2024 has been an interesting year forthrillermovies. Apart from a couple of classic films, almost all the best thrillers of the year are better described as belonging to some other genre. Some ofthe best movies of 2024are thrillers, but very few are traditional thrillers. The evolution of filmmakers' sensibilities is apparent because genre-hybrid thrillers may have been around forever, butthe best thriller movies of the 2010sare generically more conventional. 2024 wasn’t the year forthriller movies with wild and weird twist endings, and the year’s thrillers instead use dramatic tension to explore social realities.
Thrillers create thought-provoking and anxiety-inducing circumstances to take viewers on a journey of introspection and contemplation. The pace is the defining feature that determines the extent of discomfort an audience feels. The faster the pace, the more anxious they are, but that’s not always the perfect choice, especially ifa thriller aims to make viewers feel unsettled by letting them sit in discomfortinstead of moving immediately ahead to the next disconcerting revelation in the movie. The other definitive element is uncertainty, as the characters' circumstances lead viewers to introspect about how they’d have reacted in the same situations.
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Trap
Trap is a film by writer-director M. Night Shyamalan under his Blinding Edge Pictures label. The film is part of a deal struck with Warner Bros for him to direct and produce several films under their banner.
Barring a few brilliant movies, M. Night Shyamalan’s entire filmography is a demonstration of how average execution can pull down fresh and smart ideas.Traphas all the makings of another quintessentially Shyamalan movie in that sense, but it’s surprisingly a cut above the rest, managing to hold a viewer’s attention while it meanders about on its journey to determine which generic convention - comedy, crime, music, to fully commit to. Thechaotic mixture of genres creates a fascinating, albeit confusing, thrilleronly Shyamalan could make.
M. Night Shyamalan madeTrapto promote his daughter Saleka Shyamalan’s music, to fulfill her dream of being in a concert movie.
The most disappointing detail aboutTrapis theabsence of the Shyamalan signature ending twist, the game-changing revelation that makes viewers reassess the whole movie, which is a surprisingly consistent element in his movies. However, there isn’t a dearth of twists and jokes in the goofy crime thriller, led by a satisfying performance from Josh Hartnett as a flawed character doing his best for his daughter.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Carry-On
Carry On is a film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, focusing on a young TSA agent who is coerced by a mysterious traveler into allowing a dangerous package onto a Christmas Eve flight. As events unfold, he must use his wits to resolve the perilous situation.
WhileOrphanarguably remains his best work, Jaume Collet-Serra’sCarry-Onis the next best in his filmography. This impressive comeback sees him returning to his familiar genre of high-concept location thrillers. After a couple of disappointing blockbusters for Disney and Warner Bros., the director returned with a mid-budget action film for Netflix, and it worked for the best.Carry-Onis elevated by Collet-Serra’s stylistic direction, delivering a Christmas thriller worth watching.
Carry-On Review: Taron Egerton’s Uneven Netflix Thriller Gets More Fun As It Dumbs Down
When Carry-On goes off the rails and lets Taron Egerton off the leash, I had a good time. But I had a hard time keeping my thoughts from wandering.
Carry-Onis practically a remake ofDie Hard 2, but better. Taron Egerton runs across the airport in a shot that’s reminiscent of Tom Cruise inMission: Impossiblemovie and Jason Bateman finally plays a serious character after ages, this time as a practically omnipresent sociopathic villain. Of course, there’s also a metaphor for how the transit department and the transitionary nature of airport activities reflect the transitionary period in Egerton’s character’s life. Tonal inconsistencies apart, the infectious action makesCarry-Onworth it.
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier
Rebel Ridge
Former Marine Terry Richmond travels to Shelby Springs to post bail for his cousin, only to find his savings unjustly seized by a corrupt local police force. With the help of court clerk Summer McBride, Terry uncovers a deep-seated conspiracy and vows to bring justice to the town.
Aaron Pierre’s latest action thriller proves why James Gunn made the right decision bycasting him in the DC Universe’s Green Lanternseries as John Stewart. Brimming with social commentary about racism in the law enforcement system of the United States,Rebel Ridgelacks Saulnier’s usual atmospheric style of direction, like inGreen RoomorBlue Ruin, but this allows him to achieve the sense of realism necessary for the commentary to land.
Rebel Ridgereopens the ever-relevant dialogue between abstaining from violence and lethally retaliating against corruption. However, the politics aren’t memorable, andwhat really stands out aboutRebel Ridgeis the action choreography and cinematography.The blocking and framing of Pierre’s impressive action stuntwork will keep viewers' eyes glued to the screen in admiration of his physicality and technical ability.
Directed by Alex Garland
Civil War
Civil War is a 2024 action thriller from writer and director Alex Garland. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, and Stephen McKinley Henderson, Civil War takes place in the near future and shows the United States entering a new Civil War after California and Texas attempt to separate from the country.
Alex Garland continues to be a divisive filmmaker whose movies attempt to explore the harsh realities of a potential apocalypse. Even a movie where a group of fictional journalists is invested in clicking pictures of a horrifying civil war, especially the execution of the president,Civil Wartries to make the most of its premise with strong performances and a clear cinematic vision but never truly commits to the believable outlandishness of these characters.
Civil Waris indulgent with its presentation of gore.
The director had accomplished something similar withMenbeforeCivil War.Despite being a cold and distant exploration of the steely-eyed vulture-like photojournalists who prioritize business over all else as they put themselves in harm’s way for their work,Civil Waris sometimes indulgent with its presentation of gore. The best example of it isCivil War’s controversial use of real footage.
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Juror #2
Justin Kemp, a juror in a prominent murder trial, encounters a moral conflict as he realizes his influence over the jury’s decision. Struggling with the potential consequences, he faces the ethical challenge of possibly swaying the verdict to either convict or free the wrong individual, complicating his role significantly.
Clint Eastwood was in his late 20s when the courtroom drama masterpiece12 Angry Menwas released. Nearly seven decades later, at 94, he made his own version of the film, and while it’s not as compelling as the ‘57 film, its exploration of guilt and gray morality is as powerful as it gets. Nicholas Hoult’s stirring performance as the protagonist complements Eastwood’s patient direction to create the sense of angst that providesthe perfect backdrop for the main character’s emotional growththroughout the film.
With a hooking premise that pits the titular second juror against everyone else on the jury who’s convinced that the man on trial is guilty, the movie adds a personal stake to the character, making it more anxiety-inducing than the copies that12 Angry Menhas inspired over the years. The last decade of Eastwood’s career has focused on exploring the moral ambiguity of powerful people in positions of social responsibility, and anambiguous courtroom drama movie likeJuror #2is the ultimate setting for such a story to be told.
Directed by Dev Patel
Monkey Man
Monkey Man is a 2024 action-thriller film directed by and starring Dev Patel. Following his release from prison, a man known as “Kid” makes a living by engaging in anonymous underground fights in a mask where he is beaten down each night. However, after witnessing greed and corruption consuming his city, Kid breaks into the upper echelon of society to find those who destroyed his life and take them down.
Dev Patel clearly loves action thrillers, and he’s poured his heart and soul intoMonkey Manto create a chaotic and passionate action blockbuster. It does away with the suave and polished style that recently charmed Hollywood withJohn Wickand takes action back to the days of elaborately messy set pieces shot with a shaky cam. The intriguing clash between the emotionality of Patel’s eyes and facial expressions and the physicality of his imposing frame creates the perfect canvas for him to paint his preferred form of action thriller sensibilities.
Monkey Manis Dev Patel’s directorial debut, and it’s impressively been a critical and commercial success.
The lack of visual polish is its own form of flavor inMonkey Man, where the seedy settings add to the complicated characterization of the protagonist, who exploits suffering and sorrow to spread more suffering and sorrow, not realizing he’s becoming selfish in his pursuit by surrendering to his rage. Patel also attempts to ground the character and his surroundings in political, religious, and geographical contexts, butthe exploration of both politics and spirituality is always done in service of the characterand nothing else.
Directed by Rose Glass
Love Lies Bleeding
Love Lies Bleeding is an action crime film from A24. Directed by Rose Glass, Love Lies Bleeding centers on a gym employee, played by Kristen Stewart, and a bisexual bodybuilder (Katy O’Brian) as they discover how difficult the world of competitive bodybuilding is. The film also stars Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Dave Franco, and Ed Harris.
Uncompromisingly queer and weird,Love Lies Bleedingis a fun and intense cross between whirlwind romance and crime thriller.The sizzling chemistry between lead actresses Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian imbues all their shared scenes with a frenzied sexual tension that crescendos in the form of explosive and destructive expressions of pent-up energy in the moments when the life of crime threatens to catch up to them. O’Brian’s imposing physicality clashes with Stewart’s carefully composed but barely contained criminal persona to create the cacophony of generic conventions that elevatesLove Lies Bleedingto levels above its contemporary crime thrillers.
Love Lies Bleeding Review: Kristen Stewart Is Better Than Ever In Thrilling Crime Romance
With action, crime, and romance mingling and building toward an explosive and engaging finale, the film is a thrilling ride from start to finish.
As a rollercoaster of emotions bound together by the romantic escapades of two lesbians on the run from one of their fathers,Love Lies Bleedingis refreshingly crude. It stylistically blends the neo-noir conventions of polished gloomy visuals and gritty protagonists with the sleazy and rough-around-the-edges characterization of exploitation crime thrillers.The body and the mind turn into metaphorsfor sites of visual and emotional experimentation, asLove Lies Bleedingtrudges through the usual narrative beats of an anxiety-inducing thriller, nudged forward by unbridled sexual energy before presenting an unforgettable climactic image of bodily triumph.
Directed by Coralie Fargeat
The Substance
Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth by creating a younger, more beautiful version of herself. But splitting time between her original and new body leads to horrifying consequences as her alternate self, Sue, begins to unravel her life in a disturbing body-horror descent.
Coralie Fargeat’s engagement with feminist discourse continues with her latest film. Just likeRevenge(2017) employs the female gaze in the sexploitation genre to create a revisionist rape-revenge narrative,The Substanceuses a feminist lens and body horrorgenre conventions to address the monstrosity of body politics in the film and modeling industries. With a haunting premise that’s relatable because of its simplicity, shorn of any technical complexities, it explores body image issues in an actress who the industry has deemed to be beyond her prime.
The Substancereceived an 11-minute standing ovation when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2024, and Demi Moore, who already has a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the film, is possibly going to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2025.
Fargeat doesn’t shy away from creating shocking metaphorical imagery for her musings on the role of body presentation in an industry that profits from parading bodies in the name of creating art. She provides Demi Moore withthe platform to deliver a career-best performance, especially in the unforgettable makeup scene. Margaret Qualley is as compelling as ever, commanding attention with her stunning stage presence. Unfortunately, the film, in its attempt to critique sexualization and bodily fragmentation in the media, sometimes risks participating in the use of the very gaze it’s opposed to.
Directed by Edward Berger
Conclave
Cardinal Lawrence leads the secretive papal election at the Vatican, where he uncovers a conspiracy and a secret that could destabilize the Church’s foundation as leaders gather from around the world.
The death of the Pope inspires catty and dramatic infighting between the cardinals in the Catholic College. With this premise, Berger createsa small-scale thriller inConclavethat is admirably aware of its large-scale consequences. The holy and pious men are deconstructed into their messy and selfish cores, each of whom is simultaneously grappling with the grief of the loss and the potential of fulfilling their lifelong dream of becoming the Pope.
The conclusion is clear from the get-go, but the path to that ending is absolutely uncertain.
The sharp contrast between the visuals, comprising traditional settings and outfits, and characterization defined by modernistic outlooks and behavioral patterns creates a tension that transforms the gloomy drama into a thriller.The use of holy themes to explore the characters’ dispositions, especially the concept of predetermination, makesConclaveparticularly thrillingbecause the conclusion is clear from the get-go, but the path to that ending is absolutely uncertain.
Directed by Sean Baker
Anora
Anora’s life takes a dramatic twist when she impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch, catapulting her from the streets of Brooklyn to a world of opulence and scrutiny. As her new in-laws arrive with plans to dismantle the hasty union, Anora must navigate the cultural and social chasms between her past and her present. The film, directed by Sean Baker, masterfully blends sharp social commentary with heartfelt drama, painting a vivid picture of love, identity, and the unexpected consequences of a fairytale gone awry.
Nearly the entire runtime ofAnoraseems like a deceptive scam by the director to ensure viewers can’t predict the emotional weight of the final scene that’ll inevitably pull the rug out from under their feet. Sean Baker uses a premise that’s suited to aPretty Woman-esque story but instead createsan intensely hilarious caper of misadventures that are equally scary and funny. The tender characterization of the protagonist is a trademark of Baker, whose films consistently destigmatize sex work.
Anora Review: Mikey Madison Gives A Perfect Performance In Sean Baker’s Hilarious Dramedy
Anora is a lovable rags-to-riches story that is bursting with chaos, hilarity, raunchiness, and a stupendous performance from Mikey Madison.
So, the climactic deconstruction of a carefully and meticulously built persona seems like the final shocking twist that establishesAnoraas athrillerbeyond any doubt. Mikey Madison’s layered performance and palpably withdrawn interpretation of an outspoken and bold character keep audiences glued to the screens as she takes them on a wild ride, just like her husband did to her by disappearing when trouble comes knocking. WhileAnoramay not offer anything new to the comedy thriller genre, the ending elevates to a level where its Palme d’Or win feels deserved.
