Of the various genres that have seen success in film over the years, few have been as succinctly emblematic of their era as the enigmatic thriller. Being able to tap into the heightened sense of anxiety and tension as characters traverse various high-stakes scenarios has always made for exhilarating cinematic experiences, with the genre evolving a multitude of times according to the trends of the generation. A handful of perfect thrillers have so effectively displayed these notions of nail-biting excitement, including M and Vertigo.
However, even more interesting than the thrillers that managed to do everything right without a single flaw are those that, while still exceptional, have a single flaw stopping them from reaching perfection. It’s certainly easier for a film to make one mistake than to make no mistakes at all, and a film can still largely be praised and enjoyed despite its singular flaw; yet, these shortcomings still make for an interesting topic of discussion. Whether they’re modern films that will assuredly become modern classics in time or tried-and-true classics that have had their flaws exposed with time, the thriller genre has many of these almost-perfect gems.
They are:
- Se7en (1995)
- Oldboy (2003)
- Uncut Gems (2019)
- Oppenheimer (2023)
- Sorcerer (1977)
- Prisoners (2013)
- Double Indemnity (1944)
- Caché (2005)
- American Psycho (2000)
- Pig (2021)
Hitchcock doesn’t get a single nod on a list of perfect thriller movies?
Rear 🪟 for me has to go on this list
Hitch gets a nod in the opening paragraph.
I imagine he would, that’s not what this list is about, it’s for almost perfect thrillers. That said, although it might start a fee arguments, some of Hitchcock’s films might also make this list.