In the mood for a good thriller? Subscribe to Prime Video? Tony Stamp has searched through its archives and picked the top thrillers currently available on the streaming platform.
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* All new movies & series on Prime Video
* All new streaming movies & series
The Assistant (1983)
Perpetually hushed, and all the more unnerving for it, Kitty Green’s debut saw Julia Garner playing against type as a meek assistant to a Hollywood executive. The film expertly catalogues the ways her character Jane is powerless to stop her boss’s various abuses of power.
The Beta Test (2021)
Watch on Prime VideoJim Cummings has written, directed and starred in several comedic films that hinge on his skill at playing people on the edge of a breakdown. Thunder Road was dramatic, The Wolf of Snow Hollow dabbled in horror, and The Beta Test, which he co-helmed with PJ McCabe, plays in the thriller genepool, as his character is offered an anonymous sexual encounter, which leads to a conspiracy dramatically unravelling.
Charade (1963)
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEOIf this mystery-thriller had nothing more than the screen-melting charm of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, it’d still be a must-watch. Even better, it sports Parisian locations, secret agents, and mistaken identity, all threaded through a compulsively watchable narrative that only reveals its hand at the last moment.
Come to Daddy (2019)
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New Zealand director Ant Timpson enlisted Elijah Wood for his debut feature, which is less assaultive than you may expect, and more slippery and suspenseful. Several esteemed characters enter the frame as Wood’s protagonist travels to meet his estranged dad, discovering all is not what it seems.
Coming Home in the Dark (2021)
Watch on Prime VideoA lean, very upsetting slice of NZ gothic depicting the worst family holiday ever, which sees parents Erik Thomson and Miriama McDowell tormented by an excellent Daniel Gillies, for reasons that are revealed over the course of the film. First-time director James Ashcroft expertly deploys a series of hair raising moments, but the film’s real strength is the way it will provoke thought and self-reflection once the credits roll.
The Endless (2017)
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEOBefore they were directors of various Marvel TV shows, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead made several low budget brain-twisters, this one also featuring them in the lead roles as two brothers who used to belong to a cult. Revealing the way the film ties into Moorhead and Benson’s other work would be a spoiler, suffice to say that when the brothers explore their past, things head in unexpected directions.
The Equalizer 3 (2023)
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEOThe most surprising thing about the third instalment of Denzel Washington’s action-thriller franchise is how gorgeous it often looks, thanks in part to being set in the Italian countryside. The second is that it might be the series’ best entry, turning on a dime from wholesome tranquillity to borderline horror whenever Denzel is required to equalise some dudes.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEOThe upgrade from the made-for-TV vibes of the Swedish original to the pristine, expert craft of David Fincher is considerable. When his directorial precision is paired with airport novel pulp the results always sing. Not afraid to navigate some incredibly dark material, the film hums with the energy of a great page-turner.
Gorky Park (1983)
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Lauded British director Michael Apted took on this story of an apparent serial killer in Moscow, casting William Hurt as a police investigator tasked with a grisly murder scene, The case leads him in unexpected directions, including crossing paths with some American operators. Fans of procedural mysteries will find plenty to enjoy.
The Guilty (2018)
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEOMiles better than its Hollywood adaptation, this Danish masterstroke follows a police officer dealing with emergency calls, eventually trying to contain an unfolding situation on the other end of the line. It makes the most of its cramped single location to ratchet up pressure on the lone cop, each phone exchange shedding new light on what’s happening outside the station.
I’m Your Woman (2020)
Watch on Prime VideoRachel Brosnahan will soon be seen as Lois Lane in James Gunn’s Superman; here she plays Jean, a 1970s wife to a professional thief, who one day comes home with a baby for her to raise, then promptly disappears. From there things get increasingly tangled, as Jean is drawn into the criminal underworld, and forced to make some tough choices.
Missing (2023)
Watch on Prime VideoA standalone sequel to Searching, the screenlife movie starring John Cho, this takes a similar premise (hunting for clues about a disappearance, presented on computer and phone screens), and ramps it up to absurdly enjoyable levels. This time it’s Storm Reid trying to track down her missing mom, a device-bound journey through multiple countries and government agencies, with a denouement I’ll wager you won’t predict.
Layer Cake (2004)
Watch on Prime VideoIn hindsight this was ground zero for a few things: Matthew Vaughn’s career as a director (after producing for Guy Ritchie), and Daniel Craig’s as a leading man. He plays a coke dealer, morally pretty far from Bond but equally suave, with Vaughn testing his bag of Ritchie-esque tricks, ones he’d eventually deploy in a string of less-successful spy movies.
Master (2022)
Watch on Prime VideoIf nothing else, it’s nice to see Regina Hall in a dramatic leading role, all these years after her turn in the Scary Movie franchise. She plays the first Black master (or principal) at an elite New England University, whose students begin to suffer attacks that may be racially-motivated. Hall’s character begins to investigate, unearthing some of the institution’s secrets in the process.
Old Man (2022)
Directed by Lucky McKee (responsible for the cult hit May), Old Man stars veteran tough guy Stephen Lang in the lead role, as he encounters a young hitcher, and questions arise about their respective motivations and backgrounds. The story expands out in unexpected ways as it bores into its subject’s subconscious.
Pearl (2022)
Watch on Prime VideoTi West’s follow up to his (relatively) straight ahead slasher X, Pearl heads into more psychological thriller territory as it charts the early days of the prior film’s antagonist. Mia Goth delivers one in a run of unhinged performances, the movie humming with tension because you know what her character’s capable of, and may unleash on the surrounding players.
The Report (2019)
Watch on Prime VideoAdam Driver leads this real life story of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into the Central Intelligence Agency’s use of torture in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Following information that leads all the way up to president George W Bush, the film stays engrossing despite having a somewhat foregone conclusion, as potential crimes are buried in layers of bureaucracy.
Running Scared (2006)
Watch on Prime VideoA few years into his run as Brian as part of the Fast & Furious franchise, Paul Walker played Joey Gazelle in this grungy, occasionally gonzo crime flick. Playing a low level mafioso charged with disposing of a murder weapon, Walker finds himself racing to retrieve it, encountering a roster of shady characters along the way.
A Simple Favour (2018)
Watch on Prime VideoHelmed by Paul Feig, better known for joke-delivery vehicles like Bridesmaids, Spy, and the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, this Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively vehicle surprised with how seriously it took its twist-laden plot, courtesy of Jessica Sharzer’s taut screenplay. Double and triple crosses abound, and it’s all a bit comedic, sure, but also much more thrilling than you might expect.
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek (2018)
Watch on Prime VideoThe dependably stoic James Badge Dale heads up this single-location thriller, following an American militia who learn that one of their members has opened fire at a police funeral. A hunt for the perpetrator ensues, as the police draw ever closer, Dale making his way through a list of great character actor suspects. The mystery runs till the final moments, panning out in delightfully unexpected ways.
The Survivalist (2015)
Watch on Prime VideoA lone man lives in a house out in the woods, fending for himself following a disaster in our near-future. The arrival of a pair of women (one of them played by Mia Goth in an early role), tests the man’s trust and preparedness. As stripped-back and taut as its characters, it’s a film that asks its audience what they might do in a similarly desperate situation.
The Vast of Night (2019)
Watch on Prime VideoIt’s not often you see something that feels this outside the box, as director Andrew Patterson uses innovative cinematography and a reliance on sound design to spin a yarn about unidentified phenomena in 1950s New Mexico. Gripping throughout with a heck of a payoff, Patterson locks in on his two protagonists, letting their fascinations and foibles drive the story.
Whiplash (2014)
Watch on Prime VideoDrum lessons wouldn’t seem to be the stuff of thrillers, but in the hands of Damien Chazelle they most certainly are. Miles Teller’s enrolment at a prestigious jazz academy turns out to involve psychological and physical abuse at the hands of his tutor J.K. Simmons, a dynamic which takes over both their lives, becoming a game of cat and mouse between two seriously intense individuals.
