Last updated March 2024
Jonesing to watch sensationally awesome Best Thriller Movies 2009 ASAP? Dive right into our handpicked collection of 30 marvelous, universally adored Best Thriller Movies 2009 available for instant streaming. Hailed as extraordinarily spectacular by revered IMDB critics and our own legion of savvy users, these world-class Best Thriller Movies 2009 simply can't be matched. Lend a hand to fellow viewers by voting up the titles you consider keepers. We appreciate your stellar contributions highlighting elite titles!
The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
Plot Summary:
A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later
Duration: 129 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 219000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: Argentina, Spain
Plot tags: investigation, twists and turns, rape, murder, lawyer, plot twist, investigator, serial killer, revenge, evidence, homicide, vengeance, murder mystery, writers, obsession, murderer, police, haunted by the past, puzzle, suspect, uncover truth, corruption, police investigation, love and romance, crime and punishment
The Breath (2009)
Plot Summary:
A major who had just lost two people in his command in a combat with PKK militants arrives at the station and takes charge. He finds it very difficult to step out of the state of depression due to his recent loss and so intimidates his soldiers into bettering themselves to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again. During his stay there, he came across a PKK militant called the ‘Doctor’
Duration: 128 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: Turkey
Plot tags: military, turkish army, soldier, ambush, war, anti war, danger, military life, against the odds, characters in danger, terror, army, terrorism, wartime life, snow, business, genocide, wartime, turk, hindu, protection, anti terrorism, mountain, militant, depression
District 9 (2009)
Plot Summary:
Aliens land in South Africa and, with their ship totally disabled, have no way home. Years later, after living in a slum and wearing out their welcome the 'Non-Humans' are being moved to a new tent city overseen by Multi-National United (MNU)
Duration: 112 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 708000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: South Africa, USA, New Zealand, Canada
Plot tags: alien, distopia, extraterrestrial, space and aliens, transformation, alien encounter, apocalypse, alien invasion, mutation, metamorphosis, refugee, society, alien race, ufo, social commentary, chaos and mayhem, human nature, alien robot, segregation, quarantine, discrimination, chaos, alternate history, racism, slum
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
Plot Summary:
Swedish thriller based on Stieg Larsson's novel about a male journalist and a young female hacker. In the opening of the movie, Mikael Blomkvist, a middle-aged publisher for the magazine Millennium, loses a libel case brought by corrupt Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström. Nevertheless, he is hired by Henrik Vanger in order to solve a cold case, the disappearance of Vanger's niece
Duration: 152 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 222000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Norway
Plot tags: investigation, hacker, twists and turns, rape, journalist, sexual abuse, strong female lead, amateur detective, age difference, violence against women, missing person, lesbian, goth, femme fatale, strong female character, serial killer, disappearance, hacking, revenge, murder mystery, journalism, uncover truth, peril, murder, computer
Prison Break: The Final Break (2009)
Plot Summary:
The movie covers the events which occurred in between the downfall of The Company and the finale of the series. It details the arrest and incarceration of Sara Tancredi, the final escape plan which Michael devises for Sara. It also reveals the ultimate fate of Gretchen Morgan
Duration: 89 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: prison, fugitives, self sacrifice, woman in danger, prison escape, twists and turns, resilience, murder mystery, vengeance, survival, depression, brutality, redemption, relationships, conspiracy, justice, happy ending, freedom, chases and races, confined, race against time, against the odds, daring rescue, family relations, life is a bitch
The White Ribbon (2009)
Plot Summary:
Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years just before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. The abused and suppressed children of the villagers seem to be at the heart of this mystery
Duration: 144 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 77000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Canada
Plot tags: children, punishment, sexual abuse, priest, village, physical appearance, suicide, small town, death, child abuse, cruelty, family secret, village life, fascism, innocence, world war one, doctor, humiliation, suspicion, parents and children, repression, psychological abuse, protestant, patriarch, class society
Mother (2009)
Plot Summary:
A mother lives quietly with her twenty-eight-year-old son, Do-joon, providing herbs and acupuncture to neighbors. One day, a girl is brutally murdered, and Do-joon is charged with the killing. Now, it's his mother's call whether to prove him innocent or to leave him imprisoned
Duration: 129 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 70000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Plot tags: investigation, murder, twists and turns, revenge, family relations, determination, amateur detective, uncover truth, murder mystery, asian, mother, mentally challenged, character study, police investigation, police brutality, medieval, life is a bitch, mother and son, whodunit, relationships, plot twist, great ending, single parent, prison, violence
Ayan (2009)
Plot Summary:
Deva (Surya Sivakumar) arrives at the Chennai International Airport after running an errand for Arumuga Dass (Prabhu Ganesan) of smuggling pre-release pirated movies on DVD. The two leave for their hideout and instruct Dilli (Karunas), a hearing-impaired assistant of Dass, to make copies of the DVD. Just when police crews arrive into their vicinity, Dass informs Deva and the rest to leave. Deva tells the others to leave while he quickly sets up the burning process. Deva also leaves the hideout just in time. However, the police officers arrive at the hideout, only to see the burning process of the DVDs complete. The police then seize the DVDs and computers. The inspector, who was a friend of Dass, tells him that he can close the case if one of Dass's men agrees to the crime. Deva attempts to go, but another man, Chitti (Jegan), who had no affiliation to them volunteers, takes the blame. Later, Chitti joins Dass's group
Duration: 162 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Action, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: smuggling, gold, diamond, drug, tamil, telugu, drugs
Cell 211 (2009)
Plot Summary:
The story of two men on different sides of a prison riot -- the inmate leading the rebellion and the young guard trapped in the revolt, who poses as a prisoner in a desperate attempt to survive the ordeal
Duration: 113 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 70000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain, France
Plot tags: prison, survival, prison life, jail, convict, confined, prison guard, prison riot, twists and turns, hidden identity, hostage, manipulation, isolation, danger, rebelliousness, protest, warden, switching roles, pretense, criminal heroes, chaos and mayhem, trapped, new job, fish out of water, dishonesty
Sin Nombre (2009)
Plot Summary:
Set on the border, where Mexico becomes the crucible and the fearsome gangs of today’s Mexican countryside, the gauntlet, to freedom. The stories of a girl living in Honduras and hungering for a brighter future, and two teen gang members, for whom the Mara Salvatrucha is near their entire universe, become interlaced on the train to the border, a journey that will determine the future of their lives
Duration: 96 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Adventure, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Mexico
Plot tags: gang, immigrant, juvenile delinquency, street gang, social problems, rape, family reunited, train, gang member, u.s. mexico border, hopes, illegal immigrant, travel, youth, lifestyle change, tragic love, corpse, tragedy, culture clash, gangster, teenager, justice, robbery, border crossing, death
A Single Man (2009)
Plot Summary:
Adapted from a 1964 novel of the same name, the film follows a day in the life of George Falconer, a British college professor reeling with the recent and sudden loss of his longtime partner. This traumatic event makes George challenge his own will to live as he seeks the console of close friend Charley who is struggling with her own questions about life
Duration: 99 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 117000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: gay, depression, gays and lesbians, homosexuality, loneliness, lgbt, homosexual, broken heart, grief, haunted by the past, gender, tragic love, suicide, death, gay relationship, older man younger man relationship, fashion, glbt, teacher student relationship, car accident, lgbtq, professor, male nudity, love and romance, loss
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Plot Summary:
A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal
Duration: 109 min
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
IMDB Votes: 314000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: vengeance, prison, vigilantism, justice, investigation, twists and turns, master criminal, lawyer, fighting the system, rape and revenge, murder, mind game, vigilante, death, courtroom, injustice, danger, outsmarting, revenge, plot twist, perfect crime, retribution, hitman, torture, victim
Kaminey (2009)
Plot Summary:
Guddu and Charlie are identical twins born and raised in the slums of Mumbai. They dream of leaving the squalor behind and moving into a life of prosperity and dignity. Though they look alike, the two are as different as chalk and cheese. One lisps, the other stammers. One is an honest, diligent social worker while the other hedges bets at a racecourse. The brothers want nothing to do with each other. But when Charlie gets mixed up in a deadly get-rich-quick scheme and Guddu realizes that the love of his life has unwittingly put a price on his head, their lives begin to collide. They find themselves facing rogue politicians, drug dealers and crooked cops. As they uncover a sinister plot laid out by the 'political-police-underworld' nexus, their stories finally converge to a point when they realize they only have each other
Duration: 130 min
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: manhunt, chase, love and romance, down on your luck, lifestyle, lookalikes, life is a bitch, chases and races, partner, reluctant partners, friendship, police corruption, betrayal, murder, arms dealer, politician, ambition, irony of fate, mistaken identity, brother vs brother, brother brother relationship, multiple storylines, dual role, underworld, indians
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (2009)
Plot Summary:
After taking a bullet to the head, Salander is under close supervision in a hospital and is set to face trial for attempted murder on her eventual release. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist and his researchers at Millennium magazine, Salander must prove her innocence. In doing this she plays against powerful enemies and her own past
Duration: 147 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 74000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Denmark, Germany
Plot tags: twists and turns, murder, journalist, corruption, hospital, policewoman, investigation, trial, lawyer, conspiracy, kickass women, rape, journalism, serial killer, hacker, rape and revenge, uncover truth, protagonist as suspect, heroine, murder of a policewoman, feminist, danger, false accusation, dishonesty, characters in danger
Invictus (2009)
Plot Summary:
Newly elected President Nelson Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match
Duration: 134 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 166000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Sport, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: racism, rugby, human spirit, president, leadership, apartheid, politics, underdog, biopic, politician, idealism, historical character, prejudice, justice, world politics, culture clash, celebration, sports star, sports history, business, motivation, freedom, rivalry, social problems, ambition
Harry Brown (2009)
Plot Summary:
An elderly ex-serviceman and widower looks to avenge his best friend's murder by doling out his own form of justice
Duration: 103 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 90000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Plot tags: vigilantism, vengeance, vigilante, murder, revenge, violence, brutality, investigation, gangster, vigilante justice, widower, urban, loss of friend, incompetent police, hospital, violent, chess, loneliness, husband wife relationship, chaos, self defense, spy, ghetto, gangsta, british gangster
Dogtooth (2009)
Plot Summary:
Three teenagers are confined to an isolated country estate that could very well be on another planet. The trio spend their days listening to endless homemade tapes that teach them a whole new vocabulary. Any word that comes from beyond their family abode is instantly assigned a new meaning. Hence 'the sea' refers to a large armchair and 'zombies' are little yellow flowers. Having invented a brother whom they claim to have ostracized for his disobedience, the uber-controlling parents terrorize their offspring into submission
Duration: 97 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 105000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Greece
Plot tags: incest, dysfunctional family, child abuse, isolated house, cat, brother sister incest, eccentric family, overprotective father, confined, greek, perversion, siblings relations, sexual awakening, sexual perversion, power relations, coming of age, sadism, mental illness, sex, paranoia, parents and children, explicit sex, isolation, dog training, ignorance
Broken Embraces (2009)
Plot Summary:
Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie
Duration: 127 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 42000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Spain
Plot tags: obsession, filmmaking, jealousy, betrayal, destructive relationship, tragic love, actress, blind character, couple relations, blindness, family drama, love affair, suffering, screenwriter, aspiring actress, love triangle, parents and children, producer, crimes of passion, audition, loss of loved one, haunted by the past, tragic event, love, gay
The Road (2009)
Plot Summary:
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones, and, when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the warmer south, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there
Duration: 111 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 251000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: survival, apocalypse, post apocalyptic, post apocalypse, distopia, father son relationship, cannibalism, end of the world, dystopia, starvation, survivor, catastrophe, on the road, journey, chaos, vestiges of humanity, thief, road trip, selflessness, dystopian future, death, cannibal, survivalist, worldwide chaos, dying
The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009)
Plot Summary:
Mikael Blomkvist, publisher of Millennium magazine, has made his living exposing the crooked and corrupt practices of establishment Swedish figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with a meticulously researched thesis about sex trafficking in Sweden and those in high office who abuse underage girls, Blomkvist immediately throws himself into the investigation
Duration: 129 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 98000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Germany
Plot tags: investigation, murder, journalism, conspiracy, hacker, secret service, dishonesty, strong female lead, lesbian, journalist, friendship, false accusation, twists and turns, amateur detective, serial killer, rape and revenge, murder mystery, police investigation, justice, revenge, feminist, buried alive, sex, adaptation, nordic
State of Play (2009)
Plot Summary:
Handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins is the future of his political party: an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party's contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistress is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out
Duration: 127 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 158000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, France
Plot tags: conspiracy, political conspiracy, journalism, politics, corruption, journalist, investigation, newspaper, reporter, murder, congress, politician, spy, assassination, twists and turns, espionage, world politics, murderer, plot twist, serial killer, betrayal, justice, conspiracy theory, media, greed
Brothers (2009)
Plot Summary:
When his helicopter goes down during his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan, Marine Sam Cahill is presumed dead. Back home, brother Tommy steps in to look over Sam’s wife, Grace, and two children. Sam’s surprise homecoming triggers domestic mayhem
Duration: 105 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 142000
Genere: Drama, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: family drama, war, adultery, military, marital infidelity, presumed dead, american soldier, marine, family problems, brothers, dysfunctional family, soldier, suspicion, war trauma, twists and turns, grief, survival, relationships, iraq war, civil war, justice, wartime, brutality, courage, family relations
9 (2009)
Plot Summary:
When 9 first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good
Duration: 79 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 146000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, Luxembourg
Plot tags: steampunk, apocalypse, post apocalypse, dystopia, survival, danger, technology gone awry, life is a bitch, vestiges of humanity, distopia, fate of humanity, robot, save the world, parallel world, end of the world, artificial intelligence, transformation, alternate history, scientist, man versus machine, hopes, heroes, friendship, post apocalyptic, trippy
Orphan (2009)
Plot Summary:
A married couple with a rocky past adopt 9-year old, Esther to fill the void created by a recently-stillborn baby. However, Esther is not quite who she seems
Duration: 123 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 247000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, Germany, France
Plot tags: adoption, orphan, killer child, murder, serial killer, female psychopath, parents and children, fear, mysterious character, twists and turns, murderer, insanity, family in danger, children, creepy child, family problems, domestic disturbance, torture, manipulation, plot twist, macabre, supernatural, childhood, psychopath, family relations
Triangle (2009)
Plot Summary:
The story revolves around the passengers of a yachting trip in the Atlantic Ocean who, when struck by mysterious weather conditions, jump to another ship only to experience greater havoc on the open seas
Duration: 99 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 127000
Genere: Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, Australia
Plot tags: time loop, twists and turns, ship, time travel, supernatural, ghost ship, ocean, insanity, isolation, gory, time paradox, macabre, shipwreck, bermuda triangle, plot twist, deja vu, masked killer, danger, blood, murder, ghost, murder mystery, survival, puzzle, paradox
Exam (2009)
Plot Summary:
The final candidates for a highly desirable corporate job are locked together in an exam room and given a test so simple and confusing that tension begins to unravel
Duration: 101 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 123000
Genere: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Plot tags: mind game, plot twist, survival, twists and turns, psychology, confinement indoors, surveillance, psychologist, locked in a room, ambition, interrogation, intrigue, rivalry, pandemic, paranoia, human nature, one day, disease, narcissist, race against time, trapped, torture, confined space, escape room, obsession
New York (2009)
Plot Summary:
New York is a contemporary story of friendship set against the larger than life backdrop of a city often described as the centre of the world. Omar has gone abroad for the first time in his life and soon enough he begins to see and love America through the eyes of his American friends - Sam and Maya. It is the story of these three friends discovering a new world together
Duration: 153 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India, USA
Plot tags: injustice, friendship, society, life turned upside down, terrorism, false accusation, muslim, fbi, immigrant, indians, politics, islam, driver, taxi, diaspora, major league, heartwarming, undercover, male nudity, war on terror, life is a bitch, anti war, urban, innocence lost, disorder
Brooklyn's Finest (2009)
Plot Summary:
Enforcing the law within the notoriously rough Brownsville section of the city and especially within the Van Dyke housing projects is the NYPD's sixty-fifth precinct. Three police officers struggle with the sometimes fine line between right and wrong
Duration: 132 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: corrupt cop, police corruption, police, corruption, organized crime, rookie, nypd, dirty cop, betrayal, swat team, robbery, murder, police detective, police brutality, undercover, urban, gangster, ghetto, obsession, desperation, justice, police investigation, suicidal, racial slur, cop
Merantau Warrior (2009)
Plot Summary:
In Minangkabau, West Sumatera, Yuda a skilled practitioner of Silat Harimau is in the final preparations to begin his "Merantau" a century's old rites-of-passage to be carried out by the community's young men that will see him leave the comforts of his idyllic farming village and make a name for himself in the bustling city of Jakarta
Duration: 134 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Indonesia
Plot tags: martial arts, protector, fight, journey, violence, heroes, on the run, kung fu, rescue, life is a bitch, rivalry, danger, medieval, gang, chase, hardcore, fight scenes, teenager, mafia, karate, prostitution, telephone call, mobster, main character dies, fighter
Angels & Demons (2009)
Plot Summary:
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon investigates a mysterious symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. He discovers evidence of the unimaginable, the rebirth of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati, the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth
Duration: 138 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 306000
Genere: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Italy
Plot tags: conspiracy, twists and turns, illuminati, murder, investigation, catholicism, vatican, riddles and clues, danger, secret society, religions or cults, professor, religion, catholic church, ancient, church, disorder, secret movement, mastermind, expert, symbolism, scientist, treasure hunt, secrets, plot twist