Curated by SceneIt · United States
This SceneIt list helps you quickly choose thrillers with sustained tension and strong audience response. Results are selected for the United States and balance audience response with practical watchability.
Updated 2026-08-05 · Ratings from TMDB
We rank eligible titles using TMDB audience ratings, vote confidence, relevance to the theme, and current popularity. Ratings can change as new votes are added.
2016 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 379 votes
Set in the late 1920s, The Age of Shadows follows the cat-and-mouse game that unfolds between a group of resistance fighters trying to bring in explosives from Shanghai to destroy key Japanese facilities in Seoul, and Japanese agents trying to stop them. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1973 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 310 votes
After her younger sister gets involved in drugs and is severely injured by contaminated heroin, a nurse sets out on a mission of vengeance and vigilante justice, killing drug dealers, pimps, and mobsters who cross her path. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1946 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 379 votes
A married woman and a drifter fall in love, then plot to murder her husband. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1979 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 525 votes
While doing a series of reports on alternative energy sources, opportunistic reporter Kimberly Wells witnesses an accident at a nuclear power plant. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2022 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 892 votes
In November 2015, a series of unprecedented and deadly attacks hits Paris. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1980 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 682 votes
A young man returns from Rome to his sister's satanic New York apartment house. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2010 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 461 votes
The Japanese forces occupy Shanghai and slowly start spreading terror in the city. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2018 · TMDB 7.5/10 · 2,307 votes
Marcello, a small and gentle dog groomer, finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship of subjugation with Simone, a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighborhood. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2022 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 486 votes
Having cleared his name, genius mechanic Lino has only one goal in mind: getting revenge on the corrupt cops who killed his brother and his mentor. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1979 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 392 votes
Writer H. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1998 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 328 votes
Jack Manfred is an aspiring writer who to make ends meet, takes a job as a croupier. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2019 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 1,156 votes
Bacurau, a small town in the Brazilian sertão, mourns the loss of its matriarch, Carmelita, who lived to be 94. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2014 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 689 votes
Upstanding community leader Nils has just won an award for "Citizen of the Year" when he learns the news that his son has died of a heroin overdose. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2024 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 376 votes
While awaiting the next fuel truck at a middle-of-nowhere Arizona rest stop, a traveling young knife salesman is thrust into a high-stakes hostage situation by the arrival of two similarly stranded bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty—or cold, hard steel—to protect their bloodstained, ill-gotten fortune. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2020 · TMDB 7.7/10 · 855 votes
In 2006, a group of thieves performed what is considered one of the most famous and smart bank heists in the history of Argentina. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2015 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 1,064 votes
In the Old West, a 17-year-old Scottish boy teams up with a mysterious gunman to find the woman with whom he is infatuated. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1986 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 311 votes
Brad Whitewood Jr. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2015 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 1,374 votes
A young Spanish woman who has newly moved to Berlin finds her flirtation with a local guy turn potentially deadly as their night out with his friends reveals a dangerous secret. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2008 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 1,013 votes
Jacques Mesrine, a loyal son and dedicated soldier, is back home and living with his parents after serving in the Algerian War. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1972 · TMDB 7.7/10 · 731 votes
A man who loves games and theatre invites his wife's lover to meet, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.