Thriller: 228

The psychological thriller film, The Machinist (2004), was directed by Brad Anderson and written by Scott Kosar. Its protagonist, Trevor Reznik, suffers from insomnia which has caused him to become severely underweight. His coworkers have shunned him due to his physical appearance and unusual behavior. However, things take a turn for the worse when he is involved in an accident at work that results in a coworker losing their arm. Despite being distracted by a coworker named Ivan who no one seems to know or have records of, Trevor is blamed for the accident. Seeking ...

Collateral (2004) is an American neo-noir action thriller film directed and produced by Michael Mann from a script by Stuart Beattie. Max Durocher, a Los Angeles cab driver, dreams of starting his own limousine business. During one of his evening shifts, he picks up federal prosecutor Annie Farrell, who works for the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. The two strike up a conversation and Annie hands Max her business card. Shortly after, Max picks up another fare – Vincent – who claims to be in town for just one night to finalize a real ...

Ocean’s Twelve (2004) is a heist comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by George Nolfi. Terry Benedict tracks down all eleven members of Danny Ocean’s crew, demanding the return of the $160 million they stole from his casinos plus an additional $38 million in interest. The deadline for repayment is two weeks. With only half of the money on hand, the group devises a plan to pull off a heist in Amsterdam to avoid trouble with authorities in the United States. A man named Matsui tips them off about the whereabouts of the first ever issued stock ...

Out of Time (2003) sees director Carl Franklin and Denzel Washington reunite, having previously worked together on Devil in a Blue Dress. The film follows the story of Mathias ‘Matt’ Lee Whitlock, respected Chief of Police in the Florida Keys town of Banyan Key. Despite their recent separation, Matt is currently dating Ann Merai-Harrison, an old high school flame who is facing abuse from her husband, former professional quarterback Chris. During a trip to the doctor with Ann, Matt learns she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Meanwhile, Matt is ...

Shade (2003), a film by Damian Nieman, is an American neo-noir crime thriller. In an underground mob poker game that gets robbed, a cheating man defends himself during a gunfight, leaving only him and one gangster alive. A Mexican standoff ensues. Hustlers Tiffany and Charlie Miller meet with poker player Larry Jennings while he’s winning a game. They form a partnership to work a game with a potential $20,000 profit. The third member of their team, Vernon, is introduced as a card mechanic and blackjack dealer. In a flashback, Vernon switches out the contents of the shoe while his accomplices win $40,000 from the ...

Matchstick Men (2003) is a darkly humorous film directed by Ridley Scott and based on Eric Garcia’s novel of the same name. The story follows Roy Waller, a con artist with crippling Tourette syndrome and OCD, as he runs scams with his partner Frank Mercer. One day, Roy accidentally loses his medication and discovers his doctor has left town. This leads to a cleaning frenzy in his house that lasts until the next day. When Frank visits, Roy experiences a terrifying panic attack. Concerned for his well-being, Frank suggests he see psychiatrist Dr. Harris Klein who ...

Directed by Dario Argento, The Card Player (2003) is a giallo film featuring Stefania Rocca and Liam Cunningham. It is Argento’s second giallo movie of the decade. The plot revolves around a serial killer called ‘The Card Player’, who has been abducting young women in Rome. To taunt the authorities, the killer challenges them to a game of online poker through a webcam. If they lose, the victim is brutally killed on camera. When one of the murder victims ...

Trapped (2002), a crime thriller directed by Luis Mandoki, follows the story of Dr. Will Jennings, a research physician who has recently patented a new anesthetic drug. After giving a talk about his patent at a Seattle hotel, he is approached by Cheryl, a mysterious woman who claims to be a fan of his work. In the hotel hallway, Cheryl makes advances towards Will before pulling out a gun and forcing him into his room. She then demands ransom for his daughter Abby. Meanwhile, Joe – Cheryl’s husband – breaks into Will’s luxurious Portland home and confronts Karen, Will’s wife who had just come back from ...

The American thriller drama film, John Q. (2002), was written by James Kearns and directed by Nick Cassavetes. In the movie, a motorist driving recklessly on a freeway is fatally struck by a truck. Prior to this tragic event, John Quincy Archibald and his wife Denise were struggling financially in Chicago. Despite their challenges, they remained devoted parents to their young son Michael, who collapses at his baseball game one day after church. At the hospital, they receive devastating news from cardiologist Dr. Raymond Turner and administrator Rebecca Payne – ...

Dark Blue (2002) is an American crime thriller film, directed by Ron Shelton and written by David Ayer, based on a story by novelist James Ellroy. The setting is Los Angeles in 1992. We are immediately introduced to LAPD Sergeant Eldon Perry who is seen pacing nervously with a shotgun and pistol in a motel room. The scene then shifts back five days earlier when two men, Darryl Orchard and Gary Sidwell, rob a convenience store and commit murder in the process. These events trigger an internal hearing for Detective Bobby ...

Changing Lanes (2002) is an American drama thriller film directed by Roger Michell, featuring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson as the main characters. In New York City, two men find themselves in a rush to get to court for very different reasons. One is a recovering alcoholic named Doyle Gipson, who is fighting for joint custody of his sons after attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to maintain sobriety. The other is Gavin Banek, a successful Wall Street attorney, who needs to file an important document before ...

Ripley’s Game (2002), a thriller directed by Liliana Cavani, is based on the eponymous novel by Patricia Highsmith from her series about the anti-hero Tom Ripley. The story follows Ripley as he partners with British gangster Reeves in an art forgery scheme in Berlin. But when he discovers that Reeves has attempted to cheat him, Ripley takes matters into his own hands. He forces Reeves’ customer to hand over the money intended for the forgeries at gunpoint and kills the man’s bodyguard. In addition, he also reclaims the stolen artwork for himself ...

The American biographical spy film, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), follows the fictional life of Chuck Barris, who aspired to be a famous television personality. Initially rejected by the women he desires, he moves from Manhattan to become an NBC page, but is ultimately let go. He then becomes Dick Clark’s personal assistant on American Bandstand in 1961, where he writes the hit song ‘Palisades Park’ and becomes involved with Penny Pacino. Eventually, Chuck pitches his idea for The Dating Game at ABC and receives $7,500 to create a pilot. However, ABC ultimately chooses to produce Hootenanny instead. After being ousted from a bar for ...

Jim Gillespie directed D-Tox (2002), a thriller featuring Sylvester Stallone as FBI agent Jake Malloy. While chasing down a serial killer who targets police officers, Malloy’s former partner becomes a victim. The killer then contacts Malloy from his own home and reveals that he was seeking revenge for being pursued by Malloy in the past for a string of prostitute murders. Tragically, the killer also takes the life of Mary, Malloy’s girlfriend. Despite his efforts to apprehend the killer, it appears that he has taken his own life. Three months later, Malloy ...

Femme Fatale (2002), an erotic thriller directed and written by Brian De Palma, follows Laure Ash, a mercenary thief involved in a diamond heist during the Cannes Film Festival. Her target is model Veronica, who wears the diamonds as part of a gold ensemble accompanying director Régis Wargnier to his premiere of East/West. With the help of ‘Black Tie’ and Racine, Laure seduces Veronica to obtain the diamonds. However, things go wrong and Laure betrays her partners before escaping to Paris with the jewels. While there, she is mistaken for Lily, a missing woman from the city. As she relaxes in Lily’s ...

Directed by David Fincher, Panic Room (2002) is an American thriller about recently divorced Meg Altman and her eleven-year-old daughter, Sarah, who move into a four-story brownstone on New York City’s Upper West Side. The previous owner, a millionaire with a reclusive nature, had equipped the house with a ‘panic room’ for protection against intruders. The reinforced room contains concrete and steel walls, as well as a thick steel door. Additionally, the house has an extensive security system with numerous surveillance cameras and a public address system. On their first night in the new home, Meg and ...

The psychological thriller, Red Dragon (2002), is an adaptation of Thomas Harris’s 1981 novel. Directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Tally, the story follows FBI agent Will Graham in 1980 as he seeks assistance from forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter in a case. After working together on a psychological profile of a killer, Graham becomes convinced that the murderer is also a cannibal. However, when Lecter realizes Graham is getting close to discovering his true identity, he stabs him. Despite this attack, ...

The Sum of All Fears (2002) is a gripping American spy thriller helmed by Phil Alden Robinson. Based on Tom Clancy’s novel of the same name, the film follows a complex plot involving a lost nuclear bomb and international political tensions. It all begins with an Israeli warplane being shot down during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Decades later, a Syrian scrap collector comes across the unexploded bomb buried in the Golan Heights. He sells it to a South African arms trafficker, who recognizes its significance and passes it on to neo-nazi group leader Richard Dressler. ...

Original Sin (2001), an American erotic romantic thriller, stars Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie. Based on the novel Waltz into Darkness by Cornell Woolrich, it is a remake of the 1969 François Truffaut film Mississippi Mermaid. The story takes place in late 19th century Cuba during Spanish rule, and alternates between scenes of a woman confessing her past to a priest as she awaits execution and the events leading up to her impending fate. Luis Vargas, a ...

In the crime film Training Day (2001), directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Ayer, ambitious police officer Jake Hoyt is assigned to work with decorated narcotics detective Alonzo Harris for a one-day evaluation. As they patrol in Alonzo’s Monte Carlo, they come across some college kids buying marijuana, which Alonzo takes and encourages Jake to smoke. When Jake refuses, Alonzo threatens him at gunpoint, explaining that rejecting drugs on the streets could result in his death. Eventually, Jake gives in and smokes the laced pipe while Alonzo laughs. Moving ...