We love a good thriller, which is why we've narrowed down some of the best ones that are now available to watch on Amazon Prime Video. These films will have you on the edge of your seat in suspense, so sit back, try to relax, and enjoy.
Crawl
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Think self isolation is bad? Imagine being stuck indoors because an enormous hurricane and its ensuing flood has brought several hungry alligators to your door! Worse still, the alligators are in your basement, along with your injured father, just waiting to chomp down on the both of you. That is the premise of Crawl, one of the best reptile monster movies to come out in years. Directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D), Crawl is at times unbearably tense, but always thrilling. Featuring fantastic visual effects (seriously, they managed to create a convincing Category 5 hurricane using green screens in a warehouse) and great acting (Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper make a terrific daughter/father duo), Crawl is horror thriller that's full of bite.
IMDB Rating: 6.2, Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
No Country For Old Men
Javier Bardem won an Oscar for essentially playing the human personification of death in No Country For Old Men, a taut thriller from the Coen brothers (The Big Lebowski, Fargo). Every single moment that Bardem is on-screen is filled with dread, as he leaves a trail of bodies across Texas in search of a missing bag of cartel money, which is in the possession of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin). Can the local sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) catch up to Llewelyn before his pursuer reaches him? A film that's as bleak and unsettling as the Cormac McCarthy novel that it's based on, No Country For Old Men will surely haunt you for years to come.
IMDB Rating: 8.1, Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Switchback
Without question, the '90s was a true golden era for serial killer thrillers, with films like The Silence of the Lambs, Se7en and Copycat being particularly memorable. However, there were a number of worthwhile gems released during this time that managed to slip through the cracks, with Switchback being one film that's particularly underrated (especially by critics). Frank LaCrosse (Dennis Quaid) is an FBI agent on the trail of a vicious serial killer. Things become personal for LaCrosse when the killer kidnaps his son. Meanwhile, a young medical school dropout (Jared Leto) hitches a ride with a local drifter (Danny Glover) across the American Southwest. As they travel across snowy Colorado, more dead bodies seem to pile up in their wake. How long before they pair crosses paths with LaCrosse? And will he find his boy before it's too late? Also stars R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket), Ted Levine (The Silence of the Lambs) and William Fichtner (The Dark Knight).
IMDB Rating: 6.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 32%
Munich
Though he's established a rabid fan base due to the success of blockbuster films like Jurassic Park, Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark, director Steven Spielberg is arguably at his best when tackling more grown up fare – films like Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan can attest to that. However, there is one film in particular that is arguably the most complex and adult of his entire career, and that film is Munich. Based on the real-life tragedy that occurred during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, in which the entire Israeli team was taken hostage and then massacred by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September, the film sheds light on Israel's secret retaliation missions. Allegedly, these black ops saw undercover Mossad agents (played here by the likes of Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and Ciarán Hinds) track down and assassinate the men believed responsible in a rather public manner. Rather than take sides in the still ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, Spielberg questions the cost of vengeance on the conscience and soul of an entire country, asking whether it ultimately achieves anything other than more bloodshed. A riveting film that does not shy away from the story's more harrowing aspects.
IMDB Rating: 7.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Collateral
Tom Cruise plays totally against type in Collateral, a fantastic thriller from visionary director Michael Mann (Heat, Miami Vice). Cruise plays Vincent, a ruthless hitman with silver hair who forces cabbie Max (Jamie Foxx) to be his personal chauffeur for the night as he travels around Los Angeles taking out targets. Can Max make it out of this situation alive? Or will he end up as Vincent's final victim? Using special digital cameras to capture LA at night in all its gritty glory, Mann achieves a sense of realism that makes you feel like you're right there with the characters. Packed with action and suspense, Collateral is an immaculately crafted thriller which shows a much scarier side of Cruise than we're used to seeing.
