The 4 Best New Thrillers On Prime Video This August
The beginning of August takes us one step closer to the end of summer – but there’s still plenty to be excited about in the weeks ahead!
Most notably, a new month brings with it a fresh wave of arrivals to every major streaming platform, with Netflix, Prime Video, and HBO Max all boasting an exciting lineup of new content. Above all else, Prime Video in particular seems to be offering a rousing lineup of unforgettable thrillers, including some iconic gems from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s.
Cape Fear (1991)
Martin Scorsese has made a habit of partnering with Robert De Niro time and time again since their careers took off in the mid 1970s. But to this day, the duo’s strangest collaboration has to be their 1991 remake of 1962’s Cape Fear. Trading a sleazy Robert Mitchum for an equally oily De Niro, Cape Fear lives on as a psychological thriller as rugged as it is simmeringly suspenseful – the kind of Southern Gothic horror movie you’d never expect to see from the typically crime-oriented Scorsese or De Niro.
Miami Vice (2006)
More than likely, everyone knows the beloved NBC TV series that put Don Johnson on the map in the mid to late 1980s. Far less commonly known is the 2006 Miami Vice remake starring Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell. With both stars effortlessly personifying the ultra-cool look of Miami law enforcement agents, Miami Vice is a sleek and stylish ode to the original series it’s based upon, albeit with far more grit and grime to sustain modern viewers today.
Blow Out (1981)
There’s a reason Brian De Palma was routinely described as Hitchcock’s successor back in the 1980s. Throughout most of his films, De Palma channeled the same psychologically disturbing atmosphere as the Master of Suspense, whether looking at Carrie, Sisters, Dressed to Kill, or 1981’s Blow Out. With the latter film, De Palma relies on a visibly burnt-out John Travolta to round out a story about a sound technician who believes he’s accidentally witnessed a potential murder. A dark, disturbing thriller about the murky world of post-Watergate politics, it’s almost certainly one of the strongest additions to either De Palma or Travolta’s respective careers.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quite possibly the most famous cinematic release of the 1990s, Pulp Fiction also holds up as Quentin Tarantino’s most beloved film to date, even when compared to his more recent successes with Inglourious Basterds or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. An unconventional deconstruction of the modern crime narrative, Tarantino thoughtfully breaks down the various interweaving avenues between crime, thriller, and comedy in the course of Pulp Fiction’s two and a half-hour runtime, causing audiences to laugh when they least expect it and cringe when they should be laughing.
