Top 30 Ranked

Best Thriller Movies of 2019, Ranked

Pulse Pounding Suspense and Dark Cinematic Masterpieces

Discover the year's most intense psychological thrillers and crime dramas. From award winners to cult hits, explore top rated suspenseful cinema.

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About 2019 Thriller Movies

Film history often views certain years as transitional periods, but 2019 arrived with the force of a closing fist. It was a year when the thriller genre stopped being polite and started getting invasive. If you look back at the cinematic landscape of that season, you will notice a distinct lack of traditional popcorn fare. In its place, we saw a collection of films that were deeply concerned with the walls closing in, whether those walls were social, economic, or literal.

The defining moment of the year was undoubtedly Bong Joon ho masterpiece Parasite. While it swept the awards circuit as a social satire, its engine was pure, high octane thriller. The way it shifted from a lighthearted caper into a suffocating tale of basement secrets and rain soaked violence reminded audiences that the best thrills come from the things we ignore in our own homes. It set the tone for a year where the monster was rarely a ghost or a masked killer, but rather the person standing right next to you.

The Safdie brothers took this sense of escalating anxiety and weaponized it in Uncut Gems. Adam Sandler performance as Howard Ratner turned the theater into a pressure cooker. It was a thriller that relied entirely on the physiological response of the viewer. Between the overlapping dialogue and the relentless synth score, the film felt like a two hour heart attack. It proved that you do not need a weapon to create suspense when a gambling debt and a ticking clock can do the job just as effectively.

On the other side of the spectrum, 2019 gave us the elegant, sharp tongued Knives Out. Rian Johnson revitalized the whodunit by infusing it with modern political friction and a Hitchcockian sense of pacing. It was a reminder that the genre can be fun without losing its edge. By subverting the trope of the hidden killer early on, the film forced the audience to sweat along with the protagonist, turning a murder mystery into a frantic survival story.

Deeply unsettling psychological territory was also explored in Robert Eggers The Lighthouse. While some categorized it as horror, it functioned as a masterful maritime thriller about the total breakdown of the human mind. The isolation of the setting and the escalating power struggle between Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson created a sense of dread that was almost atmospheric. It reminded us that the genre is at its best when it explores the dark corners of the psyche.

Even the more mainstream offerings felt refined that year. Jordan Peele followed up his debut with Us, a film that used the home invasion trope to explore the idea of the double. It was a visceral, stylish exercise in tension that confirmed the thriller was the most effective vehicle for social commentary. Looking back, 2019 was a year of incredible diversity within the genre. From the frantic streets of New York to the basement of a Seoul mansion, filmmakers used tension to reflect a world that felt increasingly out of control. It was a year where every shadow felt earned and every twist felt like a punch to the gut.

The Complete Rankings

Based on the top picks in drafts on SnakeDrafts

See Top Ten
30
2019 Thriller in Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story (2019)
Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story
2019

An investigative reporter Nellie Bly, who’s on a mission to expose the deplorable conditions and mistreatment of patients at the notorious Women’s Lunatic Asylum, and feigns mental illness in order to be institutionalized to report from the inside. The movie is an account of actual events surrounding Nellie’s stay beginning after she has undergone treatment, leaving her with no recollection of how she came to the asylum or her real identity.

Thriller
1h 28m
Karen Moncrieff
Christina Ricci, Judith Light, Joshua Bowman, Anja Savcic
29
2019 Thriller in Nowhere to Be Found (2019)
Nowhere to Be Found
2019

A mother's worst nightmare comes true when her teenage daughter goes missing.

Drama
Thriller
1h 33m
Thomas Michael
Kate Drummond, Rya Kihlstedt, Nell Verlaque, Al Mukaddam
28
2019 Thriller in The Wolf's Call (2019)
The Wolf's Call
2019

Shown from the perspective of a young submariner with unusually sensitive hearing and uncannily precise sound recognition. The fate of many often depends on his ability, and one time, whilst highly stressed, he makes a incorrect call which put his entire crew in mortal danger. Trying to regain the confidence of his comrades, he conducts an unauthorised investigation of an apparent plot which, it turns out, risks escalating into a nuclear apocalypse. Suddenly working under pressure with the fleet admiral, they must do whatever is necessary, even the unthinkable, to prevent a nuclear war, since a confirmed nuclear strike order cannot be countermanded.

Thriller
Action
1h 56m
Antonin Baudry
François Civil, Omar Sy, Mathieu Kassovitz, Reda Kateb

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27
2019 Thriller in Dark Waters (2019)
Dark Waters
2019

A tenacious attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to one of the world's largest corporations. In the process, he risks everything — his future, his family, and his own life — to expose the truth.

Drama
Thriller
2h 7m
Todd Haynes
26
2019 Thriller in Article 15 (2019)
Article 15
2019

A young IPS officer’s new posting in rural India has him confronting caste disparities and uncomfortable truths in the face of a gruesome crime. When three girls go missing in the fictional village of Lalgaon, two of them are found dead and there is no trace of the third one. Where is she and who is responsible for this heinous act?

Crime
Drama
2h 10m
Anubhav Sinha
Ayushmann Khurrana, Isha Talwar, Sayani Gupta, Kumud Mishra
25
2019 Thriller in Heroic Losers (2019)
Heroic Losers
2019

In a town in the Northwest of the province of Buenos Aires, a group of neighbors is organized to recover the economy of the area, but when the corralito is implemented in the country and they suffer a fraud, their hopes disappear. Now, they will unite to recover the lost money and give the blow of their lives to their greatest enemy.

Comedy
Thriller
1h 56m
Sebastián Borensztein
Ricardo Darín, Luis Brandoni, Chino Darín, Verónica Llinás
24
2019 Thriller in Les Misérables (2019)
Les Misérables
2019

Stéphane has recently joined the Anti-Crime Squad in Montfermeil, in the suburbs of Paris, France, where Victor Hugo set his famed novel “Les Miserables”. Alongside his new colleagues Chris and Gwada – both experienced members of the team – he quickly discovers tensions running high between local gangs. When the trio finds themselves overrun during the course of an arrest, a drone captures the encounter, threatening to expose the reality of everyday life.

Crime
Drama
1h 44m
Ladj Ly
Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djebril Zonga, Steve Tientcheu
23
2019 Thriller in Kaithi (2019)
Kaithi
2019

Dilli, a convicted criminal, is out on parole to meet his daughter. However, a drug bust sets him off on a mission to save the life of police officers.

Action
Thriller
2h 27m
Lokesh Kanagaraj
Karthi, Narain, Arjun Das, Harish Uthaman
22
2019 Thriller in The Traitor (2019)
The Traitor
2019

Palermo, Sicily, 1980. Mafia member Tommaso Buscetta decides to move to Brazil with his family fleeing the constant war between the different clans of the criminal organization. But when, after living several misfortunes, he is forced to return to Italy, he makes a bold decision that will change his life and the destiny of Cosa Nostra forever.

Drama
Crime
2h 31m
Marco Bellocchio
Pierfrancesco Favino, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Fabrizio Ferracane, Fausto Russo Alesi
21
2019 Thriller in Bacurau (2019)
Bacurau
2019

Bacurau, a small town in the Brazilian sertão, mourns the loss of its matriarch, Carmelita, who lived to be 94. Days later, its inhabitants notice that their community has vanished from most maps.

Mystery
Western
2h 11m
Kleber Mendonça Filho
Bárbara Colen, Thomás Aquino, Silvero Pereira, Sônia Braga
20
2019 Thriller in Sheep Without a Shepherd (2019)
Sheep Without a Shepherd
2019

Li and his wife A Yu run a small business in Thailand and enjoy a happy home life with their two daughters. When their eldest daughter is violently assaulted, blackmailed and left traumatised by another student, her parents intervene, leading to a dead body which needs to be hidden, and every trace of the boy buried to cover up the accident.

Crime
Mystery
1h 52m
Sam Quah
Xiao Yang, Tan Zhuo, Joan Chen, Philip Keung Ho-Man
19
2019 Thriller in Super Deluxe (2019)
Super Deluxe
2019

An unfaithful newly-wed wife, an estranged parent, a priest and an angry son suddenly find themselves in the most unexpected predicaments, each poised to experience their destiny, all on one fateful day.

Comedy
Thriller
2h 56m
Thiagarajan Kumararaja
Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Ramya Krishnan
18
2019 Thriller in In the Arms of an Assassin (2019)
In the Arms of an Assassin
2019

Victor (William Levy) is one of the world’s most handsome men, but he has a deep secret – he is a cold blooded assassin. Smooth talking and seductive, Victor was raised to do one thing only, which is to kill for money. When he is sent to the home of a brutal drug lord to collect payment for his most recent hit, he encounters the beautiful Sarai (Alicia Sanz), who has been forced to spend the last 9 years of her life with the drug lord.

Romance
Thriller
1h 41m
Matías Moltrasio
William Levy, Alicia Sanz, Roberto Sosa, Adrián Lastra
17
2019 Thriller in The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (2019)
The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil
2019

After barely surviving a brutal attack by a sadistic serial killer, crime boss Jang Dong-su is left humiliated. Determined to catch the killer known as K, he forms an uneasy alliance with Jung Tae-seok, a relentless and incorruptible detective who often disrupts his illegal business. However, while Jang Dong-su wants K dead, Jung Tae-suk is determined to bring him to justice. With a deal in place—whoever finds K first will decide his fate—the hunt begins, blurring the lines between crime and law.

Crime
Action
1h 50m
Lee Won-tae
Don Lee, Kim Moo-yul, Kim Sung-kyu, Heo Dong-won
16
2019 Thriller in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Sibling's Bond (2019)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Sibling's Bond
2019

Tanjiro Kamado returns home to find his family slaughtered and the lone survivor, his sister Nezuko, turned into a Demon. To his surprise, however, Nezuko still shows signs of human emotion and thought. Thus begins Tanjiro's journey to seek out the Demon who killed their family and turn his sister human again. A recap of Kimetsu no Yaiba episodes 1–5, with new footage and special end credits.

Animation
Action
1h 45m
Haruo Sotozaki
Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Takahiro Sakurai, Hochu Otsuka
15
2019 Thriller in The Fanatic (2019)
The Fanatic
2019

A rabid film fan stalks his favorite action hero and destroys the star's life.

Crime
Thriller
1h 29m
Fred Durst
John Travolta, Devon Sawa, Ana Golja, James Paxton
14
2019 Thriller in Fractured (2019)
Fractured
2019

Driving cross-country, Ray and his wife and daughter stop at a highway rest area where his daughter falls and breaks her arm. After a frantic rush to the hospital and a clash with the check-in nurse, Ray is finally able to get her to a doctor. While the wife and daughter go downstairs for an MRI, Ray, exhausted, passes out in a chair in the lobby. Upon waking up, they have no record or knowledge of Ray's family ever being checked in.

Thriller
Drama
1h 39m
Brad Anderson
Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Lucy Capri, Stephen Tobolowsky
13
2019 Thriller in Burn (2019)
Burn
2019

Lonely, unstable gas station attendant Melinda is tired of being overshadowed by her more confident, outgoing co-worker Sheila. When the gas station is held up at gunpoint by Billy, a desperate man in need of quick cash, Melinda finds an opportunity to make a connection with the robber, regardless of who gets hurt.

Thriller
Crime
1h 29m
Mike Gan
Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Josh Hutcherson, Suki Waterhouse, Shiloh Fernandez
12
2019 Thriller in The Informer (2019)
The Informer
2019

In New York, former convict Pete Koslow, related to the Polish mafia, must deal with both Klimek the General, his ruthless boss, and the twisted ambitions of two federal agents, as he tries to survive and protect the lives of his loved ones.

Drama
Crime
1h 49m
Andrea Di Stefano
Joel Kinnaman, Rosamund Pike, Common, Ana de Armas
11
2019 Thriller in Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
Motherless Brooklyn
2019

New York City, 1957. Lionel Essrog, a private detective living with Tourette syndrome, tries to solve the murder of his mentor and best friend, armed only with vague clues and the strength of his obsessive mind.

Drama
Thriller
10
2019 Thriller in Angel Has Fallen (2019)
Angel Has Fallen
2019

After a treacherous attack, Secret Service agent Mike Banning is charged with attempting to assassinate President Trumbull. Chased by his own colleagues and the FBI, Banning begins a race against the clock to clear his name.

Action
Thriller
2h 2m
Ric Roman Waugh
Why it ranks

Ric Roman Waugh breathes surprisingly gritty life into this franchise by shifting the focus toward a grounded, fugitive-on-the-run perspective. The film strips away the glossy invincibility of its lead, opting instead for a bruised and tactile approach to political conspiracy.

9
2019 Thriller in Hotel Mumbai (2019)
Hotel Mumbai
2019

Mumbai, India, November 26, 2008. While several terrorists spread hatred and death through the city, others attack the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Both hotel staff and guests risk their lives, making unthinkable sacrifices to protect themselves and keep everyone safe while help arrives.

Thriller
History
2h 3m
Anthony Maras
Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Tilda Cobham-Hervey
Why it ranks

Anthony Maras captures the harrowing reality of a siege with a documentary-like intensity that honors the gravity of its source material. It is a grueling, expertly choreographed feat of suspense that emphasizes human resilience amidst chaotic, claustrophobic violence.

8
2019 Thriller in Serenity (2019)
Serenity
2019

The quiet life of Baker Dill, a fishing boat captain who lives on the isolated Plymouth Island, where he spends his days obsessed with capturing an elusive tuna while fighting his personal demons, is interrupted when someone from his past comes to him searching for help.

Thriller
Mystery
1h 42m
Steven Knight
Why it ranks

Steven Knight delivers a bold, polarizing experiment that pivots from noir aesthetic into a high-concept meta-commentary. While divisive, its sheer narrative audacity and surrealist commitment make it one of the most singular genre entries of its year.

7
2019 Thriller in The Intruder (2019)
The Intruder
2019

A psychological thriller about a young married couple who buys a beautiful Napa Valley house on several acres of land only to find that the man they bought it from refuses to let go of the property.

Thriller
1h 42m
Deon Taylor
Michael Ealy, Joseph Sikora, Meagan Good, Alvina August
Why it ranks

This home-invasion thriller succeeds through Quinton Peeples' subversion of domestic security, turning a dream property into a site of fixation. Dennis Quaid delivers a menacingly unhinged performance that elevates the traditional cat-and-mouse dynamic into something far more visceral.

6
2019 Thriller in Greta (2019)
Greta
2019

A young woman returns a lonely widow’s lost purse, leading to an unlikely relationship between the two — until the young woman discovers the widow might not be all that she seems.

Mystery
Thriller
1h 38m
Neil Jordan
Chloë Grace Moretz, Isabelle Huppert, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore
Why it ranks

Neil Jordan leans into the stylized camp of the stalker subgenre, anchored by Isabelle Huppert’s unsettlingly elegant performance. The film breathes new life into the obsessed-mentor trope by infusing it with a chilling, European art-house sensibility.

5
2019 Thriller in The Lighthouse (2019)
The Lighthouse
2019

Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Drama
Fantasy
1h 49m
Robert Eggers
Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe, Valeriia Karaman, Logan Hawkes
Why it ranks

Robert Eggers utilizes a restrictive aspect ratio and salt-caked atmosphere to craft a psychological descent into maritime hysteria. The interplay between Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson creates an intoxicating, hallucinatory friction that blurs the line between myth and madness.

4
2019 Thriller in Crawl (2019)
Crawl
2019

When a huge hurricane hits her hometown in Florida, Haley ignores evacuation orders to look for her father. After finding him badly wounded, both are trapped by the flood. With virtually no time to escape the storm, they discover that rising water levels are the least of their problems.

Horror
Thriller
1h 27m
Alexandre Aja
Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper, Morfydd Clark, Ross Anderson
Why it ranks

Alexandre Aja strips the creature feature down to its most primitive, effective elements by trapping a father and daughter in a flooded crawlspace. It is a lean, mean survivalist sprint that prioritizes suffocating tension and environmental hazards over bloated genre tropes.

3
2019 Thriller in Joker (2019)
2019

During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.

Crime
Thriller
Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy
Why it ranks

Todd Phillips swaps caped heroics for a gritty, nihilistic character study that owes more to seventies urban decay than comic book lore. Joaquin Phoenix provides a transformative, skin-crawling physical performance that grounds this descent into societal madness.

2
2019 Thriller in Uncut Gems (2019)
Uncut Gems
2019

A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.

Drama
Thriller
2h 16m
Josh Safdie
Adam Sandler, LaKeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett
Why it ranks

This is a relentless exercise in sustained anxiety, driven by Adam Sandler’s manic energy and a sonic landscape that refuses to let the viewer breathe. The Safdie brothers transform the Diamond District into a claustrophobic pressure cooker where every gamble feels like a visceral assault.

1
2019 Thriller in Parasite (2019)
Parasite
2019

All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

Comedy
Thriller
2h 13m
Bong Joon Ho
Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik
Why it ranks

Bong Joon-ho delivers a masterclass in structural subversion, weaponizing architectural space to execute a tonal pivot that leaves the audience breathless. It is a razor-sharp dissection of class aspiration that functions with the lethal precision of a clockwork trap.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts

Several 2019 thrillers blend genres to enrich their storytelling, such as Parasite, which combines comedy, thriller, and drama, and The Lighthouse, which mixes drama, fantasy, and thriller. These films offer layered narratives that appeal to fans of complex, genre-bending cinema.

2019 thriller movies frequently explore themes of psychological tension, social confinement, and economic pressure. Films like Joker and Parasite vividly portray those invasive pressures, reflecting broader societal anxieties through suspenseful storytelling.

Yes, Hotel Mumbai stands out as a gripping thriller based on the true story of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. It delivers intense, historically grounded suspense that distinguishes it from more fictional or stylized thrillers of the year.

Films like Uncut Gems and Motherless Brooklyn dive deep into psychological complexity and moral ambiguity. These movies engage viewers with intense character studies set against crime and drama backdrops, highlighting flawed, compelling protagonists.

Thrillers like Angel Has Fallen and Burn incorporate action sequences to heighten tension while maintaining strong narrative suspense. This fusion offers adrenaline-pumping entertainment without sacrificing story depth.

Parasite, directed by Bong Joon Ho, received widespread critical acclaim for its masterful direction and compelling social commentary. Similarly, Todd Phillips' Joker stands out for its powerful narrative and stylistic approach to the thriller genre.

Yes, Crawl is a notable 2019 thriller that blends horror and suspense, delivering thrills through its survival scenario featuring natural disaster and creature horror components. The Lighthouse also incorporates eerie, atmospheric horror into its thriller framework.

Greta combines mystery, drama, and thriller elements to tell a chilling story centered around an intense psychological cat-and-mouse game. Its focus on a suspenseful, character-driven plot sets it apart within the 2019 thriller landscape.
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