Paramount+ is often advertised as having a “mountain of entertainment,” and that includes a slew of thrillers, both old and new.
But which ones are truly thrilling? That’s the mystery Watch With Us has solved by curating a list of the best thrillers streaming on Paramount+ right now.
You can’t lose if you choose the ‘90s classics Kiss the Girls with Ashley Judd or Fear starring Reese Witherspoon. For something more recent, watch Match Point featuring Scarlett Johansson.
‘Kiss the Girls’ (1997)
After Dr. Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd) is abducted by a serial killer who calls himself Casanova, she manages to escape and winds up in a hospital. There, detective Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), whose niece has been kidnapped by Casanova, recruits Kate to help him find out who Casanova is and where he’s keeping his additional victims. Things get complicated, however, when another killer, the Gentleman Caller, emerges and seems to be working with Casanova. Can Kate and Cross solve not one but two mysteries simultaneously?
Adapted from the pulpy hit novel by James Patterson, Kiss the Girls has an outrageous plot that somehow works. Part of the film’s magic is due to the lead performances by Freeman and Judd, who share a warm, father/daughter chemistry that was so good, they later reunited onscreen for the far inferior thriller, High Crimes.
Kiss the Girls is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Fear’ (1996)
Nicole (Reese Witherspoon) is a Seattle teenager still adjusting to her parents’ recent divorce when she meets David (Mark Wahlberg), a slightly older guy who seems like a stereotypical dreamboat come true. Handsome, caring and attentive, he’s the perfect boyfriend — too perfect, in fact. When Nicole’s father, Steven (William Petersen), starts to suspect David isn’t who he says he is, David’s true nature emerges, and Nicole’s life — and the lives of her friends and family — might be in jeopardy.
With a plot straight out of a cheesy Lifetime made-for-cable movie and a cast led by a pre-Boogie Nights Wahlberg, Fear had a low bar to cross when it was released in 1996. But the movie surprised some critics with just how well made it is, and seen today it still holds up. With tight direction by James Foley and good performances by Witherspoon and Petersen, Fear is a psychological thriller that preys on a parent’s fears that the person their child is seeing is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. In a brief role, Charmed’s Alyssa Milano makes the most of her brief screen time as Nicole’s promiscuous friend Margot, who has the bad luck of standing in David’s path.
Fear is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Match Point’ (2005)
What would you do for a chance to live in high society? That’s the question posed to poor tennis instructor Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), who befriends a wealthy member of the sports club he works at in London and quickly romances and marries the man’s sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer). He also has an affair with Nola (Scarlett Johansson), an aspiring actress who is just as poor as he is. When Nola becomes pregnant, Chris is faced with a tough decision: marry Nola and give up a future filled with wealth or stay with Chloe and be bored surrounded by luxury.
Match Point isn’t your traditional thriller in that it hinges on one character’s morality and the answer to the question I posed at the beginning of this entry. What makes the film so rewarding to watch and so rich to examine is how closely the director, Woody Allen, wants you to identify with Chris. He’s not a monster — he just wants what everyone wants, but few have: a life of total financial freedom. What would you do to secure that if you had the chance? Like Chris, you may not like the answer.
Match Point is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Fatal Attraction’ (1987)
Fatal Attraction is widely credited with ushering in a wave of erotic thrillers in the late ’80s and ’90s. It also gave Glenn Close one of the most memorable roles of her career as Alex Forrest, a successful career woman who has an affair with her colleague, Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas). Unfortunately for Alex, Dan is a married man who ultimately loves his wife, Beth (Anne Archer), and their child far more than he could ever care for Alex.
Alex’s inability to deal with Dan’s rejection snaps her grasp on reality as she begins stalking him and his family. The only things Alex can think about are her wants and desires, and she uses increasingly violent acts in a desperate bid to claim Dan for herself. As Alex says in the movie, she won’t be ignored.
Fatal Attraction is streaming on Paramount+.
‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)
Joel and Ethan Coen made some great movies together during their partnership, but the Coen brothers’ best movie is their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy‘s No Country for Old Men. It’s one of the rare crime thrillers that’s truly surprising, and it takes a few turns that other films wouldn’t dare to try.
Josh Brolin stars as Llewelyn Moss, an ordinary man who makes the find of a lifetime: A briefcase full of drug money, his for the taking. Assuming he could get away with that was Moss’ first mistake. The mob has sent a hitman, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), to reclaim the money at all costs. Moss only thinks he’s a hard man, but he’s incapable of imagining the violence that Chigurh will unleash during his pursuit. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is in over his head trying to bring these two to justice, and that disturbs him.
No Country for Old Men is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Witness’ (1985)
Witness is an underrated thriller that turned 40 this year, but it remains a top-notch example of the genre. Harrison Ford plays John Book, a detective in the Philadelphia PD who takes the case of a young Amish boy, Samuel Lapp (Lukas Haas), who accidentally witnesses a murder. Book soon realizes that Samuel and his mother, Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis), are in grave danger from corrupt cops because of what her son saw.
After Book is seriously injured, he recuperates alongside Rachel and Samuel in the Amish community. Book and Rachel even feel romantic sparks, even as the corrupt police officials attempt to hunt them down and silence them. Book can’t hide with Rachel forever, and his way is not the Amish way.
Witness is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Red Eye’ (2005)
Considering the trajectory of their careers over the last two decades, director Wes Craven caught lightning in a bottle when he cast Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy as the leads in Red Eye. Murphy is particularly like a cinematic chameleon, as his character, Jackson Rippner, is so kind and charming to Lisa Reisert (McAdams). He’s the kind of guy she’d take home to meet her father, Joe (Brian Cox) — if Jackson hadn’t already sent an assassin to kill him first.
Much to Lisa’s horror, she learns that Jackson plans to use her father’s life to blackmail her into helping him pull off an act of domestic terrorism. Lisa finds herself stuck on an overnight flight with this sociopath watching her every move. If Lisa can’t get out from under Jackson’s control, then she’ll be an accessory to murder. But if she defies him, there’s no way she can warn her dad about the danger he’s in.
Red Eye is streaming on Paramount+.
‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ (1999)
Matt Damon was still early in his career when he was cast as Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Despite the name of the movie, Tom’s only real talents lie in deception and in ingratiating himself among the rich and powerful. Tom even manages to convince Herbert Greenleaf (James Rebhorn) to send him to Europe to retrieve his wealthy and wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law).
Although Dickie has a beautiful American girlfriend, Marge Sherwood (Gwyneth Paltrow), it’s Dickie himself who catches Tom’s eye. And let’s just say that Tom isn’t the kind of man who accepts rejection well. Instead, Tom lines up the con of a lifetime, but it’s going to take a lot to convince everyone that he’s Dickie, especially when dealing with the people who know the truth.
The Talented Mr. Ripley is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Basic Instinct’ (1992)
Over three decades ago, Basic Instinct took erotic thrillers to another level with Sharon Stone‘s showstopping turn as Catherine Tramell. She’s a successful crime novelist and also the prime suspect in the death of her rock star boyfriend. Catherine not only seems guilty as hell, but she also appears to delight in teasing the police about their inability to catch her.
SFPD Police Detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) makes several bad decisions while working on this case. First, he allows Catherine to seduce him while he was already having an affair with his psychologist, Dr. Beth Garner (Jeanne Tripplehorn). But Nick’s potentially fatal mistake may be letting Catherine get close enough to either destroy his personal life or kill him.
Basic Instinct is streaming on Paramount+.
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