After an early-year buzz at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Decision To Leave and Holy Spider finally hit theaters in the U.S. The two foreign crime thrillers were submitted by their respective countries for Best International Feature at the Oscars and are among the most thought-provoking releases of 2022.
The best thing about watching foreign crime thrillers is seeing how the culture of each country can impact aspects of an investigation or a political battle, and Letterboxd's highest-rated movies of the genre showcase this perfectly.
Mother (2009) - 4.1/5
Stream On Prime Video
Bong Joon-ho is among the best of all time when it comes to crime thrillers, and Mother addresses a lot of the heavy family drama that would be extended in Parasite a decade later. In the film, a mother tries desperately to prove her son innocent after he's charged with the brutal murder of a girl in their province.
In Mother, the narrative doesn't shift to the perspective of the killer, the accused, or the police, following the mother at all times in her exhaustive quest for the truth. The bold decision of having someone completely unrelated to the crime as the main character opens the possibility for some of the best crime twists of the century, so far.
Hard Boiled (1992) - 4.1/5
Not Currently Available To Stream
John Woo is one of the most prominent names in the action genre, and before he jumped in the Hollywood wagon Woo graced viewers with the anxiety-inducing Hard Boiled, one of the best showcases of a gripping crime thriller inserted in an action-filled narrative.
In the film, a badass cop unites forces with an undercover agent to shut down a mysterious mobster and its deadly members. In a bit over two hours, Hard Boiled doesn't offer a single moment for viewers to breathe, with the sound of gunshots blaring from start to finish and the heroes gradually losing their morals in order to remain alive.
Le Cercle Rouge (1970) - 4.1
Rent On Apple TV
Le Cercle Rouge might be the best showcase of Melville's talent for character psychology, with three main characters and a common goal. In the film, a fresh-out-of-prison thief, a talented escapee, and an alcoholic former policeman join forces to plot an intricate jewel heist.
No one understands the nuances of the crime thriller genre as Jean-Pierre Melville, who always makes sure to present a complex main character, his dramas, motivations, and insecurities before jumping into action. For him, viewers will only be thrilled or scared if they care about the characters onscreen.
Cure (2001) - 4.1/5
Stream On The Criterion Channel
Cure is the kind of foreign thriller that feels as scary as a typical horror movie, which is no surprise considering director Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a master of both genres. The film follows a frustrated detective trying to find solid evidence of the link between a series of gruesome murders connected solely by a mysterious "X" carved in the neck of each victim.
Halfway through Cure, the film goes through a huge tonal shift, leaving the serial killer plot behind and focusing on the thrilling face-off between the main character and the mind behind the murders, an enchanting man with abilities beyond belief. The story becomes a game of cat and mouse and viewers can easily get lost in the puzzling narrative that takes catastrophic proportions in the end.
The Red Light Bandit (1968) - 4.1/5
Not Currently Available To Stream
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This hidden gem will surprise viewers with how radical and junky a crime thriller could get in the 60s Brazilian scene. The bold story revolves around an infamous criminal known as the Red Light Bandit; wearing a red flashlight as he breaks into the house of unsuspecting strangers, abuses them, and robs them to spend the money carelessly.
A movie about an irreverent man living in a wicked state of mind, the lawless reality of The Red Light Bandit isn't for everyone. This crime thriller elevates the notion of danger to extremes that top any traditional western, and that's what makes the story so raw and unique in a way it could never work nowadays.
Le Samouraï (1967) - 4.2/5
Stream On HBO Max
Le Samouraï is one of the best movies that favor style over substance: a crime thriller revolving around a hit man with samurai instincts. That's just the tip of the iceberg though, as the movie is considered to this day one of the most gripping and melancholic character studies about loneliness and resentment.
Following its cold anti-hero at all times, Le Samouraï doesn't try to romanticize nor justify the character's downfall but rather pushes him to the limits of what makes one human. The film questions whether there's beauty in suffering, what love pushes humans to do, and most importantly, the deconstruction of morals -- delicate, complex themes that work perfectly in Jean-Pierre Melville's intimate thriller narrative.
Time For Revenge (Tiempo De Revancha) (1981) - 4.2/5
Stream On Tubi
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Time For Revenge might be one of the pioneers of the current stream of emotionally charged thrillers, offering Latin America a feat just as impactful and heartrending as The Shawshank Redemption would do to the U.S. a few years later. The film follows two coworkers who craft a meticulous plan to blackmail the corrupt demolition company they work for by setting up a fake accident with unforeseeable consequences.
Easily one of the best foreign language thrillers out there, Time For Revenge searches for honesty and justice in a nest of unscrupulous men, exposing the very worst of society with a protagonist that encapsulates the grudge of the working class with commitment and courage.
Army Of Shadows (1969) - 4.2/5
Rent On Apple TV
Jean-Pierre Melville appears for the third time in Letterboxd's round-up of top 10 foreign crime thrillers, which makes him the most beloved director of the genre in the community. Different from his other films, Army Of Shadows is a visceral war movie at its core, but the narrative flows like an immersive crime thriller as members of the French Resistance embark on a quiet and seemingly endless battle against the Nazis.
The cold tone of the film and its suffocating atmosphere of paranoia and mistrust add up to an intense confrontation between allies and enemy forces, with a gut-wrenching conclusion that reflects on the horrors of the past century.
Memories Of Murder (2003) - 4.3/5
Stream On Hulu
Considered one of the best Korean movies of all time, Memories Of Murder is arguably the movie that showed the world Bong Joon-ho was a unique director to look out for. In the film, two detectives engage in the exhaustive investigation of multiple young women found raped and murdered in a small Korean province.
Taking into account that the movie recounts a real-life serial killer case, what Memories Of Murder does best is exposing how unprepared the local police were to deal with an investigation of this profile, letting the exhaustive search for the identity of the killer influence every single aspect of their personal lives and eventually cause the detectives to chase their own tails.
Oldboy (2003) - 4.3/5
Not Currently Available For Streaming
Oldboy offers everything a good crime thriller needs: jaw-dropping twists, a protagonist with questionable methods, and a tireless search for the truth. The film tells the story of a man who suddenly wakes up free after being imprisoned and tortured for 15 years for no apparent reason.
As the protagonist seeks revenge on his captors and tries to understand what led them to kidnap him, Oldboy gives way to an intricate investigation with seemingly unconnected clues that will eventually lead up to a horrifying truth. Packed with unforgettable action sequences and one of the most disturbing endings of the century so far, the movie is a must-watch.