Thriller: 228

Joy Ride (2001) is a thrilling American film directed by John Dahl and written by Clay Tarver and J. J. Abrams. While on a trip from California to Colorado to pick up his childhood crush, Venna, Lewis Thomas is unexpectedly forced to stop in Salt Lake City to bail out his estranged brother Fuller, who has been arrested. Fuller joins Lewis for the ride and takes the opportunity to install a CB radio in the car. The two eavesdrop on truckers’ conversations, and Fuller convinces Lewis to participate in a prank targeting ...

Hannibal (2001), an American crime thriller directed by Ridley Scott and adapted from Thomas Harris’s novel, follows FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling. A decade after catching serial killer Jame Gumb, Starling is blamed for a failed drug raid that cost five lives. She is approached by Mason Verger, the lone survivor of cannibalistic murderer Hannibal Lecter who has been on the run since escaping custody. Verger, a wealthy predator who was left paralyzed and disfigured by Lecter, has been plotting revenge against him and enlists Starling’s help to capture him. ...

Directed by Frank Oz, The Score (2001) is an American neo-noir heist action comedy film. Following a close call during a burglary, master safe-cracker Nick Wells contemplates retirement and settling down with his girlfriend Diane to run his Montréal jazz club legitimately. Despite turning down his fence Max’s offer for another job, Nick is approached by fellow thief and ambitious mastermind Jack Teller. Attempting to scare Jack off, Nick sends his associate Burt, but Jack gains the upper hand and ends up at Nick’s home, persuading him to change his mind. In exchange for complete control of the operation and ...

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Ocean’s Eleven (2001) is a heist comedy film featuring professional thief Danny Ocean. After serving four years in a New Jersey prison, Ocean heads to Los Angeles to reunite with his colleague Rusty Ryan. The two then travel to Las Vegas to seek the financial support of their wealthy friend Reuben Tishkoff. Their goal is to pull off a daring multi-million dollar heist, targeting three of Tishkoff’s rival Terry Benedict’s casinos: the Bellagio, the Mirage, and the MGM Grand. Knowing that the casinos are required to have enough cash to cover all bets placed by patrons, ...

The Tailor of Panama (2001) is a spy thriller film directed by John Boorman, co-written by John le Carré and Andrew Davies. It is based on le Carré’s 1996 novel of the same name. The story follows Andy Osnard, an MI6 spy who has been sent to Panama after an affair with the foreign minister’s mistress in Madrid. Despite his superior’s warning about the corruption in Panama, Osnard sees it as an opportunity. He consults a list of British citizens living in ...

The film Spy Game (2001), directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, follows the United States and China as they negotiate a major trade deal. As the President prepares to visit China to finalize the agreement, the CIA becomes aware of their operative, Tom Bishop’s, arrest in Suzhou. With only 24 hours until his execution, Bishop’s actions could jeopardize the deal. To avoid getting involved, a group of CIA executives turn to Nathan Muir, Bishop’s mentor and a retiring veteran agent. ...

24 (2001–2010), an American action drama TV show created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for Fox, follows the life of US counter-terrorist federal agent Jack Bauer. Each season unfolds in real time, covering 24 hours in Bauer’s life. The episodes feature multiple interconnected storylines, often involving Bauer’s associates facing extreme challenges. The series first aired on November 6, 2001, with a total of 204 episodes across nine seasons. A television movie titled 24: Redemption was broadcast on November 23, 2008, between the sixth and seventh ...

Thirteen Days (2000), directed by Roger Donaldson, is an American historical political thriller film. In October 1962, U-2 aerial surveillance photos show the Soviet Union’s placement of intermediate-range ballistic missiles carrying nuclear weapons in Cuba. As a result, President John F. Kennedy and his team must devise a plan to prevent their activation and demonstrate that the United States will not tolerate a missile threat. The Joint Chiefs of Staff advise immediate military strikes against the missile sites followed by an invasion of Cuba. However, Kennedy hesitates as this could provoke the Soviets to ...

The Watcher (2000) is an American thriller film directed by Joe Charbanic. In the film, FBI Special Agent Joel Campbell fails to save a young woman from a serial killer he has been pursuing in Los Angeles. Stricken with guilt, Campbell leaves his job and relocates to Chicago, where he suffers from agonizing migraines. In an attempt to cope with his emotional distress, Campbell seeks therapy from Dr. Polly Beilman and remains isolated from others. However, his quiet life is interrupted when a woman is murdered in his apartment building. Upon receiving a photo of the victim in the mail, which was sent three days prior to ...

Reindeer Games (2000) is an American action thriller directed by John Frankenheimer in his final feature directorial outing before his passing in 2002. In a prison near Iron Mountain, Michigan, cellmates Nick Cassidy and Rudy Duncan are just two days away from their release. Nick has been corresponding with a woman named Ashley Mercer, whom he plans to meet once he is free. On the other hand, Rudy wants to reunite with his family in Sidnaw for Christmas. A fight breaks out in the prison, resulting in Nick’s supposed death while protecting Rudy. After being released, Rudy poses as Nick and meets Ashley. They go to ...

Fail Safe (2000), a televised broadcast play, is based on the Cold War novel by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler. Taking place during the height of tensions between the United States and Soviet Union in the early-to-mid-1960s, an unidentified aircraft approaches North America from Europe. In response, U.S. Vindicator bombers from Strategic Air Command (SAC) are sent to their designated fail safe positions near the Russian Far East. These bombers have strict orders not to continue past their fail safe points without receiving a specific attack code. Although the initial ...

American Psycho (2000), a satirical psychological thriller film, is directed and co-written by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner respectively. Set in 1987, the story follows investment banker Patrick Bateman as he maintains his façade for his fiancée Evelyn Williams and wealthy acquaintances. During a business meeting, Bateman’s colleagues showcase their business cards and obsess over their designs. One particular card belonging to Paul Allen sparks anger in Bateman, leading him to kill a homeless man and his dog later that night. As Bateman plans dinner with Allen after a Christmas party, he harbors resentment ...

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu in his feature directorial debut, Amores perros (2000) is a Mexican psychological drama film. It was written by Guillermo Arriaga, based on a story by the pair. The first installment of González Iñárritu’s Trilogy of Death, it is followed by 21 Grams and Babel. Using the multi-narrative hyperlink cinema style, the film features an ensemble cast. Constructed as a triptych, it consists of three interrelated stories connected by a car crash in Mexico ...

The American psychological thriller film, The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), was written and directed by Anthony Minghella. It is based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel of the same name, and tells the story of Tom Ripley, a man who is approached by shipbuilding magnate Herbert Greenleaf in 1958 New York City. Greenleaf believes that Ripley attended Princeton with his son Dickie and offers him one thousand dollars to travel to Italy and convince Dickie to return to the United States. While on a luxurious ocean liner, Ripley assumes the identity of Dickie and forms ...

Directed by David Fincher, Fight Club (1999) tells the story of an unnamed protagonist who struggles with insomnia and dissatisfaction with his job and lifestyle. In search of relief, he turns to support groups, where he realizes that expressing vulnerability helps him rest. However, his attempts are hindered when Marla Singer, also pretending to be someone else, joins the same groups. Unable to maintain his facade or ignore her presence, his insomnia returns. In an effort to regain control and get some sleep, the narrator arranges for them to attend separate sessions and even exchanges contact information with Marla in ...

Entrapment (1999), a caper film directed by Jon Amiel and written by Ronald Bass, follows the story of Virginia ‘Gin’ Baker, an investigator for Waverly Insurance. When a priceless Rembrandt painting is stolen from a New York office building one night, Gin sets her sights on Robert ‘Mac’ MacDougal as a potential suspect. She believes him to be a skilled international art thief and pursues him relentlessly. Despite Gin’s suspicions and persistence, Mac confronts her and reveals that he knows she is investigating him. In an unexpected twist, ...

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), an American romantic heist film directed by John McTiernan, portrays a group of thieves attempting to steal an entire gallery of paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their plan involves sneaking into the museum inside a Trojan horse, but they are ultimately caught. However, in the chaos that ensues, it is revealed that billionaire Thomas Crown was actually behind the elaborate scheme and has managed to make off with Monet’s painting of San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk. The theft catches the attention of NYPD Detective Michael McCann, who leads the investigation with assistance ...

The American thriller film, Apt Pupil (1998), directed by Bryan Singer and starring Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro, is based on the 1982 novella of the same name by Stephen King. Set in Southern California in 1984, 16-year-old high school student Todd Bowden makes a shocking discovery about his elderly neighbor, Arthur Denker. It turns out that Denker is actually Kurt Dussander—a former Nazi concentration camp commandant who has fled from justice. Intrigued by the horrors of ...

The American legal thriller film The Gingerbread Man (1998) was directed by Robert Altman and adapted from a rejected John Grisham manuscript. Rick Magruder, a divorced lawyer known for his shady tactics and defending criminals, celebrates another courtroom win at a party held by his firm. As he becomes increasingly intoxicated, he crosses paths with Mallory Doss, a waitress who has misplaced her car. Rick offers to drive her home, where her father Dixon Doss has already parked the vehicle. The two argue about Mallory’s mistreatment by her father before she ...

The mystery thriller film Johnny Skidmarks (1998) was directed by John Raffo. The main character, Johnny Scardino, is a crime scene photographer who regularly works with police detectives Larry Skovik and Woody Warshawski. Due to the nature of his job, he is often called ‘Johnny Skidmarks’ by the detectives. To cope with the horrors he sees, Johnny has built a wall of detachment around himself, which has only been reinforced by the recent death of his wife Ruth. He leads a solitary life, with his only companions being Ruth’s brother Jerry, who is always in need of attention and conversation, and their ...