15 Best Thriller Movies on Netflix 2026
best thriller movies on netflix 2026: top action, crime, drama and sci‑fi picks like Believer, Army of the Dead and Gerald's Game — where to stream.
If you want tense plots and big performances without leaving the couch, Netflix has a stacked lineup this year. Standouts include Army of the Dead, a bold action-heist that mixes zombies with spectacle; Gerald's Game, a deeply unsettling psychological drama; and Believer, a gritty crime thriller with sharp twists. This guide cuts through the noise with crisp takes on each pick, noting why they deliver on suspense, performances, and production value. I’ll also flag runtime, trigger warnings, and who will like each movie so you can choose fast.
Table of Contents
- Believer
- Code 8
- Ismael's Ghosts
- Enough
- Red Joan
- Army of the Dead
- A Line of Fire
- Gerald's Game
- The Night Comes for Us
- Cell 211
- I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
- Polar
- A Jazzman's Blues
- Blame the Game
- The Irishman
1. Believer
Year: 2018 | Rating: 6.6/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: action, crime, thriller
After a traumatic event, a drug trafficker turns sides and conspires with a dangerously ambitious undercover police officer to bring down the mysterious kingpin of a major drug cartel.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Lee Hae-young
Cast: Park Hae-joon, Halley Kim, Ryu Jun-yeol, Cha Seung-won, Lee Zoo Young
2. Code 8
Year: 2019 | Rating: 6.1/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: action, crime, drama, sci-fi, thriller
In Lincoln City, some inhabitants have extraordinary abilities. Most live below the poverty line, under the close surveillance of a heavily militarized police force. Connor, a construction worker with powers, involves with a criminal gang to help his ailing mother. (Based on the short film “Code 8,” 2016.)
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Jeff Chan
Cast: Kari Matchett, Robbie Amell, Penny Eizenga, Lawrence Bayne, Jai Jai Jones
3. Ismael's Ghosts
Year: 2017 | Rating: 5.5/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: drama, mystery, romance, thriller
Just as the disheveled and alcoholic filmmaker Ismaël embarks on a difficult new film project, his life is sent into a tailspin. His wife Carlotta, presumed dead for 20 years, come crashing back into his life creating chaos in his work and his current romantic relationship with the starry-eyed astronomer Sylvia.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Arnaud Desplechin
Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Marion Cotillard, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Louis Garrel, Alba Rohrwacher
4. Enough
Year: 2002 | Rating: 5.8/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: crime, drama, thriller
Working-class waitress Slim thought she was entering a life of domestic bliss when she married Mitch, the man of her dreams. After the arrival of their first child, her picture perfect life is shattered when she discovers Mitch's hidden possessive dark side, a controlling and abusive alter ego that can turn trust, love and tranquility into terror. Terrified for her child's safety, Slim flees with her daughter. Relentless in his pursuit and enlisting the aid of lethal henchmen, Mitch continually stalks the prey that was once his family.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Michael Apted
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Billy Campbell, Tessa Allen, Juliette Lewis, Dan Futterman
5. Red Joan
Year: 2018 | Rating: 6.4/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: biography, drama, history, romance, thriller
London, England, May 2000. The peaceful life of elderly Joan Stanley is suddenly disrupted when she is arrested by the British Intelligence Service and accused of providing information to communist Russia during the forties.
Available on: Netflix, AMC+
Directed by: Trevor Nunn
Cast: Judi Dench, Nina Sosanya, Laurence Spellman, Nicola Sloane, Sophie Cookson
6. Army of the Dead
Year: 2021 | Rating: 5.8/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: action, adventure, crime, drama, horror, sci-fi, thriller, war
Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble: venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Cast: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi
7. A Line of Fire
Year: 2025 | Rating: 3.7/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: action, drama, thriller
After working as a secret agent in the FBI for ten years, Jack 'Cash' Conry left it all behind after his wife passed in order to dedicate himself to his two daughters. Despite a fulfilling life at home, Cash misses the chance to make an impact and has been considering a return to the force. The decision is made for him when his old partner’s niece Jamie calls him for help, launching Cash right back into a world of danger, corruption and intrigue.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Matt Shapira
Cast: David A.R. White, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jason Patric, Katrina Bowden, Scott Baio
8. Gerald's Game
Year: 2017 | Rating: 6.5/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: drama, horror, thriller
When her husband's sex game goes wrong, Jessie (who is handcuffed to a bed in a remote lake house) faces warped visions, dark secrets and a dire choice.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Chiara Aurelia, Carel Struycken, Henry Thomas
9. The Night Comes for Us
Year: 2018 | Rating: 6.9/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: action, crime, thriller
After sparing a girl's life during a massacre, an elite Triad assassin is targeted by an onslaught of murderous gangsters.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Timo Tjahjanto
Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Julie Estelle, Dimas Anggara, Sunny Pang
10. Cell 211
Year: 2009 | Rating: 7.6/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: action, crime, drama, thriller
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.
Available on: Netflix, AMC+
Directed by: Daniel Monzón
Cast: Luis Tosar, Alberto Ammann, Antonio Resines, Manuel Morón, Carlos Bardem
11. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
Year: 2016 | Rating: 4.6/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: drama, horror, mystery, thriller
A young nurse takes care of an elderly author who lives in a haunted house.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Osgood Perkins
Cast: Ruth Wilson, Paula Prentiss, Bob Balaban, Lucy Boynton, Brad Milne
12. Polar
Year: 2019 | Rating: 6.3/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: action, crime, thriller
When a retiring assassin realizes that he is the target of a hit, he winds up back in the game going head to head with a gang of younger, ruthless killers.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Jonas Åkerlund
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Vanessa Hudgens, Katheryn Winnick, Fei Ren, Ruby O. Fee
13. A Jazzman's Blues
Year: 2022 | Rating: 6.8/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: drama, mystery, romance, thriller
A tale of forbidden love and family drama unravels 40 years of secrets and lies against a soundtrack of juke joint blues in the Deep South.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Tyler Perry
Cast: Joshua Boone, Amirah Vann, Solea Pfeiffer, Austin Scott, Ryan Eggold
14. Blame the Game
Year: 2024 | Rating: 5.4/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: comedy, romance, thriller
Pia and Jan have just fallen in love and arranged to meet Pia's friends for a game night. Jan meets Pia's friends for the first time and is under pressure to make the perfect first impression. When Pia's ex-boyfriend shows up and even Jan's buddy's tips can't save anything, everything is at stake: the relationship, the friendship, and the definition of truth.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Marco Petry
Cast: Dennis Mojen, Janina Uhse, Anna Maria Mühe, Axel Stein, Stephan Luca
15. The Irishman
Year: 2019 | Rating: 7.8/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: biography, crime, drama, history, thriller
Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.
Available on: Netflix
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano
Wrapping Up
From high-octane action and smart sci‑fi to tense crime stories and intimate psychological drama, this selection covers the spectrum of what makes a thriller worth streaming. Titles like Code 8 and Red Joan show the roster balances fresh originals with proven adaptations, so you get both spectacle and nuanced storytelling. Bookmark this page and check back — the list is refreshed regularly to reflect new arrivals, removals, and viewer favorites so you always know what’s worth your time. Whether you want pulse-pounding set pieces or slow-burn suspense, these picks help you narrow the options and plan your next movie night.
Last updated: July 26, 2026