Thriller: 228

Lions for Lambs (2007), an American war drama film directed by Robert Redford, delves into the intertwined lives of a U.S. senator, soldiers in Afghanistan, a reporter, and a college professor in California. Dr. Malley, the idealistic professor, encourages his students Arian and Ernest to make a meaningful impact in the world after their graduation from West Coast University. Despite coming from different backgrounds, they both choose to enlist in the army and serve in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Dr. Malley also tries to connect with another student named Todd Hayes. Unlike Arian and Ernest, Todd comes from a privileged ...

Cassandra’s Dream (2007) is a crime thriller drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. Filmed in England, it is a collaboration between the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. Brothers Terry and Ian grew up in South London under the care of their parents – their father Brian, who owns a restaurant, and their mother Dorothy, who instilled in them admiration for their uncle Howard. Howard is a renowned plastic surgeon and entrepreneur with practices in Switzerland, the US, and China. The brothers purchase a sailboat named after Terry’s lucky greyhound for a bargain, despite its excellent ...

Hannibal Rising (2007) is a chilling psychological thriller that serves as the fifth installment in the Hannibal Lecter franchise. Serving as a prequel to Red Dragon, Hannibal, and The Silence of the Lambs, this film brings to life Thomas Harris’ eponymous 2006 novel. It delves into the origins of Lecter’s descent from a vengeful Nazi hunter to a monstrous cannibalistic serial killer. Set in 1944 Lithuania during World War II, we see an eight-year-old Hannibal and his family take refuge in their hunting lodge to escape the advancing German troops. However, after three long years, ...

The American psychological thriller film, Mr. Brooks (2007), directed by Bruce A. Evans and starring Kevin Costner, follows the story of Earl Brooks. Despite appearing as a respected businessman in Portland, Oregon, Brooks leads a secret life as a serial killer. Struggling to control his ‘killing addiction’, Brooks eventually gives in to his id, Marshall, and murders a young couple in their bedroom. This pattern of leaving a thumbprint on the lampshade earned him the moniker ‘Thumbprint Killer’. His methodical approach includes meticulous ...

The American crime film, The Lookout (2007), marks the directorial debut of Scott Frank. While driving with his lights off at night, high school sports star Chris Pratt crashes into a stalled combine on the road. Tragically, two of his passengers do not survive while he and his girlfriend Kelly are able to live through the accident. However, Chris is left with lasting mental impairments, including anterograde amnesia and anger management issues. In an effort to cope with these challenges, Chris attends classes to learn new skills and keeps a small notebook as a tool for remembering daily tasks. Despite having only ...

Flawless (2007) is an acclaimed British heist film, helmed by director Michael Radford and penned by Edward Anderson. During an interview at a restaurant, Miss Laura Quinn, the first female manager at London Diamond Corporation, opens up to a reporter about her experiences as one of the pioneering women in the workforce. With dramatic flair, she unveils a box containing a stunning diamond and confesses, ‘I took it’. The intrigued journalist assumes that Quinn has paid for her crime with time behind bars. However, we are then taken back in time to 1960 when ...

Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) is an American heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien. Businessman Reuben Tishkoff takes on a new project, building a hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, against the advice of his friend and former criminal associate Danny Ocean. However, things take a turn for the worse when investor and casino mogul Willy Bank strongarms Reuben into giving up his ownership stake. After suffering a heart attack, Reuben is left bedridden. In an attempt ...

Breach (2007) is a American spy thriller film directed by Billy Ray, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Adam Mazer and William Rotko. The movie follows Eric O’Neill, a young and ambitious FBI employee who is tasked with going undercover as a clerk to Robert Hanssen, a senior agent suspected of deviant behavior. Despite being recalled from his position at the State Department to head a new division focused on Information Assurance at FBI headquarters, Hanssen maintains a strict formality with O’Neill. He ...

16 Blocks (2006), an American action thriller film directed by Richard Donner, follows Jack Mosley, an alcoholic and jaded NYPD detective. Despite working a late shift the night before, his lieutenant orders him to escort Eddie Bunker, a witness in a police corruption case, from local custody to the courthouse 16 blocks away for a 10 a.m. grand jury hearing. Bunker tries to connect with Mosley by sharing his dreams of becoming a cake baker in Seattle with his sister whom he has never met. However, Mosley remains uninterested and makes a stop at a liquor store. Suddenly, they are attacked by a gunman and seek refuge in a ...

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) is an American romantic drama film directed by Steven Shainberg and written by Erin Cressida Wilson, based on Patricia Bosworth’s book Diane Arbus: A Biography. The story begins with Diane Arbus arriving to photograph a nudist colony, then flashes back three months to New York City in 1958. There, Diane assists her husband Allan, an established photographer from a long line of studio owners. She comes from a wealthy family of furriers. However, as a city wife ...

The American docudrama disaster film, World Trade Center (2006), was directed by Oliver Stone and written by Andrea Berloff. It portrays the harrowing experience of a team of New York City police officers during the September 11 attacks, when they became trapped in the rubble of the collapsed World Trade Center. Dispatched to Downtown Manhattan on that fateful day, members of the Port Authority Police received news en route that both towers had been hit by planes. Led by Sergeant John McLoughlin, a veteran of the 1993 bombing, a group of volunteers including officers ...

Inside Man (2006) is an American crime thriller film directed by Spike Lee and written by Russell Gewirtz. It centers on an elaborate bank heist-turned-hostage situation on Wall Street. In August 2005, inside a small, dimly-lit cell, Dalton Russell brags about committing the perfect bank robbery. In New York City, masked robbers seize control of a Manhattan bank, using variants of the name “Steve” as aliases and dressed in painter coveralls. They hold patrons and employees hostage and divide them into groups, rotating them among various rooms while disguised ...

The American spy film, The Good Shepherd (2006), was both produced and directed by Robert De Niro. Following the disastrous end of the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, suspicions arise about a potential ‘mole’ within the CIA. Senior officer Edward Wilson returns home to find a photograph and audio tapes that have been tampered with, leaving some details unclear. Flashing back to his time at Yale University in 1939, Wilson is invited to join the Skull and Bones fraternity where he reveals that he discovered but never read his father’s suicide note. His father, an admiral who had been considered for ...

The Lives of Others (2006) is a German drama film written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, marking his debut as a feature film director. Set in 1984 East Germany, the film follows Stasi agent Gerd Wiesler, also known as HGW XX/7, as he carries out the order from his superior Anton Grubitz to spy on playwright Georg Dreyman. Despite Dreyman’s reputation as a pro-communist figure with international recognition, there is no evidence of disloyalty or dissent in his past. Wiesler and his team bug Dreyman’s apartment and report their findings to Minister of Culture Bruno Hempf, who has targeted ...

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley series, Ripley Under Ground (2005), a crime thriller, was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. The movie revolves around the death of Tom Ripley’s friend Philip Derwatt, an accomplished artist who perishes in a car accident. To honor his memory and make some quick cash, Ripley, along with Jeff Constant, Bernard Sayles, and Cynthia (Derwatt’s girlfriend), devise a plan for Bernard to forge more of Derwatt’s paintings. In order to keep their secret safe, they hide Derwatt’s body in a freezer. Adding ...

Syriana (2005), an American political thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, is loosely based on Robert Baer’s 2003 memoir See No Evil. The movie was filmed in over 200 locations across five continents, including the Middle East, Washington D.C., and Africa. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Gaghan revealed that the film draws from his personal experiences meeting and interviewing powerful figures such as oil owners, media moguls, lobbyists, ...

Anthony Zimmer (2005), a French romantic thriller film written and directed by Jérôme Salle, follows the story of a brilliant career criminal who is wanted by police worldwide. Evading authorities with his clever tactics, Zimmer legally launders money through fake corporations that file lawsuits against international companies. The elusive Zimmer is also on the run from the ‘White Collar Barons’, a powerful Russian mafia he once worked with. After undergoing plastic surgery, there is no known description of his appearance, making him even harder to catch. However, detective Akerman is determined to bring him ...

Match Point (2005), a psychological thriller by Woody Allen, follows the story of recently retired Irish tennis pro Chris Wilton. He lands a job as an instructor at a prestigious London club and befriends wealthy student Tom Hewett. Meanwhile, Tom’s sister Chloe becomes infatuated with Chris and they start dating. At a family gathering, Chris meets Tom’s fiancée Nola Rice from America and they are immediately drawn to each other. With Chloe’s help, Chris secures a job in one of her father Alec’s companies and is welcomed into the family circle. However, during an argument over Nola’s career ...

Do you enjoy the made-for-TV giallo movie, Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005) directed by Dario Argento? This film pays tribute to the renowned thriller director Alfred Hitchcock. Giulio, a film student, observes his attractive neighbor, Sasha, and studies Fritz Lang’s movies for his thesis. While at the video store, he crosses paths with Sasha and another woman named Federica as they both try to rent Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train. A friendship blossoms between the two women. The next day, while riding ...

The epic historical drama film, Munich (2005), was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and co-written by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth. It is based on Vengeance, a 1984 book by George Jonas that details Mossad assassinations in the aftermath of the Munich massacre. The events take place during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where a terrorist attack by the Palestinian militant group Black September resulted in the deaths of 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team. To carry out this mission, Mossad agent Avner Kaufman, ...