Five of the best thriller movies currently streaming on Netflix

As the winter slowly comes to an end and most of the country has once again been hammered by extreme weather, and we continue to social distance, it is important to try to forget all the crazy stuff in real life for a while and instead watch some crazy stuff from the comfort of your own home and be glad that it is not you up there on the screen. So, get the snacks ready and those sweatpants on because we have done most of the work for you, here are five of the best thrillers you can watch on Netflix right now.

Gerald’s Game (2017)

This is based on the 1992 book of the same name by Stephen King, was once considered to be unfilmable, and a book that literally made me woozy (it was a great book though). So, what did I do? I watched the movie, and let me tell you, this one is not for the faint of heart. Directed by Mike Flanagan, this phycological thriller has the deeply dark and creepy subject matter that Stephen King is known for. Flanagan’s focus on the character of Jesse and what defines her and makes her strong, adds more emotional depth than most horror driven films.

Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood play married couple Jesse and Gerald Burlingame who are looking to spice things up on a getaway to their secluded house when things take a disturbing turn and Jesse is left handcuffed to the bed leaving her trapped and apparently alone. To survive, Jesse must not only confront the horror of her situation (including a hungry dog) but face the horrors of her past.

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Starring: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood

Director: Mike Flanagan

Rating: R

Runtime: 103 minutes

The Departed (2006)

While technically a remake of a 2002 film out of Hong Kong called Infernal Affairs, this Scorsese thriller also takes inspiration from the real-life American gang, the Boston Winter Hill gang. It has won multiple Oscars including Scorsese’s only win as Best Director. A classic tale of good versus bad and the consequences and the sacrifices of choosing sides while blurring the line between.

Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) is the boss of an Irish American gang in Boston who has the brilliant if not so original idea of putting one of his guys, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) inside the Massachusetts State Police. At the same time, the coppers also have the same idea and plant a mole of their own in the form of Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), a recent police academy graduate with family ties to mob. If you like surprise ending, then this one is for you.

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, Jack Nicholson

Director: Martin Scorsese

Rating: R

Runtime: 151 minutes

Inception (2010)

This award-winning film has a notorious ending that had the reddit boards on fire for months, and still today the debate goes on. Director Christopher Nolan takes us into a mind-bending world in which nothing is as it seems and you can’t trust anyone, relying only on a special personal item called a totem to tell reality from dreams.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a professional thief with a troubled past, who, with his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordan Levitt), steal secrets from out of people’s subconscious minds. Cobb is offered a chance for a clean slate in return for doing one last job, diving into a target’s subconscious to plant an idea that belongs to someone else. But things do not go exactly to plan, and old wounds are opened. So, buckle up and hope you don’t get motion sickness.

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Elliot Page

Director: Christopher Nolan

Rating: R

Runtime: 148 minutes

Uncut Gems (2019)

Adam Sandler gives a stellar performance that shows he is not just some goofy actor who makes jokes about wetting the bed. And he is not the only one, newcomer Julia Fox delivers an emotional performance that leaves you feeling hopeful despite the dark state of events elsewhere.

Howard Ratner (Sandler) plays a Jewish American diamond dealer in New York City, he has a terrible gambling addiction, is getting a divorce and is indebted to some bad people. He has made a deal for a rare and valuable opal but now must track it down before he loses out on the deal of a lifetime, all while making a series of questionable decisions. Get ready for twists, turns, and two hours of higher blood pressure.

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Starring: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Lakeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett

Director: Josh and Benny Safdie

Rating: R

Runtime: 135 minutes

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

These films were very enjoyable for any Sherlock Holmes fan and I am looking forward to the third installment when it finally hits screens big and small. Both Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law rock the roles of Sherlock and Watson, respectively. There is a ton of action, great Guy Ritchie camera work, and classic Sherlock Holmes references throughout the movie(s). The visuals and score of this film really help it stand out and make it an enjoyable period mystery thriller to watch.

The year is 1890 and Sherlock Holmes has just closed a dark and well-publicized case with the arrest and execution of Lord Henry Blackwood (Mark Strong). However, the case is reopened after Blackwood, believed to be dead, rose from his grave and is now missing. Holmes and his partner, Dr. John Watson, have been hired by a secret society to stop the seemingly supernatural Blackwood from taking control of England’s government. So, sit back and relax, Sherlock has this.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong

Director: Guy Ritchie

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 129 minutes