Great suspenseful thrillers

Are you the type of person who loves watching suspense movies like The usual suspects, Shutter island or Se7en and always tries to guess what’s going to happen before the end?

If yes, then this article is for you. I’m going to recommend you some of my favorite thriller/suspense movies. Do not worry, this is a spoiler free zone!

1. Identity

Identity (2003) was created and directed by Michael Cooney and James Mangold. It is a mystery/psychological thriller starring the amazing John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall and Rebecca De Mornay.

It's the story of 10 strangers who become stranded in an isolated motel in Nevada when a rain storm breaks out. They mysteriously start being killed of one by one while the limo driver Ed Dakota (John Cusack) does everything to stay alive and find out who the killer is. At the same time, a serial killer awaits execution after having killed a group of motel guests.

This might seem like your typical thriller movie but it's more interesting than you might think. While it was inspired on Agatha Christie's story And then there were none, it is quite different on many aspects. Some might classify it as a horror movie, but the real horror fans know that it really isn't scary. However, there are some moments that might make you jump. There are a few twists and the ending wasn't easy to guess for me. If you like a challenge, this might be a good choice for you!

2. The Invisible Guest

The invisible guest (2016) is a spanish movie written and directed by Oriol Paulo. It stars Mario Casas , Ana Wagener , José Coronado and Bárbara Lennie.

During this movie, we follow a successful businessman (Mario Casas) accused of murdering his mistress after waking up next to her dead body in a locked room. He has 3 hours before his trial to come up with the best defense, with the help of his lawyer, and to prove that he is innocent.

Normally, I'm used to watching american movies and don't really bother with spanish movies, because sometimes the voices just don't match the actors. However, I liked this one. If you're wondering, this movie is on Netflix so this is convenient. Personnally, I think the actors and the director did a really good job. I was hooked from the moment I started the movie until the end. The conversations between the lawyer and her client were pretty interesting and make you doubt everything you think you know

3. The Exam

The exam (2009) is a british psychological thriller written by Stuart Hazeldine, Simon Garrity and also directed by Stuart Hazeldine. It stars Colin Salmon, Chris Carey, Jimi Mistry, Luke Mably, Gemma Chan, Chukwudi Iwuji, John Lloyd Fillingham, Pollyanna McIntosh, Adar Beck and Nathalie Cox.

To get the corporate job of their dreams in a mysterious but powerful company, 8 candidates are locked together in an exam room and have to pass a final test in 80 minutes to be hired. They have 3 rules to respect to not be disqualified : they cannot speak to the guard at the door, they can't waste their sheet and cannot leave the room. Quickly they realize something.. they don't know the question.

I stumbled on this movie a few months ago while I was trying to find a suspense movie that I never watched. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It's a low-budget movie but everything is in the story and the acting. What I can say without spoiling you is that quickly after the exam starts, the tension between the candidates becomes palpable and the viewer can feel it too. You end up trying to understand what's going on and what everyone is missing.

4. The Prestige

The prestige (2006) is a science fiction thriller movie written and directed by Jonathan and Christopher Nolan. It stars a lot of amazing actors like Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson and Michael Caine.

We follow the story of two stage magicians, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who become rivals after a tragic accident during one of their show. They then engage in a battle where they do everything (and I mean everything) to surpass the other and become the best magician in London. It is based on Christopher Priest's novel.

This movie is quite popular so you might have heard about it or already seen it. I love magic and illusions so this was the perfect fit for me. I saw it twice and my friends loved it too. The actors' performances and the script are amazing. I mean it IS a Christopher Nolan movie so I wasn't expecting anything less. He directed movies like Inception, Interstellar, Memento and so on.

The movie is really intriguing. When you finish it, you just feel like watching it again to try to spot all the clues that you might have missed the first time you watched it. The characters sacrifice a lot to beat the other one but is it worth it? You should juge for yourself.

5. Secret in their eyes

Secret in their eyes (2015) is a thriller written and directed by Billy Ray. It is an adaptation of Juan José Campanella's movie El secreto de sus ojos (2009). They are both based on Eduardo Sacheri's novel La pregunta de sus ojos. The american version stars Chiwetel Ejiofor , Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts.

In 2002, a team of FBI investigators is pulled apart when the daughter of one member is brutally assassinated. They will do everything to find and catch the murderer.

So first of all, I must say that the original movie El secreto de sus ojos (2009) is more popular than the Hollywood remake. In general, people say that the original is just better because of the ending but the two movies aren't that different storywise. For my part, I will recommend you the american version only because that's the one I watched.

When you only read the plot, this movie seems like your normal crime/drama movie, but it is much more than that. There are a few twists and some flashbacks. What impressed me the most was Julia Roberts's acting. She really succeeds to convey to the viewer her character's feelings. I was pretty mindblown after I finished the movie. I definitely liked it and recommend it to you.

6. Primal Fear

Primal fear (1996) is a legal thriller written by Steve Shagan and directed by Gregory Hoblit. It is based on William Diehl's novel of the same name. It stars Richard, Laura Linney and Edward Norton.

Martin Vail (Richard Gere), a successful defense attorney in Chicago, volunteers to defend a young timid man who has been accused of murdering an influential Catholic archbishop. He will go to greath lengths to win his case like he always does and to prove that his client is not guilty.

I was really glad that I found this movie after I finished it. Richard Gere is great like he always is but Edward Norton's acting was wonderful. It's one of the first movie he acted in and the critics loved his performance. His character was pretty naive but you can't do nothing but feel for his situation. On his part, Martin Vail, realizes how laborious his work can be and what he's ready to do to keep his reputation intact.

7. Arrival

Arrival (2016) is an american science fiction movie written by Eric Heisserer and directed by Denis Villeneuve. It is based on Ted Chiang's short story Story of your life. It stars Amy Adams , Jeremy Renner , Forest Whitaker and Michael Stuhlbarg.

When 12 mysterious spacecrafts appear in different places around the world, the United states military enlist a linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) to be part of a team of experts. They will attempt to communicate with the extraterrestrial aliens to understand what their intentions are. Their arrival provoke extreme reactions which means the team doesn't have a lot of time to obtain their answers to prevent a war between the two species.

Arrival is pretty different from the other movies that I recommended. It is original and has a lot of depth and complexity. Denis Villeneuve is really good to capture the tension in his movies and is a director who is often compared to Christopher Nolan because they're both greats in what they do.

While this movie might be considered as slow burning, I put it in this list because it is engaging and there are some things that you don't expect. Amy adams's acting is really good and I love the whole aspect of the language in it. When you'll finish this movie, you'll probably rewatch it or read people's review to see if you understood the same thing that they did and if they loved it too.

8. The Departed

The Departed (2006) is a crime thriller movie written by William Monahan and directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the Hong King movie by Alan Mak and Felix Chong Internal Affairs. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio , Matt Damon , Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg , Martin Sheen , Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin.

The movie follows two characters, an undercovercop state trooper who is assigned to infiltrate an Irish gang and a mole in the Massachussets State Police. Their task is to identify each other for their superiors.

Alright this movie is truly a masterpiece and that's what I was expecting with this A-list actors. I really don't know what I can say to do this film justice. I wouldn't be surprised if you've already seen it, because it's the perfect movie for someone who loves suspense and thrillers. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. When you think you know what's going, you're proven wrong and something else happens. Leonardo's performance was outstanding but they really all did a great job. If you can guess the ending without making any mistakes then bravo.

So that's it for this list. I might do a part two because I have other suspense movies that I could talk to you about. Anyway I hope you'll find a movie in this list that will suit you and that you'll like

Good luck!