Netflix’s Top Thrillers to Watch Tonight

It’s getting hot outside, and the sofa looks better than ever. Now is the time to snuggle in and enjoy a thrilling, riveting movie that will keep you guessing. It’s thriller season. And Netflix has your back. This critic-curated list contains the top Netflix thrillers right now, saving you time and hassle.

Bird Box (2018)

It was a viral hit when it launched on streaming service The Night Manager in 2018. Susanne Bier’s survivalist nailbiter stars Sandra Bullock, who plays a strong mother trying to save her children from a strange threat: an evil force that you must not look at lest your worst self harm impulses be realized. Bullock, who is blindfolded, tries to guide her fellow survivors, including Jacki Weaver, John Malkovich and Moonlight’s Trevante Rhods. Bird Box wants to do the same for sightlessness as A Quiet Place did with sound. It will turn our senses into our worst nightmares.

Black Sea (2014)

Who doesn’t love a good sub-sea thriller? Kevin Macdonald’s Black Sea was released in theaters. It deserved a better fate than it got. Jude Law top-lines as a hard-luck mercenary sub captain who’s approached by a wealthy (and shady) speculator with a get-rich-or-die-trying mission (also shady): locate a multimillion-dollar stash of Russian gold bullion that went down with a Nazi sub during World War II. This intense, unspoken workout is full of double crosses and deep sea claustrophobia. Not to mention a few — even more shady — crewmates.

Blade Runner (1982)

Ridley Scott’s scifi classic was recently added to Netflix. However, some people may not have noticed it because it is buried among the streamer’s many titles. You’re likely to have seen this futuristic-shock thriller before. But even if it is, you should revisit it. This film is so intricate and multilayered that you will always find something new. Harrison Ford plays a futuristic private investigator in Bogart mode, trying to track down a group of renegade replicants. This is the place for you if you enjoy thrillers that are intricate and jigsaw-intricate.

Croupier (1998)

Clive Owen’s breakout role was this small-minded British indie. It’s a dark descent into the nightlife of London’s casinos, and its after-hours dens illicit thrills. Owen portrays a fast-fingered dealer who longs to become a writer. However, he can’t seem separate the two. This leads him into deeper ethical waters as he plays his illegal trade at blackjack and craps tables in search of material for the book that he wants. It’s clear why Owen was made a star by Croupier. He is seductive, smart, and eager to make money for suckers.

The Fall from Grace (2020)

Tyler Perry is best known for his Madea comedy skits. This Netflix original features Crystal Fox, a woman who has been accused of murdering her husband, Mehcad Brooks. Perry is a master of Lifetime-movie trappings and he does a lot of it, but there’s still something to be enjoyed in a good guilty pleasure. It keeps you guessing and even includes walk-ons from people like Phylicia Rashad.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Another great puzzle box movie. It deserved a better fate at the box-office than it got. Based on Stieg Larsson’s first Scandinavian bestseller, David Fincher’s bruising procedural stars Daniel Craig playing a disgraced Swedish journalist. He’s hired to solve a murder that has been going on for decades by Christopher Plummer (a brash, entitled man). Their investigation leads them to perverse and dark places with the assistance of an antisocial hacker (an excellent Rooney Mara). It is a cold, clinical movie. But it does not only freeze your blood in the best possible ways. We’d already be in the third or fourth sequel if Hollywood was doing any justice.

The Guilty (2021)

The Guilty is a Hollywood remake of the 2018 Danish import. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a 911 dispatcher for LAPD who’s evening is disrupted when he gets a call from Riley Keough, a woman who has been kidnapped. Her kidnapper is able to hear her and force her to speak code. Gyllenhaal’s cop kicks into high gear as he attempts to put two and two together to save Riley Keough before she’s killed. Although the movie almost exclusively features Gyllenhaal, director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), knows how to make that a strength and ramp up tension scene by scene. You might find this story a little thin. But, there is a twist in the last act. No, I’m not revealing the details.

In the Line of Fire (1993)

This film is one of my favorites from Clint Eastwood’s ’90s section. Eastwood portrays an aging agent in the secret service who is still haunted from the guilt of being on duty when JFK was assassinated at Dallas. On the eve his retirement, Eastwood is taunted by John Malkovich about taking out President Kennedy. This film sounds more corny than it really is. This is actually one of those Hollywood blockbusters that manages both to be complex and slick at the same time. There are a few truly memorable action scenes thanks to Malkovich and Wolfgang Petersen’s brilliantly unhinged lunatic.

Leon: The Professional (1994)

You might be wondering how it is possible to have a film about a heartless, remorseless hit man allow for emotional tenderness and tears. The Professional is directed by Luc Besson and stars Jean Reno playing Leon, a French contract killer who watches a family get wiped out by a dirty cop (Gary Oldman). Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl (Natalie Portman’s first major role), is the only survivor. He takes her under his wing and teaches her all about his business. It sounds crazy irresponsible. But it works remarkably well.

Mystic River (2003)

Clint Eastwood returns with another title, but this time he is not in front of the camera. This blistering adaptation from Dennis Lehane’s brutal bestseller is his second for this list. Three childhood friends (Tim Robbins Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn) are forced to confront their pasts after Penn’s murder of Penn’s daughter. Penn’s Oscar-winning performance may be the most memorable, but this movie is one of those films where you can see great performances no matter what part of the screen you are looking at.

Shutter Island (2010)

Shutter Island, the most often dismissed collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio & Martin Scorsese is a beautiful slice of 1940s pulp fiction. This movie is also one of those films where the viewer never knows where they stand. It’s also one that’s good for you. DiCaprio is a U.S. Marshall, who arrives on an island-bound insane asylum with Mark Ruffalo to investigate the disappearance and conviction of a murderer inmate. As he starts to sniff around, more mysteries and dark deeds begin to emerge. We won’t spoil Scorsese’s most memorable twists. But we can assure you that they are doozies.

22 July (2018)

Paul Greengrass directs 22 July, which is the true-crime procedural that tells the story of the horrible 2011 massacre in Norway of 77 people by a right-wing extremist. While the movie is not exploitative in any way, it’s based on reality and makes every second of the film feel like a punch to the gut. While the mass murderer’s primary grievance is the open borders policy of the United States, the film doesn’t dwell too much on politics. Instead, it focuses on the real-time responses of the police and politicians to the tragedy. The story is reminiscent of Greengrass’s early 9/11 drama, United 93. It sweeps you up in its granular minutiae. You can’t exhale until the story is over before you see the larger picture.

Uncut Gems (2019)

You might not think of pulse-pounding thrillers when you hear Adam Sandler’s name. This gritty, tightening Sandler film is the type of film that will make your heart race and get your nerves tingling. Sandler is a New York City gambling addict who gets caught up in the thrill of seeing how close he can get to oblivion. Uncut Gems, directed by the Safdie brothers is one of the most anxious nights at the movies that you might be able to watch. Sandler’s tightrope walking performance is brilliant, but it’s hard to deny its brilliance. Many movies are called “thrillers”, but this one is truly a chiller.