The 7 Most Suspenseful Thrillers On Paramount+ This February
It’s impossible to deny the utter charm surrounding a worthwhile thriller.
Taking viewers on a turbulent roller coaster of kinetic emotion, the best thrillers have a way of engaging audiences on an equally emotional and intellectual basis. As we work at unraveling the complex plots that make up these suspenseful films, we also contend with the explosive reactions we have to the movies’ plots, leading us to gasp, sob, or clap a hand over our mouths in rigid disbelief.
Fortunately for dedicated fans of thrillers, Paramount+ has an eclectic lineup of audacious, expectation-defying films in its online catalog, ranging from award-winning neo-Western crime dramas to little-known masterpieces from directors like Wes Craven and Sam Mendes.
Fatal Attraction (1987)
It’s impossible to summarize Fatal Attraction’s continued influence on the world of pop culture. Not only did it help spark audiences’ renewed interest in tonally evocative thrillers in the late 1980s – it also launched a multimedia franchise that has spawned West End theatrical recreations and a short-lived 2023 TV adaptation for Paramount+. In spite of all its endearing success, Fatal Attraction remains a captivating thriller first and foremost. Bolstered by a scene-stealing performance from Glenn Close, it’s bold, daring, and frequently surprising in terms of its plot and characterization, shattering viewers’ expectations whenever they start to form an opinion on where the film’s narrative might be headed next.
Red Eye (2005)
A forgotten gem from legendary horror director Wes Craven, Red Eye glides on the strength of Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy’s capable lead performances, each of whom excel in their respective roles as a prominent hotel owner and a merciless, sociopathic assassin-for-hire. Beginning almost as a meet-cute romantic comedy, Red Eye quickly shifts into a suspenseful thriller of almost Hitchcockian high quality, making its relatively obscure status today that much more frustrating and difficult to understand.
Road to Perdition (2002)
An actor with incredibly far range, Tom Hanks can convincingly play any role he’s been asked to portray, be it a lovesick Manhattan bookseller, a despondent castaway, a weary World War II soldier, or a jealous cowboy-themed children’s toy. With Road to Perdition, Hanks turns his attention to embodying an unscrupulous Mafia-backed hitman in the 1920s heartland, specifically chronicling his desperate attempts to escape from his employers alongside his young son. Bolstered by similarly remarkable performances from Jude Law, Daniel Craig, and the iconic Paul Newman, it’s a powerful crime drama that explores the lengths family members go to to protect their loved ones – even if it means putting their own lives in the line of fire in order to do so.
Hell or High Water (2016)
For the past 10 years, Taylor Sheridan has experienced a career genesis the likes of which viewers seldom witness in the entertainment industry. Rising from a supporting actor on Sons of Anarchy to one of the most prolific screenwriters working today, Sheridan has personally overseen production on such varied projects as Yellowstone, Sicario, 1883, 1923, Landman, and 2016’s Hell or High Water. With the latter, Sheridan pens an intelligent neo-Western thriller about two brothers who moonlight as professional banker robbers, as well as the grizzled Texas Ranger doggedly pursuing them. A clever deconstruction of age-old Western motifs, Hell or High Water marks another fantastic entry in Sheridan’s filmography, appealing to any fans of Yellowstone, No Country for Old Men, or Breaking Bad in the audience.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
If anyone remains the queen of the thriller genre, it’s the acclaimed novelist Patricia Highsmith. Having penned an extensive collection of psychological thrillers over the 20th century, Highsmith is best known for authoring the critically acclaimed Ripley books, several of which have provided the basis for equally celebrated adaptations. As with Highsmith’s original novel, 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley offers a harrowing look at a young conman’s increasingly disturbing commitment to his alternate identity. Relying on Matt Damon’s career-making performance in the lead role, The Talented Mr. Ripley discusses tantalizing ideas related to the self, using its underlying premise to evaluate existentialism, identity, jealousy, and morality, among many other topics.
Basic Instinct (1992)
There are films that make for excellent choices when it comes to family movie nights – and then there’s movies best seen alone, like 1992’s infamous thriller, Basic Instinct. A dark and steamy crime drama that fuses taut suspense with pulse-pounding plot twists, most viewers readily identify Basic Instinct with Sharon Stone’s chameleon-like lead performance as the sociopathic femme fatale, Catherine Tramell. While certainly a remarkable portrayal in and of itself, Stone’s performance only further complements Basic Instinct’s already sultry plot line, seamlessly blending elements of a neo-noir mystery with ambiguous characterization throughout.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
The Coen brothers have helmed many fantastic movies over the years, from the blustery dark comedy of Fargo to the cartoonish antics of The Big Lebowski. Yet even when compared to the siblings’ previous films, No Country for Old Men continues to stand apart as the greatest entry in the brothers’ filmography yet. A minimalist adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s neo-Western novel, No Country for Old Men uses its simplistic story to analyze the wildly different worldviews of each main character. Through its protagonists’ individual perspectives, the Coens deliver a nail-biting thriller that touches upon everything from chance, luck, and destiny to the random violence upending modern society (as personified by Javier Bardem’s philosophical hitman, Anton Chigurh).
