Last updated March 2024
Want to watch sensational, universally adored Best Thriller Movies 2010 ? We compiled an expert list of 30 marvelous, must-see Best Thriller Movies 2010 for your viewing pleasure. Critically celebrated by IMDB reviewers and widely loved by our own user community, these world-class titles earn top marks across the board. Help other fans discover hidden gems by voting for the titles you consider to be keepers. We appreciate your help highlighting elite content!
Inception (2010)
Plot Summary:
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious
Duration: 148 min
IMDB Rating: 8.8/10
IMDB Votes: 25000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Plot tags: dream, virtual reality, memory, alternate reality, twists and turns, imagination, subconscious, philosophy, existentialism, fictional reality, heist, architecture, mind control, lucid dream, puzzle, teamwork, parallel world, fantasy world, kidnapping, trippy, sleeping, time, psychological manipulation, manipulation, redemption
Shutter Island (2010)
Plot Summary:
World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by his troubling visions and also by a mysterious doctor
Duration: 138 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: twists and turns, plot twist, investigation, mental illness, insanity, psychology, paranoia, memory, schizophrenia, psychiatrist, mental institution, psychiatry, mental disorder, isolation, disorder, losing-it hero, suspicion, mistrust, doubts and hesitations, uncover truth, conspiracy, island, mental patient, obsession, deception
Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)
Plot Summary:
Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code
Duration: 75 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 67000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: superhero, mysterious character, double life, batman, vigilante, vigilantism, organized crime, danger, fighting crime, mind game, comic book, revenge, uninhibited rivalry, violence, heroes, mentor, adaptation, secret identity, villain, guilt, haunted by the past, twists and turns, multiverse, unlikely friendships, justice
Black Swan (2010)
Plot Summary:
A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan
Duration: 108 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 808000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: ballet, mental illness, obsession, psychology, insanity, dancing, character study, paranoia, surrealism, hallucination, female protagonist, mother daughter relationship, showbiz, fear, twists and turns, ballerina, dancer's life, schizophrenia, rivalry, madness, competition, mentally unstable, losing-it hero, perfectionist, visceral
Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within (2010)
Plot Summary:
After a bloody invasion of the BOPE in the High-Security Penitentiary Bangu 1 in Rio de Janeiro to control a rebellion of interns, the Lieutenant-Colonel Roberto Nascimento and the second in command Captain André Matias are accused by the Human Right Aids member Diogo Fraga of execution of prisoners. Matias is transferred to the corrupted Military Police and Nascimento is exonerated from the BOPE by the Governor
Duration: 115 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 86000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Brazil
Plot tags: corruption, politics, gangster, police corruption, favela, political corruption, gunfight, poverty, swat team, justice, police investigation, criminal, mentor, organized crime, violence, robbery, society, prison, police, dirty cop, shooting, squad, murder, corrupt politician, fighting the system
I Saw the Devil (2010)
Plot Summary:
Kyung-chul is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. He has committed infernal serial murders in diabolic ways that one cannot even imagine and his victims range from young women to even children. The police have chased him for a long time, but were unable to catch him. One day, Joo-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief becomes his prey and is found dead in a horrific state. Her fiance Soo-hyun, a top secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself. He promises himself that he will do everything in his power to take bloody vengeance against the killer, even if it means that he must become a monster himself to get this monstrous and inhumane killer
Duration: 144 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 143000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Plot tags: revenge, serial killer, vengeance, murder, violence, psychopath, macabre, extreme violence, gory, mercilessness, brutality, torture, violent, rape and revenge, strong violent content, murder investigation, chase, sadist, sadism, murder of a pregnant woman, decapitation, murderer, sadistic psychopath, gore, attempted rape
Confessions (2010)
Plot Summary:
A psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death
Duration: 106 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Plot tags: vengeance, revenge, teachers and students, grief, twists and turns, japanese schoolgirl, dead daughter, teenage murderer, bullying, child murder, extreme, asian, unsettling, teacher, child, strong female lead, time loop, psycho, women, investigation, invasion, illness, moving, parents, mental illness
The Man from Nowhere (2010)
Plot Summary:
His only friend called him 'the man from nowhere'... Taesik, a former special agent becomes a loner after losing his wife in a miserable accident and lives a bitter life running a pawnshop. He only has a few customers and a friend named Somi, a little girl next door. As Taesik spends more and more time with Somi, he gets attached to her. Then Somi is kidnapped by a gang, and as Taesik tries to save Somi by becoming deeply associated with the gang his mysterious past is revealed
Duration: 119 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 74000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Plot tags: revenge, martial arts, one man army, kidnapping, lone hero, assassin, master warrior, organized crime, heroes, drug lord, fight scenes, gang, fight, one against many, mafia, rivalry, protection, strong violent content, hitman, vengeance, child in peril, missing child, asian, murder, drug
The Town (2010)
Plot Summary:
Doug MacRay is a longtime thief, who, smarter than the rest of his crew, is looking for his chance to exit the game. When a bank job leads to the group kidnapping an attractive branch manager, he takes on the role of monitoring her – but their burgeoning relationship threatens to unveil the identities of Doug and his crew to the FBI Agent who is on their case
Duration: 125 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 410000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: bank robbery, heist, robbery, gunfight, thief, romancing a criminal, group of criminals, gang, organized crime, caper, gangster, love affair, perfect crime, masked robber, investigation, shooting, bank robber, master criminal, fbi, girlfriend, determination, brutality, crime gone awry, kidnapper kidnapped relationship, bank
Hunting Season (2010)
Plot Summary:
Veteran homicide cop Ferman (Şener Şen) and his hot-headed partner İdris (Cem Yılmaz) team up with rookie cop and anthropology major Hasan (Okan Yalabık) to investigate the murder of a young woman. The suspects include her conservative family, who might have killed her for honor, her drug-dealing boyfriend and aged billionaire Battal (Çetin Tekindor) who had taken the victim as his second wife
Duration: 140 min
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Turkey
Plot tags: murder, police detective, police investigation, who done it, generation gap, law enforcement, partner, hitman, turk, rookie, family tradition, conservative, temperamental, oldtimer, partners against crime, police, investigation, stalker, car chase, jealousy, suicide, drug dealer, nightclub, gay friend, police station
Megamind (2010)
Plot Summary:
Bumbling supervillain Megamind finally defeats his nemesis, the superhero Metro Man. But without a hero, he loses all purpose and must find new meaning to his life
Duration: 95 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 288000
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy, Crime, Family, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Australia
Plot tags: superhero, villain, villain turns good, good versus evil, mad scientist, prison, superhuman powers, talking animal, anti hero, reporter, heroes, rivalry, master villain, fish, benign alien, escapades, redemption, silly humor, save the world, uninhibited rivalry, twists and turns, museum, dna, love triangle, space and aliens
The Next Three Days (2010)
Plot Summary:
A married couple's life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder. Lara Brennan is arrested for murdering her boss with whom she had an argument. It seems she was seen leaving the scene of the crime and her fingerprints were on the murder weapon. Her husband, John would spend the next few years trying to get her released, but there's no evidence that negates the evidence against her. And when the strain of being separated from her family, especially her son, gets to her, John decides to break her out. So he does a lot of research to find a way
Duration: 133 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 204000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA, France
Plot tags: prison escape, life turned upside down, innocent, false accusation, injustice, confined, husband wife relationship, danger, love, lawyer, couples, family relations, investigation, twists and turns, prison, life is a bitch, chases and races, escapades, daring rescue, murder, conspiracy, convict, justice, police investigation, teacher
The Yellow Sea (2010)
Plot Summary:
The region where the borders of North Korea, China, and Russia come together, forms a sort of modern day wild west, where more than half of the population relies on illegal activity in order to survive. In Yanbian, on the Chinese side of the border, Gu-nam wiles away his days driving a cab and spends his nights getting drunk and gambling. His wife went to Seoul to work and send back money, but it’s been months since he has heard from her. When local crime lord Myun offers to erase Gu-nam’s debts in exchange for a contract killing in Seoul, Gu-nam reluctantly accepts
Duration: 157 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: South Korea, Hong Kong, USA
Plot tags: illegal immigrant, survival, violence, murder, gangster, gang war, on the run, bloodbath, taxi driver, life is a bitch, wife, chases and races, danger, gory, hitman, massacre, police, mobster, chase, mafia, revenge, asian, asian gangster, sex, taxi
Bedevilled (2010)
Plot Summary:
A woman subject to mental, physical, and sexual abuse on a remote island seeks a way out
Duration: 115 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Plot tags: revenge, rape, rape and revenge, mental illness, island, murder, woman in danger, friendship, isolation, slavery, life is a bitch, social decay, injustice, vengeance, rivalry, gore, society, escape attempt, extreme, exploitation, violence, sexual harassment, serial killer, unsettling, woman
The Ghost Writer (2010)
Plot Summary:
A writer stumbles upon a long-hidden secret when he agrees to help former British Prime Minister Adam Lang complete his memoirs on a remote island after the politician's assistant drowns in a mysterious accident. In director Roman Polanski's tense drama, the author realizes that his discovery threatens some very powerful people who will do anything to ensure that certain episodes from Lang's past remain buried
Duration: 128 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 169000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, Germany, UK
Plot tags: writers, twists and turns, politics, political conspiracy, investigation, writer's life, betrayal, spy, espionage, cia, conspiracy, suspicion, uncover truth, plot twist, assistant, who to trust, politician, peril, characters in danger, evidence, state affairs, obsession, assassination, political intrigue, agent
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Plot Summary:
Following the death of his mother, J finds himself living with his estranged family, under the watchful eye of his doting grandmother, Smurf, mother to the Cody boys. J quickly comes to believe that he is a player in this world. But, as he soon discovers, this world is far larger and more menacing than he could ever imagine. J finds himself at the center of a cold-blooded revenge plot that turns the family upside down
Duration: 113 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 60000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Australia
Plot tags: gangster, mafia, interrogation, violence, investigation, justice, complex characters, drug dealer, vengeance, character study, law enforcement, bad mother, teenage life, family problems, power struggle, siblings relations, tragic event, criminal heroes, coming of age, dysfunctional family, robbery, organized crime, corruption, underworld, boy
Let Me In (2010)
Plot Summary:
A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian. A remake of the movie “Let The Right One In” which was an adaptation of a book
Duration: 116 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 126000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: vampire, loneliness, first love, gory, blood, childhood, supernatural, friendship, adolescence, children, boy, coming of age, bully, fall in love, mysterious character, bullying, vampire human love, small town, child vampire, teenage girl, teenager, friends, child, winter, transformation
Never Let Me Go (2010)
Plot Summary:
As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy spend their childhood at an idyllic and secluded English boarding school. As they grow into adults, they must come to terms with the complexity and strength of their love for one another while also preparing for the haunting reality awaiting them
Duration: 103 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 151000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK
Plot tags: boarding school, dystopia, distopia, existentialism, cloning, childhood, sadness, alternate reality, transplant, love triangle, melancholy, love and romance, friendship, life is a bitch, couples, clone, jealousy, dishonesty, loneliness, surgery, love, children, true love, love story, organ donation
Enthiran (2010)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Vasi invents a super-powered robot, Chitti, in his own image. The scientific body, AIRD, that must approve the robot, declines it based on its not having emotions and the ability to make rational judgment. A sudden flash of lightning evokes emotions in the robot, and Chitti is seemingly ready for integration into the human world. Then, Chitti falls in love with Dr. Vasi's fiancée Sana and turns on his creator
Duration: 155 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: artificial intelligence, androids and robots, love triangle, scientist, rivalry, man versus machine, technology gone awry, killer robot, creator, inventions and discoveries, woman in danger, uncontrollable, cyberpunk, chase, superhero, androids, dual role, cyborgs, rivals, robot, car chase, villain, terminator, robotics, entertainment
Cold Fish (2010)
Plot Summary:
Shamoto runs a small tropical fish shop. When his daughter Mitsuko is caught shoplifting at a grocery store a man named Murata steps in to settle things between the girl and the store manager. Murata also runs a tropical fish shop and he and Shamoto soon become friendly. However Murata hides many dark secrets behind his friendly face
Duration: 146 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Plot tags: serial killer, sexual pleasure, psychopath, gore, female nudity, slutty wife, perversion, sexual promiscuity, fish, milf, sex, woman on top, sluttiness, sexy brunette, extreme, strong sexual content, thief, danger, petty criminal, violent, sex scene, making love, true crime, gory, father daughter relationship
Karthik Calling Karthik (2010)
Plot Summary:
Meet Karthik: an introvert by nature and shy by choice. Karthik suffers with huge confidence issues and is miserable at his just average job that yields less than average results.His boss treats him like dirt. Shonali, his colleague who he secretly loves doesn’t even know he exists. Karthik is a loser, knows it, and accepts it.Karthik believes his life cant get any worse and then suddenly one night, it happens; The phone rings. And Karthik speaks to someone he never though he would - He speaks to a man who also claims to be Karthik. The man on the phone says that he is here to change Karthik’s life.Karthik accepts the phone in his life and soon it becomes his guide, his mentor, friend and guardian. And most importantly it becomes the ticket to the love of his life, Shonali and Karthik’s life changes in ways that he hadn’t imagined
Duration: 135 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: schizophrenia, couples, ambition, false accusation, mind game, fall in love, hidden identity, mistaken identity, identity crisis, disorder, against the odds, wooing, couple relations, suicide attempt, strained relationship, whodunit, twists and turns, murder, puzzle, illness, murder mystery, alter ego, childhood trauma, haunted by the past, plot twist
Buried (2010)
Plot Summary:
Paul is a U.S. truck driver working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap
Duration: 95 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 167000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Spain, UK, France, USA
Plot tags: survival, trapped, confined, buried alive, isolation, claustrophobia, terrorist, captivity, twists and turns, characters in danger, panic, desperation, race against time, abduction, danger, fear, one day, terrorism, deathtrap, plot twist, hostage, confined space, captive, loneliness, macabre
Unthinkable (2010)
Plot Summary:
A convert to Islam sends the U.S. government a tape showing him in three nondescript storage rooms, each of which may contain a nuclear bomb set to detonate in less than a week. Helen Brody, an FBI agent in L.A., is tasked with finding the bombs while a CIA "consultant", known as H, interrogates the suspect who has allowed himself to be caught. The suspect, whose wife and children have left him and disappeared, seems to know exactly what the interrogation will entail. Even as H ratchets up the pressure, using torture over Brody's objection, the suspect doesn't crack. Should H do the unthinkable, and will Brody acquiesce? Is any Constitutional principle worth possible loss of life?
Duration: 97 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 91000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: terrorism, counter terrorism, investigation, nuclear bomb, fbi, violence, cia, interrogation, twists and turns, spy, politics, terrorist, manipulation, race against time, moral dilemma, morality, brainwashing, torture, psychology, nuclear, dehumanization, right and wrong, black ops, military, propaganda
RED (2010)
Plot Summary:
When his peaceful life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent, Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last ditch effort to survive and uncover his assailants
Duration: 111 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 320000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, China
Plot tags: spy, cia, hitman, secret service, chase, assassin, gunfight, on the run, mission, ex cia agent, female spy, kidnapping, secret agent, mercenary, conspiracy theory, shooting, fbi, shootout, disguise, comic book, agent as target, expert, top secret, revenge, female assassin
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)
Plot Summary:
Soren, a young barn owl, is kidnapped by owls of St. Aggie's, ostensibly an orphanage, where owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers. He and his new friends escape to the island of Ga'Hoole, to assist its noble, wise owls who fight the army being created by the wicked rulers of St. Aggie's. The film is based on the first three books in the series
Duration: 97 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 86000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, War
Country: USA, Australia
Plot tags: owl, bird, imaginary kingdom, good versus evil, heroic mission, imaginary, save the kingdom, talking animal, rescue, danger, escapades, heroes, animal life, magic, anthropomorphism, brother vs brother, children, storytelling, woods, unlikely hero, furry, legends and myths, snake, wise man, love
Trust (2010)
Plot Summary:
A suburban family is torn apart when fourteen-year-old Annie meets her first boyfriend online. After months of communicating via online chat and phone, Annie discovers her friend is not who he originally claimed to be. Shocked into disbelief, her parents are shattered by their daughter's actions and struggle to support her as she comes to terms with what has happened to her once innocent life
Duration: 106 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 44000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: sexual abuse, investigation, father daughter relationship, bullying, teenage girl, teenager, rape and revenge, child abuse, sex, internet, innocence lost, teenage life, youth, sex crime, child sexual abuse, lie, rape, parents and children, teenage protagonist, child molestation, school, pedophile, female protagonist, coming of age, pedophilia
Trollhunter (2010)
Plot Summary:
A group of students investigates a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter
Duration: 103 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 79000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Norway
Plot tags: giant monster, troll, hunting, monster, forest, wilderness, cryptozoology, giant, supernatural, found footage, folk horror, fantasy world, conspiracy, secret government organization, legends and myths, snow, alternate reality, kaiju, creature, woods, chases and races, danger, imaginary, obsessive quest, artists and showbiz
Point Blank (2010)
Plot Summary:
Samuel Pierret is a nurse who saves the wrong guy – a thief whose henchmen take Samuel's pregnant wife hostage to force him to spring their boss from the hospital. A race through the subways and streets of Paris ensues, and the body count rises. Can Samuel evade the cops and the criminal underground and deliver his beloved to safety?
Duration: 84 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France
Plot tags: survival, hospital, race against time, hostage, on the run, twists and turns, danger, life turned upside down, confined, ransom, woman in danger, wanted, unlikely partners, vengeance, kidnapping, chase, husband wife relationship, mafia, revenge, police officer, violence, pregnancy, hitman, torture, betrayal
Fair Game (2010)
Plot Summary:
Wife and mother Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) has a double life as a CIA operative, hiding her vocation from family and friends. Her husband, Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn), writes a controversial article in The New York Times, refuting stories about the sale of enriched uranium to Iraq, Then Valerie's secret work and identity is leaked to the press. With her cover blown and other people endangered, Valerie's career and personal life begin to unravel
Duration: 108 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, United Arab Emirates
Plot tags: cia, espionage, politics, corruption, spy, secret service, political conspiracy, secret agent, politician, journalism, newspaper, conspiracy theory, cia agent, political corruption, conspiracy, survival, greed, iraq war, undercover, fighting the system, crumbling marriage, state affairs, price of justice, relationship vs career, intelligence agency
Unstoppable (2010)
Plot Summary:
A runaway train, transporting deadly, toxic chemicals, is barreling down on Stanton, Pennsylvania, and only two men can stop it: a veteran engineer and a young conductor. Thousands of lives hang in the balance as these ordinary heroes attempt to chase down one million tons of hurtling steel and prevent an epic disaster
Duration: 98 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 206000
Genere: Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: train, runaway train, train crash, chase, save the day, disaster, race against time, train engineer, train wreck, determination, survival, courage, danger, passenger, chases and races, partner, characters in danger, unstoppable, railway, black, heroism, near death experience, car accident, american history, twists and turns