::INNOCENT FUGITIVE ON-THE-RUN THRILLERS::
THE GIST OF THE LIST: A list of thrillers that feature innocent people who are framed for a crime that they didn't commit and thus must go on-the-run from the law - and often on-the-run from the real criminals too - all the while trying to expose the actual culprits.
Not to be confused with just any old chase thriller or something of that ilk, this is a list which is very specific in its requirements - a character must be framed for a crime (but is actually innocent), he must be forced to go on the run from the police, and lastly he must also figure out who the real criminals are and how to expose them.
[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
Not to be confused with just any old chase thriller or something of that ilk, this is a list which is very specific in its requirements - a character must be framed for a crime (but is actually innocent), he must be forced to go on the run from the police, and lastly he must also figure out who the real criminals are and how to expose them.
[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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66 titles
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJune TrippIvor NovelloMarie AultA landlady suspects that her new lodger is the madman killing women in London.Hitchcock is clearly the master of this particular sub-genre.
Here is his first. - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsRobert DonatMadeleine CarrollLucie MannheimA man in London tries to help a counter-espionage agent, but when the agent is killed and the man stands accused, he must go on the run to save himself and stop a spy ring that is trying to steal top-secret information.Hitchcock's iconic British film.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsNova PilbeamDerrick De MarneyPercy MarmontA man on the run from a murder charge enlists the help of a beautiful stranger who must put herself at risk for his cause.Another British film by Hitchcock that explores similar territory as The 39 Steps.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJoel McCreaLaraine DayHerbert MarshallOn the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.Hitchcock during WWII.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsPriscilla LaneRobert CummingsOtto KrugerA young man accused of sabotage goes on the run to prove his innocence.Hitchcock again. This time, American soldier is framed as a saboteur and now must find the real terrorist.
- DirectorDelmer DavesStarsHumphrey BogartLauren BacallBruce BennettA man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman to try to prove his innocence.Bogie escapes jail to prove his innocence.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsSteve BrodieAudrey LongRaymond BurrA young married couple flee both the police and a gangster out for revenge.
- DirectorCurtis BernhardtStarsRobert TaylorAudrey TotterHerbert MarshallAfter a brain-damaged man confesses to murder and is committed, Dr. Ann Lorrison tries to prove his innocence.Man escapes from an insane asylum to find real killer of his wife.
- DirectorAlberto CavalcantiStarsSally GrayTrevor HowardGriffith JonesAfter WW2, former RAF airman Clem Morgan joins a gang of black-market smugglers-thieves but when a robbery goes wrong, Clem is caught , framed for a policeman's murder, and is sent to prison where he plots his escape and revenge.
- 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.
- DirectorRalph ThomasStarsJean SimmonsTrevor HowardSonia DresdelA former British agent is employed at the Fenton country estate where he aids Fenton's niece in eluding the police after she's unjustly accused of murdering a local gamekeeper.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsMarlene DietrichJane WymanRichard ToddA struggling actress tries to help a friend prove his innocence after he's accused of murdering the husband of a high-society entertainer.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantGrace KellyJessie Royce LandisA retired jewel thief sets out to prove his innocence after being suspected of returning to his former occupation.A thief is accused of several recent burglaries and now he must catch the real thief in order to clear his name.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsHenry FondaVera MilesAnthony QuayleIn 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emanuel "Manny" Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber.Hitchcock re-versed "on-the-run" film.
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsAldo RayAnne BancroftBrian KeithThrough a series of bizarre coincidences, an artist finds himself falsely accused of bank robbery and murder and is pursued by the authorities and the real killers.
- DirectorRalph ThomasStarsKenneth MoreTaina ElgBrenda de BanzieIn London, a diplomat accidentally becomes involved in the death of a British agent who's after a spy ring that covets British military secrets.The Second Remake.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantEva Marie SaintJames MasonA New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.Hitchcock's definite take on the sub-genre.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJon FinchBarry FosterBarbara Leigh-HuntA serial murderer is strangling women with a necktie. The London police have a suspect, but he is the wrong man.More Hitchcock. A man is framed as the neck-tie murderer and must find the real killer!
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsRobert RedfordFaye DunawayCliff RobertsonA bookish CIA researcher in Manhattan finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.Innocent government agent is framed and on the run.
- DirectorRalph NelsonStarsSidney PoitierMichael CaineNicol WilliamsonA black anti-Apartheid activist and a British engineer are forced to run from South African Secret Police.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsDustin HoffmanLaurence OlivierRoy ScheiderAfter the shocking murder of his older brother, a New York history student finds himself inexplicably hounded by shadowy government agents on the trail of a Nazi war criminal who is trying to retrieve smuggled diamonds.
- DirectorDon SharpStarsRobert PowellDavid WarnerEric PorterIn March 1914, a mining engineer named Richard Hannay tries to prevent Prussian Agents from executing a political assassination designed to trigger World War I.The Third Remake
- DirectorRobert MandelStarsBryan BrownBrian DennehyDiane VenoraA movie special effects man is hired to fake a real-life mob killing for a witness protection plan, but finds his own life in danger.
- DirectorRobert HarmonStarsRutger HauerC. Thomas HowellJennifer Jason LeighA young man who escapes the clutches of a murderous hitchhiker is subsequently stalked by the hitcher and framed for his crimes.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsHarrison FordBetty BuckleyEmmanuelle SeignerIn a hotel room in Paris, a doctor comes out of the shower and finds that his wife has disappeared. He soon finds himself caught up in a world of intrigue, espionage, gangsters, drugs and murder.
- DirectorGeoff BurrowesStarsPatrick DempseyKelly PrestonKen PogueWhen a law student accidentally kills the son of a mob boss in a fight, he finds himself relentlessly pursued by the mob and the police.
- DirectorAndrew DavisStarsHarrison FordTommy Lee JonesSela WardDr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal.One of the iconic examples of the sub-genre.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsTom CruiseJon VoightEmmanuelle BéartAn American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.Ethan Hunt is framed as a mole so he has to go on the run to find out who is the real counter-agent.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGene HackmanEd HarrisCareer thief Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood) witnesses a horrific crime involving U.S. President Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman).
- DirectorDavid HoganStarsKeenen Ivory WayansJon VoightRobert KoteckiA Marine on death row is recruited by a shadowy U.S. military officer as part of a top-secret ops team, then gets framed for murder when the team and its officer set him up as the fall guy for the assassination of the First Lady.
- DirectorDavid SteinbergStarsDavid FoleyDavid Anthony HigginsJennifer TillyAfter his boss is murdered, Nelson is on the run for fear of prosecution. He hides out in a small town to avoid the police, which should be easy because they know he didn't do it and they aren't looking for him.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsWill SmithGene HackmanJon VoightA lawyer becomes targeted by a corrupt politician and his N.S.A. goons when he accidentally receives key evidence to a politically motivated crime.
- DirectorStuart BairdStarsTommy Lee JonesWesley SnipesRobert Downey Jr.U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard and his team of Marshals are assigned to track down Sheridan, who has been accused of a double-murder.Spin-off of The Fugitive but not as good.
- DirectorGary FlederStarsShane BrollyVincent D'OnofrioGary SiniseIn the future, an alien race uses androids as bombs to attack Earth. A government weapons specialist is accused of being one such android and sets out to prove his innocence.
- DirectorJohn DuiganStarsSteve CooganLena HeadeyEmma GilmourA failed parole officer framed for murder must enlist the help of his former clients to clear his name.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsFranka PotenteMatt DamonChris CooperA man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and suffering from amnesia, before racing to elude assassins and attempting to regain his memory.Followed by two sequels. American secret agent is the fall guy, but he is about to turn the tables.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom CruiseColin FarrellSamantha MortonJohn works with the PreCrime police which stop crimes before they take place, with the help of three 'PreCogs' who can foresee crimes. Events ensue when John finds himself framed for a future murder.A cop framed and on the run in a futuristic society.
- DirectorCarl FranklinStarsDenzel WashingtonSanaa LathanEva MendesA Florida police chief must solve a vicious double homicide before he himself falls under suspicion.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsBen AffleckAaron EckhartUma ThurmanWhat seemed like a breezy idea that would net an engineer millions of dollars ends up leaving him on the run for his life and trying to piece together why he's being chased.
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsAl PacinoColin FarrellBridget MoynahanA brilliant young CIA trainee is asked by his mentor to help find a mole in the Agency.
- DirectorPaul GreengrassStarsMatt DamonFranka PotenteJoan AllenWhen Jason Bourne is framed for a CIA operation gone awry, he is forced to resume his former life as a trained assassin to survive.First sequel to The Bourne Identity.
- DirectorDavid MametStarsVal KilmerDerek LukeWilliam H. MacyThe investigation into a kidnapping of the daughter of a high-ranking US government official.
- DirectorJ.J. AbramsStarsTom CruiseMichelle MonaghanVing RhamesIMF agent Ethan Hunt comes into conflict with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and his fiancée in response.Second sequel to Mission: Impossible. Unlike that film, he's only a fugitive for the second half of the picture instead of nearly the whole picture.
- DirectorClark JohnsonStarsMichael DouglasKiefer SutherlandKim BasingerA Secret Service agent is framed as the mole in an assassination attempt on the President. He must clear his name and foil another assassination attempt while on the run from a Secret Service Protective Intelligence Division agent.
- DirectorGuillaume CanetStarsFrançois CluzetMarie-Josée CrozeAndré DussollierAn accidental discovery near a doctor's estate stirs up some painful memories eight years after his wife's hideous murder, and now, things are bound to take a turn for the unexpected. Does the good doctor know more than he's letting on?A French adaptation of an American novel. A man gets an e-mail from his supposedly dead wife - is she alive? While investigating, he gets framed for murder and must now go on the lam to find the real perpetrator while also searching for his missing wife.
- DirectorPaul GreengrassStarsMatt DamonEdgar RamírezJoan AllenJason Bourne dodges a ruthless C.I.A. official and his Agents from a new assassination program while searching for the origins of his life as a trained killer.Second sequel to The Bourne Identity.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsMark WahlbergMichael PeñaRhona MitraA marksman living in exile is coaxed back into action after hearing of a plot to kill the President. After being-double crossed for the attempt and on the run, he sets out for the real killer and the truth.
- DirectorFred CavayéStarsVincent LindonDiane KrugerLancelot RochWith no legal means left to him, a high school teacher devises a daring plan to rescue his wrongfully imprisoned wife from jail.Plays out like a Hollywood production... only that it's French. The husband doesn't believe his wife is guilty so he busts her out of jail and they go on a high speed chase to get out of the country!
- DirectorD.J. CarusoStarsShia LaBeoufMichelle MonaghanRosario DawsonJerry and Rachel are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.
- DirectorYoshihiro NakamuraStarsYûko TakeuchiNao ÔmoriTeruyuki KagawaAoyagi meets an old friend and ends up framed for the murder of the prime minister.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsTom CruiseCameron DiazPeter SarsgaardA young woman gets mixed up with a disgraced spy who is trying to clear his name.
- DirectorPaul HaggisStarsRussell CroweElizabeth BanksLiam NeesonA married couple's life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder.Remake of Anything For Her.
- DirectorFred CavayéStarsGilles LelloucheRoschdy ZemGérard LanvinSamuel, a male nurse, saves the life of a thief whose henchmen take Samuel's wife hostage and force him to spring their boss.From the director of Anything For Her. A rip-roaring thriller about a man whose wife is taken captive and in order to get her back he himself needs to kidnap a criminal at a hospital and bring it to them... of course, along the way, he is framed by corrupt cops and now everyone is after him!
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsAngelina JolieLiev SchreiberChiwetel EjioforA CIA agent goes on the run after a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsSaoirse RonanCate BlanchettEric BanaA sixteen-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.A girl is chased by government authorities for no apparent reason...
Side Note: the Chemical Brothers soundtrack for this movie is incredible. - DirectorAndrew NiccolStarsJustin TimberlakeAmanda SeyfriedCillian MurphyIn a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Will Salas is accused of murder and on the run with a hostage.
- DirectorBrad BirdStarsTom CruiseJeremy RennerSimon PeggThe IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name.Ethan goes rogue... again!
- DirectorEric ValetteStarsAlbert DupontelAlice TaglioniStéphane DebacBank-robber Franck Adrien is serving a prison sentence after robbing a national bank. Before he was caught he managed to hide the money but now it's not just the police who are looking for the money. His cell-mate is Jean-Louis Maurel, an alleged rapist/child molester who claims his innocence. When the court finds Maurel not guilty, Maurel promises to look after Franck's family when he gets out. But one day, a man called Manuel Carrega tells Franck that Maurel is a suspected serial killer and that Franck's family is in danger. Franck escapes from prison and police officer Claire Linné and her team take up the chase.Similar in spirit to Point Blank by Fred Cavayé. A man breaks out of jail to save his family from a serial killer... but of course, the police think he's the serial killer!
- DirectorTony GilroyStarsJeremy RennerRachel WeiszEdward NortonAn expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films.Third sequel to The Bourne Identity.
- DirectorPhilipp StölzlStarsAaron EckhartNick AlachiotisLiana LiberatoAn ex-CIA agent and his estranged daughter are forced on the run when his employers erase all records of his existence, and mark them both for termination as part of a wide-reaching international conspiracy.
- DirectorDaniel EspinosaStarsDenzel WashingtonRyan ReynoldsRobert PatrickA young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsPierce BrosnanLuke BraceyOlga KurylenkoAn ex-C.I.A. operative is brought back in on a very personal mission and finds himself pitted against his former pupil in a deadly game involving high-level C.I.A. officials and the Russian President-elect.
- DirectorPierre MorelStarsSean PennIdris ElbaJasmine TrincaA sniper on a mercenary assassination team kills the minister of mines of the Congo. Terrier's successful kill shot forces him into hiding. Returning to the Congo years later, he becomes the target of a hit squad himself.
- DirectorChristopher McQuarrieStarsTom CruiseRebecca FergusonJeremy RennerEthan and his team take on their most impossible mission yet when they have to eradicate an international rogue organization as highly skilled as they are and committed to destroying the IMF.Ethan can't help but be an innocent fugitive!
- DirectorJaume Collet-SerraStarsLiam NeesonEd HarrisJoel KinnamanMobster and hit man Jimmy Conlon has one night to figure out where his loyalties lie: with his estranged son, Mike, whose life is in danger, or his longtime best friend, mob boss Shawn Maguire, who wants Mike to pay for the death of his own son.
- DirectorJames McTeigueStarsMilla JovovichPierce BrosnanDylan McDermottA Foreign Service Officer in London tries to prevent a terrorist attack set to hit New York City, but is forced to go on the run when she is framed for crimes she did not commit.