Rentals
Thriller
Who Can You Trust?
Trust few and fear all in a collection of films packed with paranoia and conspiracy.
BFI's Thriller season also explores erotic thrillers, racial politics, espionage, the British thriller tradition, fake news, queer characters and femmes fatales.
The Lives of OthersThe Lives of Others
Drama2006138 minsDirector: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
The winner of Best Foreign Language Film at the 2007 Academy Awards is a rich and intriguing political mystery.
ElleElle
Drama2015131 minsDirector: Paul Verhoeven
Isabelle Huppert gives an unforgettable performance in Paul Verhoeven’s provocative thriller about one woman’s response to a violent attack.
The Wages of FearThe Wages of Fear
Crime1953153 minsDirector: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Henri-Georges Clouzot's classic, nail-biting suspense thriller won both The Golden Bear and the Palme d'Or in 1953.
RevengeRevenge
Thriller2017108 minsDirector: Coralie Fargeat
Coralie Fargeat's gloriously bloody tale of one woman's retribution; a razor-sharp feminist subversion of the revenge-thriller.
You Were Never Really HereYou Were Never Really Here
Thriller201790 minsDirector: Lynne Ramsay
Lynne Ramsay journeys with Joaquin Phoenix into the mind of an ex-soldier gun-for-hire whose own demons are as brutal as the actions of his adversaries.
IcemanIceman
Thriller201796 minsDirector: Felix Randau
Revenge is served ice-cold in this visceral thriller, in which a neolithic hunter seeks vengeance against those who decimated his tribe.
Funny Games U.S.Funny Games U.S.
Horror2008107 minsDirector: Michael Haneke
Michael Haneke’s English-language remake of his earlier, Austrian film is both a shocking home-invasion thriller and a potent commentary on cinematic violence.
United 93United 93
Drama2006111 minsDirector: Paul Greengrass
Paul Greengrass' thrilling, chilling and deeply moving real-time drama about the heroes who derailed the terrorists' plans for the fourth jet on 9/11.
Touch of EvilTouch of Evil
Film noir1958111 minsDirector: Orson Welles
Orson Welles’ final Hollywood film and the last great Film Noir, a sweat-drenched Mexican border saga with one of cinema’s most celebrated openings.
BeastBeast
Drama2018106 minsDirector: Michael Pearce
The hunt for a Jersey serial killer sparks a dangerous awakening in a young woman (Jessie Buckley, in her feature debut) in this astonishing psycho-sexual thriller, which sets all the senses aflame.
LockeLocke
Drama201485 minsDirector: Steven Knight
Tom Hardy commands the screen as the only star of Steven Knight’s bold, mesmeric drama, which is set entirely in a car and unfolds in real time.
Green RoomGreen Room
Thriller201595 minsDirector: Jeremy Saulnier
A punk band becomes besieged in the backstage hideaway of a hideous neo-Nazi club, in this gloriously tense shocker from the director of Blue Ruin.
The GameThe Game
Crime1997129 minsDirector: David Fincher
David Fincher's disorienting thriller posits Michael Douglas' complacent yuppie in the midst of an elaborate game that may or may not be staged.
American PsychoAmerican Psycho
Drama2000102 minsDirector: Mary Harron
Christian Bale slays his competition in this chilling satire set in ‘80s Wall Street.
PiPi
Science Fiction199784 minsDirector: Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky’s magisterial monochrome mystery concerns a mathematician whose discovery of a powerful number leads to the dark side.
The HandmaidenThe Handmaiden
Crime2016146 minsDirector: Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Stoker) channels Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, to create a sumptuous twisty psychological thriller full of erotic intrigue.
Lust, CautionLust, Caution
Drama2007158 minsDirector: Ang Lee
Esteemed Taiwanese director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi) returned to Asia once more for this startlingly erotic tale of espionage and obsession.
The Third MurderThe Third Murder
Crime2017125 minsDirector: Hirokazu Koreeda
A clear-cut murder case is revealed to be much more layered than it first appears, in this gripping and intelligent crime drama from Palme d'Or-winning director Hirokazu Koreeda.
A Most Wanted ManA Most Wanted Man
Thriller2014122 minsDirector: Anton Corbijn
In one of his final roles, Philip Seymour Hoffman excels as a German spy attempting to recruit Islamic informants, in Anton Corbijn’s sophisticated John le Carré adaptation.
Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyTinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Thriller2011127 minsDirector: Tomas Alfredson
Gary Oldman leads an all-star cast, including Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy, in this acclaimed adaptation of John Le Carré's esteemed spy novel.
Dare I Weep Dare I MournDare I Weep Dare I Mourn
196649 minsDirector: Ted Kotcheff
James Mason plays a middle-aged businessman in this East-West Berlin thriller, based on a story by John Le Carre.
Hard CandyHard Candy
2005100 minsDirector: David Slade
Elliot Page became an indie sensation as the teenage vigilante trying to trap a predatory older man, in David Slade's smart psychological thriller.
HannaHanna
Thriller2011111 minsDirector: Joe Wright
Joe Wright's electric tale of a female assassin (Saoirse Ronan) trying to escape her destiny rocks to a propulsive Chemical Brothers soundtrack.
The New GirlfriendThe New Girlfriend
Melodrama2014108 minsDirector: François Ozon
Ruth Rendell provides the source novel for this delicious tale of deception and identity, from the master of mischievous melodrama, François Ozon.
Double IndemnityDouble Indemnity
Crime1944108 minsDirector: Billy Wilder
Barbara Stanwyck is the housewife who dupes an insurance salesman into a devious murder plot, in this giant of American cinema - the archetypal Film Noir.
Phantom LadyPhantom Lady
Film noir194487 minsDirector: Robert Siodmak
Robert Siodmak’s first Hollywood noir about an innocent man sentenced to death when the woman who can verify his alibi mysteriously vanishes.
The KillersThe Killers
Crime1946102 minsDirector: Robert Siodmak
Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner star in Robert Siodmak’s gritty and muscular film noir, adapted from Hemingway’s short story.
Zero Dark ThirtyZero Dark Thirty
Action and Adventure2012157 minsDirector: Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow's masterful, meticulous account of the hunt for Osama Bin Laden is a thrilling account of contemporary history.
DetroitDetroit
Drama2017143 minsDirector: Kathryn Bigelow
John Boyega excels as the security guard caught up in a violent conflagration during the riots of 1967, in Kathryn Bigelow's blistering thriller.
The Hurt LockerThe Hurt Locker
War2008131 minsDirector: Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow won the Best Director Academy Award in 2010 for this visceral, thrilling story of an American maverick bomb disarmer in Iraq.
'71'71
Thriller201499 minsDirector: Yann Demange
A young British squaddie is caught behind enemy lines in bomb-torn Belfast, in Yann Demange’s riveting suspense thriller.
Harry BrownHarry Brown
Crime2009103 minsDirector: Daniel Barber
Michael Caine’s storming return to an action role finds him as a retired marine confronting local hoodlums on his housing estate.
Kill ListKill List
Crime201192 minsDirector: Ben Wheatley
Ben Wheatley’s ultra-violent second feature, invoking both The Wicker Man and Apocalypse Now.
DisorderDisorder
Thriller201598 minsDirector: Alice Winocour
A broken soldier guards a tycoon's family in this involving thriller with hints of Taxi Driver, starring Matthias Schoenaerts and Diane Kruger.
A Prophet [Un prophète]A Prophet [Un prophète]
Crime2009156 minsDirector: Jacques Audiard
Jacques Audiard’s award-winning crime drama chronicles the rites of passage and eventual rise to power of a young French Arab. Tough, taut, truthful.
DheepanDheepan
Drama2015115 minsDirector: Jacques Audiard
Jacques Audiard’s soul-stirring Palme d’Or winner tells of a veteran Tamil Tiger guerrilla who finds fresh violence in his new life in Paris.
NightcrawlerNightcrawler
Crime2014118 minsDirector: Dan Gilroy
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a crime journalist scouring the streets of after-dark LA in a stylish thriller that examines the morals of mass media.
Arlington RoadArlington Road
Crime1998118 minsDirector: Mark Pellington
Jeff Bridges suspects his neighbour of being a terrorist in this twitchy, paranoid thriller.
Eye in the SkyEye in the Sky
Thriller2016102 minsDirector: Gavin Hood
Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman (in his last role) play the military commanders caught in the ethical crosshairs of drone warfare, in Gavin Hood’s gripping military thriller.
SicarioSicario
Crime2015121 minsDirector: Denis Villeneuve
Emily Blunt plays the FBI agent enlisted for a special operation against Mexican cartels, in this pulsatingly tense thriller from Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Prisoners).
Sicario 2: SoldadoSicario 2: Soldado
Action and Adventure2018122 minsDirector: Stefano Sollima
Pulsating sequel to the acclaimed drug-cartel thriller, which sees federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) re-teaming with the enigmatic Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro).
Triple 9Triple 9
Crime2015115 minsDirector: John Hillcoat
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck, Kate Winslet and Woody Harrelson make up the heavyweight cast for John Hillcoat’s (The Proposition) stunning heist thriller.
The Bourne IdentityThe Bourne Identity
Action and Adventure2002118 minsDirector: Doug Liman
The spy thriller that overturned the genre stars Matt Damon as the amnesiac searching for his true identity.
The Bourne SupremacyThe Bourne Supremacy
Action and Adventure2004108 minsDirector: Paul Greengrass
Britain’s Paul Greengrass takes the helms for the spy sequel, shaping the series with his penchant for documentary-style realism.
The Bourne UltimatumThe Bourne Ultimatum
Action and Adventure2007115 minsDirector: Paul Greengrass
Director Paul Greengrass returns for the third Bourne film, famed for its incredibly tense opening sequence in London Waterloo station.
Jackie BrownJackie Brown
Crime1997154 minsDirector: Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino's third film is arguably his most serious and studied; a soulful crime saga with Pam Grier as the flight attendant in the midst of a money-laundering scam.
Kill Bill Vol. 1Kill Bill Vol. 1
Martial arts2003111 minsDirector: Quentin Tarantino
The first instalment of Tarantino's epic, blood-soaked opus sees Uma Thurman's betrayed bride set out for revenge against her former assassination crew.
Kill Bill Vol. 2Kill Bill Vol. 2
Action and Adventure2004137 minsDirector: Quentin Tarantino
The conclusion of Tarantino's kung fu epic follows the Bride's (Uma Thurman) fateful encounter with her former fiance (David Carradine).
The Man BetweenThe Man Between
Drama1953102 minsDirector: Carol Reed
Carol Reed follows Odd Man Out and The Third Man with this thriller starring James Mason and Claire Bloom set in post-war Berlin.
Mine Own ExecutionerMine Own Executioner
Drama1948109 minsDirector: Anthony Kimmins
Burgess Meredith stars in this powerful psychological drama, as a psychiatrist struggling with his own inner demons who's enlisted to treat a traumatised WWII veteran.
The Glass CageThe Glass Cage
Thriller195559 minsDirector: Montgomery Tully
Like a 1950s David Blaine, The Great Sepolio starves in a glass tomb while a murderer is on the loose.
VertigoVertigo
Thriller1958128 minsDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock’s timeless thriller about a former detective with a fear of heights who is hired to follow a woman who seems possessed by the past.
Rear WindowRear Window
Thriller1954112 minsDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock’s masterly thriller stars James Stewart as an invalided photographer who spots something fishy outside his rear window.
The BirdsThe Birds
Horror1963119 minsDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
Birds inexplicably turn against man and begin attacking the small community of Bodega Bay, in Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense classic.
SaboteurSaboteur
War1942109 minsDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
A factory worker is framed for sabotage and forced on the run in Hitchcock’s fast-moving thriller, with its famous finale atop the Statue of Liberty.
Shadow of a DoubtShadow of a Doubt
Drama1943108 minsDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock’s personal favourite from his own films is a brilliantly suspenseful drama about a teenage girl whose uncle may be a murderer.
Torn CurtainTorn Curtain
1966128 minsDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
Paul Newman stars in Hitchcock’s spy thriller, as a scientist who pretends to defect to East Germany in order to steal a secret formula.
PsychoPsycho
Horror1960109 minsDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
Blood! Blood! Hitchcock’s masterpiece was his most successful film; a sensation in its time that continues to terrify.
78/5278/52
Documentary201792 minsDirector: Alexandre O. Philippe
This superb, in-depth documentary devotes 90 minutes to analysing one of cinema’s most famous sequences – the shower scene in Psycho.
RopeRope
Crime194881 minsDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock’s stage adaptation about two murderers who hide a body during a dinner party is famously constructed from 10 unbroken ten-minute takes.
The WaveThe Wave
Disaster2015105 minsDirector: Roar Uthaug
Seismic rumblings in the Norwegian fjords threaten to start a chain reaction that will destroy the local area. Can it be stopped in time?
Deepwater HorizonDeepwater Horizon
Action and Adventure2016107 minsDirector: Peter Berg
Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell and John Malkovich bring to life the devastating oil-rig disaster in this intelligent and incendiary eco-thriller.
Patriots DayPatriots Day
Thriller2016133 minsDirector: Peter Berg
A nerve-shreddingly intense, multi-stranded account of the Boston marathon bombings of 2013 and the race-against-time to find the perpetrators.
Swimming PoolSwimming Pool
Drama2003102 minsDirector: François Ozon
A crime novelist seeks peace but gets a dangerous muse in this twisted bilingual thriller from François Ozon.
The Skin I Live InThe Skin I Live In
Drama2011120 minsDirector: Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar's excursion into hysterical horror is a perverse and unsettling drama about a disturbed surgeon who keeps a woman hostage.
PhoenixPhoenix
Drama201498 minsDirector: Christian Petzold
Nina Hoss is superb as concentration camp survivor who assumes a new identity, in Christian Petzold’s intricate post-WWII thriller.
Tom at the FarmTom at the Farm
Drama2013103 minsDirector: Xavier Dolan-Tadros
Dark psychosexual thriller from prodigious Canadian director Xavier Dolan, following a young man who finds himself embroiled in a dangerous game of deception.
Stranger by the LakeStranger by the Lake
Drama2013100 minsDirector: Alain Guiraudie
A young man witnesses a violent crime at a gay cruising ground and becomes obsessed with the killer in Alain Guiraudie’s acclaimed mystery-thriller.
Eastern BoysEastern Boys
Drama2012124 minsDirector: Robin Campillo
A gay pick-up turns into a dangerous game of betrayal and violence in this slyly subversive and compelling thriller.
The GhoulThe Ghoul
Crime201782 minsDirector: Gareth Tunley
A British indie crime film of great style and ingenuity, executive produced by Ben Wheatley and starring Tom Meeten and Alice Lowe.
RemainderRemainder
Drama2016103 minsDirector: Omer Fast
Omer Fast’s gripping puzzle-box thriller about an amnesiac reconstructing his elusive past.
HeartlessHeartless
Horror2010114 minsDirector: Philip Ridley
Philip Ridley’s stunning comeback film charts a lonely photographer’s battles with demons amid a haunting East London.
The Small World of Sammy LeeThe Small World of Sammy Lee
Drama1963107 minsDirector: Ken Hughes
Seedy Soho strip-club compere Sammy (Anthony Newley) races to escape the heavies who hunt him in this gritty, engrossing 1960s London thriller.
The Green CockatooThe Green Cockatoo
Action and Adventure194064 minsDirector: William Cameron Menzies
From an original scenario by Graham Greene, this is a neat crime thriller about a girl (René Ray) who witnesses a murder, becomes a suspect herself, and gets mixed up with a sleazy Soho gangster (John Mills).
Poison PenPoison Pen
Drama193979 minsDirector: Paul L. Stein
The rural idyll of a small English village is torn apart by slanderous letters
HyenaHyena
Crime2015112 minsDirector: Gerard Johnson
In this stylish, dark crime thriller, a policeman’s complex web of underworld relationships is threatened by an internal affairs investigator.
ParkerParker
Crime198597 minsDirector: Jim Goddard
Thrilling crime drama about a businessman who survives a kidnapping and seeks out those who captured him.
Play Misty for MePlay Misty for Me
Drama1971102 minsDirector: Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood's directorial debut is tautly wound psycho-thriller about a DJ tormented by an obsessive fan.
The October ManThe October Man
Drama194795 minsDirector: Roy Ward Baker
Roy Ward Baker directs John Mills and Joan Greenwood in this mystery noir about an amnesiac implicated in the murder of a young woman.
Kill MeKill Me
196546 minsSilentDirector: Marc Miller
A man tries to arrange his own murder in a tense episode from the Blackmail series
The Long Dark HallThe Long Dark Hall
Crime195188 minsDirector: Anthony Bushell and Reginald Beck
This British noir delivers a disquieting story of obsession and manipulation, with Rex Harrison as a man accused of murdering his mistress.
The Blue LampThe Blue Lamp
Police drama195085 minsDirector: Basil Dearden
Dirk Bogarde stars as a loose-cannon crook with Dixon of Dock Green (Jack Warner) on his tail, in the classic Ealing policier.
The Riverside MurderThe Riverside Murder
Police drama193565 minsDirector: Albert Parker
Ingeniously plotted and twisting whodunit that leaves Alastair Sim baffled as to the identity of the killer.
Temptation HarbourTemptation Harbour
Crime1947102 minsDirector: Lance Comfort
Dark thriller based on a novel by Georges Simenon
Mask of DustMask of Dust
Drama195479 minsDirector: Terence Fisher
Rev up your engines for high-octane thrills and spills with this oil-spattered motor racing drama from Hammer Films
Hidden CityHidden City
Thriller1987108 minsDirector: Stephen Poliakoff
Charles Dance stars in Stephen Poliakoff’s debut feature film about a writer whose research uncovers a conspiracy of hidden artefacts.
HummingbirdHummingbird
Thriller2013100 mins
An alcoholic ex-special forces soldier (Jason Statham), down on his luck, assumes another man’s identity and pursues redemption.
Catch Me DaddyCatch Me Daddy
Thriller2015112 minsDirector: Daniel Wolfe and Matthew Wolfe
A young couple whose relationship has divided a community are forced on the run through the streets and moors of nocturnal Yorkshire.
Champagne Rose Is DeadChampagne Rose Is Dead
Thriller196888 minsDirector: Calvin Floyd
This far-out late 60s international espionage sci-fi oddity will exhilarate all connoisseurs of strange cinema
Get OutGet Out
Horror2017104 minsDirector: Jordan Peele
Satirical horror and astute social commentary combine in Jordan Peele’s seat-gripping suspense thriller, starring Daniel Kaaluuya.
The Day of the JackalThe Day of the Jackal
Police drama1973142 minsDirector: Fred Zinnemann
The race is on to find ‘the Jackal’ before he undertakes a momentous political assassination, in this compelling adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s bestseller.
The Crying GameThe Crying Game
Drama1992112 minsDirector: Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan's acclaimed 1992 drama-mystery tells the story of Fergus (Stephen Rea), who looks after the lover (Jaye Davidson) of a British soldier he once knew. But what is Dil hiding?
TormentTorment
Crime195068 minsDirector: John Guillermin
A mad mystery novelist decides to murder his long-suffering secretary in this macabre British B Picture from distinguished director John Guillermin.
Brighton RockBrighton Rock
Thriller194893 minsDirector: John Boulting
Richard Attenborough’s unforgettably sinister turn as ‘Pinkie’ pervades this classic adaptation of the Graham Greene novel.
DiscreetDiscreet
Crime201780 minsDirector: Travis Mathews
From the director of Interior. Leather Bar. comes this eerie and powerful psychological thriller that offers a disturbing insight into the dark heart of Trump’s America.
B&BB&B
Thriller201787 minsDirector: Joe Ahearne
In this deliciously entertaining thriller, a gay couple return to a B&B to bait its Christian owner, only to run into trouble when an altogether more imposing guest arrives.
The VillainessThe Villainess
Thriller2017124 minsDirector: Jung Byung-gil
Jung Byung-gil's superb, hyper-kinetic action thriller follows a female assassin who takes a new identity but finds her past life inescapable.
The Age of ShadowsThe Age of Shadows
Action and Adventure2016140 minsDirector: Kim Jee-woon
Kim Jee-woon’s stunning, seductive and serpentine action thriller set during Japan’s occupation of Korea.
Racer and the JailbirdRacer and the Jailbird
Thriller2017130 minsDirector: Michaël R. Roskam
Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Colour) and Matthias Schoenaerts (A Bigger Splash) are lovers entangled in a world of crime in this tough, twisty thriller-romance
Cape FearCape Fear
Drama1991128 minsDirector: Martin Scorsese
Scorsese’s remake of J Lee Thompson’s 1962 thriller stars Robert De Niro as a psychotic rapist out to avenge the lawyer he blames for his conviction (Nick Nolte).
Hounds of LoveHounds of Love
Horror2016108 minsDirector: Ben Young
A young woman tries to escape her sadistic kidnappers, in this bold and brutal Australian thriller.
The Nile Hilton IncidentThe Nile Hilton Incident
Crime2017111 minsDirector: Tarik Saleh
A murder investigation is mired by bureaucratic corruption in this dark Egyptian thriller, where everyone is on the make.
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