The 21 best thriller movies on Amazon Prime Video to get your pulse up

The 21 best thriller movies on Amazon Prime Video to get your pulse up

Looking for some cinematic excitement? Add these heart-pounding action films and psychological slow-burns to your watchlist.

By Ilana Gordon, Kevin Jacobsen, and Hayley Arnold

on September 4, 2025 10:13 a.m. ET

Peter Weller as RoboCop in 'RoboCop'; Ansel Elgort as Baby in 'Baby Driver'; Josh Brolin as Llewelyn Moss in 'No Country for Old Men'. Credit:

Orion Pictures Corp/Courtesy Everett Collection; Sony Pictures; Richard Foreman/Miramax

In a genre saturated with formulaic, predictable plots, sifting through thrillers to find gems takes time. So, we took the guesswork out of your next movie night. Featuring directorial debuts and staples from seasoned pros, this list highlights the best thrillers on Amazon Prime to satisfy lovers of action, mystery, horror, and foreign flicks. Each one brings a breath of fresh air to the genre while offering *just* enough suspense to kick your heart rate up a notch.

Here are the 21 best thriller movies streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle and John Goodman as Harold Stambler in '10 Cloverfield Lane'. Michele K. Short/Paramount Pictures

Released eight years after the first *Cloverfield* movie hit theaters, *10 Cloverfield Lane* takes a more psychological — and minimalist — approach to the sci-fi horror franchise. Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) awakens after a car accident to find herself injured and chained to a wall inside a bunker. Her captor (or savior, depending on who you ask), Howard (John Goodman), explains that Earth has been attacked, the outside world is poisonous and uninhabitable, and the only way to survive is to remain in the bunker with him and his fellow doomsday roomie, Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), for the next few years.

Slowly, Michelle begins to adapt to life underground — until she discovers clues that suggest that Howard may not have been honest with her about the world's circumstances. The second of three films in the franchise — with *The Cloverfield Paradox* following in 2018 — *10 Cloverfield Lane* is only tangentially related to its predecessor, but the film's lean cast and terse plot make it an entertaining addition to the series. *—Ilana Gordon***

Where to watch *10 Cloverfield Lane*: Amazon Prime Video**

**EW grade:** B (read the review)**

**Director: **Dan Trachtenberg **

**Cast: **Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr., Bradley Cooper

Baby Driver (2017)

Ansel Elgort as Baby in 'Baby Driver'.

Wilson Webb/Sony

An action crime thriller two decades in the making, director Edgar Wright puts the pedal to the metal with *Baby Driver*, transforming what could have been just another heist film into a stylistic masterpiece with a soundtrack to match. The movie follows a young getaway driver named Baby (Ansel Elgort) whose attempts to extricate himself from a life of crime go awry after he is forced to participate in a post office robbery.

Baby is a fantastic character — a young, Southern kid with tinnitus and a tragic past — surrounded by violent sadists, and the film is part mixtape, part love story, and part *Reservoir Dogs*-style murder romp. EW's critic writes that *Baby Driver* "is a candy-colored action movie opera, where the music doesn't just accompany the action — it fuels it." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Baby Driver*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade: **A– (read the review)

**Director: **Edgar Wright

**Cast: **Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Eiza González, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Andy Hanson and Marisa Tomei as Gina Hanson in 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead'.

Money is the root of all evil, and in Sidney Lumet's 2007 crime thriller, *Before the Devil Knows You're Dead*, money rots the Hanson family from the inside out. After finance executive Andy Hanson (Philip Seymour Hoffman) realizes his embezzling activities are on the cusp of being discovered, he convinces his similarly cash-strapped younger brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke), to rob their parents' jewelry store.

The siblings' "victimless" crime does not work out as hoped, and as their father seeks revenge on the mysterious perpetrators, his two sons struggle to clean up the mess they left behind. The last film Lumet made before his death in 2011, *Before the Devil* is arguably his best. EW's critic at the time writes, "Lumet's camera has become an invisible cage, inviting us to study the behavior of the human animals trapped inside." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Before the Devil Knows You're Dead*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade: **A (read the review)

**Director: **Sidney Lumet

**Cast: **Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris, Marisa Tomei

The Bourne Identity (2002)

Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in 'The Bourne Identity'.

The first of five films in the Jason Bourne franchise, this action film serves as the origin story for the man who goes from government agent to government target. After an unidentified male is fished out of the water with two gunshots in his back and a total lack of memory or identity, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) goes on a mission to find out who he is, where he came from, and why so many shadowy operatives are hunting him.

A spycraft thriller that doesn't skimp on chase scenes or fight sequences, *The Bourne Identity *might not be the best the franchise has to offer, but it possesses a magic all its own. As EW's critic says in a 2022 rewatch of the film, "How can you not celebrate an action thriller that shows protagonists acting like actual, recognizable humans in the face of random self-defenestration?" *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Bourne Identity*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade: **(Read the review)

**Director: **Doug Liman

**Cast: **Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, Brian Cox, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Coherence (2013)

Emily Foxler as Em in 'Coherence'. Everett Collection

A comet in the sky plunges a dinner party into chaos, and eight friends fall deep into paranoia when they discover identical versions of themselves across the street. This sci-fi mind-bender from James Ward Byrkit follows the crew as they grapple with what's real, who's real, and good ol' Schrödinger's cat.

Byrkit's style is understated, making the viewer feel like a fly on the wall as the setting oscillates between the kitchen and dining room for the bulk of the film. But this singular approach delivers striking intensity, with a palpable pressure pulsing throughout the home and frenetic dialogue dialing up the tension. —*Hayley Arnold*

Where to watch *Coherence*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** James Ward Byrkit

**Cast:** Emily Foxler, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Lorene Scafaria

Die Hard (1988)

Bruce Willis as John McClane in 'Die Hard'. Twentieth Century Fox

Fans have debated whether *Die Hard* is a Christmas movie for more than three decades, but it's an agreed upon fact that the film launched one of the most beloved action thriller franchises of all time. The first of five installments introduces audiences to the series' hero — New York police officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) — who has traveled to Los Angeles hoping to rekindle a romance with his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia). After German terrorists — led by the nefarious Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) — take control of the building where Holly's company's Christmas party is being held, McClane must work to take down the bad guys from the inside in order to save his family.

The world has *Die Hard* to thank for elevating both Willis' and Rickman's careers, and while Willis' 2022 retirement due to his aphasia diagnosis brought an end to the franchise, *Die Hard* will always be remembered as the movie that helped cement his legacy as one of the foremost action stars of all time.* —I.G.***

Where to watch *Die Hard*: Amazon Prime Video**

**Director:** John McTiernan**

**Cast:** Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Bonnie Bedelia

Donnie Darko (2001)

Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko in 'Donnie Darko'.

Mary Evans/Pandora Cinema/Flower Films/Adam Fields Productions/GA/Ronald Grant/Courtesy Everett Collection

Sleep disorders, hallucinations, and rabbit costume-clad figures prophesying humanity's imminent destruction are just a few of the treats provided in *Donnie Darko*, a trippy sci-fi thriller with a stacked cast. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Donnie, a teenager struggling with his mental health, who begins sleepwalking and experiencing visions that take a toll on his everyday life. Also starring Jake's real-life sibling Maggie Gyllenhaal as Donnie's sister, the film was quickly adopted by college kids and film students as the movie to watch in the early aughts.

*Donnie Darko* struggled at the box office primarily due to bad timing: The film's theatrical release was scheduled for shortly after the 9/11 attacks and the movie — which features a plane crash — suffered accordingly. Regardless, the film quickly achieved cult classic status, and, according to EW, is one of Gyllenhaal's best performances. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Donnie Darko*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade:** (Read the review)

**Director:** Richard Kelly

**Cast: **Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Seth Rogen, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze, Ashley Tisdale

The Handmaiden (2016)

Kim Tae-ri as Sook-Hee and Kim Min-hee as Lady Hideko in 'The Handmaiden'. Everett Collection

It's no surprise that this film from Park Chan-wook — about a handmaiden who is hired to interfere with the marriage of a wealthy heiress for a hefty payout — is visually dazzling, and the costuming and cinematography alone are enough to bewitch. Then, Chan-wook tosses in a twist, and then another, and the film's handsome veneer is removed to unveil the wickedly sinister tones lurking beneath.

Ravishing and exhilarating, *The Handmaiden* is about both intimate love and crude obscenity, which Chan-wook expertly balances to complement each other well. —*H.A.*

Where to watch *The Handmaiden*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Park Chan-wook

**Cast:** Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong

The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

Frank Lovejoy as Gilbert Bowen and Edmond O'Brien as Roy Collins in 'The Hitch-Hiker'.

Courtesy Everett Collection

Ida Lupino made history as the first female director to helm a Hollywood film noir with this gripping thriller, which takes inspiration from real-life spree killer Billy Cook. Roy (Edmond O'Brien) and Gilbert (Frank Lovejoy) are driving through California where they unwittingly pick up a murderous hitchhiker, Emmett Myers (William Talman), who is wanted by police. Myers holds the two men at gunpoint and instructs them to transport him to a specific location to evade capture.

Lupino makes the most of a low budget, crafting a genuinely suspenseful thriller with potent emotional resonance. —*Kevin Jacobsen*

Where to watch *The Hitch-Hiker*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Ida Lupino

**Cast:** Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman

The Infiltrator (2016)

Bryan Cranston as Robert Mazur in 'The Infiltrator'.

Liam Daniel/Broad Green Pictures

Behind the scenes, the biographical crime drama thriller *The Infiltrator* is actually a family affair. Written by Ellen Brown Furman and directed by her son, Brad Furman, the movie is set in the 1980s and follows the infiltration and dissolution of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar's money laundering business. Three years after *Breaking Bad* went off the air, Bryan Cranston switches sides from meth maker to cartel breaker, starring as real-life U.S. Customs Special Agent Robert Mazur, whose undercover work was crucial in exposing Escobar's far-reaching financial misdeeds.

Pivoting effortlessly from family man to ruthless felon, Cranston once again puts his acting range on full display, with a nuanced performance that is underscored by the knowledge that the slightest misstep could cost him — and his family — their lives. The film may have premiered a year after Netflix released *Narcos*, but Cranston's efforts are enough to distinguish the project and make it a must-watch. *—I.G. *

Where to watch *The Infiltrator*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade: **B+ (read the review)

**Director:** Brad Furman

**Cast: **Bryan Cranston, Diane Kruger, John Leguizamo, Benjamin Bratt, Yul Vazquez, Amy Ryan

Memento (2001)

Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby in 'Memento'.

Danny Rothenberg/Newmarket

Christopher Nolan emerged as one of the most inventive mainstream directors of his generation with this cerebral crime thriller. Guy Pearce stars as Leonard, a man with amnesia struggling to put the pieces together of who killed his wife. Unable to store new memories, Leonard develops an elaborate system of documentation involving photographs and tattoos to provide connective tissue to his future self.

"*Memento* has a spooky repetitive urgency that takes on the clarity of a dream," writes EW's critic. "It's like an Oliver Sacks case study played as malevolent film noir." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Memento*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade:** A (read the review)

**Director:** Christopher Nolan

**Cast:** Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano

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Monster (2003)

Christina Ricci as Selby Wall and Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos in 'Monster'. Everett Collection

Almost 15 years before Patty Jenkins was recognized in the superhero sphere for her work on *Wonder Woman*, she wrote and directed her first feature film, *Monster*, following the origin story of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Starring Charlize Theron in the titular role that won her the Academy Award for Best Actress, *Monster* is the gripping tale of Wuornos' romance with her girlfriend, Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), her descent into sex work, and subsequently, murder.

Theron's physical transformation for the role is well-documented — she gained 30 pounds, changed her hair, wore prosthetic teeth, and shaved her eyebrows — but what makes her performance one of cinema's most memorable is the way she uses her physical and emotional choices to bolster the effect of that external metamorphosis. *—I.G. *

Where to watch *Monster*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade:** (Read the review)

**Director: **Patty Jenkins

**Cast: **Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh and Zach Hopkins as a deputy in 'No Country for Old Men'.

Miramax/Courtesy Everett

Crime thriller *No Country for Old Men* boasts an impressive cast list, but the true star of the film is the silence that pervades the viewing experience. A film by the Coen brothers, *No Country* doesn't offer much in the way of dialogue, but the things that are said are potent enough to make your hair stand on end. A former EW critic writes that the film "is the Coens' first movie in ages that doesn't rely on snark as a backup source of energy, the first Coen script that respects its own characters wholeheartedly, without a wink."

Those characters include Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a hunter who discovers the remains of a drug bust gone wrong, and makes off with the cash left behind. Pursued by the law, a bounty hunter, and a psychopathic hitman with a pageboy haircut, Llewelyn's choice to take the cash puts everything he's ever loved at risk. Adapted from the 2005 novel by Cormac McCarthy, *No Country for Old Men* is well worth your time, but beware: You'll never look at a coin toss the same way again. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *No Country for Old Men*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade: **A (read the review)

**Directors:** Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

**Cast:** Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, Javier Bardem

Pulp Fiction (1994)

John Travolta as Jimmie Dimmick and Samuel L. Jackson as Vincent Vega in 'Pulp Fiction'. Everett Collection

One of Quentin Tarantino's many seminal works, *Pulp Fiction* isn't so much a film as it is an experience. Set in Los Angeles, the movie follows four intersecting stories, all centered around violent crime. Rife with loquacious hitmen, boxers past their prime, cocaine-fueled trophy wives, and assorted criminals from all walks of life, *Pulp Fiction* was lauded upon its release for successfully employing a circular narrative structured with overlapping timelines told from multiple points of view.

The screenplay is brilliantly written, subversive — especially for the '90s — and violent with a capital V. EW's critic at the time describes it as "new punk virtuoso," writing, "It is, quite simply, the most exhilarating piece of filmmaking to come along in the nearly five years I've been writing for this magazine." And if that's not enough to sell you, Samuel L. Jackson's triumphant performance whilst wearing a Jheri curl wig might put you over the edge. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Pulp Fiction*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director: **Quentin Tarantino

**Cast: **John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis

RoboCop (1987)

Peter Weller as RoboCop in 'RoboCop'.

Orion/Courtesy Everett Collection

Set in a crime-ridden Detroit is *RoboCop*, Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi action/social satire classic. After police officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is killed in the line of duty, his body is reconfigured by the mega corporation Omni Consumer Products and transformed into that of a cyborg law enforcement agent. The former Officer Murphy — now referred to as RoboCop — has no memories of his family or previous existence, but is armed with directives to serve the public trust, protect the innocent, and uphold the law.

Thus, RoboCop is dispatched into the city where he works to eliminate the local criminal population, but finds himself distracted by flashes of his former self and memories of his former life. In a world populated by crime lords and executives fueled by ruthless ambition, it's refreshing to watch Peter Weller as RoboCop explore the vulnerability and humanity buried deep below his layers of steel and computer programming. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *RoboCop*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director: **Paul Verhoeven

**Cast: **Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer

Saltburn (2023)

Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick in 'Saltburn'.

Courtesy of MGM/Amazon Studios

Combine the obsession featured in *The Talented Mr. Ripley* with *Brideshead Revisited*'s commentary on privilege and you get *Saltburn*, directed by Oscar-winning writer Emerald Fennell.

Barry Keoghan stars as Oliver, an outcast Oxford student who befriends uber-rich classmate Felix (Jacob Elordi). After Felix invites him to his family's palatial country house over summer break, Oliver weasels his way into their good graces and turns their world upside down. Nasty yet perversely funny, *Saltburn* is, as EW's critic describes it, "a gothic thriller dusted with poisonous candy-pop glitter," —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Saltburn*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade:** A (read the review)

**Director:** Emerald Fennell

**Cast:** Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe

Synchronic (2019)

Jamie Dornan as Dennis Dannelly and Anthony Mackie as Steve Denube in 'Synchronic'. Patti Perret/Red Flower Films

Before Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead got swept up in the Marvel machine, the pair made a handful of oddball genre flicks — *Spring* and *The Endless* among others — notable for playfully ruminating on reality and the passage of time. The directing duo scored A-list leads in Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie for 2019's *Synchronic*, which follows two paramedics who connect a mysterious party drug with a series of gruesome accidents (and, perhaps, the meaninglessness of time).

EW's senior writer calls Benson and Moorhead two of "the most impressive and imaginative up-and-coming genre filmmakers around." And in an interview with EW ahead of the film's release, Dornan describes *Synchronic* as being "about time, your appreciation, understanding, and respect for it." It's that, sure, but it's also weird as all hell. *—I.G. *

Where to watch *Synchroni*c: Amazon Prime Video

**Directors: **Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead

**Cast: **Jamie Dornan, Anthony Mackie, Ally Ioannides, Katie Aselton

The Tomorrow War (2021)

Chris Pratt as Dan Forester in 'The Tomorrow War'. Frank Masi/Amazon Studios

As if today's geopolitical conflicts weren't complicated enough, in *The Tomorrow War*, the world must unite and travel to the future to defeat the aliens creating an existential threat to humanity. Chris Pratt stars as a biology teacher and Iraq War veteran whose military experience and personal ties help him in this fight. The stakes are high, and there are the usual interpersonal skirmishes to sort out among all the battles with intergalactic creatures.

As far as the tonal spectrum is concerned, the film leans more toward comedy than thriller, thanks in large part to its supporting cast of comedic actors and eccentric characters. EW's critic writes that "Director Chris McKay (*Robot Chicken*, *The LEGO Batman Movie*) has forged his career in absurdist comedy, and the movie is best when it lets its weirdo flag fly." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Tomorrow War*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade: **B– (read the review)

**Director: **Chris McKay

**Cast: **Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J. K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge

The Vast of Night (2020)

Jake Horowtiz as Everett Sloan, Mark Banik as Gerald, and Cheyenne Barton as Bertsie in 'The Vast of Night'. Amazon Studios

Made for under $1 million, director Andrew Patterson gifted Amazon Prime with one of the best sci-fi movies of 2020. *The Vast of Night *follows Everett (Jake Horowitz) and Fay (Sierra McCormick), who discover a mysterious sound frequency while the entire town is attending a high school basketball game. Though the movie calls back to *The Twilight Zone,* the supernatural subject matter is explored through an entirely fresh lens. "

We wanted to immediately make it clear [in the film] that the things you're about to see in this story are very much the same things you've seen before in this story, but we're going to do this in a new way," Patterson said in an interview with EW. It's an honest and subdued approach to sci-fi, and the minimalism yields time for Patterson's craft to shine. —*H.A.*

Where to watch *The Vast of Night*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Andrew Patterson

**Cast:** Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Tilda Swinton as Eva and John C. Reilly as Franklin in 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'.

Everett Collection

A mother fears her child may be a psychopath in this unnerving thriller drama. Eva (Tilda Swinton) struggles to fully connect with her son, Kevin (Ezra Miller), who torments her without apparent reason or remorse. Making matters worse is the affection Kevin shows to his father, which only increases the distance between them. It all leads up to a horrifying incident that irrevocably changes Eva and Kevin's lives forever.

*We Need to Talk About Kevin* is one of those films you may never want to watch again, but its impending sense of doom is bracingly effective, as are the performances by Swinton and Miller. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *We Need to Talk About Kevin*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Lynne Ramsay

**Cast:** Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller

You Were Never Really Here (2018)

Joaquin Phoenix as Joe and Ekaterina Samsonov as Nina Votto in 'You Were Never Really Here'. Alison Cohen Rosa/Amazon Studios

Lynne Ramsay crafts a lone wolf story in a gritty arthouse fashion, with Joaquin Phoenix as Joe, a war vet with PTSD who saves runaway girls from the sex trade. Though his personal life is already splitting apart at the seams, Joe plunges into further danger when a routine rescue goes awry.

Ramsay speeds through many of the action shots to instead focus on Joe's psyche. Images from his past are spliced together abruptly and rather awkwardly, an apt representation of the way his trauma continues to torment him. The result serves as a visual representation of Joe's disjointed mind, resulting in a film as emotionally arresting as it is dark and thrilling. —*H.A.*

Where to watch *You Were Never Really Here*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Lynne Ramsay

**Cast:** Joaquin Phoenix, Judith Roberts, Ekaterina Samsonov, John Doman, Alex Manette, Dante Pereira-Olson, Alessandro Nivola

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