There aren’t many universally beloved thriller movies out there, but these 10 classics are the closest the genre has come to perfection. Often straddling the line between action, drama, and horror, the thriller presents the opportunity for a lot of storytelling variety. While some lean more toward action-packed fare, others ratchet up the suspense until they’re unbearably tense.
Crime is a consistent topic in the thriller genre, whether that’s showing the exploits of hardened criminals or the investigations of law enforcement officers. Many of the classics do both at the same time. Because thrillers are typically grounded in a sense of reality, the stories are especially gripping because they could theoretically happen. In some cases, thrillers are based on actual events that did occur.
The genre waxes and wanes in popularity every decade or so, and nearly every era of cinema history has produced its fair share of bona fide gems. Furthermore, the most universally beloved thrillers pop up all over the timeline. Whether they’re from the 1950s or 2000s, the best thrillers rarely go out of style because they never fail to entertain.
Though there are plenty of underrated thrillers that deserve attention too, this list is for the most obvious picks. These movies are guaranteed crowd-pleasers, and have a widespread appeal that can’t be denied. The most popular films in the thriller genre also happen to be some of the best, and there’s a reason audiences continue to flock to these movies decades after they released.
10
All The President’s Men (1976)
Released less than two years after the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon, All the President’s Men is the political thriller of the 1970s. Based on true events, the movie chronicles the investigation of journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they uncover the Watergate scandal. It has all the cloak-and-dagger intrigue of a spy movie with the sobering reality of non-fiction.
Using clever sound design and pacing, All the President’s Men is a subtly suspenseful ride. While it lacks explosive action or over-the-top moments, it manages to be more thrilling than many of its most bombastic contemporaries. It remains relevant not only as a great film, but as a thriller that keeps viewers abreast of a major turning point in American history.
9
Zodiac (2007)
Continuing the trend of non-fiction thrillers, David Fincher’s Zodiac pulls one of the darkest threads in the American tapestry. In the late ’60s, journalists and reporters become obsessed with catching the notorious Zodiac killer who stalks San Francisco. The Zodiac case is still one of the most vexing unsolved murder sprees in history, and the movie grapples with that fact brilliantly.
The story is a multifaceted experience, warning of the dangers of obsession while crafting an oppressive sense of dread. Zodiac is a legitimately terrifying film, despite lacking the trappings of the horror genre. It is a universally beloved thriller because it challenges the viewer to contemplate the evidence and teases them with a possible solution to a decades-old true crime puzzle.
8
The Usual Suspects (1995)
The 1990s is known as a golden period for thrillers, and The Usual Suspects is one example that has stood the test of time. A small-time crook is interrogated after surviving a deadly explosion, and his winding tale explains the history of a notorious villain named Keyser Söze. If one was looking for the best example of an unreliable narrator in cinema, they wouldn’t need to look any further.
Despite having a lot of run-and-gun moments that exemplify the decade’s thrillers, The Usual Suspects is really a movie about mythology. Crime films often mythologize their subjects, even unintentionally, and the 1995 classic comments on that trend. Though the twist is legendary, the rest of the story helps to make it one of the most widely-regarded thrillers ever made.
7
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Snagging a Best Picture Oscar back in the day, No Country for Old Men is one of the most decorated thrillers in the last two decades. After pilfering a briefcase full of cash from a drug deal crime scene, the thief is stalked by an unfeeling assassin who will kill anything in his path. Based on Cormac McCarthy’s book, No Country for Old Men is an existential story at heart.
It’s a unique flick because it is also a neo-western, incorporating a lot of motifs from the popular genre. It examines the notion of justice, and whether anything is ever truly right or wrong in the modern world. It jumps from action to slow contemplation, fulfilling its themes without ever being boring. No Country for Old Men set a new standard for what’s possible in the thriller genre.
6
Rear Window (1954)
A list of universally beloved thrillers could be populated exclusively by Alfred Hitchcock movies, but Rear Window is one film that deserves special attention. A photographer is laid up with a broken leg, and spends his time spying on his neighbors. He soon suspects one of them is a murderer. The brilliant thriller premise sets the stage for an all-time classic from the Master of Suspense.
By limiting what the audience sees, Rear Window puts them in the same complex situation as the main character. The vast majority of the movie takes place in one location, but never loses any of its intrigue thanks to strong pacing. There’s a building tension that doesn’t let up until things reach a fever pitch. Even a half-century later, Rear Window puts modern thrillers to shame.
5
The Departed (2006)
Unlike his gangster pictures, Martin Scorsese’s The Departed is a thriller through and through. A mole infiltrates the Boston PD at the same time a police informant gets inside the mob, and each must work to keep their secrets from being revealed. Crime and punishment is classic thriller fare, but never has it been so suspenseful as in The Departed.
Scorsese’s movies often follow the rise and fall format, but his 2006 Best Picture winner relies more on suspense and less on inevitability. The Departed is a twisting roller coaster ride that keeps the audience guessing until the last moment. Stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson help make it a universally loved classic, but its rich storytelling is what keeps viewers coming back.
4
Memento (2000)
Memento is the movie that introduced the world to Christopher Nolan, and it was quite the breakout film. A man with memory loss attempts to piece together the events that resulted in his wife’s brutal murder. Using an unreliable narrator and a non-linear plot, Memento takes full control of the narrative for a truly unique thriller experience.
Like a lot of Nolan’s best movies, Memento is effortlessly smart. It’s easy to engage with, but not necessarily easy to fully grasp. As with the main character’s fractured memory, the audience is given just enough to want to know more. That off-balance feeling makes the experience more suspenseful, thus more engrossing. Nolan’s name, along with its unabashed originality, make Memento a thriller for the ages.
3
Seven (1995)
David Fincher seems to have the magic touch when it comes to startling and gritty thrillers, and Seven is his masterwork in the genre. A rookie detective and veteran cop team up to catch a serial killer who models his crimes on the seven deadly sins. In between gruesome and horrific sequences is a cynical dissection of modern life.
Seven comes within inches of being a straight horror movie, and for viewers with weak hearts, there really is no difference. It’s scary both in execution and implication, and has a stark philosophy that doesn’t leave the audience with any warm and fuzzy feelings afterward. Nevertheless, it’s universally beloved because it hearkens back to a time when thrillers had real teeth.
2
Vertigo (1958)
Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo is often ranked in the top 5 greatest films ever made. It concerns an ex-cop with a fear of heights, who is hired to protect a wealthy woman from harming herself. Dreamlike and downright surreal, Hitchcock’s most cerebral effort, and one of the most influential works of the 1950s.
The plot is mind-bending and weird, and it uses color theory to create a spellbinding atmosphere that is hard to shake. Vertigo challenges conventions and expectations, and juxtaposes the darkest corners of the human soul with some of the most beautiful camera work in history. It isn’t just a universally beloved thriller, but a universally beloved work of art.
1
The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
No one thriller is more universally beloved than The Silence of the Lambs, and it has that reputation for a number of reasons. A rookie FBI agent is tasked with interviewing the notorious Hannibal Lecter in order to help snag a serial killer on the loose. From its acting down to the wonderfully creepy score by Howard Shore, the 1991 Best Picture winner is perfect.
Anthony Hopkins’ turn as Lecter is the highlight, but he’s just one bright spot in a field of stars. The Silence of the Lambs invests time in its characters, so when the story builds to its shocking climax, it has real stakes. It’s a mystery, horror, and thriller film all in one, and will probably always be the crown jewel of its genre.