Last updated March 2024
Want to watch extraordinarily awesome Best Thriller Movies 2001 ASAP? We compiled 30 sensational, critically celebrated Best Thriller Movies 2001 ready to stream instantly. Rated through the roof by IMDB reviewers and our own community of users, these elite titles represent the best of the best. Lend a hand to fellow fans by voting up the Best Thriller Movies 2001 you consider to be keepers. We appreciate members who contribute great recommendations!
Donnie Darko (2001)
Plot Summary:
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes
Duration: 113 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 837000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: mental illness, time travel, psychology, imaginary friend, insanity, schizophrenia, parallel universe, surrealism, suburbs, time loop, social misfits, youth, hallucination, dream, plot twist, supernatural ability, death, psychiatry, society, teenager, prophecy, schizophrenic, trippy, halloween, existentialism
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Plot Summary:
After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesic, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality
Duration: 147 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 377000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Plot tags: surrealism, twists and turns, lesbian, amnesia, obsession, hollywood, nightmare, hallucination, doppelganger, alternate reality, filmmaking, dream, lesbian sex, plot twist, memory loss, lesbian love, psychology, suicide, violence, lesbianism, female protagonist, dangerous attraction, death, mental illness, mysterious character
Nayak: The Real Hero (2001)
Plot Summary:
TV reporter Shivajirao gets a chance to be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for a day, after being challenged by incumbent Chief Minister Balraj Chauhan. After his successful one-day stint, he attempts to get back to his normal life, but it is not as easy as he thought it to be, with the lives of his near and dear ones now in danger on account of his honesty
Duration: 187 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: political activism, politics, election, attempted murder, love and romance, rise to the top, fall in love, intrigue, ambition, rivalry, society, political conspiracy, political corruption, family disapproval, dishonesty, righting the wronged, proposal, legislation, indians, politician, assassination, power politics, political intrigue, chief, hopes
Training Day (2001)
Plot Summary:
On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears
Duration: 122 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 463000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: police corruption, corrupt cop, gang, ghetto, gunfight, drug dealer, police, african american, rookie, dirty cop, mafia, mentor, drug, corruption, violence, bad cop, investigation, latinos, war on drugs, one day, lone hero, police brutality, gang member, organized crime, tough guy
The Experiment (2001)
Plot Summary:
Das Experiment is a shocking psycho thriller about the potential for brutality that humans hide. Even more shocking is the fact that it’s based on an actual occurrence—a 1971 psychological experiment at Stanford University that was aborted prematurely when the experimenters lost control
Duration: 120 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 96000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany
Plot tags: experiment, prison, torture, prison escape, aggression, psychology, social experiment, isolation, degradation, abuse, sociology, violence, survival, prison life, warden, human experiment, twists and turns, brutality, rivalry, power relations, psychological torture, rape, character study, prisoner, jail
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Plot Summary:
Less than 24 hours into his parole, charismatic thief Danny Ocean is already rolling out his next plan: In one night, Danny's hand-picked crew of specialists will attempt to steal more than $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos. But to score the cash, Danny risks his chances of reconciling with ex-wife, Tess
Duration: 116 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 607000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: heist, caper, casino, thief, cons and scams, perfect crime, outsmarting, con artists, twists and turns, deception, scheme, organized crime, group of criminals, planning, robbery, friends, con men, bank robbery, criminal heroes, sarcasm, buddies, conspiracy, partners in crime, friendship between men, dishonesty
The Others (2001)
Plot Summary:
Grace is a religious woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the face of strange events and disturbing visions
Duration: 101 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 387000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Spain, USA, France, Italy
Plot tags: ghost, haunted house, supernatural, twists and turns, afterlife, nightmare, mansion, supernatural horror, haunting, mysterious character, macabre, spiritualism, psychic, isolation, uncover truth, plot twist, cemetery, able to see the dead, confined, children, old dark house, danger, parallel world, alternate reality, supernatural ability
All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001)
Plot Summary:
Charts the troubled teenage years of students Yuichi Hasumi and Shusuke Hoshino, exploring the shifting and complex power dynamics of their relationship against the backdrop of Yuichi's love for the dreamy and abstract music of fictional pop star Lily Chou-Chou
Duration: 146 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Music, Romance, Thriller
Country: Japan
Plot tags: coming of age, bullying, music, alienation, high school, school, teenage life, social misfits, friendship, adolescence, youth, mind game, loneliness, humiliation, teasing, teenager, teacher, violence, prostitution, beach, sex, children, mental disorder, introvert, changing lives
The Devil's Backbone (2001)
Plot Summary:
After losing his father, 10-year-old Carlos arrives at the Santa Lucia School, which shelters orphans of the Republican militia and politicians, and is taken in by the steely headmistress, Carmen, and the kindly professor, Casares. Soon after his arrival, Carlos has a run-in with the violent caretaker, Jacinto. Gradually, Carlos uncovers the secrets of the school, including the youthful ghost that wanders the grounds
Duration: 106 min
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
IMDB Votes: 70000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: Spain, Mexico
Plot tags: ghost, spanish civil war, orphan, child abuse, boarding school, orphanage, supernatural, revenge, children, coming of age, civil war, republican, danger, boarding school life, murder, disappearance, death, fear, childhood, haunted house, older woman younger man relationship, boy, gold, disorder, crime gone awry
Read My Lips (2001)
Plot Summary:
She is almost deaf and she lip-reads. He is an ex-convict. She wants to help him. He thinks no one can help except himself
Duration: 115 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: France
Plot tags: mute or deaf, workplace, heist, disability, twists and turns, relationships, opposites attract, character study, parole officer, looking for love, mentally unstable, criminal heroes, unlikely partners, workplace romance, danger, workplace intrigue, partner, misfit partners, unlikely couple, unsupportive coworkers, deaf, thief, husband wife relationship, illness, lonely
Frailty (2001)
Plot Summary:
A man confesses to an FBI agent his family's story of how his religious fanatic father's visions lead to a series of murders to destroy supposed "demons."
Duration: 100 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 89000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Plot tags: serial killer, psychopath, twists and turns, insanity, religious fanatic, murder, childhood, plot twist, father son relationship, punishment, demon, child abuse, single father, fbi agent, guilt, supernatural, macabre, dream, brother brother relationship, parents and children, family relations, torture, investigation, religion, mental illness
Spy Game (2001)
Plot Summary:
Veteran spy Nathan Muir is on the verge of retiring from the CIA when he learns that his one-time protégé and close friend, Tom Bishop, is a political prisoner sentenced to die in Beijing. Although their friendship has been marred by bad blood and resentment, Muir agrees to take on the most dangerous mission of his career and rescue Bishop
Duration: 126 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 165000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, Japan, France, UK
Plot tags: spy, espionage, cia, mentor, undercover, working undercover, secret agent, terrorist, cold war, conspiracy, government agency, against the rules, terrorism, vietnam war, rescue, hitman, mission, political corruption, danger, race against time, secret service, corruption, sniper, surveillance, agent
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Plot Summary:
In 18th century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his Native American friend Mani are sent by the King to the Gevaudan province to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast
Duration: 142 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 70000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: France
Plot tags: werewolf, martial arts, beast, supernatural, conspiracy, murder, investigation, monster, legends and myths, good versus evil, animal attack, sword fight, medieval, native american, revolution, wolf, blood, violence, sex scene, secret society, fear, creature, aristocracy, kung fu, lion
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Plot Summary:
David Aames has it all: wealth, good looks and gorgeous women on his arm. But just as he begins falling for the warmhearted Sofia, his face is horribly disfigured in a car accident. That's just the beginning of his troubles as the lines between illusion and reality, between life and death, are blurred
Duration: 136 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 282000
Genere: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Spain
Plot tags: virtual reality, dream, surrealism, tragic love, mind game, amnesia, love, disfigurement, psychology, obsession, lost love, alternate reality, love story, existentialism, hopes, hallucination, love triangle, disfigured face, death, plot twist, jealousy, redemption, seductive, love and romance, memory
The Last Castle (2001)
Plot Summary:
A Court Martialed general rallies together 1200 inmates to rise against the system that put him away
Duration: 131 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 84000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: prison, military, fighting the system, prison life, military prison, convict, murder, prison escape, prison riot, manipulation, rebellion, power struggle, confined, rebelliousness, american football, father daughter relationship, corporal punishment, respect, prison warden, abuse of power, warden, violent content, court, secrets, chess
The Score (2001)
Plot Summary:
An aging thief hopes to retire and live off his ill-gotten wealth when a young kid convinces him into doing one last heist
Duration: 124 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 133000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Plot tags: robbery, safecracker, betrayal, thief, caper, bank robbery, heist, race against time, criminal's revenge, cons and scams, con artists, group of criminals, twists and turns, plan, organized crime, rivalry, master thief, jewel thief, bank robber, hacking, murder, plot twist, deception, surveillance, one last job
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Plot Summary:
Domenic Toretto is a Los Angeles street racer suspected of masterminding a series of big-rig hijackings. When undercover cop Brian O'Conner infiltrates Toretto's iconoclastic crew, he falls for Toretto's sister and must choose a side: the gang or the LAPD
Duration: 106 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 412000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Plot tags: car chase, undercover cop, car, chase, car race, street racing, drag racing, chases and races, gang, heist, undercover, robbery, tough guy, car racing, auto repair, race, theft, mechanic, working undercover, danger, racing, auto racing, law enforcement, hotshot, heroes
Intacto (2001)
Plot Summary:
An enigmatic tale of four people whose lives are intertwined by destiny are subject to the laws of fate. They discover that luck is something they cannot afford to be without as they gamble with the highest stakes possible in a deadly game from which only one of them will emerge intact
Duration: 108 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Thriller
Country: Spain
Plot tags: luck, gambling, twists and turns, murder, game, greed, investigation, rivalry, danger, haunted by the past, change of luck, supernatural power, money, desert, russian roulette, survivor, vengeance, thief, fate, puzzle, mathematics, memory, gambler, fight, butterfly effect
Hannibal (2001)
Plot Summary:
After having successfully eluded the authorities for years, Hannibal peacefully lives in Italy in disguise as an art scholar. Trouble strikes again when he's discovered leaving a deserving few dead in the process. He returns to America to make contact with now disgraced Agent Clarice Starling, who is suffering the wrath of a malicious FBI rival as well as the media
Duration: 131 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 289000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Plot tags: serial killer, cannibalism, psychopath, cannibal, mind game, fbi, master criminal, psychiatrist, villain played by lead actor, torment, police, homicidal maniac, violence, torture, bad guy wins, cat and mouse, gory, police investigation, female agent, law enforcement, macabre, villain, evil, trauma, human monster
The Pledge (2001)
Plot Summary:
A police chief about to retire pledges to help a woman find her daughter's killer. Based on a story by Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Duration: 124 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 65000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: serial killer, investigation, murder, child murder investigation, murder mystery, child murder, twists and turns, small town, plot twist, obsession, psychology, promise, murder investigation, killer, private investigation, law enforcement, serial child killer, police investigation, character study, police, paranoia, rape, murderer, mother daughter relationship, serial rapist
Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
Plot Summary:
Set just before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Sgt. Ray Elwood is an American soldier stationed at a German army camp. A soldier because a judge gave him a choice between the army and jail, Ray spends much of his free time cooking cocaine for the MPs. When a soldier dies and a toxicology screen shows an alarming level of illegal narcotics, someone is sent in to investigate
Duration: 98 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: UK, Germany
Plot tags: corruption, military, heroin, drug dealing, soldier, military life, u.s. military, arms dealing, greed, cold war, unlikely criminals, profanity, black market, rebellion, rebelliousness, drug, american football, u.s. army, army, wartime, satire, incompetence, berlin wall, spy, gang
From Hell (2001)
Plot Summary:
Frederick Abberline is an opium-huffing inspector from Scotland Yard who falls for one of Jack the Ripper's prostitute targets in this Hughes brothers adaption of a graphic novel that posits the Ripper's true identity
Duration: 122 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 163000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, Czech Republic
Plot tags: serial killer, jack the ripper, freemason, police investigation, conspiracy, prostitution, a vision, murder, violent, graphic violence, goth, psychic, conspiracy theory, murder of a prostitute, life is a bitch, drug addiction, insanity, supernatural, who done it, revenge, corruption, gory, surgery, illuminati, psychology
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Plot Summary:
It's vacation time for Carter as he finds himself alongside Lee in Hong Kong wishing for more excitement. While Carter wants to party and meet the ladies, Lee is out to track down a Triad gang lord who may be responsible for killing two men at the American Embassy. Things get complicated as the pair stumble onto a counterfeiting plot. The boys are soon up to their necks in fist fights and life-threatening situations. A trip back to the U.S. may provide the answers about the bombing, the counterfeiting, and the true allegiance of sexy customs agent Isabella
Duration: 90 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 235000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong, USA
Plot tags: martial arts, buddy, kung fu, buddy cop, kick-butt women, police investigation, partner, culture clash, chase, gang, odd couple, good versus evil, bribery, forgery, police, power struggle, fish out of water, friends, african american, law enforcement, disorder, silly humor, struggle, partners against crime, fight scenes
Wasabi (2001)
Plot Summary:
Hubert is a French policeman with very sharp methods. After being forced to take 2 months off by his boss, who doesn't share his view on working methods, he goes back to Japan, where he used to work 19 years ago, to settle the probate of his girlfriend who left him shortly after marriage without a trace
Duration: 94 min
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
IMDB Votes: 42000
Genere: Action, Drama, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: France, Japan
Plot tags: yakuza, father daughter relationship, justice, lone hero, police brutality, investigation, japanese mafia, police detective, youth, tough guy, culture clash, inheritance, police, violence, gunfight, brutality, tough cop, mafia, police investigation, buddy, bank robbery, fight, teenage daughter, misfit, family relations
Joy Ride (2001)
Plot Summary:
Three young people on a road trip from Colorado to New Jersey talk to a trucker on their CB radio, then must escape when he turns out to be a psychotic killer
Duration: 97 min
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
IMDB Votes: 75000
Genere: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: kidnapping, prank, truck driver, survival, road trip, psychopath, truck, paranoia, twists and turns, brother brother relationship, revenge, murder, on the road, torture, serial killer, panic, chase, stalker, brutality, stalking, trap, redneck, road rage, motel, prank gone wrong
Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
Plot Summary:
Liu Jian, an elite Chinese police officer, comes to Paris to arrest a Chinese drug lord. When Jian is betrayed by a French officer and framed for murder, he must go into hiding and find new allies
Duration: 98 min
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Plot tags: martial arts, police corruption, kung fu, conspiracy, reconnaissance, heroin, murder, fight, framed for murder, prostitute, one against many, law enforcement, dishonesty, fight scenes, surveillance, spy, badass, karate, frame up, on the run, swat team, drug lord, crime boss, little girl, reluctant hero
Suicide Club (2001)
Plot Summary:
When 54 high school girls throw themselves in front of a subway train it appears to be only the beginning of a string of suicides around the country. Does the new all-girl group Desert have anything to do with it? Detective Kuroda tries to find the answer, which isn't as simple as he had hoped
Duration: 99 min
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Plot tags: suicide, conspiracy, gore, death, police investigation, gory, violent, surrealism, high school, brutality, macabre, hacker, student, website, extreme, youth, lesbian, dark humor, police, violence, kidnapping, hospital, vengeance, blood, blood splatter
Swordfish (2001)
Plot Summary:
Rogue agent Gabriel Shear is determined to get his mitts on $9 billion stashed in a secret Drug Enforcement Administration account. He wants the cash to fight terrorism, but lacks the computer skills necessary to hack into the government mainframe. Enter Stanley Jobson, a n'er-do-well encryption expert who can log into anything
Duration: 99 min
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB Votes: 194000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: heist, computer hacker, hacker, hostage, bank robbery, spy, terrorism, computer, surveillance, father daughter relationship, hot and sexy, ex convict, hacking, misdirection, secret agent, robbery, violence, betrayal, car chase, twists and turns, master criminal, senator, black ops, internet, bank
Pulse (2001)
Plot Summary:
After one of their friends commits suicide, strange things begin happening to a group of young Tokyo residents. One of them sees visions of his dead friend in the shadows on the wall, while another's computer keeps showing strange, ghostly images. Is their friend trying to contact them from beyond the grave, or is there something much more sinister going on?
Duration: 119 min
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Plot tags: ghost, internet, supernatural, afterlife, suicide, missing person, haunting, depression, macabre, technology, college student, apocalypse, lifestyle, confined, alienation, existentialism, coming of age, death, gore, cosmic horror, loneliness, supernatural power, epidemic, fear, extreme
Visitor Q (2001)
Plot Summary:
A father who is a failed former television reporter tries to mount a documentary about violence and sex among youths. He proceeds to have sex with his daughter who is now a prostitute, and films his son being humiliated and hit by classmates. "Q", a perfect stranger, somehow gets involved and enters the bizarre family whose son beats his mom, who in turn is also a prostitute and a heroin addict
Duration: 84 min
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Plot tags: rape, incest, dysfunctional family, sexual abuse, macabre, father daughter incest, breast feeding, heroin, sex, obsession, violent, necrophilia, psychopath, male nudity, sexual harassment, violence spree, satire, family relations, family life, life is a bitch, family problems, violence, surrealism, sexual relations, journalism