A man gambles away money he desperately needs, and somehow I'm begging him to place another bet. Somebody makes an unforgivable decision, and I start negotiating with myself about what I might have done in their position. I get so emotionally invested in these terrible choices that I occasionally forget the characters aren't listening to me. But then I have several things to learn — what I would’ve done in their place, how I would’ve won.
I think that's where my favorite thrillers have permanently damaged my judgment. They make me understand somebody well enough to become temporarily unreasonable on their behalf. Then I watch the movie again, notice everything I missed while panicking over the plot, and discover an entirely new collection of reasons to admire it. Here are the 6 best thriller movies released between 2010 and now.
6
'Nightcrawler' (2014)
Image via Open Road Films
Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is an unemployed petty criminal who discovers that freelance cameramen can earn considerable money filming accidents and violent crime scenes for local television stations. Nightcrawler follows his transformation into an increasingly successful entrepreneur as he learns the industry's requirements, purchases better equipment, and develops a working relationship with news director Nina Romina (Rene Russo). Dan Gilroy, who wrote and directed the film, gives Lou an extraordinary advantage over practically everybody he encounters. He possesses absolutely no meaningful moral boundaries, and he's entering an industry prepared to reward him for precisely that.
I genuinely cannot get enough of Lou's conversations. He delivers motivational speeches, discusses career advancement, and negotiates employment conditions with such confidence that his complete disregard for other people becomes almost hypnotic. His relationship with assistant Rick (Riz Ahmed) is especially disturbing because Lou understands how desperately the young man needs his job and exploits that vulnerability without hesitation. Then there's his willingness to manipulate crime scenes to obtain better footage. The increasingly uncomfortable realization is that Lou keeps succeeding because he understands exactly what his customers want. I find the ending particularly infuriating, and that's an enormous compliment.
5
'Uncut Gems' (2019)
Imag via A24
Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) owns a jewelry store in New York City's Diamond District, owes enormous amounts of money, and is convinced that his latest acquisition will solve practically every financial problem in his life. Uncut Gems follows Howard as he attempts to sell a valuable Ethiopian black opal while juggling increasingly dangerous creditors, a deteriorating marriage, and an obsession with sports gambling. When basketball star Kevin Garnett (Garnett plays himself) becomes fascinated with the gemstone, Howard discovers another opportunity to make money. Naturally, he immediately complicates everything.
I have never experienced another movie that makes somebody else's financial irresponsibility feel this physically exhausting. Howard constantly speaks over people, answers calls at catastrophically inappropriate moments, and treats every opportunity to escape disaster as an invitation to pursue an even larger reward. Sandler is extraordinary because Howard genuinely believes his next decision will vindicate every previous mistake. Then comes that outrageous final basketball wager, and I somehow find myself desperately wanting him to win. Josh and Benny Safdie directed this film.
4
'Gone Girl' (2014)
Image via 20th Century Studios
David Fincher's Gone Girl is out of this world. On the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) discovers that his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. As police begin investigating, mounting evidence and an increasingly hostile media circus transform Nick from a concerned husband into the country's most recognizable murder suspect.
Gone Girl constructs an elaborate mystery around their marriage, gradually challenging practically everything we believe about the people involved. Nick's account and Amy's diary offer different perspectives on their relationship, leaving us to question how accurately either spouse understands the other. The media interviews are among my favorite parts of this movie. Nick smiles at a spectacularly inappropriate moment, and suddenly millions of strangers believe they've discovered something sinister about his personality. Even after the central mystery becomes clearer, the psychological warfare remains absolutely fascinating.
3
'The Handmaiden' (2016)
Image via Amazon Studios/ CJ Entertainment
During Japan's occupation of Korea, a young pickpocket named Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) accepts an assignment to become the personal maid of wealthy Japanese heiress Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee). Her employer is actually a con artist posing as Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo), who intends to seduce Hideko, steal her fortune, and have her committed to a psychiatric institution. The Handmaiden complicates their elaborate scheme when Sook-hee develops genuine feelings for the woman she's supposed to betray. Park Chan-wook directed this extraordinary adaptation of Sarah Waters' Fingersmith, relocating its story to colonial Korea.
I would desperately love to experience this movie again without knowing anything about it. The changing perspectives completely transform our understanding of earlier conversations, and practically every character possesses considerably more intelligence than somebody initially gives them credit for. There's also something magnificent about the developing relationship between Sook-hee and Hideko. Their affection becomes increasingly significant as we understand the elaborate systems of exploitation surrounding them. I particularly love the destruction of Hideko's uncle's collection of pornographic literature. Watching those books get torn apart is unexpectedly exhilarating because we've come to understand exactly what they represent. Every exquisite visual detail ultimately contributes to an enormously satisfying emotional payoff.
2
'Prisoners' (2013)
Image via Warner Bros.
Two young girls disappear during a Thanksgiving gathering, and Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins investigating while one of their fathers, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman), becomes increasingly convinced that the police are failing his family. When the initial suspect is released, Keller takes matters into his own hands, secretly imprisoning the young man and attempting to force a confession. Prisoners follows the official investigation alongside Keller's increasingly horrifying decisions, gradually transforming a missing-person mystery into an examination of how far desperation can push an otherwise ordinary person.
I've argued with people about Keller's behavior more times than I can remember. Jackman makes his anguish almost unbearable, but the moment he begins torturing somebody whose guilt he cannot establish, sympathy becomes considerably more complicated. Loki fascinates me just as much. His increasingly exhausted determination provides a powerful contrast to Keller's uncontrolled desperation, particularly as the investigation uncovers disturbing evidence that repeatedly challenges his assumptions. Denis Villeneuve (the director) refuses to provide comfortable moral answers.
1
'Parasite' (2019)
Image via NEON
Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite follows the financially struggling Kim family. They discover an opportunity to improve their circumstances when their son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) becomes an English tutor for the daughter of the wealthy Park family. Through increasingly elaborate deception, the Kims gradually secure employment throughout the household, concealing their relationships with one another. Parasite initially develops into an extraordinarily entertaining con story as the family exploits its employers' trusting nature.
Then an unexpected visitor arrives during a rainstorm, and the entire arrangement becomes considerably more dangerous than anybody anticipated. I could write an entire article about that rainstorm alone. The Parks consider it a minor inconvenience that ultimately improves the weather for their son's birthday celebration. For the Kims, the same rain floods their home with sewage, destroying their belongings and temporarily eliminating whatever stability they've managed to acquire. I love how difficult Bong makes it to assign simple moral identities to the families. Their circumstances are radically different, yet everyone is capable of astonishing selfishness. The birthday celebration brings those tensions together with almost unbearable force. I still struggle to think of another thriller that changes its entire emotional character so confidently while remaining completely in control of its story.
Image via Open Road Films
Image via Open Road Films
Imag via A24
Image via 20th Century Studios
Image via Amazon Studios/ CJ Entertainment
Image via Warner Bros.
Image via NEON
English (US) ·