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.

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.

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?

SnowpiercerSnowpiercer
Science Fiction2013126 minsDirector: Bong Joon-ho
After a global catastrophe launches the world into a new ice age, the last of humanity are trapped on a high-speed train that circles the globe infinitely.

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.

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.

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.
Horror2007107 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.

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.

BeastBeast
Drama2017106 minsDirector: Michael Pearce
The hunt for a Jersey serial killer sparks a dangerous awakening in a young woman in this astonishing psycho-sexual thriller, which sets all the senses aflame.

LockeLocke
Drama201385 minsDirector: Steven Knight
Tom Hardy commands the screen as the only star of Steven Knight’s bold, mesmeric drama, which is set entirely in 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 HandmaidenThe Handmaiden
Period drama2016146 minsDirector: Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, Stoker) channels Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, to create a sumptuous twisty psychological thriller full of erotic intrigue.

The Beta TestThe Beta Test
Horror202193 minsDirector: Jim Cummings
Indie actor-director Jim Cummings returns after his breakout hit Thunder Road with a pacey down-the-rabbit-hole thriller about a Hollywood talent agent who becomes ensnared in a sinister world of sex, lies and murder.

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.

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.

'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 Kuger.

BurningBurning
Thriller2018148 minsDirector: Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong (Poetry) returns with this spellbinding, richly complex thriller about obsession, class conflict and suppressed male rage.

The CourierThe Courier
Thriller2020112 minsDirector: Dominic Cooke
Benedict Cumberbatch is gripping in this true-life spy thriller charting the story of unassuming British businessman Greville Wynne as he is recruited into the Cold War effort.

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.

Triple 9Triple 9
Crime2015115 mins
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck, Kate Winslet and Woody Harrelson make up the heavyweight cast for John Hillcoat’s (The Proposition) stunning heist thriller.

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.

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).

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.

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
Thriller195459 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?

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.

HummingbirdHummingbird
Thriller2012100 minsDirector: Steve Knight
An alcoholic ex-special forces soldier (Jason Statham), down on his luck, assumes another man’s identity and pursues redemption.

Swimming PoolSwimming Pool
Drama2002102 minsDirector: François Ozon
A crime novelist seeks peace but gets a dangerous muse in this twisted bilingual thriller from François Ozon.

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.

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.

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.

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.

RemainderRemainder
Drama2015103 minsDirector: Omer Fast
Omer Fast’s gripping puzzle-box thriller about an amnesiac reconstructing his elusive past.

The GhoulThe Ghoul
Thriller201682 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.

HeartlessHeartless
Horror2009114 minsDirector: Philip Ridley
Philip Ridley’s stunning comeback film charts a lonely photographer’s battles with demons amid a haunting East London.

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 Small World of Sammy LeeThe Small World of Sammy Lee
Drama1962107 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

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.

ParkerParker
Crime198497 minsDirector: Jim Goddard
Thrilling crime drama about a businessman who survives a kidnapping and seeks out those who captured him.

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.

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
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 drama194985 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
Thriller193565 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Brighton RockBrighton Rock
Thriller194893 minsDirector: John Boulting
Richard Attenborough’s unforgettably sinister turn as ‘Pinkie’ pervades this classic adaptation of the Graham Greene novel.

Cape FearCape Fear
Legal and Courtroom 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).

TormentTorment
Drama195068 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.

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.

BlowupBlowup
Drama1966111 minsDirector: Michelangelo Antonioni
Antonioni's arthouse classic about a stylish photographer (David Hemmings) who finds something disturbing in his snaps.

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

Dirty HarryDirty Harry
Police drama1971102 minsDirector: Don Siegel
An unorthodox police officer (Clint Eastwood) chases a ruthless serial killer across San Francisco in Don Siegel's violent 1970s cat-and-mouse thriller.

UnforgivenUnforgiven
Western1992131 minsDirector: Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood's outstanding homage to Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns.

Gran TorinoGran Torino
Crime2008117 minsDirector: Clint Eastwood
A curmudgeonly, recently widowed war veteran (Clint Eastwood) finds himself involved with a violent Detroit gang after befriending a neighbouring family.

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