Top 10 thriller movies of the 21st century

These are my picks for the 10 best thrillers of the 21st century (so far), presented in chronological order.

Top 10 thriller movies of the 21st century

Parasite (2019)

Iconic writer and director Bong Joon-Ho made history with this dark thriller about a poor South Korean family who steadily embed themselves into the lives of a rich family, exposing systemic social issues and a hidden secret within the walls of their idyllic home.

Us ( 2019 )

A masterpiece of identity thriller \ horror & dark reflection on America’s past with chilly atmospherics, originality in concept, psychological torment + twists, old-world suspense-building, and one of the best scorings in modern thriller \ Horror history

The Sixth Sense ( 1999 )

With one of the most famous plot twists of all time, this movie will have you thinking about it long after it ends. When a boy realizes he can see ghosts, he seeks the help of a child psychologist to understand his supernatural abilities. What follows is nothing short of a mystery classic.

Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

The only reason we don’t like fava beans and chianti is thanks to this multi-Oscar winning thriller starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.

In the film, Foster’s character Clairce Sterling is an FBI student who goes to interview Dr Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins), who is a psychiatrist and psychopath serving time for murder and cannibalism. In exchange for his thoughts on a high-profile case, Lecter asks to be moved to a more comfortable facility and begins to dig into Sterling’s past, making her a prime target for his wicked ways.

John Q. ( 2002 )

John Q” is the kind of movie Mad magazine prays for. It is so earnest, so overwrought and so wildly implausible that it begs to be parodied. I agree with its message– that the richest nation in history should be able to afford national health insurance–but the message is pounded in with such fevered melodrama, it’s as slanted and manipulative as your average political commercial.

Se7en ( 1995 )

Director David Fincher ticked every thriller-lover’s box when it came to making this dark film. Homicide specialist Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and young policeman David Mills (Brad Pitt) team up to find the culprit behind some pretty gross murders.

The killer chooses victims to represent the seven deadly sins. Unfortunately for the pair, and Mills’ wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), the serial killer turns his attention on them.

Now You See Me ( 2013 )

A team of illusionists called the Four Horsemen are able to pull off near-impossible bank heists, and often reward the lucky guests at their shows with some of the money. Now they must evade an FBI agent, an Interpol agent, and the former magician they’ve hired to help expose the Four Horsemen’s tricks.

Shutter Island ( 2010 )

Traveling to a psychiatric asylum on a remote island sounds like a terrible idea, but that’s exactly what U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner (Mark Ruffalo) do in this Martin Scorcese thriller. The two venture out to the ominous island to figure out how a murderous patient somehow managed to escape her locked room.

The Platform (2019)

The Platform is a Spanish thriller based on the story of a vertical prison with two ‘prisoners’ situated on each level.

In the middle is hole where a platform comes down with food that is the remains of the upper levels’ dining. The higher you go, the more food you have to eat. But is that the true moral of this film?

Warning: This film might put you off your dinner.

Argo (2012)

Winning a ‘Best Director’ Oscar for lead actor Ben Affleck, Argo chronicles the true story of a rescue operation of a group of Americans during a hostage incident in Iran.

CIA ‘exfiltration’ specialist, Tony Mendez (Affleck) is forced to come up with a plan to get the Americans safely out of Iran before danger occurs. This film will have you on the edge of your seats for its duration, we promise

Top 10 thriller movies of the 21st century