Unlike some of its streaming rivals, Paramount+ only boasts a modest collection of thrillers. However, the selections under the Paramount umbrella represent some of the most compelling and enduring examples in the genre. This month, the platform has added a pair of crime thrillers: *Nightcrawler* and *No Country for Old Men*.
‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)
Antiheroes are nothing new in cinema, but there’s rarely been one as unrepentant and vile as Louis “Lou” Bloom (*Jake Gyllenhaal*) in *Nightcrawler*. Lou is one of the sketchiest lead characters ever brought to the screen, and Gyllenhaal plays him with a shocking lack of humanity. At the beginning of the film, Lou is just a common thief who discovers his talent for racing to crime scenes and accidents and selling the footage to local news stations. Lou is so unscrupulous that he’ll tamper with evidence and sabotage his rival just to get the story first. As the film goes along, it becomes apparent that Lou has no limit to the depths of his depravity. It’s only a question of who will pay the price for his sins.
*Nightcrawler* is streaming on Paramount+.
‘No Country for Old Men’ (2010)
Joel and Ethan Coen made some great movies together during their partnership, but the Coen brothers’ best movie is their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s *No Country for Old Men*. It’s one of the rare crime thrillers that’s truly surprising, and it takes a few turns that other films wouldn’t dare to try.
Josh Brolin stars as Llewelyn Moss, an ordinary man who makes the find of a lifetime: A briefcase full of drug money, his for the taking. Assuming he could get away with that was Moss’ first mistake. The mob has sent a hitman, Anton Chigurh (*Javier Bardem*), to reclaim the money at all costs. Moss only thinks he’s a hard man, but he’s incapable of imagining the violence that Chigurh will unleash during his pursuit. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (*Tommy Lee Jones*) is in over his head trying to bring these two to justice, and that disturbs him.
*No Country for Old Men* is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Face/Off’ (1997)
There are few movies that let an actor play both the hero and the villain and the same story, but no others quite like *Face/Off*. Hong Kong cinema legend John Woo directed this action thriller about two men with a grudge against each other, FBI agent Sean Archer (*John Travolta*) and domestic terrorist Castor Troy (*Nicolas Cage*).
After Archer finally defeats Troy and leaves him comatose, he discovers that leftover bombs from Troy’s last plot still need to be found. Archer reluctantly agrees to have a temporary face transplant with Troy to go undercover and find the bombs. That awakens Troy, who seizes the opportunity to steal Archer’s life and erase all evidence of Archer’s undercover status. Now, Archer has to reclaim his life, his family and even his face from the man he hates most in the world while evading a massive manhunt.
*Face/Off* is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Witness’ (1985)
*Witness* is an underrated thriller that turned 40 this year, but it remains a top-notch example of the genre. Harrison Ford plays John Book, a detective in the Philadelphia PD who takes the case of a young Amish boy, Samuel Lapp (*Lukas Haas*), who accidentally witnesses a murder. Book soon realizes that Samuel and his mother, Rachel Lapp (*Kelly McGillis*), are in grave danger from corrupt cops because of what her son saw.
After Book is seriously injured, he recuperates alongside Rachel and Samuel in the Amish community. Book and Rachel even feel romantic sparks, even as the corrupt police officials attempt to hunt them down and silence them. Book can’t hide with Rachel forever, and his way is not the Amish way.
*Witness* is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Red Eye’ (2005)
Considering the trajectory of their careers over the last two decades, director Wes Craven caught lightning in a bottle when he cast Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy as the leads in *Red Eye*. Murphy is particularly like a cinematic chameleon, as his character, Jackson Rippner, is so kind and charming to Lisa Reisert (McAdams). He’s the kind of guy she’d take home to meet her father, Joe (*Brian Cox*) — if Jackson hadn’t already sent an assassin to kill him first.
Much to Lisa’s horror, she learns that Jackson plans to use her father’s life to blackmail her into helping him pull off an act of domestic terrorism. Lisa finds herself stuck on an overnight flight with this sociopath watching her every move. If Lisa can’t get out from under Jackson’s control, then she’ll be an accessory to murder. But if she defies him, there’s no way she can warn her dad about the danger he’s in.
*Red Eye* is streaming on Paramount+.
‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ (1999)
Matt Damon was still early in his career when he was cast as Tom Ripley in *The Talented Mr. Ripley*. Despite the name of the movie, Tom’s only real talents lie in deception and in ingratiating himself among the rich and powerful. Tom even manages to convince Herbert Greenleaf (*James Rebhorn*) to send him to Europe to retrieve his wealthy and wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf (*Jude Law*).
Although Dickie has a beautiful American girlfriend, Marge Sherwood (*Gwyneth Paltrow*), it’s Dickie himself who catches Tom’s eye. And let’s just say that Tom isn’t the kind of man who accepts rejection well. Instead, Tom lines up the con of a lifetime, but it’s going to take a lot to convince everyone that he’s Dickie, especially when dealing with the people who know the truth.
*The Talented Mr. Ripley* is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Changing Lanes’ (2002)
Lawyer Gavin Banek (*Ben Affleck*) and Doyle Gipson (*Samuel L. Jackson*) are strangers to each other in *Changing Lanes*, but a minor traffic accident changes the course of both of their lives. Gavin left Doyle stranded on the side of the road, which means that he arrived too late to stop the court from awarding his estranged wife, Valerie Gipson (*Kim Staunton*), from getting full custody of their kids.
However, Gavin accidentally left behind an important legal file at the scene of the accident, which Doyle now has in his possession. That leads to an escalating series of events as both Doyle and Gavin try to get revenge on each other. In the process, they may wind up destroying themselves.
*Changing Lanes* is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Basic Instinct’ (1992)
Over three decades ago, *Basic Instinct* took erotic thrillers to another level with Sharon Stone’s showstopping turn as Catherine Tramell. She’s a successful crime novelist and also the prime suspect in the death of her rock star boyfriend. Catherine not only seems guilty as hell, but she also appears to delight in teasing the police about their inability to catch her.
Michael Douglas stars as Nick Curran, an SFPD Detective who makes several bad decisions while working on this case. First, he allows Catherine to seduce him while he was already having an affair with his psychologist, Dr. Beth Garner (*Jeanne Tripplehorn*). But Nick’s potentially fatal mistake may be letting Catherine get close enough to either destroy his personal life or kill him.
*Basic Instinct* is streaming on Paramount+.
Fuente: https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/great-thrillers-to-watch-on-paramount-plus/
