More than any other genre of filmmaking, thrillers inherently lend themselves to a style of unpredictability and high-stakes tension that makes them some of the best examples of adult-oriented storytelling in the medium of film. Over the years, several exceptional thrillers have found great success by feeling completely unpredictable, yet no distinct era in the genre’s history quite encapsulates this philosophy like the 2000s.
It isn’t just that the quality of thrillers in the 2000s was so astronomically high, but that they were consistently playing into the perceived notions of the genre and expectations, creating experiences tailor-made to keep audiences guessing and on their feet. These are intelligent thrillers that rely on the audience having a level of intelligence and expertise towards the genre, creating profound and layered experiences for those who love to be on the edge of their seat and always second-guessing during a film.
10
‘The Others’ (2001)
A wildly impactful mystery thriller that also doubles as a psychological horror film, the unsettling nature of its premise, combined with the alluring mystery, makes The Others a deeply engaging thriller experience. The film follows Grace (Nicole Kidman), a religious woman living in an old, dark house with her two children, who have a rare sensitivity to light. However, when Grace begins to suspect that their home is haunted, she does everything that she can to protect her children when various strange events and disturbing visions occur.
While it’s clear from the outset that not everything is as it seems in The Others, the film does a great job of keeping its major twists hidden until the final act, allowing the audience to ponder and guess at the true nature of the Stewart family. Especially when showcasing an array of abstract visuals and confusingly distinct depictions of supernatural occurrences, The Others thrives in this territory of misinterpretation and things not being as simple as they appear.
9
‘Identity’ (2003)
Whodunit murder mysteries are among the best types of thrillers when it comes to keeping audiences guessing and attentive throughout the runtime, as they cycle through all the possibilities of who the killer could be. Among all the 2000s thriller whodunits out there, Identity distinctly stands out as the absolute best when it comes to pacing and keeping audiences on edge and guessing with its mystery. This inherent mystery and twist are so core to the film’s thesis that it almost loses its appeal on repeat watches after the twist is known.
The film follows a group of strangers who find themselves stranded at a deserted motel during a raging thunderstorm, stuck with each other until the weather clears up. To make matters worse, they soon find that they are the target of a deranged murderer, as their numbers begin to thin out, and they instinctively turn on each other to uncover the identity of this mysterious killer.
8
‘Minority Report’ (2002)
Blockbuster action thrillers are normally much more preoccupied with their mixture of action and tension to necessarily keep audiences guessing as to where the story will go, yet Steven Spielberg‘s Minority Report is a massive departure from this standard. The very nature of Minority Report‘s story lends audiences to guessing and theorizing about what will happen and how things will fall into place, making each action scene and the emotional performances that much more impactful.
The film takes place in a far-off future where high-end technology is able to predict crimes before they are committed, allowing law enforcement to make arrests before the crimes are committed. However, when one of the top “precrime” cops, John Anderton (Tom Cruise), sees the technology used against him as he is targeted for a murder charge, he is forced on the run to uncover the truth of this unusual prediction. All the while, another high-end investigator (Colin Farrell) is hot on his tail, looking to take him in for a crime that John has no intention of committing.
7
‘The Prestige’ (2006)
Many of Christopher Nolan‘s thrillers have found success in their ability to keep audiences guessing and in expectation of their grand reveals and overarching twists. The Prestige combines this inherent strength of Nolan’s storytelling with the excitement and charm of a magic trick, further amplified by a dynamic sci-fi twist and an engaging rivalry at its center. The film follows the story of two magicians (played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) who dedicate their lives to a deadly rivalry of obsession and supremacy in the world of magic.
Much like a great magic trick, so much of The Prestige‘s execution finds success thanks to the posturing and setting up of all the pieces, providing twists and mystery throughout that force the audience to question how certain events and twists were possible. All these choices make its final act twist that much more impactful and effective, further cementing the film as one of the all-time great revenge thrillers.
6
‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001)
No singular filmmaker has made quite a name for himself in terms of creating psychedelic, abstract thrillers with compelling themes and stories quite like David Lynch. However, even among the legendary filmmaker’s vast catalog of masterpiece films, Mulholland Drive remains not just one of his best films, but one of the all-time best psychological mystery films. It sees Lynch’s inherent strengths as a filmmaker at their absolute peak, most notably his ability to keep audiences guessing as to where the film will go next.
Mulholland Drive follows the enigmatic duo of Betty Elms (Naomi Watts), a blonde wannabe movie star, and Rita (Laura Harring), a mysterious brunette with amnesia. As the two set out on a journey to uncover the truth of Rita’s past, the film parallels the difficulties that filmmaker Adam Keshner (Justin Theroux) is facing while casting his latest project. While the pieces of the story may seem abstract and difficult to understand at first, Mulholland Drive is the type of film that gloriously pays off its mystery to create a masterclass of dissatisfaction.
5
‘American Psycho’ (2000)
A defining cult classic thriller of the 2000s, as well as an experience that only grows more elusive and unpredictable as it goes on, American Psycho plays into the expectations and preconceived notions towards its premise to weave together a one-of-a-kind thriller experience. The film follows notorious investment banking executive Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), who supplements his seemingly perfect high-class lifestyle with an ever-increasing bloodlust and knack for murder in his free time, delving deeper into his sickening, murderous fantasies.
The stakes and intrigue surrounding Bateman’s disturbed mentality and lifestyle initially start off as dark yet understandable. Still, as the audience learns more and experiences more of Bateman’s life, the entire story begins to unravel and fall into question. It reaches a point where the audience begins to question if anything that they’re experiencing is real, how much of the story is in a place of reality and how much is truly trapped within Bateman’s shattered psyche. It’s one of many reasons why American Psycho has become such a profound cult classic of the 2000s.
4
‘Panic Room’ (2002)
While not as wildly discussed as many of David Fincher‘s legendary other thrillers, Panic Room easily stands out as his most chaotic and unpredictable when it comes to his 2000s era of filmmaking. Especially compared to the likes of Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which feel much more straightforward yet resoundingly impactful in their storytelling, Panic Room truly feels like it could go in any direction as it keeps the audience in the dark about its true intentions.
The film follows newly divorced Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her young daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) becoming the targets of a sadistic game of cat and mouse when they are trapped in their New York brownstone’s panic room after a break-in. However, while their panic room initially seems to be the perfect place to hide away from danger, it ends up placing the duo in even more danger than before, as the target and goal of this trio of intruders is inside the room itself.
3
‘Unbreakable’ (2000)
No singular filmmaker has become as synonymous and directly correlated to the concept of shocking, unpredictable twists as M. Night Shyamalan. Especially following the release of The Sixth Sense, all eyes were on Shyamalan to see if he could deliver another legendary twist-centric film as his follow-up. Despite the odds, Unbreakable proved not only to live up to the legacy set by the previous film but, in the eyes of some, is even on the same level as The Sixth Sense in terms of its tension, storytelling, and unpredictable twists.
This original superhero movie works wonders as an unpredictable, high-tension thriller even for those who aren’t aware of Shyamalan’s style, as it is brazenly clear about things not feeling right for the majority of its runtime. Up until its shocking final act, Unbreakable acts as a glorious and deeply rooted exploration of superhero story conventions, trying to fit these timeless characterizations into a grounded and painful real-world setting.
2
‘Oldboy’ (2003)
Oldboy has stood tall for over two decades as the defining thriller masterpiece of the 2000s, combining top-of-the-line action, emotionally heartbreaking performances, and a gripping and engaging story to create exactly what one would want from a thriller. All of these different strengths work in tandem to make the film work just as well today as it did when it was first released, but the story especially has had a profound effect on audiences, leaving them in the dark and second-guessing everything up until its shocking finale.
The South Korean film follows the story of Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik), a man who has spent the last 15 years being tortured and drugged by a selection of mysterious imprisoners, with no knowledge of why he was targeted in the first place. Having lost a massive chunk of his life and being blessed with newfound freedom, he makes it his life’s mission to not only get glorious revenge on those who imprisoned him, but also find the answer as to why his life was taken away from him.
1
‘Memento’ (2000)
Ever since its release at the very beginning of the century, Memento has stood as the quintessential example of a complex, multi-layered thriller that utilized its experimental style and non-chronological story to create an experience as captivating as it is unpredictable. The mystery thriller is a work of genius in its execution, showing off the chronological beginning and end of Leonard Shelby’s (Guy Pearce) story, then meeting in the middle as more pieces of the film’s puzzle of a story are revealed.
The film thrives off the elusive nature of deceptively keeping information from the audience, giving them only exactly what they need to know at a given moment to create the biggest emotional response and questioning as to what could happen next. It’s this exact style and captivating screenwriting that cemented Christopher Nolan as one of the best thriller directors leading into the 21st century, with Memento standing tall as one of his greatest achievements over 25 years later.
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