The following list contains major spoilers.One of the most important characteristics of a goodthrillerhas to be the film’s ability tokeep you on the edge of your seat. Perhaps the film could take its time with proper build and character development, but at some point, it must show its true nature and grab you. The best ones did it by way of a good script, compelling storylines, and a well-designed third act that delivered on what you were promised at some point.
These thrillers don’t even have to be realistic. They can be based on pure fiction, which a good writer can balance to his own benefit and make the viewer wonder if what they’re watching is possible, gnawing away at that well-hidden fear that a good scary film can awaken with just a couple of frames.
One of the most popular genres in Hollywood history,crime thrillersare among the worlds that saw some careers take off when creative storytellers saw in cinema a proper medium to exploit our inner fears through exciting plots that were never supposed to be friendly. American thrillers are a staple of classic and modern cinema and will always be a genre of preference for when we want to explore a darker side of our tastes and want to go through hell without the graphic traits of horror. These are the best American crime thrillers that will keep you in their grip and on the edge of your seat for a matter of minutes.
10Se7en (1995)
1995’s crime thrillerSe7entakes us to an undisclosed city that’s being terrorized by a madman. Detectives William Somerset and David Mills join forces to investigate a series of bizarre crimes committed by someone obsessed with the seven deadly sins. As they navigate the graphic and nightmarish crime scenes, both detectives will find themselves in a spiral of intrigue and violence that gets much more interesting when the perpetrator decides to surrender before finishing his work.
Blurring the Line Between Horror and Suspense
David Fincher’soutstanding thrillerperfectly balances itself between the basic rules of horror and suspense films. The disconcerting nature of the crimes is horrific enough to give you nightmares, and both performances by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are great enough to ground the film, avoiding unnecessary speculation.
The third act is a gripping journey that simply confirms why you haven’t let go of your partner since that wonderful opening credits sequence that proves whySe7enis unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Strangely, the film wasn’t nominated for the Best Original Screenplay category at the Academy Awards, although it probably would have lost when competing with another thriller,The Usual Suspects.
Rent on Apple TV
9The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Silence of the Lambs
InThe Silence of the Lambs, FBI trainee Clarice Starling gets assigned her most important mission. She must interviewDr. Hannibal Lecter, a former psychologist who was put in a mental institution because he liked to eat human flesh. Through these interviews, the FBI hopes to get some information that will help them find a serial killer who’s wreaking havoc on small towns. Unknowingly, Clarice connects with the very clever doctor, and she gets more than she bargained for. Even though it breaks the rule of the list, the film is considered the first horror film to win a Best Picture Oscar. We’ll let that one slide.
One of the Most Perfect Crime Thrillers Ever Accomplished
The screenplay by Ted Tally (also an Oscar winner that year) perfectly combines with the direction by Jonathan Demme (guess if he also won an Oscar), who made sure to deliver a riveting experience without showing a single drop of blood. Sure, there’s a graphic sequence, butThe Silence of the Lambsfeels like an elegant visit to the most wicked corners of the human soul.
Buffalo Bill, the killer, is a rotten man whose evil nature is obvious and who will give you nightmares while he’s on the loose. But this is more about Clarice and Hannibal’s symbiotic and anything-but-romantic relationship, as the two discover they’re meant for each other in a setting as full of dread as this one. Both characters were playedby Anthony Hopkinsand Jodie Foster, who went on to win in the lead performance categories that year.
Stream on Max
Related:20 Thrillers That Are Based on True Stories
8Green Room (2016)
Green Room
Jeremy Saulnier’s horror thriller,Green Room, takes us to the Rocky Mountains, where a punk band will try their best to escape the most improbable threat. Ain’t Rights, the band led by Pat and Sam, has been hired to play in a rural area in the middle of the woods. They accept it right away, without knowing it’s actually a skinhead bar where neo-Nazis go to party. The problem is that Pat (Anton Yelchin in one of his best performances) witnesses a crime, and the leaders of the neo-Nazi movement find out.
An Adventure Thriller by a Very Talented Filmmaker
Green Roomis one of the most effective and well-designed crime thrillers in American cinema. It’s a white-knuckle experience that will leave you gasping for air even before the main event takes place. The punk rock scene is thoroughly explored in the first act, when we feel aliens thrown into the underbelly of a society where crime is part of life and is often celebrated as inevitable. Saulnier’s directing style is peculiar, and he doesn’t hold any punches when getting a bit graphic, so beware of the signs.
Stream on Kanopy
7The French Connection (1971)
The French Connection
The French Connection is a 1971 crime thriller directed by William Friedkin. It stars Gene Hackman as Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle and Roy Scheider as his partner Buddy Russo. The film follows their efforts to dismantle a major heroin smuggling operation. Known for its gritty realism and intense action sequences, The French Connection received critical acclaim and won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Hackman.
William Friedkin’s widely acclaimedaction thriller,The French Connection, takes the viewers on a trip through the gritty version of New York City in the 1970s. In the film, New York City detectives Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy “Cloudy” Russo (Roy Scheider) follow their ways, but when they come across a drug smuggling operation, they realize they will have to be a bit more clever this time. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor (Hackman), Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay in 1972.
Truly, One of the Best American Films Ever Made
The French Connectionis an anything-but-friendly crime thriller that will taint your patience from the very beginning due to Ernest Tidyman’s script combining perfectly with Jerry Greenberg’s aggressive style of editing. It simply never lets you go as you go deeper into its crime-based plot that feels very realistic (it’s inspired by true events) until Friedkin uses his cinematic skills to shootone of the most important chase sequencesever put on film. This one’s noisy, dirty, and very compelling.
6Miami Vice (2006)
Miami Vice
Michael Man’sMiami Vicewas a presentation to modern audiences of a concept that they weren’t exactly familiar with. Even though the film follows roughly the same premise, Mann’s script goes further and forces viewers to explore the personal lives of Miami detectives, whose personal issues and conflicts aren’t exactly primary as they fight drug smuggling operations. Regardless, Mann accomplishes this with a very aesthetic film that he and the cast aren’t particularly fond of. Apparently, it has to do with the theatrical cut that was shown in theaters.
Talk About a Good Film Adaptation of a TV Show
The extremely underrated crime thrillerMiami Vicetook the essence of the very popular TV series, and Mann filtered it through an engaging film that we don’t credit enough. It isn’t exactly fast-paced like other films on the list, but this American thriller is a good example of a high-concept genre film that was never supposed to be remarkable, but it still feels like a product of passion. Performances by Colin Farrell as James “Sonny” Crockett and Jamie Foxx as Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs are exceptional.
Rent on Prime Video
5Good Time (2017)
InGood Time, by directing duo Josh and Benny Safdi, Connie Nikas is going through a rough patch. He’s a petty crook who’s forced to deal with his older brother, who’s developmentally disabled, as he’s constantly evaluated by doctors. However, this doesn’t stop Connie from taking Nick on a heist. The problem is that Nick gets caught, and Connie is ridden with guilt and will do anything to get his brother out of prison.
A Great Genre Exercise
Just like you probably felt when watching the film by the Safdie Bros.‘Uncut Gems, withGood Time, you’ll go through something similar. Only this time the film is anything but flashy, and the scene is far from aspirational. Wonderfullyplayed by Robert Pattinsonin his best performance to date, Connie is a poor guy whose life consists of bad decisions. However, there’s no doubt he’s doing what he does out of pure love, even if this represents him going through the most dangerous situations during the most important night of his life.
Stream on Netflix
4Nightcrawler (2016)
Nightcrawler
Dan Gilroy’sNightcrawleris the story of Lou Bloom, a small-time criminal trying to make ends meet in modern Los Angeles. Bloom’s latest gig consists of recording violent events and violent crime scenes to sell the footage to greedy news outlets. But Lou really goes out of his way to become the most successful journalist in his field when he starts to see how to make extra bucks. This is, by far,Jake Gyllenhaal’s best performanceto date and a great example of a genre film performance that went unnoticed in major award ceremonies.
The Fall of Man Seen Through a Relevant Subject
The film’s led by Gyllenhaal’s ability to portray a very disturbed man who finds solace in violence, its cause, and how he can participate in it. Also,Nightcrawleris one of those films that keeps peeling off layers and layers of genre tropes to portray a third act that celebrates the nihilistic nature of not just a character but a whole society that has the capacity to empower monsters like Bloom if it’s entertaining enough. You won’t believe your eyes when you see where this one goes.
3Blood Simple (1984)
Blood Simple
Joel and Ethan Coen’s feature directorial debut,Blood Simple, tells the story of Ray and Abby, a pair of lovers whose affair is already known to Abby’s husband. Julian is Ray’s boss as well, and he has hired Loren Visser, a private eye, who reveals the truth to Julian. He raises the bet and orders Visser to kill the couple. What no one knows is that Loren isn’t exactly going to follow the rules of his contract.
The Basics of Crime Thrillers
This veryunderrated crime thriller from the ‘80sstands high as one of the perfect deconstructions of America and the values of back alley moral contracts that represent nothing but decadence. As it’s expected with joints by the Coen Bros., it’s hard to find a character inBlood Simplethat’s morally worth observing and saving. It’s a slick crime thriller that delivers on the cynical possibility of its plot, if that’s what’s necessary to celebrate Loren Visser’s twisted and despicable morals. M. Emmet Walsh plays Visser in the finest performance of his long career.
Related:10 Dark and Twisted Neo-Noir Movies You’ll Remember Long After the Credits Roll
2Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver
Martin Scorsese’s epic psychological thriller is one of the prime American films made during the New Hollywood period of the industry, where experimentation was welcome on all fronts. InTaxi Driver, a war veteran and taxicab driver named Travis Bickle copes with trauma in modern New York City, where he will be subjected to the darkest levels of decadence. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, but it sadly won none (it was American composer Bernard Herrmann’s last work in scoring a film before his passing).
It’s Much More Tense than You Remember
Paul Schrader’s excellent script forces the viewer to navigate through the gritty underworld of New York City before it became a tourist attraction. The film runs at the same pace as Bickle’s almost aggressivefall down the spiralof decadence and crime that he eventually reacts to when it’s too late. Scorsese takes his time and makesTaxi Driveranything but a random thriller with the usual ups and downs. He prefers to let the film’s theme simmer, and then he delivers the blow with a flamboyant and relevant third act that will make you cover your eyes.
Rent on Vudu
1Drive (2011)
Nicolas Winding Refn’s first bigHollywood film wasn’t exactly a huge film. However,Drivetook the world by surprise with its insanely talented cast doing their best with a very simple premise and script. The film tells the story of a stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night who decides to participate in a hit led by his neighbor’s husband. The problem is that it doesn’t exactly go well, and thus begins a hunt in the crime-ridden underbelly of Los Angeles.
An Original and Slick Crime Thriller That Never Lets You Take a Break
Paying tribute to Michael Mann’s slick style of filmmaking,Drivecould be confused with a style over substance film. But it’s actually a resonating neo-noir crime thriller that doesn’t aim at resembling anything else and turns into its own thing halfway through. Though the film’s title will make you think this is an action film, it’s an exercise in tension that uses its claustrophobic cinematography to make you feel uncomfortable in the calmest of moments. You will applaud after watching the elevator scene, given how beautifully shot and effective it is.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re into thrillers. Here’s a video about some of the best ones you may stream on Netflix:
