It is quite impressive when a thriller movie holds a strong re-watch value. The biggest draw of the genre is suspense and tension, so when audiences want to revisit a thriller even though they know the surprises, it is a real testament to its quality.
Thrillers like Fargo draw viewers back with its unique blend of bloody violence and quirky humor. Others like Memento demand to be revisited due to its complex and inventive plots. Whatever the reason for their continued popularity, fans are drawn back to these thrillers again and again.
Out Of Sight (1998)
Based on the novel by acclaimed writer Elmore Leonard, Out of Sight is a slick crime thriller. The movie stars George Clooney as a bank robber who escapes from prison and plans his next big score while being hunted by a U.S. Marshal (Jennifer Lopez).
There are few movies that are as effortlessly cool as Out of Sight and it is an engrossing world to be sucked into. Clooney and Lopez are excellent in their roles and are surrounded by a cast of memorable supporting characters that add humor and intrigue to this brilliant caper.
The Untouchables (1987)
Brian De Palma is a master of suspense and brings that skill to the world of gangster movies with The Untouchables. The movie stars Robert De Niro as real-life gangster Al Capone while Kevin Costner plays Eliot Ness, the government agent seeking to bring him down.
A big part of the fun of the movie is its ensemble with Sean Connery stealing the show in his Oscar-winning supporting role. It also features incredible, sweat-inducing sequences, like the infamous train station scene, that are thrilling to watch over and over.
Double Indemnity (1944)
While some modern audiences have a hard time giving older movies a chance, 1944's Double Indemnity is a film noir masterpiece that holds up decades later. The movie follows a plot between an insurance salesman and a wealthy married woman to kill her husband and cash in on his life insurance.
Legendary filmmaker Billy Wilder showcased both his skills as a writer and a director with this gripping crime story. It holds the audience's attention from the beginning and the sequence in which the seemingly perfect murder becomes quite imperfect is filled with unbearable tension.
Drive (2011)
Nicolas Winding Refn took a very straightforward crime story and turned it into a stylized ride with Drive. Ryan Gosling stars as a reserved stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. After falling for his married neighbor, he is sucked into a violent scheme when her husband returns from prison.
The story might sound like something that has been told countless times, but the unique style and incredible soundtrack add a beautifully unexpected quality to the movie. It becomes a dream-like odyssey mixed with extreme violence.
Fargo (1996)
It seems that the Coen Brothers bounce between oddball comedies and violent thrillers throughout their filmography. However, Fargo is one movie that seems to fall perfectly in between both genres. It tells the story of a kidnapping and ransom that spirals into a bloody mess.
The theme of ordinary people getting involved in deadly situations is a trend with these filmmakers and Fargo explores it most effectively. It also features the Coens' greatest hero character with Marge Gunderson who is a ray of sunshine in this dark world.
Gone Girl (2014)
David Fincher's thrillers like Se7en may be too gruesome to want to revisit regularly, but there is something so fascinating about Gone Girl. The story is immediately involving as an unhappy husband becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife and it only gets more entertaining the crazier the mystery gets.
Ben Affleck gives one of his best performances while Rosamund Pike is captivating as the titular missing wife. The movie also goes beyond being a great mystery and looks at celebrity and media fascination with crimes like this.
Heat (1995)
Acting legends Al Pacino and Robert De Niro teamed on screen for the first time in this gripping and grounded heist movie. Heat stars Pacino as a dedicated detective who seeks to take down a crew of professional thieves led by De Niro.
The Michael Mann-directed movie is a dark and gritty exploration of the crime world with interesting characters and complex ideas. It is as gripping in its quieter moments, like the infamous diner scene, as it is in its action moment, like the explosive street shootout.
Memento (2000)
Christopher Nolan put himself on Hollywood's radar with this incredibly unique mystery thriller. Memento stars Guy Pearce as a man with short-term memory loss who is attempting to find and kill the man who murdered his wife.
Along with the clever idea of a protagonist who can't remember when happened five minutes earlier, the movie also goes for an ambitious structure. It is told in reverse, starting at the end of the story and revealing everything as it goes back to the beginning. Fans will want to rewatch it over and over to see how the puzzle comes together.
Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele's directorial debut Get Out was one of the most exciting movies in recent memory. The paranoid thriller takes an interesting premise and explores some big ideas with it while also delivering a very entertaining movie.
Daniel Kaluuya stars as a young man invited to meet his white girlfriend's parents only for their weekend trip to take a turn for the strange. Even once the audience knows the big reveals, it is so much fun to rewatch the movie and see all of the clever seeds Peele planted along the way.
Jaws (1975)
Steven Spielberg cemented himself as one of the great filmmakers of his generation with the ground-breaking blockbuster Jaws. The movie about a killer shark stalking an idyllic island beach community turned a monster movie into a cinematic masterpiece.
Much has been discussed about the effectiveness of hiding the shark from the audience for most of the movie. But along with the scares and thrills that still deliver today, Jaws is also a fun adventure movie with some truly great characters to give the audience an emotional connection. It is a storytelling technique Spielberg became well-known for.