to being the fourth installment of an animated dynasty, Toy Story 4 matches the quality of the previous Toy Story movies. Not only is it an entertaining movie for both kids and adults alike, Toy Story 4 continues to carry emotional depth through exploring themes of purpose, change, and worth. Despite Buzz, Jessie ( Joan Cusack ), and the rest of the toys smoothly transitioning into Bonnie’s toy ecosystem, Woody struggles to find a new purpose in a post-Andy life . He puts all of his focus on Forky to be of value to Bonnie. Since Woody turned down Stinky Pete ( Kelsey Grammer ) in Toy Story 2 , Woody has never strayed from his loyalty to being a kid’s toy. It’s not until he reunites with Bo Peep that his worldview is challenged and broadened. Toy Story 4 is a celebration of where Woody and the gang have been throughout the years, as much as it is a goodbye for Woody and the life he’s always known.

When it was released in 2019, Toy Story 4 defied the skeptics to prove there was more story left to tell after Toy Story 3 . Its critical and commercial success paved the way for Toy Story 5 to be greenlit. Thanks to exceptional storytelling through its themes, as well as introducing memorable new characters like Duke Caboom, Toy Story 4 easily topped its predecessor as the highest-grossing Toy Story movie. As we wait for Keanu Reeves to return to the $1 billion box office again, he can be proud that his involvement in a movie of this caliber made this level of impact at the box office.

Toy Story 4 is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.

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