8 Underrated Thrillers To Watch

How many of these thrillers that I think are underrated have you watched?

Welcome to another underrated films list, this time it’s thrillers!

And if you get bored after, here are my other underrated film lists I have done so far.

9 Underrated Zombie Movies To Watch

12 Underrated 80's Films To Watch

Underrated 2024 Movies You Should Watch.

The Aura (2005)

A deluded taxidermist plans the perfect crime.

I’ll start with te one I think is the most underrated, and that’s The Aura, and if you like crime thrillers, defo check it out, not to mention Ricardo Darín is brilliant here, playing a very different kind of thriller lead from what you usually get.

This whole film has a very strange, almost hypnotic pace as well, and you will know what I mean if/when you watch it, where it doesn’t feel like it’s following the usual rules of the genre.

Certainly not a film I’d recommend to someone who wants a fast thriller with something happening every five minutes though, but if you like slower films that get a bit under your skin, this is a great one to discover.

The Spanish Prisoner (1997)

A corporate engineer develops a lucrative secret process for a company but doesn't know who to trust when the higher-ups seemingly want to steal it from him.

Brilliant writing and a lead in Campbell Scott who is great here, playing someone who feels completely believable, just a normal person trying to understand a situation that keeps getting more complicated.

Steve Martin is also really interesting here because it’s not the kind of role most people would associate him with, bringing a completely different energy, and it’s one of those performances where you’re never quite sure what to make of him.

If you like thrillers where the conversations actually matter, and where someone saying the wrong thing or trusting the wrong person is more important than a car chase, this one is for you.

A proper old-school thriller.

The Minus Man (1999)

Aimless Vann Siegert takes a bizarre turn in life and becomes a serial killer, tracking down the miserable, the self-destructive and those who otherwise seem willing to die.

If you only know Owen Wilson from comedies, watch this one, as he givse one of his most unusual performances, and you will see, and apprreciate a completely different side of him.

Wilson’s character is incredibly unsettling,, simply because he doesn’t behave like someone you expect to see in a typical thriller, and everything in the film just has this very uncomfortable feeling to it all, but it’s definitely not for everyone, as it is quite slow, but I think those are usually the films that are worth discovering because they’re not trying to copy anything else.

Oh, and Sheryl Crow has a part, too.

The Last Seduction (1994)

A strong-willed telemarketing manager steals her husband's drug money and hides out in a small town, where she meets the perfect dupe for her next scheme.

Linda Fiorentino completely owns this film, where she brings so much confidence and attitude that every scene becomes more interesting just because she’s in it, and once you have watched it, you will understand why people still talk about the performance even if the film itself doesn’t get mentioned as often anymore.

It also has that great 90s crime thriller style - sharp dialogue, and morally questionable people featuring characters who are always trying to get one step ahead of each other.

What’s not to love?

The Signal (2007)

A film told in three parts, from three perspectives, in which a mysterious transmission that turns people into killers invades every cell phone, radio, and television.

Half horror, half thriller, it’s a very rough around the edges film made with a $50k budget, but I still think it deserves more attention, featuring a very independent film vibe, rather than something neatly designed to fit perfectly into a genre, and the cast, especially AJ Bowen, helps give it a lot of personality which helps carry some of the weaker moments.

But it’s a film that s at least it’s trying something a bit different, which is sometimes more interesting than a perfectly made film that feels way too safe.

Not to be confused with a film from 2014 with the same name.

Red Riding: 1974 (2009)

Rookie journalist Eddie Dunford is determined to find the truth in an increasingly complex maze of lies and deceit surrounding the police investigation into a series of child abductions.

This film is part of a trilogy, and they are all worth checking out as they are all seriously underrated, and before Andrew Garfield became known for his bigger roles, he was doing films like this, playing someone who feels completely out of his depth, and I promise you will find this very interesting, a world that feels genuinely unpleasant.

It’s a dark watch though, but if you like crime thrillers that feel realistic and less polished, check all 3 films out, as they are all a masterful, bleak descent into 1970s and 1980s Northern England.

The Guilty (2000)

A young person gets hired to kill someone completely unknown, by someone equally unknown. Or is that true? Nothing is what it seems.

Bill Pullman is really good here, and another film that has a much darker, more uncomfortable edge than a lot of mainstream thrillers from the same period, where it completely flips the script on the standard morality tales of the early 2000s, with a rather achilling examination of cause and effect.

It features claustrophobic framing and Hitchcockian type suspense sequences to force you to watch a man compromise every shred of his humanity just to stay ahead of his lies.

The Silent Partner (1978)

A bank teller in a shopping mall realizes that a man is planning to rob his branch, so when it happens, he steals most of the money for himself and puts it in a safety deposit box. The sadistic crook figures out his scheme and is furious.

A very clever 70’s thriller without constantly needing to show you how clever it is, with characters that are constantly trying to figure out their next move, and that makes every scene feel like there’s something underneath it, which will keep you watching.

It also has a really sharp sense of humour running through it, and when you do finish watching it, you will wonder how it never became a film that everyone talks about, so if you like cat and mouse dynamics, brilliant writing, and brilliant performances, you owe it to yourself to watch this.

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