Thrillers through the decades

Compare atmosphere and tension in films from 1949 to the 2000s.

The Third Man posterMOVIE

The Third Man (1949)

English original

105 min
Quick look: The Third Man

In postwar Vienna, Austria, Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime, only to learn he has died. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Major Calloway, and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna.

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Le Samouraï posterMOVIE

Le Samouraï (1967)

French original

105 min
Quick look: Le Samouraï

After carrying out a flawlessly planned hit, Jef Costello, a contract killer with samurai instincts, finds himself caught between a persistent police investigator and a ruthless employer, and not even his armor of fedora and trench coat can protect him.

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The Conversation posterMOVIE

The Conversation (1974)

English original

115 min
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A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.

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Blow Out posterMOVIE

Blow Out (1981)

English original

108 min
Quick look: Blow Out

While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.

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Cure posterMOVIE

Cure (1997)

Japanese original

111 min
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A frustrated detective deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they've done.

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The Lives of Others posterMOVIE

The Lives of Others (2006)

German original

137 min
Quick look: The Lives of Others

In 1984 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.

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Zodiac posterMOVIE

Zodiac (2007)

English original

157 min
Quick look: Zodiac

The story follows the manhunt for the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s, taunting police with letters, bloodstained clothing, and ciphers mailed to newspapers.

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