10 Greatest Thrillers From the 2010s, Ranked

As far as film’s ability to conjure emotions and a tone compared to other artistic mediums, the inherent ability of a thriller to keep audiences on the edge of their seats and rife with tension is unmatched by many other mediums. There simply isn’t anything like the inherent feeling of a thriller getting an audience engaged, whether it be through tense action, an alluring mystery, or a slow build of stress and chaos. While thrillers have been impactful all throughout film history, the 2010s especially stand as one of the best decades for the genre.

Through the advent of digital media, the 2010s were rife with experimentation and establishing new ground for what audiences wanted out of their thriller films. The result was an array of exceptional and deeply iconic thriller films that rival the greatest in cinematic history, many of which became icons of quality for the decade as a whole. This list will rank the greatest thrillers of the 2010s based on their impact on the genre, their overall quality, and their legacy.

10

‘You Were Never Really Here’ (2017)

Image via Amazon Studios

Combining the monumental talents of director Lynne Ramsay with acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here is a striking and powerful thriller of vengeance and conspiracy. The crime thriller sees Phoenix as a traumatized veteran who now spends his days tracking down missing girls and saving them from dangerous situations. However, when his latest job spins out of control, he soon finds himself in the middle of a massive conspiracy that threatens to either end his life or show him an unbelievable truth.

While its plot may seem relatively similar to many other revenge thrillers, the calm and subdued execution of its action and performances is what places the film a step above many other action thrillers. You Were Never Really Here doesn’t shy away from the painful difficulties of both its human trafficking villains, the fear of conspiracy, and the ruthless brutality experienced. It’s much more intelligent towards the concepts of renegade vengeance, easily acting as one of Phoenix’s best films to date.

9

‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)

Image via Open Road Films

A deeply engaging neo-noir crime thriller that approaches the topic of non-ethical journalism through an unhinged lens, Nightcrawler quickly became a fan-favorite thriller of the decade and one of Jake Gyllenhaal‘s defining films. He plays Lou Bloom, a photographer so desperate for work that he begins seeking out violent occurrences in the dead of night to record them and sell the footage to local TV stations. However, as he gets more involved with his job, he finds himself blurring the line between being an observer and being an active participant in violence.

From the gritty L.A. energy to the hard-hitting performances at its center, Nightcrawler is overflowing with classic noir energy, with enough of a thriller twist to keep things engaging from start to finish. Its instantly engaging premise is only the start of a sprawling and layered story, taking a deeper dive into the psychology and methodology of Bloom as he grows more and more obsessed with becoming the star of his work.

8

‘Room’ (2015)

Image via A24

Room features one of the most immediately engaging and simultaneously terrifying and unnerving concepts that a thriller film has to offer, with its powerful execution amplifying the emotional weight and pain. The film sees a woman (Brie Larson) and her young son (Jacob Tremblay) held captive in an enclosed room for seven years, disconnected from any semblance of society. However, when they are finally freed, the boy gets to experience the outside world for the first time, dealing with all sorts of unexpected hurdles and complications.

Room isn’t afraid to delve into a wide array of incredibly dark and disturbing subject matter and themes, making for one of the darkest indie films in recent memory. Even with large chunks of the film taking place in a small, enclosed space, Room makes the absolute most out of its minimal location. Larson especially gives a career-best performance that finds a great balance of psychological pain and unconditional love for her son. Although it shifts more towards a psychological drama once the duo leaves the room, the film remains a standout representative of the genre in the 2010s.

7

‘John Wick’ (2014)

Image via Lionsgate

While revenge-centric action thrillers were certainly explored in the decades prior, they saw a massive explosion of popularity in the 2010s and beyond, thanks primarily to the strengths and impact of John Wick. The film keeps the plot relatively simple and understandable to place more impact on the action setpieces and tonal style. It does a great deal of buildup for the character of John Wick, allowing for a culminating release of vengeance and anger to feel cathartic and full of impact.

John Wick perfectly plays into the inherent strengths of Keanu Reeves as an action star, utilizing his great strengths and experience with action choreography and stuntwork to create a dynamic and deeply impactful action thriller. While there have been many other dramatic and more grounded thrillers that have found substantial success during the 2010s, John Wick easily stands out as the quintessential action thriller franchise of not just the 2010s, but arguably the entire 21st century.

6

‘Prisoners’ (2013)

Image via Warner Bros.

Before Denis Villeneuve became one of the quintessential high-budget sci-fi directors with the likes of Blade Runner 2049 and Dune, the director would lay claim to one of the most acclaimed crime thrillers of the decade in Prisoners. The film cuts to the heart of feelings of desperation and fleeting anger towards the world, as Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) faces the worst nightmare possible when his six-year-old daughter goes missing. Not feeling content to simply leave the investigation to the police, he takes an increasingly active role in the investigation led by Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal).

The emotional pain and impact of a missing child is already impact enough to give the film some palpable tension and stakes, yet the central performance further elevates this tension to the absolute edge. Jackman finds an exceptional balance between desperation, deep-rooted anger, and the willingness to do anything and everything in order to protect the life of his daughter. Jackman gives one of the best thriller performances of the 21st century, and is but one of many exceptionally great aspects that have made Prisoners a modern thriller classic.

5

‘Inception’ (2010)

Christopher Nolan has proven time and time again throughout the 21st century that he is among the greatest visionaries when it comes to compelling and dynamic thrillers. One of his all-time best is Inception, which makes the absolute most out of Nolan’s strengths as a filmmaker, combining his tendencies for sprawling, mind-melting stories with glorious visual spectacle that makes the most of their budgets. This execution makes for one of the most original and enticing takes on a heist thriller imaginable, keeping the excitement and entertainment high.

Inception deals with a lot of intricate moving pieces, with its multi-dream-deep heist set-up difficult to follow for some, but incredibly engaging and satisfying at the same time. The tenets that make heist thrillers so memorable are fully intact within Nolan’s distinct vision and flair, with its exceptional supporting cast further adding to the appeal and weight of the heist. While Nolan has continued to make numerous other thriller masterpieces in subsequent years, Inception continues to stand as one of the director’s most recognizable and acclaimed films.

4

‘Uncut Gems’ (2019)

Image via A24

One strength that the thriller genre holds over other methods of filmmaking is its ability to keep audiences uncomfortable and antsy with an ever-growing sense of tension and suspense. Easily, one of the best modern examples of such is Uncut Gems, which goes out of its way to raise the tension to absolute heights, to the point where each additional layer and risk taken by its characters makes for a guttural reaction of tensing up. However, this challenging thriller never becomes impossible to bear thanks to the electrifying lead performance from Adam Sandler.

Sandler not only utilizes all of his inherent strengths as a comedian to bring out the charm and wit in his performance, but he also taps into his raw dramatic talent that is rarely ever acted on to make Howard Ratner an icon of thriller characterization. Each scene adds layers and depth to the chaotic, self-destructive energy and allure that is Howard Ratner, further adding to the boiling point suspense until it releases in a glorious display of shock and surprise in its ending.

3

‘The Handmaiden’ (2016)

Image via CJ Entertainment 

South Korean director Park Chan-wook has been responsible for some of the most versatile and critically acclaimed thrillers of all time, with one of his biggest modern masterpieces being The Handmaiden. The film takes place in the period of Japanese occupation in Korea, following the new handmaiden to a Japanese heiress with ulterior motives. However, as their time together continues, the handmaiden and the heiress forge a surprisingly palpable and emotional bond.

The Handmaiden fully capitalizes on the strengths and pitch-perfect pacing of Chan-wook’s filmmaking style to create an emotionally powerful and deeply compelling story of love and betrayal with massive underlying stakes. It makes for the type of thriller that keeps audiences guessing and engaged about what will happen next, setting up the pieces for a wide array of potential story beats while always managing to keep the audience surprised at the direction that it goes.

2

‘Gone Girl’ (2014)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Few directors are as directly synonymous with the thriller genre as a whole as David Fincher, whose numerous masterful works have helped shape and impact the entire genre as a whole, leading into the 21st century. However, even with the massive expectations and legacy of his previous thrillers, Gone Girl leaves a monumental impact as one of Fincher’s most effective and powerful thrillers to date. The story of betrayal and deep-rooted conspiracy amplifies all the greatness, tension, and shock value of the original novel to a grand, cinematic scale.

The premise and story allow the actors to make groundbreaking, career-defining performances, the absolute height of which belongs to Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne. Pike absolutely steals the show in a cold, terrifying thriller performance that is able to shift on a dime and balance seduction, ruthlessness, and deep-rooted anger with chillingly effective precision. The way Gone Girl centers around this performance is a feat in itself, amplifying the weight of its twists and turns and creating genuine thrills at each opportunity.

1

‘Parasite’ (2019)

Image via NEON

While every individual is going to have personal choices for what their favorite thrillers of the 2010s were, it’s hard to argue against the impact and masterpiece filmmaking of Parasite as the decade’s must-watch thriller. The South Korean masterpiece of class divide and deception by Bong Joon Ho broke the international language barrier in a way few films have ever accomplished, becoming an instant phenomenon and one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time.

The film’s themes and messaging prove to be more relevant and impactful with each passing year, while its crowd-pleasing approach makes way for moments of humor, emotion, and shocking twists around every corner. Parasite is the type of infinitely rewatchable thriller that simply never loses its impact or weight, no matter how many times it has been seen, always having an inherent appeal with its storytelling and genuine charm. The film has already cemented a powerful legacy in terms of thriller filmmaking and will only continue to be celebrated as an all-time masterpiece for decades to come.