::UNKOWN (YET GREAT) THRILLERS::
THE GIST OF THE LIST: Thrillers - all good, some great - that have been criminally-overlooked by audiences... some completely unavailable in America and some never even released on DVD or VHS anywhere!
Generally speaking, I am limiting this list to films which have received only 1000 votes.
[LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER]
OTHER LISTS:
CAMMANDO (MEN-ON-A-MISSION) THRILLERS
CON THRILLERS
COURTROOM THRILLERS
CULT EUROPEAN SUPERHERO MOVIES
DARK COMEDIES WITH PESKY CORPSES, BOTCHED KIDNAPPINGS, MURDEROUS BLUNDERS & ACCIDENTAL DEATHS
DEALS WITH THE DEVIL
DINNER PARTIES FROM HELL
DON'T PERFORM THE AUTOPSY! I'M NOT DEAD!
GOTHIC HORROR
HEIST THRILLERS
HEROIC BLOODSHED + BULLET BALLET + GUN-FU
HOLLYWOOD GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
INNOCENT FUGITIVE ON-THE-RUN THRILLERS
ITALIAN GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
LOCKED ROOM MYSTERIES + IMPOSSIBLE CRIMES
LO-FI SCI-FI
ONE ROOM THRILLERS
PARALLEL UNIVERSES, ALTERNATE REALITIES, FEVERISH DREAMS
POLICE PROCEDURALS
PRISON ESCAPE THRILLERS
RURAL-COUNTRY THRILLERS
THEOLOGICAL FILMS
THRILLING SHORT FILMS
THRILLING TV EPISODES
THRILLING TV MOVIES
UNKNOWN + UNAVAILABLE THRILLERS
VANISHED PERSON THRILLERS
Generally speaking, I am limiting this list to films which have received only 1000 votes.
[LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER]
OTHER LISTS:
CAMMANDO (MEN-ON-A-MISSION) THRILLERS
CON THRILLERS
COURTROOM THRILLERS
CULT EUROPEAN SUPERHERO MOVIES
DARK COMEDIES WITH PESKY CORPSES, BOTCHED KIDNAPPINGS, MURDEROUS BLUNDERS & ACCIDENTAL DEATHS
DEALS WITH THE DEVIL
DINNER PARTIES FROM HELL
DON'T PERFORM THE AUTOPSY! I'M NOT DEAD!
GOTHIC HORROR
HEIST THRILLERS
HEROIC BLOODSHED + BULLET BALLET + GUN-FU
HOLLYWOOD GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
INNOCENT FUGITIVE ON-THE-RUN THRILLERS
ITALIAN GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
LOCKED ROOM MYSTERIES + IMPOSSIBLE CRIMES
LO-FI SCI-FI
ONE ROOM THRILLERS
PARALLEL UNIVERSES, ALTERNATE REALITIES, FEVERISH DREAMS
POLICE PROCEDURALS
PRISON ESCAPE THRILLERS
RURAL-COUNTRY THRILLERS
THEOLOGICAL FILMS
THRILLING SHORT FILMS
THRILLING TV EPISODES
THRILLING TV MOVIES
UNKNOWN + UNAVAILABLE THRILLERS
VANISHED PERSON THRILLERS
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- DirectorMarcel L'HerbierStarsHuguette DuflosKissa KouprineMaxime DesjardinsA professor's daughter is attacked in her sealed bedroom.Her fiance is suspected but a cub journalist finds the surprising culprit.Classic locked-room mystery. Creaky direction - it was, after all, one of the first films with sound in France - but the plotting is so engrossing that you remain hooked from beginning to end. The final revelation is a jaw-dropping surprise, even by today's standards. I defy you to guess it.
Remade a few more times but this one is the best, in my opinion (tho the 2003 version comes close).
DVD in Europe.
7 out of 10 - DirectorRoy William NeillStarsDonald CookGenevieve TobinHardie AlbrightEight people are invited to dinner in a fashionable penthouse apartment. After they are wined and dined, a voice on the radio informs them that they will be murdered unless they manage to outwit the ninth guest: Death.From underrated director Roy William Neill (who did the twisty Noir "Black Angel" and a host of Sherlock Holmes films with Basil Rathborne), whodunits may have been a dime-a-dozen back in the 30s but this one worked much better than most given a plot that truly keeps you guessing until the end and its claustrophobic setting of being trapped in a penthouse with no escape. True, the plot steals much from Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" but it steals with an eye for solid craftsmanship.
Never released anywhere as far as I am aware though it's on TCM from time to time.
7 out of 10 - DirectorAlbert de CourvilleStarsEdmund LoweConstance CummingsThomy BourdelleA wise cracking American P.I. traveling abroad with his love interest and sidekick, stumbles on to a dead body. After it disappears again, he starts to unravel a devious crime ring.Crackerjack British thriller by the writers of "The Lady Vanishes" and "Night Train to Munich" (Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder). It features a detective perusing a secret network of criminals whose leader's identity is a startling surprise by the film's end. Only available in the UK.
8 out of 10 - DirectorWalter FordeStarsSonnie HaleWilfrid LawsonLouise HenryThe ex-partner of a master criminal is protected by the police after his life is threatened. The criminal--a master of disguise--tracks down and kills him anyhow, in spite of the police protection.Written by Sidney Gilliat (writer and director of the phenomenal thriller "Green For Danger") based on a novel by Edgar Wallace, this is a deliciously entertaining thriller concerning a master criminal - "The Ringer" - who may or not exist and who may or may not be dead and who may just be about anybody, if he is real and if he isn't dead, that is. Of course, it has a surprise revelation at the end, which is difficult to guess if only because everyone in the film is under suspicion. Reminiscent of "The Usual Suspects" in how a master criminal could seemingly be anyone but it reminded me more of Krimi films.
Alpha Video released this on DVD at one point but I believe it is now out of print.
7 out of 10 - DirectorEugene FordeStarsGordon HarkerAlastair SimMiki HoodInspector Hornleigh and his assistant Sergeant Bingham are called in to investigate a murder that involves the theft of government secrets.Entertaining comedic detective film featuring Inspector Hornleigh, but it is his sidekick Sergeant Bingham played by the wonderful Alastair Sim that steals the show. Perhaps not entirely unique, but it's all great fun and the revelation of the killer at the end is quite a surprise.
Followed by two sequels - "Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday" and "Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It" - which both are comparable to the first.
There is no official DVD release but there are some DVD-R on demand companies producing all three movies.
6 out of 10 - DirectorHenri-Georges ClouzotStarsPierre FresnaySuzy DelairJean TissierInspector Wens moves into a Paris boarding house to catch a serial killer.From the French master of suspense Henri-Georges Clouzot, the film features Inspector Wens on the hunt for the serial killer "M. Durand" - a murderer who leaves his calling card after each killing. Climaxes with a knock-out surprise ending. Only available on DVD in Europe.
You may wish to also check out "The Last One Of The Six" - a prequel, or sorts, also scripted by Clouzot.
Update - Apparently Criterion released this exclusively on Hulu Plus, but there is still no DVD as of yet.
8 out of 10 - DirectorCurtis BernhardtStarsRobert TaylorAudrey TotterHerbert MarshallAfter a brain-damaged man confesses to murder and is committed, Dr. Ann Lorrison tries to prove his innocence.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsJohn MillsJoan GreenwoodEdward ChapmanWhen the murder of a young woman happens, her next-door neighbor is under suspicion due to his previous stay in a mental hospital.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorIrving PichelStarsRobert YoungSusan HaywardJane GreerOn trial for murdering his girlfriend, philandering stockbroker Larry Ballentine takes the stand to claim his innocence and describe the actual, but improbable-sounding, sequence of events that led to her death.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorAntony DarnboroughTerence FisherStarsJean SimmonsDirk BogardeDavid TomlinsonVicky Barton visits Paris with her brother Johnny, only to discover the following morning he has gone missing and the hotel staff have no recollection of his presence.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorRalph RichardsonStarsRalph RichardsonMargaret LeightonJack HawkinsDavid Preston, a banker, has a 24-hour memory lapse. Accused of robbery and murder, he can't account for his lost time. With no alibi, police press him to explain the missing hours, jeopardizing his freedom.A bank clerk returns home after a long day at work and is startled by his frantic wife who claims that he has been gone for 24 hours! Sure enough, it's the day *after* he thought it was! How could he not remember a whole day? What's worse is that an acquaintance of his was murdered during his blackout. Did he do it? High concept thriller that answers its predicament satisfactorily even if it can't always remain as gripping as its opening - but what can with that knock out of an opener?!
DVD in the UK.
7 out of 10 - DirectorRobert HamerStarsAlec GuinnessJoan GreenwoodPeter FinchWorks of art are disappearing, stolen by a master thief, a master of disguise. Father Brown has two goals: to catch the thief and to save his soul.From the director of the macabre classic "Kind Hearts and Coronets" comes an excellent adaptation of GK Chesterton's short stories that feature his ingenious detective Father Brown. Alec Guiness is pitch-perfect as the priestly sleuth and the gamesmanship between the cleric and the master thief Flambeau is delightful to behold.
7 out of 10 - DirectorDavid EadyGeorge More O'FerrallWendy ToyeStarsOrson WellesJohn GregsonElizabeth SellarsA trilogy of fantastic stories involving murder and the supernatural.A horror anthology that, like most horror anthologies, is wildly uneven. The opening segment is crown jewel of this film - a delightfully macabre tale of fantasy that is startlingly original and demands a viewing. The second tale is rather routine and the last would also have been dismissed altogether if it didn't star the legendary Orson Welles. However, the strength of the first tale alone makes this a must-see.
7 out of 10 - DirectorHenry HathawayStarsVan JohnsonVera MilesCecil ParkerA blind American writer living in London stumbles upon a criminal conspiracy involving kidnapping and extortion.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorRoy BoultingStarsRichard WidmarkTrevor HowardJane GreerIn Central America, an action-adventure novelist and a journalist for a magazine find themselves at the mercy of Nazi war criminals.Adventure thriller that is actually a very loose adaptation of "The Most Dangerous Game" as it concerns a Hemingway-esque novelist who is hunted by fugitive Nazis in Central America. Its initial start may be slow but once the man-hunt begins you are hooked to the end.
Not on DVD but airs on TCM from time to time.
7 out of 10 - DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsClaus HolmMario AdorfHannes MessemerA serial killer strikes again during World War II in Germany. The wrong man is arrested and a detective hunts down the real killer, but justice in Nazi Germany is not so easily administered.Robert Siodmak directs this murder mystery about a serial killer in Berlin during WWII. Sadly, not available in America.
8 out of 10 - DirectorYoussef ChahineStarsFarid ShawqiHind RustumYoussef ChahineA newspaper salesman at the train station in Cairo develops an unhealthy obsession with a woman who sells refreshments.Now hailed as a masterpiece by critics after its re-discovery, this Hitchcockian thriller from Egypt is still not available in America! However, once again, Europe has this on DVD.
8 out of 10 - DirectorLadislao VajdaStarsHeinz RühmannSigfrit SteinerSiegfried LowitzHaving doubts about the guilt of the obvious suspect in the murder of an eight year old girl, a police detective decides to investigate the case on his own.This film's source book was later adapted twice as "The Cold Light of Day" (1996 - also unavailable) and "The Pledge" (2001 - widely available). This is the first adaptation - the screenplay written by the author himself - and easily the best.
A DVD exists in Europe.
9 out of 10 - DirectorKåre BergstrømStarsErling LindahlBjørg EnghHenny MoanA group of friends travel to a cabin in the Norwegian forest. It's a rumor that at night a crazy man can be heard screaming at a lake nearby the cabin.A delightfully creepy ghost story from Norway with twists, turns, and beautifully black & white cinematography in glorious widescreen! On DVD in Europe.
8 out of 10 - DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsGlenn FordDebbie ReynoldsCarl ReinerTV writer Elliott Nash buries something under the new gazebo in his suburban backyard. But the nervous man can't let it rest there.Delightful dark comedy concerning a man who accidentally kills another and has to hide the body from his wife... but something seems to always happen to threaten exposing the body.
On TCM from time to time but no DVD.
7 out of 10 - DirectorMatti KassilaStarsJoel RinneElina PohjanpääMatti RaninA closed room mystery begins when an infamous tycoon is found dead in his bath tub. The famous police lieutenant Palmu is summoned to investigate.A clever locked-room mystery from Finland, followed by three sequels - "Gas, Inspector Palmu!", "The Stars Will Tell, Inspector Palmu!", and "Vodka, Mr. Palmu!" - all of which are unavailable in America. Just a note on the sequels - avoid the last one, but the other two are great.
8 out of 10 - DirectorDavid EadyStarsJohn GregsonMai ZetterlingJohn IrelandBusinessman and inventor Richard Hammond is determined to develop and market the perfect light-bulb. In a freak lab accident he is blinded and suffers a partial breakdown. His wife, partner and brother take him to his country house, but then Hammond starts to suspect all is not what it seems.From the writers of "Vertigo", "Diabolique", and "Eyes Without A Face" comes another psychological thriller concerning a rich man blinded by an experiment. When his wife brings him home from the hospital, something doesn't seem right. The place seems... different. The terrific plotting keeps you engaged even if the directing is less than inspired.
On DVD in the UK.
6 out of 10 - DirectorWolf RillaStarsTerence MorganYôko TaniJohn CrawfordIn London, a wealthy playboy, an American adventurer, a small-time thief and a retired safe-cracker team-up to rob a foreign embassy's safe by digging a tunnel from the London Underground into the embassy's cellar.This heist thriller does have some admittedly conventional plotting but its low budget aesthetics - including its on-location shooting - gives it a wonderfully raw intensity and at a mere 78 minutes the pacing is delightfully brisk. However, the highlight is certainly the climax, which is composed of the heist, the obligatory double cross, and the violent confrontation in the London underground. A rough gem.
On DVD in the UK.
7 out of 10 - DirectorDon ChaffeyStarsTerry-ThomasSonja ZiemannAlex NicolA man's death of smallpox at London airport sends officials into a panic as they conduct a frantic search for the carrier.Fascinatingly unique thriller with some comedic undertones and not simply because it stars the comedian Terry Thomas - his role is surprisingly serious. What sets it apart is that the thriller plot concerns a "germ detective" in search of how a rich man contracted small pox and the many plot twists he encounters as random people seem to be contracting the disease as well - what is the common link?
Sinister Cinema has it on DVD but whether or not that is an official release I do not know.
7 out of 10 - DirectorBasil DeardenStarsStewart GrangerBernard LeeHaya HarareetA wealthy London-based shipping magnate is blackmailed by an evil dentist which threatens to reveal an old case of fraud, while the dentist himself is threatened by a mysterious masked man.From Basil Dearden (who directed the wonderful heist thriller "The League of Gentlemen" and the controversial classic "Victim") comes this tricky thriller concerning a business man framed for a theft by a masked man who speaks only through a voice changer. Who is this mysterious man? The revelation is a knock-out.
No DVD but it plays on TCM from time to tim.
7 out of 10 - DirectorSidney HayersStarsMichael CraigFrançoise PrévostBillie WhitelawA gang plans to steal a factory's wages, but an armored van foils them. They rob anyway, killing the driver. His vengeful wife and encroaching police make the gang betray each other.A cracker-jack heist thriller that makes up for its lack of overt originality with lean direction, tight pacing, brooding black-and-white cinematography, and a nihilistic tone that turns this into one of the most hard-boiled of British Noir.
DVD in the UK.
7 out of 10 - DirectorSidney HayersStarsPeter WyngardeJanet BlairMargaret JohnstonA woman who may be a witch defends her husband from forces attempting to harm him.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorFrançois LeterrierStarsClaude GiraudColette RenardCharles VanelA policeman and a serial killer play cat and mouse in an isolated mountain village in Nineteenth century France.Haunting, existentialistic, nihilistic, contemplative, and metaphysical psychological thriller set in the lonely and isolated snowbound village of an arctic wasteland - cold, chilling, and unavailable in America. France has a DVD release with English subtitles, though.
8 out of 10 - DirectorJohn KrishStarsJohn NevillePhilip StoneGabriella LicudiMysterious woman marries government scientist Davidson despite his lack of knowledge about her past. His bosses are suspicious of her unusual traits. After it's clear she does love Davidson, the pair come under attack.A low-budget science fiction film from the UK that uses ideas to thrill its viewers rather than special effects. The plot concerns aliens that are able to possess humans by way of mental projection. As a result, you are never sure who is a genuine human and who is being used by the aliens. The paranoia it develops reminded me of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". An under appreciated gem.
DVD in the UK.
7 our of 10 - DirectorGeorge EnglundStarsJoanne WoodwardStuart WhitmanEdward MulhareAn escapee from an asylum takes refuge in a woman's house; but she has dark secrets of her own.Beautiful black and white widescreen cinematography adds wonderful atmospherics to a psychological thriller concerning a man escaped from an insane asylum. The surprise ending took me by... well, surprise.
No DVD ever released but it's on TCM from time to time.
7 out of 10 - DirectorServando GonzálezStarsAnthony PerkinsEdward AlbertHenry HullAfter the Civil War, a Southern boy aged 12 runs away from his foster home, wanders the countryside and meets various odd characters along the way.More southern-gothic crime drama than a thriller, this excellent piece of expressionism - with its noteworthy tent revival sequence that's both beautiful yet harrowing - is sadly not available on DVD (though an out-of-print VHS copy is available).
7 out of 10 - DirectorErnesto GastaldiVittorio SalernoStarsDominique BoscheroMara MarylGiancarlo GianniniA young man visits his ancestral home accompanied by his guardian and their respective wives, where he is plagued by the memories and influence of his murderous, psychosexual father.Early giallo. Ingeniously constructed mystery. Never released in America but available on VHS in other countries. No DVD release anywhere as of yet.
8 out of 10 - DirectorRalph NelsonStarsAlain DelonAnn-MargretVan HeflinSan Francisco ex-con Eddie Pedak wants to go straight, but local cop Mike Vido, motivated by a personal vendetta, keeps harassing him while Eddie's brother Walter wants Eddie for one last major heist.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorLuigi BazzoniFranco RosselliniStarsPeter BaldwinSalvo RandoneValentina CorteseWhile visiting his favorite resort town during the off-season, a novelist investigates the apparent suicide of a woman he was infatuated with.Another early giallo directed by the nephew of Roberto Rossellini! Beautifully stark black and white cinematography. Surreal and dream like atmosphere. Never released on DVD here in America - tough you can find a DVD copy over in Europe.
7 out of 10 - DirectorCurtis HarringtonStarsSimone SignoretJames CaanKatharine RossA young couple who are into kinky "mind games" get more than they bargained for when a mysterious woman comes into their lives.
- DirectorLarry PeerceStarsTony MusanteMartin SheenBeau BridgesLate one night, two young toughs hold hostage the passengers in one car of a New York subway train.Gritty crime drama that surprisingly remains shocking even after all these years. See a very young Martin Sheen as one of the two hoodlums that terrorize a subway car full of passengers and a very young Beau Bridges who reaches his breaking point. Dramatically intense.
Released on VHS but no DVD yet.
8 out of 10 - DirectorElio PetriStarsFranco NeroVanessa RedgraveGeorges GéretAfter moving into a dilapidated rural villa to reinvigorate his creative energies, a neurotic artist becomes obsessed with a beautiful countess who died there many years prior.Surreal horror film from Elio Petri - director of "Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion". Released on DVD over in Europe but only a VHS release for us within the states.
Update - Released in America on DVD!
8 out of 10 - DirectorJonathan MillerStarsMichael HordernAmbrose CoghillGeorge WoodbridgeClassic BBC adaptation of an equally classic ghost story about a skeptical professor on vacation in Norfolk who finds a cursed whistle. Unlike most other episodes of this documentary series about music, this one is live action folk horror.MR James was one of the greatest horror writers ever and this is the film that best captures his ear for ominous dread. Chilling black and white cinematography, haunting dream sequences that still manage to unnerve, and a sensitive performance by Michael Hordern to anchor it all with emotional weight. A work of art.
On DVD in the UK.
9 out of 10 - DirectorRoland KlickStarsMario AdorfMarquard BohmAnthony DawsonIn a deserted mining town at the end of nowhere three desperate men fight over a suitcase full of cash.A German Spaghetti Western that's in English with a electronic soundtrack by the experimental rock band Can? Sounds too good to be true! Unfortunately, America is deprived from such a wonderful offering while Europe revels in having an uncut DVD release!
7 out of 10 - DirectorTom ToelleStarsJörg PlevaSuzanne RoquetteDieter Thomas HeckA candidate in a game show is hunted by three men. He will get a Million DMark, if he survives for a week; the hunters will get the money, if they can kill the candidate. The audience of the show is watching the transmissions of twenty camera teams filming the hunt. The showmaster appeals to the TV-viewers to help either the candidate or the hunters, whomever they want.Scathingly satirical thriller that plays out like a game show on television - it even has fake commercial breaks to boot! Written by Robert Sheckley, who seemingly just reworked his other man-hunt short story "Seventh Victim" into a new (tho better) setting, it is quite shocking how much Stephen King lifted from this tale of hunting men for a reality game show for "The Running Man". I am surprised no one ever called foul.
Remade as the French film "The Prize Of Peril" which has a higher budget but lacks the raw aesthetics and razor sharp commentary of this picture.
DVD in Europe.
8 out of 10 - DirectorClaude SautetStarsDanielle DurouAlain BelartMichel PiccoliA detective decides to go undercover and set up a group of robbers, but he may be getting too caught up in the task at hand.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorPhilippe LabroStarsJean-Louis TrintignantDominique SandaSacha DistelA strange series of murders are being committed in Nice on the French riviera. The commissionaire Carella is in charge and tries desperately to find a missing link between all of these murders.French thriller concerning an assassin seemingly killing random people... how are they connected? Terrific score by Ennio Morricone with a terrific chase sequence at the middle mark. DVD is available in Europe.
7 out of 10 - DirectorJohn MackenzieStarsDavid HemmingsCarolyn SeymourDouglas WilmerA new school teacher learns that the previous teacher was killed by his pupils, and he fears the same will happen to him.From the director of the cult classic "The Long Good Friday" and the also unknown-and-unavailable prison drama "A Sense of Freedom", this is arguably his best. A psychological thriller about class mates playing mind games with their new teacher... claiming that they may have had something to do with their previous teacher's death!
Never released on DVD anywhere, though a VHS copy floats around the US and UK.
9 out of 10 - DirectorAntonio MerceroStarsJosé Luis López VázquezAgustín GonzálezGoyo LebreroA man gets trapped inside a telephone box and nobody is able to free him.Like a long-lost episode of "The Twilight Zone", this Spanish tale of macabre humor and apocalyptic horror is a delight from beginning to end. Often imitated but never equaled.
Never released on DVD or VHS in America... but if you look around on Google you may be able to find something for online viewing... hint, hint.
9 out of 10. - DirectorLawrence Gordon ClarkStarsPeter VaughanClive SwiftJulian HeringtonAn archaeologist goes treasure hunting along the English coast in search of a lost, fabled crown that supposedly helps protect Great Britain against invasion, but uncovers something much more sinister.The BBC made a series of short films based on the horror stories of MR James. This one is probably the best with a haunting atmosphere and a terrifying sense of dread that looms over every scene. However, you should certainly check out the other shorts the BBC produced - namely "Lost Hearts", "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas", "The Stalls of Barchester", and (even though it's not MR James) "The Signalman".
A few of these are on DVD in the UK but none in the USA.
8 out of 10 - DirectorYoshitarô NomuraStarsTetsurô TanbaGô KatôKensaku MoritaDetectives investigate the murder of an old man found in a Tokyo rail yard.Yoshitaro Nomura's magnum opus. Some of his other works - "Zero Focus" and "The Demon" - are available in America on DVD, but sadly his masterpiece is absent from out shores. A DVD - of rather poor quality - is available overseas in Asia.
9 out of 10 - DirectorMichael AndersonStarsRichard ToddAnne BaxterHerbert LomAt Kimberley Prescott's villa, a stranger shows up and claims he is her brother who supposedly died the previous year in a car accident.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorJack StarrettStarsStacy KeachFrederic ForrestMargot KidderTwo rural West Virginia brothers leave home, rob an armored car and become fugitives.Co-written by Terrence Malick - yes, *that* Terrence Malick - this action-buddy-comedy may not be entirely unique in terms of plotting, but the performances of Stacey Keach and Frederic Forrest make their relationship have real emotional weight, and the climatic shootout amongst a building be demolished is a sight to behold - truly, it is one of the most iconic gun battles you will see in cinema.
No DVD as of yet...
7 out of 10 - DirectorLuigi BazzoniMario FanelliStarsFlorinda BolkanPeter McEneryNicoletta ElmiAfter being tormented by dreams about astronauts on the moon, a translator visits a deserted seaside town whose inhabitants know her, although she does not know them.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorTim BurstallStarsGeorge MallabyJohn WatersKen GoodletWhen a hitchhiker is picked up and murdered by an unseen assailant, two brothers both become suspects, all the while increasing their tensions between them as they both pursue their half-cousin, Margaret.A film from "down under" that so desperately wants to be Australia's answer to Anthony Shaffer's masterpiece "Sleuth". Naturally it falls short in such a comparison, but it still remains effective on its own terms with a tricky plot and solid performances from its two leads.
DVD in Australia.
7 out of 10 - DirectorKon IchikawaStarsKôji IshizakaYôko ShimadaTeruhiko AoiWhen a tycoon passes away, he unexpectedly leaves the family fortune to outsider Tamayo on the condition that she marries one of the grandsons, pitting blood against blood."The Inugami Family" is a delicious blending of old-school Agatha Christie plotting with giallo-like aesthetics. Never released here in America but a DVD is available over in Asia.
Followed by "The Devil's Ballad", "Hell's Gate Island", "Queen Bee", and "The House of Hanging" and a remake of "The Inugami Family" in the year 2006 - all directed by Kon Ichikawa and starring Kôji Ishizaka.
8 out of 10 - DirectorGlenn JordanStarsJack KlugmanElizabeth AshleyJames FranciscusDaniel Corban's wife Elizabeth disappeared after they had a fight. Then she shows up, yet he insists that the woman isn't actually his wife.From Peter Stone, the writer of such diabolically clever thrillers as "Charade" and "Mirage". Ingenious "vanishing person" thriller that will have you guessing until the end. Only complaint is that the direction is incredibly flat, but it was made for television after all.
There was a DVD released once upon a time but it's long since disappeared from circulation.
8 out of 10 - DirectorYoshitarô NomuraStarsKen'ichi HagiwaraMayumi OgawaTsutomu YamazakiThe heir to a family fortune discovers that a curse has been placed on it, put there centuries before by a band of samurai warriors.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorJeremy KaganStarsRichard DreyfussSusan AnspachBonnie BedeliaAn ex-'60s radical now working as a private eye is hired by an old flame to investigate a political smear campaign. The case becomes more dangerous as it unfolds.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorHenri VerneuilStarsYves MontandMichel AlbertiniRoland AmstutzConspiracy thriller inspired by the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of JFK. After a fictional president is assassinated, a determined, tough prosecutor investigates the emerging conspiracy behind it.A conspiracy thriller modeled after the JFK assassination involving multiple shooters, disappearing witnesses, and government corruption all set to an Ennio Morricone score! Available in Europe on DVD but not here in the states.
8 out of 10 - DirectorRobert DayStarsRichard AndersonKatharine RossHal HolbrookAllison, the unfaithful wife of a famous mentalist with a heart problem, wants her lover to try to kill her husband by scaring him to death, but the whole thing goes downhill.Diabolically clever thriller from writing duo Richard Levinson and William Link (creators of "Columbo" and "Murder, She Wrote") that throws every twist, turn, and herring imaginable... and somehow continues to shock and surprise throughout it all. Admittedly it lifts much from other thrillers, but few do it with such unrestrained glee to trick its viewers. A gem.
Released on VHS in America many years ago.
8 out of 10 - DirectorValeri RubinchikStarsBoris PlotnikovElena DimitrovaAlbert FilozovA mystical drama based on a story by V. Korotkevich. The film is set in out-of-the-way Belarusian woodlands at the end of the 19th century. A young ethnographer, Andrej Bielarecki, comes here to research local folk legends.A strange, dream-like film that is part gothic melodrama, part surreal fantasy, part folk horror, and part adventure thriller. It's glacial pacing may diffuse some of the suspense for some but it mysteriously weaves a spell that lulls you into a hypnotic trance. Some of the imagery is quite striking, with its barren winter wastelands making you feel so terribly cold. The chase of the horse riders with animal heads is a beautifully bizarre highlight.
DVD in Europe.
7 out of 10 - DirectorTony WilliamsStarsJacki KerinJohn JarrattAlex ScottIn a rest home for elderly people, a daughter reads her mother's diary. Soon events that are mentioned in the mother's diary begin to happen to the daughter.Australian haunted-house/psycho-slasher hybrid that is surprisingly restrained, tasteful, and elegant. It never goes for cheap thrills - everything is very well calculated and efficiently executed.
Available on DVD in Australia but nothing for the USA
7 out of 10 - DirectorPiotr SzulkinStarsJerzy StuhrKrystyna JandaKalina JedrusikA man searches for survival after nuclear war forces people into an underground bunker. The inhabitants await rescue while their refuge decays around them.A dystopian cyber-punk thriller from Poland, beautifully awashed in cobalt blue. This is the second film in director Piotr Szulkin's trilogy of cyber-punk films (the other two being "Golem" and "Ga, Ga - Chwala bohaterom" - both of which are unavailable in America). This, in my opinion, is the best. However, it is only available on DVD in Europe.
8 out of 10 - DirectorJoël SantoniStarsNicole GarciaJean-Pierre BacriDominique LavanantThriller about a psycho looking for revenge. Bronsky is a paraplegic because of an accident at a construction site that was partly due to the head architect, David Briand. Many years after the accident, Bronsky shows up at Briand's residence with his family and his trailer looking for assistance. He and his wife insinuate themselves into the household without revealing their true identity. They start to work for Briand and his wife Elaine as a gardener and a babysitter with the sole objective of wreaking havoc on their lives and avenging Bronsky's disabilities.A sort of precursor to all those domestic thrillers that seemed to be all the rage in the early 90s. This French film demonstrates admirable restraint for most of its running time until it (gleefully) opens up the floodgates of terror at the end. A slick, glossy thriller that cares more for character, mood, and suspense than shock, which is always good in my book.
DVD in Europe.
7 out of 10 - DirectorMika KaurismäkiStarsKari VäänänenRoberta ManfrediJean-Pierre CastaldiFinlander Alex works as a taxi-driver in Berlin and is married to an Italian. One night, two men get into his taxi with a briefcase full of money. Unluckily for Alex, they are being chased by gangsters whose money was stolen. They get killed in a shoot-out and Alex must get rid of their bodies.A dark comedy from Finland about a taxi driver stuck with a suitcase full of stolen cash and two dead bodies he now has to dispose of... On DVD in Euope.
7 out of 10 - DirectorDonald CammellStarsDavid KeithCathy MoriartyAlan RosenbergSomebody's killing rich married women in their homes - latest in a rich desert community outside Tucson. A married sound expert is prime suspect.Donald Cammell's magnum opus. A work of art. Released only on VHS within America but never on DVD (though it is available in Europe).
9 out of 10 - DirectorCosta-GavrasStarsCatherine AllégretJacques PerrinSimone SignoretThe witnesses of a train murder must take the investigation into their own hands if they want to survive.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorYeung-Wah KamJohnnie ToHark TsuiStarsWaise LeeJoey WangMatthew WongInspector Waipong Wong has to put his life and resignation from the Hong Kong police department on hold to investigate his former partner's mysterious murder. What he and his crack team of three other cops uncover is a plot far more sinister than they originally anticipated.
- DirectorEric RedStarsRoy ScheiderAdam BaldwinHarley CrossWhen a little boy witnesses a mob hit, he is kidnapped by two professional assassins who are not what they seem.Comments coming soon...
- DirectorRadha BharadwajStarsMadeleine StoweAlan RickmanIn a drab police state, an author of children's books is interrogated by a sadistic, secret policeman. She's under suspicion of embedding anti-government messages in her stories.Martin McDonagh's "The Pillowman" steals liberally from this film... so much so that I am surprised no credit is even mentioned anywhere when the similarities are so striking as to suppose the later is a remake of this film!
Rant aside, this is a fun two-hander concerning a woman interrogated by a government official in a totalitarian society. Mind games ensue.
On DVD in the UK.
7 out of 10 - DirectorLesley ManningStarsMichael ParkinsonSarah GreeneMike SmithIn a "live" broadcast on Halloween night, a BBC team investigate a reported poltergeist in an ordinary London home.A classic of British horror, it's amazing how it still manages to terrorize after all these years! Its unrelentingly intense climax featuring a night vision camera searching basement foreshadows and predates the ending of [REC] by almost two decades! A creepy gem!
On DVD in the UK.
8 out of 10 - DirectorNils GaupStarsLene Elise BergumSvein Roger KarlsenMorten AbelEinar and Bjørn leave Lene on the island for a fishing trip, when her former lover, Gaute, appears drunk and falls asleep in her bed.A wonderfully tricky thriller - with doses of black comedy - from the oscar-nominated director of "Pathfinder" (1987). This crowd-pleaser was never released on DVD or VHS due to New Line buying the rights and promptly re-making it (horribly, I might add, with Cameron Diaz) - thus locking-up the original. It is on DVD - but only in Europe.
8 out of 10 - DirectorGakuryû IshiiStarsKaho MinamiTakeshi WakamatsuEtsushi ToyokawaEvery Monday at 6 pm a young woman is murdered in the subway. The psychiatrist Setsuko Suma is called in to assist the police. The trail leads to another psychiatrist - Dr Rei Aku - who Setsuko used to date. As she get closer to the solution, she gets more and more convinced that Aku's deprogramming of former sectmembers is important.Sogo Ishii's magnum opus. Released on VHS within America but never on DVD (though it is available overseas... on a VHS to DVD transfer!).
9 out of 10 - DirectorMichael SchaackStarsUlrich TukurMario AdorfHelge SchneiderA cat must investigate brutal murders of other cats in a neighborhood he has moved into with his owner.An animated murder mystery starring cats that involve a serial feline killer, genetic cleansing, ancient cults and rituals, and enigmatic nightmares. Truly one of a kind. Available in Europe on DVD with an English dub.
7 out of 10 - DirectorPupi AvatiStarsCarlo CecchiStefano DionisiArnaldo NinchiA seminary student, Giacomo Vigetti, is convicted by the Papal State of seducing a young girl. He is forced to flee and takes refuge with an excommunicated priest. Unfortunately, the priest was excommunicated for experimenting with the black arts. And soon Giacomo wishes they'd never met.Pupi Avati - the director of the complex and terrifying mystery "The House With Laughing Windows" - directs this Gothic mystery film, with dashes of the supernatural and the horrific to ensure the chills. Available on VHS and DVD but only in Europe.
7 out of 10 - DirectorGustavo Mosquera R.StarsGuillermo AngelelliRoberto CarnaghiAnnabella LevyA train on the Buenos Aires subway system suddenly vanishes.A brainy, high-concept thriller similar to the likes of "Pi", "Primer", and other heady excursions into the science fiction realm. Sadly never released in America, though a DVD is available in Europe.
8 out of 10 - DirectorWolfgang MurnbergerStarsJosef HaderSimon SchwarzBarbara RudnikEx-detective Brenner wants to keep himself out of trouble but several murder cases and his ex-girlfriend Klara finally get him involved. But making decisions is not one his strengths.A cracker-jack neo-noir in the Hammett and Chandler vein, with a healthy dose of dark comedy for good measure. This is a first of three movies starring the character P.I. Simon Brenner, but this is easily the best of the trio (the other two being "Silentium" and "The Bone Man"). Sadly, this gem is not available outside of a DVD release in Europe.
8 out of 10 - DirectorCho-Sin JungStarsKim Sang-jungYoon Da-hoonChang Jung LimA heist movie about three groups of thieves who independently plan to rob the same bank on the same day, which causes no end of pandemonium and confusion, or does it?Heist/kidnapping/con thriller from Korea that, while incredible implausible, is admittedly surprisingly and unpredictable. The twists may not lend credence to anything, but it does make it a hoot to watch.
DVD in Asia.
7 out of 10 - DirectorEugenio MiraStarsCorey FeldmanErica PriorJack TaylorNorman, a young man very much in love with his girlfriend, attends her father's birthday party, held in a hotel where a sect happens to be preparing for the birth of the god it worships.Incredibly bizarre comedy-horror film that has a distinct Lynchian aesthetic. I must admit that I always dismissed Corey Feldman as a has-been, but this film is that put me to shame and showed me he is a man of considerable talent. The ending's utter absurdity reminded of Brian Yuzna's "Society" (without the exploitative sleeze). Think "Rosemary's Baby" meets "Twin Peaks" and you will get a good sense of what to expect.
DVD in Europe but none in the USA.
7 out of 10 - DirectorShinji AoyamaStarsKoji YakushoHiroko YakushimaruAkira EmotoThree couples are staying at a lakeside cottage with their children. They want them to prepare intensely for a prestigious high school's entrance exam with the help of a private tutor. One night, one of the wives confesses to her husband that she has killed his mistress...Hitchcockian thriller concerning a group of parents who try to hide a dead body to protect the chances of their children being able to enter an elite private school. Razor sharp social commentary married with a handful of delicious suspense sequences and a tricky plot where nothing is what is seems.
DVD in Asia but nothing in the USA.
7 out of 10. - DirectorGen SekiguchiStarsTadanobu AsanoReika HashimotoKyôko KoizumiFive bizarre stories with no apparent connection to one and other eventually become intertwined, resulting in surreal circumstances.A kinetic and frenzy exercise in stylish zaniness! Entertaining, but also crafty and clever. A crowd-pleaser... one that is not available in America but pretty much everywhere else on DVD.
8 out of 10 - DirectorJannik JohansenStarsNikolaj Lie KaasNicolas BroLaura DrasbækThe psychological thriller "Murk" tells the story of Jacob, who is investigating into the circumstances surrounding his sister's death on her wedding night.Somber and bleak psychological thriller that is utterly haunting and chilling. Again, never released in America, tho a DVD is available in Europe.
8 out of 10 - DirectorJuan José Ramírez MascaróStarsLuis JiménezGonzalo NavasJaime VacaA prestigious fairytale illustrator is hired by the psychiatric hospital director. His job there will be to decorate the hospital walls with his drawings to improve the place's atmosphere. It seems like an easy task but things get complicated when the sketcher discovers a dark corridor from where chilling screams come out.Quite possibly the only film you ever see about an artist hired by an insane asylum to decorate the walls of its institution... and that it stars peanuts! Yes, live-action peanuts! The most shocking part is that the plot is actually not that bad and even musters up some genuine suspense... with peanuts! Live-action peanuts! Who knew I could care what happened to a nut!
DVD in Europe.
6 out of 10 - DirectorNavdeep SinghStarsAbhay DeolGul PanagRaima SenManorama, wife of an irrigation minister, tasks Satyaveer to find if her husband is cheating. As Satyaveer starts investigating, he gets trapped in a web of lies and must uncover the entire truth.A Hindi film with no singing or dancing? It's true. This is an artful and serious excursion into the neo-noir territory in the Hammett & Chandler vein. Unfairly buried underneath all the other more higher-profiled Hindi imports - and never even released in America. However, Europe's got it on DVD (as always).
Update - Released in America on DVD!
7 out of 10 - DirectorHan-min KimStarsPark Hae-ilPark Sol-miSung Ji-ruOff the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula, an island of 17 inhabitants exists. The so-called Paradise Island holds up to its name with its breath-taking mountains and sea coupled with good-natured people. No worries or stress holds for anyone who comes to visit this beautiful oasis. But this peace doesn't last long as every single one of the inhabitants disappear one day without a single trace. Chaos initially breaks out when a blood-drenched corpse is found and everyone becomes a suspect. The furious sea allows them no boat ride to the mainland and their only existing radio communication device has been smashed. Trapped together on the island, everyone is suspicious of each other and even the unseen could be a possible suspect. As hideous secrets get revealed day by day, an island of paradise slowly turns into an island of death.Deliciously atmospheric mystery-thriller-horror hybrid concerning a group of policemen who arrive at an island after being unable to contact its inhabitants for several weeks. When they arrive, they find traces of blood, buildings destroyed, and no one around. What happened to the entire population of the island?
DVD in Asia.
7 out of 10 - DirectorKaren OganesyanStarsKonstantin KhabenskiyVladimir MashkovChulpan KhamatovaA novelist struggling with writer's block enlists the aid of an assassin for some inspiration -- fully unaware that he is being set up to take the blame for a murder.DON'T READ THE ABOVE SYNOPSIS! It gives away a plot twist that doesn't arrive until the final act!
7 out of 10 - DirectorErik Van LooyStarsKoen De BouwFilip PeetersMatthias SchoenaertsFive close friends, all of them married, share a loft to meet their mistresses. One day they find the body of a young woman in the loft. Since there are only five keys to the loft, the five men begin to suspect each other of murder.A tricky, complex Dutch thriller that is being remade by Hollywood as we speak. As such, the original is being buried and unreleased here in America.
8 out of 10 - DirectorHiroshi NishitaniStarsMasaharu FukuyamaKô ShibasakiKazuki KitamuraIt's another battle of the wits for the brilliant but eccentric physicist, Yukawa, and detective, Kaoru.It may first appear that the film is just another slick, studio thriller about a killer playing cat-and-mouse with an investigator, and I suppose that description may be true to a degree, but it's just the surface. It is surprising how much complexity and detail is present within both the plot as well as in the characters which populate it. There are no real villains in this picture, only victims. You actually want the killer to stay one step ahead yet at the same time you know there must be justice. A chess match of wits where the pieces are real people and the players don't want to sacrifice anyone - they just want to get the other in check. This is what studio film-making should be - stylish, thrilling, intelligent, and emotional.
DVD in Asia.
8 out of 10 - DirectorSang-Yong LeeLee Sang-yongLee Sang-Yong-IStarsChi-yong AhnRyoo Byeong-GilIm Chan-WooHigh school guys must find the killer of their classmate before the next class start, in 40 minutes.A high school student finds a murdered student during his fourth period class with all the evidence pointing to him as the murderer. Now he has only 40 minutes to find the real killer until the next class comes into the room and discovers the body. A high concept thriller that actually doesn't buckle under the weight of its own tricky premise. Sure, blatant red herrings and implausibilities abound, but it's all in good fun and it does the job of keeping you guessing until the end.
DVD in Asia.
7 out of 10