5 Best Thrillers on Netflix, Prime Video and More, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes (December 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes shouldn’t necessarily be the definitive barometer for quality, but it can certainly help you narrow down what movie to watch.

Watch With Us is taking a look at some of the best thriller movies to stream right now on streamers like Netflix and Tubi, and we were curious to see where they fell on the Tomatometer.

First up, we have Under the Silver Lake, a weird, classic noir homage led by a terrific Andrew Garfield. We’ve also got the Humphrey Bogart classic, In a Lonely Place, and an action-thriller with one of Tom Cruise‘s best performances.

5. ‘Under the Silver Lake’ (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 58 percent

In Silver Lake, LA, Sam (Andrew Garfield) drifts through an uneventful life that receives a welcome nudge when he meets Sarah (Riley Keough), his beautiful new neighbor. Though he finds himself invigorated by her presence, Sarah mysteriously disappears the next day and Sam is desperate to find her. He is led down a dark path of secrets and conspiracies that are hidden in plain sight right underneath the Silver Lake.

Under the Silver Lake was given a poor theatrical release and struggled to find favor with critics, but it was able to attract an audience on streaming platforms and ultimately gained a cult following that was attuned to its wavelength. A dreamlike neo-noir that owes a lot to the work of Thomas Pynchon, its moody atmosphere, serpentine plotting and bizarre sense of humor make Under the Silver Lake both a fitting homage to classic noir and something entirely its own.

Stream Under the Silver Lake now on Prime Video.

4. ‘Collateral’ (2004)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86 percent

It’s just an average night for LA cabbie Max (Jamie Foxx), but that all changes when a man named Vincent (Tom Cruise) hops into his taxi. Ready to punch out for the day, Vincent offers Max $600 if he’ll drive him around to run a couple of errands. Well, unfortunately, those errands turn out to be hit jobs, as Vincent is a ruthless assassin. Between Vincent, the police and the FBI, Max wonders if he’ll live through the night, and he soon finds himself next on Vincent’s hit list.

Moody and stylish, Collateral is a deftly woven crime thriller yarn led by two of the best performances of either Foxx’s or Cruise’s careers. With atmospheric direction from Michael Mann and a compelling script that keeps you glued to the screen, Collateral is a piece of genre filmmaking that both indulges in and subverts tropes brilliantly.

Stream Collateral now on Netflix.

3. ‘The Town’ (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92 percent

A group of bank robbers carries out their crimes led by the ruthless Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck), whose only semblance of emotional connection is to James (Jeremy Renner), who is like a brother to him. Otherwise, the gang bears no attachments or relationships to anyone. That changes when Doug and James take a hostage named Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) and, against all odds and sense, Doug finds himself falling for her — and wants out of his criminal life.

The Town helped to define Affleck as a powerful filmmaking voice separate from his acting career, and critics heaped praise for Affleck’s direction in addition to Renner’s performance. Overall, The Town is a tense and well-written thriller that is furthered by its excellent cast and absorbing cinematography by Robert Elswit.

Stream The Town now on HBO Max.

2. ‘Memento’ (2000)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93 percent

Leonard (Guy Pearce) battles his short-term memory loss as he struggles to learn who killed his wife. With only scattered notes, photographs and tattoos to guide him in his quest, he struggles to jog his unreliable mind. Ultimately, Leonard’s path to discovering his wife’s murder also leads him to the source of who gave him his disability in the first place.

Memento is handily one of Christopher Nolan’s more convoluted films, but it is ambitious and rewarding in the way audiences are guided through its twisty plot. The film utilizes a fascinating parallel narrative gimmick in which color and chronology give viewers two different versions of Leonard’s story. The film explores themes related to grief and the nature of time and memory, which is both great entertainment in addition to being emotionally devastating.

Stream Memento now on Tubi.

1. ‘In a Lonely Place’ (1950)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

Old Hollywood superstar Humphrey Bogart plays screenwriter Dixon Steele, who starts getting questioned in the mysterious murder of a girl he happened to once knew. Dixon’s new neighbor, Laurel (Gloria Grahame), is falling for him and feels certain of his innocence, but as the police continue to needle Dixon, he starts behaving more oddly. As the love affair between Dixon and Laurel progresses, Laurel questions who the man she loves really is.

Often considered by many to be a true noir masterpiece, In a Lonely Place remains a black-and-white Hollywood classic because of its intriguing storyline, subversion of noir tropes, emotional character drama and riveting exploration of inner demons. In the end, In a Lonely Place isn’t just popcorn fare, but a complex psychological dive into human darkness.

Stream In a Lonely Place now on The Criterion Channel.