Who doesn’t love a good thriller? They keep you on the edge of your seat, make you sweat as you worry about the characters, and even scare you from time to time. It’s a popular genre with a massive catalog of movies to check out, with a lot of great ones coming out of the 1990s. From Stephen King adaptations to other classics like The Sixth Sense, the ‘90s offers a lot of suspenseful flicks that have stood the test of time and still thrill today.
Update July 27, 2023: This article has been updated with even more great thrillers from the 1990s.
Something about the environment of the ‘90s makes the thrillers from the decade feel that much better. Maybe it’s the lack of technology like we have today or simply just a difference in filmmaking styles. Before the burst of superheroes that would dominate the 2000s, the thriller was one of the dominant box office genres and could hold its own against some big special effects heavy blockbusters of the era. Here are the best thrillers from the 1990s, ranked.
11 Face/Off (1997)
John Travolta and Nicolas Cage have the ultimate showdown as two men on opposite sides of the law in the sci-fi action thriller Face/Off, which centers on determined FBI agent Sean Archer (Travolta) as he makes it his mission to bring down infamous terrorist and sociopath Castor Troy (Cage), who was responsible for the death of his son. After Troy is severely wounded following a plane crash, Archer decides to undergo facial transplant surgery to pose as the dangerous criminal in hopes of gaining information but is shocked when the real Troy turns the tables for revenge and has the same procedure done to look like him.
The engrossing, cat-and-mouse film was a massive cinematic triumph for director John Woo, garnering immense praise for the thriller's stylized action sequences, slick visuals, and the dynamic performances of its talented lead stars. Face/Off won the Saturn Award for Best Director and Best Writing, and despite its far-fetched premise, remains one of Woo's most celebrated films and is a fan-favorite '90s cult classic; a sequel is currently in development.
10 The Fugitive (1993)
Harrison Ford portrayed a surgeon on the run from the law in the action thriller The Fugitive, an adaptation of the popular '60s television series that follows Dr. Richard Kimble as he is framed for the murder of his wife and subsequently given the death penalty; as Kimble manages to escape police custody during his transfer, he sets out on a crusade to clear his name and locate the real person responsible for the murder of his beloved spouse. Tommy Lee Jones appears as the relentless US Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard, who refuses to give up until Kimble is back behind bars where he believes the doctor belongs.
The Fugitive is an adrenaline-pumping picture from start to finish that is loaded with suspense and plenty of exciting action sequences, and Ford was brilliant as the grief-stricken husband desperate to reveal the truth amid the chaos. The riveting film spent an impressive six weeks at the top of the box office and earned rave reviews from critics, with Jones going on to win the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his commanding portrayal.
9 Basic Instinct (1992)
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Basic Instinct is a romantic thriller about a detective (Michael Douglas) who is investigating a murder and gets involved in a very intense relationship with his primary suspect (Sharon Stone). Since its release in 1992, Basic Instinct has come under fire for being overtly sexually violent and has received quite a bit of controversy. A lot of people have a hard time looking past the loads of sex scenes in the movie — and there is quite a bit going on — but beyond that, there's a well-developed, thrilling plot.
Basic Instinct really takes the concept of a classic "whodunnit" to the next level. It's packed with suspense, has you second-guessing everyone and everything, and will leave you breathless until the very end. Despite all the controversy surrounding the movie, it's still good if you can look beyond its flaws and is iconic in its own right, both for the performances from Stone and Douglas and the overall writing. There was a sequel several years later titled Basic Instinct 2, and while it featured Stone again, it didn't do nearly as well as the original.
8 The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Fresh off his Oscar-winning work in Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon continued his successful cinema streak with his brilliant performance as the murderous titular con artist in the psychological thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley, appearing opposite stars like Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett. Based on the Patricia Highsmith novel of the same name, the gripping film takes place in 1950s New York City as criminal mastermind Tom Ripley sets his sights on his next mark, a misbehaving playboy (Law) whooping it up in Italy whom Ripley becomes obsessed with an identity he covets.
The Anthony Minghella hit is full of twists and turns and dominating performances by its then-up-and-coming Hollywood greats, with both Damon and Law earning major acclaim for their complex portrayals. Moviegoers couldn't help but root for Ripley, despite him being a genuine monster and menace to society; Newsweek declared in their review, "Minghella puts us inside Ripley's head, inviting us to share his envy and giddy excitement even as we recognize his warped need to be someone he's not."
7 The Game (1997)
The Game is a twisty thriller about a wealthy investment banker (Michael Douglas) who receives a voucher to participate in a strange game for his birthday from his brother (Sean Penn). When he shows up to the Consumer Recreation Services facility to get registered for the game, he has to undergo extensive psychological and physical examinations to participate and ends up finding out his application got denied. But when he arrives home later, there's a wooden clown on his porch with a hidden camera inside, and several other strange events begin to happen. Douglas's character starts to get paranoid that the game is an elaborate conspiracy to destroy his livelihood, especially as pieces of his life and his relationships start to crumble around him.
The Game is very suspenseful. Throughout the bulk of the movie, it's really hard to predict what's going to happen, and at a lot of points, it's hard to tell if it's just a twisted game or something more sinister. Directed by David Fincher (Gone Girl), The Game is a great example of how to expertly tell a thrilling story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Plus, it offered up another great performance from Douglas, who is really quite the versatile actor.
6 Dolores Claiborne (1995)
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Stephen King had a lot of his novels adapted for the big screen in the '80s and '90s, and Dolores Claiborne is one of them. Premiering in 1995, it's about a strained mother-daughter relationship between Dolores (Kathy Bates) and her daughter Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh), which is mostly told through flashbacks. Dolores becomes the focal point of a murder investigation after the elderly woman she was caring for dies in a freak accident. Selena comes home to her remote town in Maine for the investigation, which further emphasizes the strain and tension between her and her mother.
Dolores Claiborne was the second King adaptation to star Kathy Bates in the lead, after Misery in 1990. Dolores Claiborne is a psychological thriller packed with drama and feminist undertones. It's unique to King's other works and tells a different kind of horror story that doesn't rely on monsters or the supernatural. Dolores Claiborne generally received positive reviews and features a powerful, standout performance from Bates.
5 Primal Fear (1996)
Edward Norton delivered one of the greatest performances of his career when he appeared as an alter boy accused of a gruesome murder in the legal mystery thriller Primal Fear, sharing the screen with Richard Gere, who portrays the young man's arrogant defense attorney. After respected Archbishop Rushman is found brutally killed in his bedroom, 19-year-old Aaron Stampler is caught covered in the bishop's blood and fleeing the scene and is arrested and charged with murder. Hotshot Chicago attorney Martin Vail takes on the high-profile case but is stunned when nefarious secrets involving both Aaron and the church emerge.
Norton made his extraordinary film debut as the devious and disturbed alter boy, demonstrating his dynamic acting prowess while portraying the psychopath moonlighting as an innocent victim; his nuanced and spine-tingling performance rightfully earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and paved the way for his illustrious career.
4 Se7en (1995)
David Fincher is no stranger to the thriller genre, and he directed one of the most lauded and taut films of the '90s decade with Se7en, a chilling cat-and-mouse picture that features Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as two mismatched detectives who join forces to hunt a menacing serial killer using the seven deadly sins as the inspiration behind his brutal slayings. The jaded William Somerset (Freeman) partners up with the idealistic David Mills (Pitt) for one last case before his retirement, attempting to get inside the killer's mind by researching the sins, while Mills balks at the idea of connecting with the killer.
The tense and unsettling film noir thriller sets out to examine the origins of evil and is iconic for its epic plot twist ending that famously posed the question, "What's in the box?" while stunning audiences with its jaw-dropping reveal during its climax. In spite of its graphic violence and content, Se7en proved to be a massive hit both critically and commercially and helped breathe new life into Fincher's career while proving to the masses that Pitt was more than just a pretty face and could deliver powerful dramatic performances.
3 The Sixth Sense (1999)
Most people are likely familiar with M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, which premiered in 1999. It's about a child psychologist (Bruce Willis) who has a patient (Haley Joel Osment) that claims he can communicate with the dead. This is where the classic "I see dead people," line comes from. It's a psychological horror/thriller with powerful performances, vivid imagery, and a shocking twist ending — in true Shyamalan fashion.
The Sixth Sense is generally a really good movie. It has both thrills and chills and really grips you from start to finish. To put it plainly, it's a ghost story, but it's told with such a unique approach that it really doesn't feel like you're typical ghost movie. Following its release, the movie went on to receive several awards and nominations, and the screenplay ranked on the Writers Guild of America's list of the 101 Greatest Screenplays ever written.
2 Cape Fear (1991)
Cape Fear premiered in 1991 and is about a violent convicted criminal named Max (Robert De Niro) who is released from prison after a 14-year sentence and is out for revenge on the public defender Sam (Nick Nolte) whom he blames for his sentence because Sam purposely botched the defense to get Max behind bars. At the time of his conviction, Max was illiterate and had no understanding of the legal process. But during his time in prison he learned to read and educated himself on the law and has since become a psychopath hell-bent on revenge. He begins terrorizing Sam and his family, killing their dog, stalking their property, and even trying to start an inappropriate relationship with Sam's teenage daughter.
De Niro gives a horrifying performance in the movie that is, at times, hard to stomach. It's an extremely violent movie and deals with themes that can be hard to watch, but it's so suspenseful and such a well-told story that it had to make the list. Martin Scorsese's 1991 Cape Fear was actually a remake of the original from 1962 that starred Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum in the lead roles and was based on the 1957 novel The Executioners by John D. MacDonald. It's a disturbing, intense thriller with a genuine element of fear that almost makes it feel like a horror movie.
1 Misery (1990)
Misery is arguably one of Kathy Bates' best performances, if not the best. Based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name, Misery is about an obsessive fan (Bates) who holds her favorite author (James Caan) captive to force him to rewrite the finale of his book series. Misery is heavy on the suspense and horror, and Bates is genuinely disturbing and believable as the film's villain. In fact, her performance won her the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 63rd award ceremony.
There is a vast catalog of Stephen King movie adaptations, but Misery is certainly one of the best. It has excellent pacing and cinematography. On top of the impressive production value and storytelling, Caan and Bates are excellent together on screen and create scenes of real fear and suspense as Bates is so unpredictable and Caan's character is completely helpless. Misery definitely tops the list of the best thrillers to come out of the 1990s, and there were certainly plenty to choose from. It's also a must-watch, not only for fans of the genre but for Stephen King fans, too.
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