Thrillermovies elicit mistrust, and the thrillers of the 2010s were some of the best ever to twist and distort audience expectations. The subject of suspicion is the source of experimentation for directors as they makethriller movies that mess with the head. Sometimes, the source of mistrust is simply the lack of certainty about a character’s survival, but often, it goes deeper than that, especially with the unreliable narrator who introduces a mistrust in the film itself. A thriller has succeeded whenits audience doesn’t know what to expect next and whose perspective to rely onas they try to figure out what’s going on.
Every decade of cinema is chock-full of unique thrillers. In hindsight, the1980s had many overlooked thrillers, like every era. The thrillers made in a certain period of time can often reflect the collective anxieties of people in that time. But whatever the themes they explore, the common characteristic ofthe best thriller moviesis that they put viewers in an expectant state, where they’re anxiously waiting for a resolution that will resolve the suspense and ease their nerves. Still, the 2010s was a unique time for the genre.
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a horror-thriller film that follows a cardiovascular surgeon named Dr. Stephen Murphy and his family living a seemingly perfect life. When Dr. Murphy happens upon a teen named Martin, he seeks to help him by acting as a mentor. However, Martin harbors sinister intentions and knows a secret truth about Dr. Murphy that threatens to upend the meticulously crafted life he lives.
One ofthe best supernatural crime thrillersof all time,The Killing of a Sacred Deeris a tale of vengeance. Metaphorically alluding in the title to the Greek tragedy of Iphigenia, whose life had to be sacrificed to Artemis because her father Agamemnon had killed one of her sacred deer, the story recontextualizes the myth. A neurosurgeon’s carelessness costs a patient his life, and within days, his family falls ill. The dead patient’s son explains that the doctor must kill one of the three members of his family or all of them will die of the incurable ailment.
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The impossibility of making such a choice creates the perfect disturbing premise for a thriller. Despite the son making it very clear that there’s no way out of the situation,the doctor, and the viewers with him, keep racking their brains for ways to circumvent the circumstances. However, the feeling of doom only grows with time, andthe indifference of the world around the family faced with such tragedy only makes the film more uncomfortable. It can be a bit of a slow burn at times with some scenes dragging too long, but the psychological thrill makes up for it.
Directed by Sriram Raghavan
Andhadhun
Andhadhun is a Hindi-language thriller directed by Sriram Raghavan, featuring Ayushmann Khurrana as a visually impaired pianist who becomes embroiled in a series of mysterious events after witnessing a crime. The film also stars Tabu and Radhika Apte, blending suspense and dark comedy. The narrative structure and character arcs propel the story through unexpected twists, making it a critically acclaimed entry in Indian cinema.
Andhadhun’s twist is absolutely unpredictable. While the film plays on people’s expectations by reserving the game-changing perspective for the climax, the main twist is revealed halfway through. Even after the film is over, the viewer is left with a mistrust because the protagonist whose point-of-view is used for the entire first act hid something fundamental to his role in his telling.
He isn’t just playing the lie, he’s playing someone who knows the truth and is trying to sell the lie while living the truth.
Ayushmann Khurrana’s performance sells the lie beyond a shadow of a doubt. And yet, on a rewatch, it’s clear that he’s aware of the deception, as there are clear hints that foreshadow the reveal. He isn’t just playing the lie, he’s playing someone who knows the truth and is trying to sell the lie while living the truth. The twists in the storyline itself are also compelling, but maybeAndhadhuncould have been tighter in the middlebecause, after the big reveal at the end of the first act, it takes quite some time to pick up the pace.
Directed by Benny and Josh Safdie
Uncut Gems
A crime thriller from Josh and Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems follows New York jeweler Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) as his gambling addiction forces him to associate with increasingly dangerous individuals. After receiving an incredibly rare black opal, Howard believes he can finally free himself of his mounting debts, but not without engaging in one final high-stakes balancing act while fending off violent loan sharks.
Featuring one of the wildest opening title sequences of all time,Uncut Gemsis a test of stress resistance. It never slows down. Comical in a dry manner, unlike most of Adam Sandler’s work which is slapstick, the film takesa depressing look at a day in the life of a jewelry salesmanwhose various business dealings all start falling through one by one on the same day.
Uncut Gemsis a bleak exploration of commodification, not just of objects, but people and their time. Everyone’s always moving and in a rush, and even a handheld camera that follows the action up close fails to keep up with all of it. The rush adds to the anticipation about the uncertainties in the protagonist’s life as multiple sources of threat start cornering him on his way to the climax.Uncut Gems' endingitself is beloved by many, but might feel anticlimactic too. Thematically, it’s the perfect conclusion, though.
Directed by Lee Chang-dong
Burning
Burning is a South Korean psychological drama directed by Lee Chang-dong. Based on Haruki Murakami’s short story “Barn Burning,” the film stars Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, and Jeon Jong-seo. Set in contemporary Seoul, it follows an aspiring writer who becomes entangled in a mysterious relationship with an enigmatic man claiming to have a penchant for burning greenhouses. The narrative examines themes of socioeconomic disparity, obsession, and existential ennui.
A loose adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story,Burningis, pun intended, a slow burn. The source of thrill isn’t even in the picture until the second half of the film, and even then,Burningmeanders around, embellishing the narrative with further details to make the world feel as lived-in as possible. The seemingly random details that are thrown into the mix, are all subtly used to resolve the tension in the final scene because the film employs visual storytelling instead of spelling out every reveal. Also,Burningfeatures one ofSteven Yeun’s best roles.
Lee Chang-dong had been on an almost decade-long hiatus from filmmaking until the release ofBurning, which competed for the Palme d’Or and won the international critics' prize at Cannes Film Festival, 2018.
Poetically musing on the self-destructive nature of a one-sided fascination,Burningis a symbolic stroll through the charred remains of a greenhouse full of half-realized hints about an inexplicable situation that only leads to another fire. The final fifteen minutes bring together the significance of some seemingly disparate moments in the protagonist’s regular life.The slow burn pays off because every loose end gets tied up, but more importantly, a hint of uncertainty is never resolved, and in a traditional thriller structure, that’d have made it seem anticlimactic. It’s a character study in the guise of a dramatic thriller.
Directed by David Fincher
Gone Girl
Based on Gillian Flynn’s 2012 novel, Gone Girl stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as Nick and Amy Dunne, a couple whose disintegrating marriage is rocked by Amy’s sudden disappearance and Nick’s suspected hand in it. As evidence begins to pile up against Nick, it eventually becomes clear with a shocking twist that all is not what it seems. Flynn also wrote the screenplay for the film, with David Fincher directing.
Celebrated as a feminist cult classic for the famous “Cool Girl” monologue,Gone Girlis the quintessential crime thriller. Adapted quite faithfully from Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name, the film is a masterpiece in patient filmmaking.It takes its own sweet time getting to the plot twists, each of which further fleshes out the female protagonist. The composed pacing, where time is spent with characters to study their reactions and understand their motivations, develops suspense as the sense of impending doom is never lifted.
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Structurally,Gone Girlbreaks as many storytelling conventions as it follows. It gets off to a slow start, and gradually picks up speed until the third act, which culminates in an uncomfortable resolution. It also features dramatic revelations at regular intervals that keep viewers on the fence regarding who’s in the right. But, its source of anxiety is not in the anticipation of a confrontation. The anxiety lies in following a chaotic protagonist who’s simultaneously calculated and random. Plus, it uses non-linearity, so that thetimeline inGone Girldivides it into a crime thriller and a dramatic tragedy.
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island is based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley. Set in 1959, Shutter Island follows two U.S. Marshalls - Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Ruffalo) as they are sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a hospital specializing in psychiatric care.
Shutter Islandfeatures one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s best performances in the role of a war veteran investigating a disappearance in a psychiatric hospital. He’s certain one of the patients is responsible for the murder of the missing patient and refuses to back down from pursuing his hunch, sometimes risking his life in search of clues. The color palette of the film reflects the darkness in the protagonist’s mind who’s absorbing the surrounding depravity as he descends into hysteria in pursuit of answers. Viewers follow the descent as they have no cluewhatShutter Islandis really aboutuntil the end.
Viewers are inside the protagonist’s mind and navigating caves and dark corridors, each of which seem to hide the truth.
The psychiatric hospital is on an island, and Scorsese’s exploration of the setting seems to mimic walking through a labyrinth as if viewers are inside the protagonist’s mind and navigating caves and dark corridors, each of which seems to hide the truth. The visual storytelling adds gravitas to the thrill as the lack of certainty about the protagonist’s ultimate fate iscomplemented by the gradually increasing inaccessibility of spaceshe attempts to enter in search of clues. The best part? The final reveal changes everything, and on a rewatch, one can only spot foreshadowing of the narrator’s unreliability.
Directed by Damián Szifron
Wild Tales
Wild Tales is an Argentinian anthology film directed by Damián Szifron, consisting of six standalone episodes that explore themes of revenge, deception, and societal distress. Each tale presents a unique storyline featuring ordinary characters pushed to extreme reactions and moral dilemmas. The film’s ensemble cast includes Ricardo Darín and Érica Rivas. Wild Tales received acclaim for its dark humor and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.
The most compelling thrillers often don’t take time to build to a conclusion. They speedrun their way from premise to explosive confrontation, dragging viewers along on the rage-fueled adventure that doesn’t care for conventions or suspense. An anthology of six shorts,Wild Talesis a compilation of such thrillers. A couple of them aren’t as compelling as the rest, mostly because they pay too much attention to minute details to, within time, provide a payoff for the anxiety they induce. However, the better ones are so good that no one will complain about the weaker links.
From road rage and frustration with the government to infidelity revealed at a wedding, each short has a compelling premise, and the best ones take no time to let things escalate. The rapid cuts in most of the sequences, especially the ones involving cars, accentuate the anxiety-inducing nature of the chaos surrounding the central premise. It’s different enough to not be a remake, butWild Talesbears striking similarities toAmores Perrosat times, especially the balance of comedy and angst. However,not connecting them perhaps serves the chaos of the individual stories even moreinWIld Tales.
Diected by Denis Villeneuve
Prisoners
After getting tired of waiting for the police to find the person responsible for taking two young girls, Keller Rover takes the law into his own hands to get the answers he wants. This crime drama was directed by Denis Villeneuve and stars Hugh Jackman (Keller Rover), Jake Gyllenhaal (Detective Loki), and Terrence Howard (Franklin Birch).
Prisonersis a fast-paced slow burn, where the reveals are comfortably spaced out, but the protagonist’s descent into madness occurs at breakneck speed. If anything, that makes the experience of watching prisoners even more nerve-wracking. The main character is losing his mind about what’s going on, and all the viewers can do is sit and watch him go through regrettable motions as the next plot points trudges closer at a painstakingly slow pace. What’s worse,Prisonershas a very good open ending, so the discomfort stays even after the film is over.
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Villeneuve masterfully uses rain and sirens to create a bleak atmosphere where the mind will be tempted to assume the worst. It spends almost all the time on characterization instead of plot points, and that adds a dramatic layer to the suspense surrounding the mystery angle. Solving the puzzle is what keeps the story going, but the real theme is howthe depravity in human beings is barely suppressed by a thin layer of skin and egothat’s easy to break through if one can find a pressure point to be abrasive about.
Directed by Bong Joon-ho
Parasite
Parasite is a 2019 South Korean film directed by Bong Joon-ho. The film follows the destitute Kim family as they infiltrate the affluent Park household by manipulating their way into various household roles, leading to unforeseen consequences.
Parasitetakes a critical look at the class difference in Korean society as it draws a bleak portrait,followingParasite’s talented cast of characters, of how the underprivileged are driven to preying on the social elite due to the lack of opportunities provided to them. Despite such a political premise, the film never delves into the specific politics of governance and instead chooses to spend its time pondering on the consequences of billionaire culture. The film lives up to its name because the critique of socety gnaws at the mind like a parasite long after the credits have finished rolling.
Parasiteis to date the only foreign-language film to win a Best Picture Academy Award.
The journey to the ending is painstakingly composed to provide details that all subtly hint at the theme of the film. The contrast in color palettes and sound design is used to explore the social disparity at the center of the premise.Parasitefeatures moments of high anxiety as hidden identities constantly risk exposure and the viewer never gets to relax, not even after the film is over. It is overrated though, becauseParasiteis celebrated as one of the best films ever, and that perhaps isn’t true.It mightn’t be Bong Joon-ho’s best film, depending on who’s ranking them.
1The Handmaiden (2016)
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Queer, convoluted, and over-the-top,The Handmaidenis a wild ride through a perverse world of seduction, unforeseen circumstances, and sensory deprivation. Park Chan-wook presents the viewer with such overwhelmingly garish displays of vibrant opulence, that at one point the senses stop processing information. It’s exactly in that zone where the eyes and ears have been overwhelmed into a vulnerable limbo thatThe Handmaidentells its story and begins its confusing climb to a triumphant conclusion that reeks of liberation from social norms.
The Handmaidenis often considered to be the ideal demonstration of how different elements of filmmaking can create the perfect movie. It features a uniquely immersive clash between score, setting, theme, and acting, as each of these aspects, individually brilliant, fight for the viewer’s attention. This creates a cacophony of suspenseful vibes that makes viewers hold their breath in anticipation. Italways seems to be heading towards a confrontation, only to veer off into embellishing the narrative further. By the time the climax arrives, viewers will have given up on the guessing game, and thethrillerhas won.
