Thriller: 228

The film Gerald’s Game (2017), directed and edited by Mike Flanagan, is a psychological horror thriller with a screenplay co-written by Flanagan and Jeff Howard. The movie is an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name, which was once considered impossible to bring to the screen. Jessie and Gerald Burlingame travel to an isolated lake house in Fairhope, Alabama for a romantic retreat. On their way there, they encounter a stray dog that Jessie wants to ...

Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) is an American legal drama film that follows the journey of a lawyer named Roman J. Israel. Working at a small law firm in Los Angeles, Roman earns $500 weekly and specializes in preparing briefs for clients’ civil rights cases. His partner William Jackson, a renowned professor, handles courtroom appearances while Roman struggles with the social aspect of his job. Despite this challenge, Roman has dedicated years of his life to crafting a brief that he believes will bring change to the unjust use of plea bargaining in the justice system. He may lack social skills, but makes up for it with a remarkable memory and strong personal ...

Clique (2017–2018) is a British thriller television series created by Jess Brittain, starring Synnøve Karlsen and Rachel Hurd-Wood. It originally premiered on BBC Three’s online-only schedule before later airing on BBC One. Childhood friends Georgia and Holly have just started their university lives in Edinburgh when Georgia becomes involved with an elite group of alpha girls (Fay, Phoebe, Louise, and Rachel) led by lecturer Jude McDermid. Jude’s brand of feminism is captivating, much like the intelligent ...

The American political thriller film, The Post (2017), centers around the publication of the Pentagon Papers by The Washington Post. During the Vietnam War in 1966, military analyst Daniel Ellsberg joins American troops in combat and records their progress for Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Despite privately admitting the war is futile on their flight home, McNamara publicly expresses confidence in the effort upon landing. This stark contradiction causes Ellsberg to lose faith. Years later, as a civilian contractor at RAND Corporation, Ellsberg discreetly copies hundreds of classified reports detailing the country’s extensive involvement in the ...

The Whole Truth (2016) is an American legal thriller film directed by Courtney Hunt and written by Nicholas Kazan. Defense attorney Richard Ramsay takes on the case of 17-year-old Mike Lassiter, who is accused of murdering his wealthy lawyer father Boone. As a personal friend of Boone’s, Ramsay feels the weight of responsibility to save Mike, but his client’s unwavering silence proves to be a challenge. With the help of young lawyer Janelle Brady, daughter of another close colleague, Ramsay hopes to build a strong defense for Mike. During the trial, several ...

Money Monster (2016), an American thriller directed by Jodie Foster and written by Jamie Linden, Alan Di Fiore, and Jim Kouf from a story by Di Fiore and Kouf, features Lee Gates, an ostentatious financial expert who hosts the show Money Monster. The day before the show, IBIS Clear Capital’s stock suddenly plummeted, causing investors to lose $800 million due to a trading ...

Miss Sloane (2016), a political thriller directed by John Madden and written by Jonathan Perera, follows the story of Elizabeth Sloane. She is a cutthroat lobbyist known for her intense work ethic, who finds herself testifying before Senator Ronald Sperling’s congressional hearing. The hearing focuses on possible violations of Senate ethics rules during Sloane’s time at Washington D.C.’s Cole Kravitz & Waterman lobbying firm. Three months prior to this, Sloane’s firm is approached by Bill Sanford, a representative from the gun manufacturing ...

Oliver Stone’s biographical thriller Snowden (2016) follows the story of Edward Snowden, who in 2013 arranged a secret meeting in Hong Kong with documentarian Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald. During the meeting, they discussed releasing classified information regarding illegal mass surveillance conducted by the NSA. This meeting was later documented in Poitras’ film Citizenfour, which was also featured in the movie Snowden. Prior to this, in 2004, Snowden joined the U.S. Army with plans to join the Special Forces but was discharged due to a fractured tibia. He then applied for a position at the ...

Susanne Bier’s British television serial, The Night Manager (2016), follows the story of Jonathan Pine, an Englishman working as a night manager in a Cairo hotel. When he becomes entangled with the girlfriend of a local gangster, he discovers information that connects illegal arms sales to wealthy English billionaire Richard Roper. Shortly after, the woman is found dead, prompting Pine to flee for his own safety. Four years later, he encounters Roper at a remote Swiss hotel, reigniting his thirst for revenge. With the help of British Intelligence, Pine is recruited to spy on Roper and sets off a treacherous game ...

Boy Missing (2016) is a Spanish mystery thriller directed by Mar Targarona and written by Oriol Paulo. The film features Blanca Portillo in the lead role. Víctor, a young boy, is discovered wandering along a country road. His mother, Patricia, a prominent lawyer known for handling high-profile cases that receive media attention, is informed of her son’s safe return. After Victor is taken to the hospital, Patricia joins him and explains that her son is both deaf and mute, using sign language as his mode of communication which may have caused his silence towards the ...

Truth (2015) is an American biographical political drama film written and directed by James Vanderbilt in his directorial debut. It is based on American television news producer Mary Mapes’s memoir Truth and Duty: The Press, the President and the Privilege of Power, which recounts the events leading up to the 2004 presidential election. As producer of 60 Minutes Wednesday, Mary Mapes and her team, consisting of Mike Smith, Lucy Scott, and Colonel Roger Charles, investigate allegations that George W. Bush received preferential treatment during his military ...

Curve (2015) is an American horror-thriller film directed by   and written by Kimberly Lofstrom Johnson and Lee Patterson. Mallory, a young bride-to-be, is on her way to Denver for her wedding rehearsal. While traveling, she video chats with her sister Ella, who reveals that she hasn’t bought her plane tickets yet. Concerned about Mallory’s happiness, Ella wants to make sure that she truly loves her partner. In response, Mallory puts on a fake voice and ends the call. However, shortly after, her car breaks down and she has no service to call AAA. As she attempts to change clothes at the back of the car, she meets Christian and explains her ...

A Bigger Splash (2015) is a psychological drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino with a screenplay by David Kajganich, based on a story by Alain Page. Set in an isolated villa on the small Italian island of Pantelleria, the film follows world-famous rock singer Marianne Lane and her filmmaker lover Paul De Smedt as they vacation together. Marianne is recovering from surgery and has lost her voice, communicating through signs and whispers. Meanwhile, Paul is overcoming alcohol addiction and a recent suicide attempt. Despite ...

Solace (2015) is an American mystery thriller film directed by Afonso Poyart. It revolves around Dr. John Clancy, who has been living in isolation since his daughter’s passing two years ago. Despite being hesitant, FBI special agent Joe Merriwether reaches out to Clancy for assistance in tracking down a serial killer with intricate methods. When Merriwether’s partner, Katherine Cowles, touches Clancy’s shoulder while presenting him with the case files, he has a vision of her future involving violence and bloodshed on her forehead. Despite initial reluctance, Clancy eventually agrees to help. Though ...

The film Bridge of Spies (2015) is an American historical drama directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg. It was written by Matt Charman and the Coen brothers. Set in New York City in 1957, the story follows the arrest of Rudolf Abel on charges of spying for the Soviet Union. James B. Donovan, an insurance lawyer, is appointed as Abel’s legal counsel. Despite pressure from the CIA to violate client confidentiality, Donovan remains committed to providing a vigorous defense for Abel. Ultimately, Abel is convicted ...

Big Driver (2014) is an American crime thriller television film based on the novella of the same name by Stephen King, which was published in his collection Full Dark, No Stars (2010). Tess Thorne, a successful crime-mystery writer, receives an invitation to meet her fans at a library in upstate Massachusetts. Despite her fear of flying, she chooses to drive to her engagements rather than fly, even for long distances. During one such event, organized by Ramona, she is offered a quicker route home. However, this route takes her through a remote rural location where her car runs over nail-studded planks on the ...

Director Peter Askin brought to life a thrilling American film A Good Marriage (2014) based on Stephen King’s novella of the same name from the collection Full Dark, No Stars. Bob and Darcy Anderson are happily married with two grown children. One evening while Bob is away on business, Darcy goes into the garage to search for batteries and stumbles upon pornographic magazines filled with sadomasochistic images. Digging deeper into Bob’s belongings, she discovers a hidden compartment behind the garage’s baseboard containing ID cards belonging to ...

Who Am I (2014) is a German techno-thriller film co-written and directed by Baran bo Odar. Benjamin Engel, a hacker from Berlin, is in an interrogation room, requested specifically by the officer in charge to speak with Hanne Lindberg, Head of the Cyber Division of Europol. He claims to have valuable information on FR13NDS (/frɛndz/), a notorious hacking group connected to the Russian cyber mafia, and MRX, an infamous hacker on Darknet. In exchange for sharing this information, Benjamin asks Hanne to listen to him. Reluctantly, she agrees and takes a seat. Benjamin goes on to describe himself as a superhero with no ...

Gone Girl (2014), an American psychological thriller directed by David Fincher and written by Gillian Flynn, follows the story of Nick Dunne, a writing teacher who discovers his wife Amy is missing on their fifth wedding anniversary. Amy’s fame as the inspiration for her parents’ successful Amazing Amy children’s books leads to widespread media coverage, and Nick’s apparent lack of concern over his wife’s disappearance raises suspicion. Through flashbacks in the form of diary entries, we see a complex reality and a marriage that has ...

A Most Wanted Man (2014), an espionage thriller based on the 2008 novel by John le Carré, is directed by Anton Corbijn and written by Andrew Bovell. Political refugee Issa Karpov, who suffered torture at the hands of Russian security forces, illegally enters Hamburg, Germany. Günther Bachmann leads a covert team working for the German government to enlist local informants with ties to terrorist organizations. His trusted associate, Irna Frey, is the complete opposite in terms of organization and appearance. The team ...