The Most Captivating Thrillers of the 2020s (So Far)

We are not even four years into the 2020s, but the decade has already given moviegoers some truly unbelievable thrillers.

The thriller genre does exactly what its name says it will do; it thrills the audience. Thrillers are meant to captivate the audience with a gripping storyline that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. A thriller should keep you engrossed in the plot and the characters should infatuate you. Every moment should be exciting in the sense that the viewer is always drawn to the world of the movie for one reason or another. The story should be intriguing enough that you simply have to pay attention to nothing else but what's unfolding on the screen in front of you. Whether it's because the story is action-packed, the characters are multidimensional, or the plot is complex, a thriller should keep its audience fully invested.

Thrillers can easily be blended with other genres to create interesting and exciting worlds, with horror and action being the most notable genre blends. Sci-fi, mystery, drama, and crime also pair excellently with thrillers. Thrillers can scare you, motivate you, perplex you, and enamor you. Its ability to invoke a variety of reactions makes it one of the most compelling film genres. Many thrillers have gone on to be considered classics of cinema, and each decade has produced incredible films in the genre that still wow audiences now. We are not even four years into the 2020s, but the decade has already given moviegoers some truly unbelievable thrillers. So, here are ten of the most captivating thrillers of the 2020s, so far:

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10. Influencer (2022)

Influencer is a horror thriller that will certainly leave you questioning your online presence once the credits roll. As the title suggests, the film is about an influencer named Madison (Emily Tennant) on a solo trip to Thailand where she vlogs her vacation activities and makes video content to advertise the resort she's staying at. Disappointed that her boyfriend didn't come on the trip with her, she decides to make friends with another solo traveler named CW (Cassandra Naud), who shows her more of the country than ever saw on her own. However, CW's interest in helping Madison quickly turns sinister and obsession takes control.

The title is on the nose, but this indie thriller is surprisingly engaging and goes places you may not expect it to. Think along the lines of the Triangle of Sadness and Cam.

9. The Black Phone (2021)

Ethan Hawke is no stranger to playing dark characters, but in Scott Derrickson's The Black Phone, he plays his most sadistic character yet. Set in a suburban town in the '70s, the horror thriller centers around a shy but intelligent 13-year-old boy named Finney (Mason Thames) who is abducted by a despicable child murderer known to the locals as "The Grabber" (Hawke). He is trapped in a soundproof basement where the only communication he has comes from the disconnected phone on the wall where he can talk to the killer's previous victims, who are determined to help him escape. The only living person who has any shot at finding Finney is his precocious little sister Gwen (Madeline McGraw).

The film does a great job of keeping the viewer hooked on Finney's desperate attempts at escape and his sister's very different journey to discover where her older brother is being held captive and why police have never found him before.

8. I'm Your Woman (2020)

Set in the 1970s, a woman named Jean (Rachel Brosnahan) is forced to go on the run with her baby after her criminal husband betrays his corrupt business partners. Jean and her baby must endure a dangerous journey to free themselves of the mess he left in his wake and get to safety.

I'm Your Woman offers a different perspective than most crime thrillers as it focuses completely on the spouse of the criminal in question. We get to see how the actions of Jean's husband directly affect her and their child and how it quickly turns their lives upside down, rather than seeing just the effects the criminal's actions have on them. Jean is forced to go into hiding with her infant child and abandon everything she has ever known to be true because of the selfish actions of someone who is supposed to be there for them.

7. Nobody (2021)

There have been many comparisons between Nobody and the John Wick movies, which is valid considering the subject and the violent nature of the film. Except John Wick and Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) have completely opposite personalities. Hutch is a docile husband and father who is underestimated by everyone in his life. He takes all of life's inconveniences and never pushes back. He is essentially a nobody. When two intruders break into his home one night, he doesn't defend himself or his family in order to avoid any violence, disappointing his wife and teenage son. The incident awakens long-dormant instincts and anger, putting him on a brutal path that brings to light dark secrets in a quest to save his family from a Russian crime boss.

Aside from the fact that he is clearly a skilled fighter, Hutch really isn't anything like John Wick. Hutch is a family man who lets people walk all over him to not cause any trouble. So, when this dormant instinct to fight back is finally awakened, he revels in getting beat up just as much as enjoys handing out the beatings. He wants to feel alive again. Bob Odenkirk absolutely owns this role in a way that probably will surprise a lot of viewers, and it will undoubtedly have you cheering each time Hutch lands a punch.

6. Kimi (2022)

Set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic Steven Soderbergh's Kimi is a tight thriller that utilizes its time period and environment to its advantage. The film takes place in Seattle where an agoraphobic tech worker named Angela (Zoë Kravitz) discovers evidence of a violent crime while reviewing a data stream. She is met with much resistance from executives when she attempts to report the crime to her company. She realizes that she must become more involved if she wants to bring justice to the victim, which means she must face her greatest fear by leaving the safety of her apartment and venturing out into the dangerous world.

The backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic is used expertly to tell a story about paranoia and privacy within the world of tech. COVID-19 really is simply the background in this film, as it isn't about the pandemic at all. It's a nice change of pace for post-pandemic media and a thrilling watch for a weekend night spent at home.

5. The Menu (2022)

Between the second season of FX and Hulu's hit show The Bear and the release of Mark Mylod's comedic horror thriller, we have heard the phrase "Yes chef!" numerous times this year. The Menu is a single-location thriller that takes place at a lavish, upscale restaurant that exclusively serves the ultra-wealthy with demanding palates. Among them are the obsessive and ill-mannered Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) and his unimpressed date Margot (Anya Taylor Joy). While Margot has no interest in the elaborate multi-course dining experience, Tyler and the rest of the patrons eagerly await Chef Julian Slowik's (Ralph Fiennes) decadent meal plan, unaware of the surprises that are in store for them.

This film uses black comedy to portray its social commentary boldly. From the moment the first course of the night is served, it is evident that something is not quite right about this world-famous restaurant, and it is impossible to look away as the true nature of the Hawthorn and Chef Julian's intentions are slowly revealed.

4. How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2023)

In this fictional adaptation of climate activist Andreas Malm's book, How to Blow Up a Pipeline friends, strangers, and partners come together in the Texas desert to enact a sabotage plan on the oil industry. All deeply affected by the negative impacts that industrialism and capitalism have on the environment, the misfit group resorts to domestic terrorism to prove a point to the corporations who have wronged them.

With hardly any signs of hesitation, the unlikely group meets at an abandoned West Texas house and gets straight to work to detonate a bomb under a huge portion of an oil pipeline. Told through seven perspectives, the group's journey to get to their end goal is both riveting and upsetting.

3. Infinity Pool (2023)

Coming from the mind of David Cronenberg's son Brandon Cronenberg, it should be no surprise that Infinity Pool is a disturbing, hallucinogenic nightmare that you simply can't look away from. While staying at an isolated beach resort on the fictional island of La Tolqa, James (Alexander Skarsgard) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) enjoy an idyllic vacation filled with exceptional service and beautiful views. When they meet mysterious Gabi (Mia Goth) and her husband, James, and Em venture off the resort grounds with the couple and find themselves involved in a culture of violence and hedonism.

The film is deeply unsettling from the start, but after they venture off the resort property, it becomes a deranged and unnerving thrill ride. It is not afraid to throw its audience for a loop more than once, and it lets its characters run absolutely wild. It is ridiculously engrossing and rightfully tense. It will certainly have you gripping the edge of your seat by the third act.

2. The Call (2020)

South Korean cinema creates incredibly well-made, captivating, thought-provoking films in every genre. Still, it takes horror and thrillers to an entirely new level, especially when the genres are combined.

The Call is a horror thriller that does South Korean cinema proudly. It follows two 28-year-old women living in the countryside who correspond with each other via a landline telephone. Seo-Yeon is visiting her mother's house in 2019, while Young-sook lives with her stepmother in the same house, but in 1999. The two women talk every day on the phone despite living in two different decades and become friends. They start to wonder if the past can be changed, but Seo-yeon soon realizes it may be better left alone. This film is as entertaining as it is unsettling, and it throws twists and turns at you like it's nothing. There is no doubt it will keep you hooked for the entire 112 minutes.

1. Emily the Criminal (2022)

Student loan debt is the bane of many Millennials and elder Gen Z's existence. It can be crippling for many even with a full-time job. Emily the Criminal portrays the difficulties that student loan debt can wreak on college graduates and how difficult it can be to secure any job but takes it to the extreme. It centers around Emily (Aubrey Plaza), a 30-something woman saddled with student debt. She works odd jobs in an attempt to try to pay back the debt but has an incredibly difficult time trying to land higher jobs due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for cash and feeling helpless, Emily gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her deep into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, which ultimately leads to deadly consequences.

Aubrey Plaza shines in this intense and relevant thriller. Emily is so fed up with capitalism and the way that the world treats working-class people that she succumbs to criminal activity just to free herself of the shackles that come with her student loan debt. It's well-written and well-acted, but also does a great job of displaying the problems associated with the rising student loan debt crisis in this country. It keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time.