The 18 best romantic thriller movies to watch now

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Tom Helmore

IMDb rating: 8.3

Synopsis: John Ferguson (Stewart) — a man with a morbid fear of heights, is hired by his friend Gavin Elster (Helmore) to tail the latter’s wife, Madeleine (Novak). However, Ferguson soon gets obsessed with the beautiful woman, leading to a series of unfortunate events.

About the film: Based on the 1954 thriller novel D’entre les morts by the French crime novelist duo Boileau-Narcejac.

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson, George Sanders

IMDb rating: 8.1

Synopsis: Aristocratic widower Maxim de Winter (Olivier) meets a beautiful young woman and after a whirlwind romance, marries her. When the newlyweds arrive at Maxim’s vast Cornish estate, Manderley, the second wife discovers dark secrets surrounding his first wife, Rebecca.

About the film: Rebecca received eleven nominations at the 13th Academy Awards, including Best Production, Best Picture and Best Cinematography. Additionally, it is based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier.

Awards won: Best Picture and Best Cinematography (George Barnes).

Directed by: David Fincher

Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry

IMDb rating: 8.1

Synopsis: It’s their fifth wedding anniversary when Nick Dunne (Affleck) reports his wife Amy Elliott Dunne (Pike) missing. Investigation on the same unfolds multiple secrets and lies. With the law, public opinion and the media frenzy turning against Nick, will the latter be able to prove his innocence? 

About the film: Pike received Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress. Fincher got a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Director.

Directed by: Park Chan-wook

Cast: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Cho Jin-woong

IMDb rating: 8.1

Synopsis: Con woman Sook-hee (Tae-ri) poses as a handmaiden and enters the life of young Japanese heiress Hideko (Min-hee) to steal her fortune. However, things do not go as planned, with Sook-hee developing genuine feelings for Hideko.

Directed by: Tony Scott

Cast: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer

IMDb rating: 7.9

Synopsis: Clarence (Slater) falls for escort Alabama (Arquette) and in the process of helping her escape a brothel, ends up killing her procurer. To make things worse, Clarence mistakes a suitcase of cocaine for Alabama’s clothing and carries it along on their way to California. As the duo plan to sell the drugs, a mob starts tailing them.

About the film: The 2013 debut album from English pop star Charli XCX was named after the film.

Directed by: Stanley Donen

Cast: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau

IMDb rating: 7.8

Synopsis: Regina Lampert (Hepburn) returns from her holiday in the French Alps to find her husband murdered. She also discovers that he was a rogue agent who stole a fortune from the CIA. With multiple crooks and the law keeping an eye on her, the only support she gets is Peter Joshua (Grant), her newly found love.

About the film: One of the best romantic thriller movies of all time, this film is based on the 1961 short story The Unsuspecting Wife by Peter Stone and Marc Behm.

Directed by: Abbas–Mustan

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Shilpa Shetty, Dalip Tahil

IMDb rating: 7.6

Synopsis: When affluent businessman Madan Chopra (Tahil) ruins his family, Ajay Sharma (Khan) vows revenge as a child. Now a young man, Ajay ends up dating both the daughters of Chopra — killing Seema (Shetty) while proposing a fake marriage to Priya (Kajol).

Awards won: Shah Rukh Khan won best actor at the Filmfare Awards in 1994.

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Cast: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman

IMDb rating: 7.5

Synopsis: Physician Bill (Cruise) gets the shock of his life when his wife Alice (Kidman) confesses her desire to have an affair. Unable to process her longing for pleasure outside marriage, Bill embarks on a night-long adventure and chances upon an unnamed secret society. 

About the film: Based on the 1926 novella Traumnovelle by Arthur Schnitzler. Additionally, Stanley Kubrick died of a heart attack six days after submitting the final cut of Eyes Wide Shut to Warner Bros., making it the last film he directed.

Directed by: Tom Ford

Cast: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Armie Hammer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

IMDb rating: 7.5

Synopsis: Art gallery owner Susan (Adams) receives the new novel written by her ex-husband Edward (Gyllenhaal) and is shocked to see the similarities between its plot and their former relationship. Susan, who is currently trapped in a loveless marriage with husband Hutton (Hammer), gets distracted by the novel and is soon consumed by the thoughts of meeting Edward.

About the film: Nocturnal Animals is adapted from the 1993 romance novel Tony and Susan by acclaimed American novelist Austin Wright.

Directed by: Hany Abu-Assad

Cast: Adam Bakri, Waleed Zuaiter, Leem Lubany

IMDb rating: 7.5

Synopsis: Omar (Bakri) is an ordinary Palestinian baker in love with a woman named Nadjia (Zuaiter). However, a series of events leads his community to condemn him as a traitor and an informant of the Israeli authorities. With everyone, including Nadjia, questioning his loyalty, will Omar be able to prove his innocence?

About the film: This romance thriller movie earned a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards.

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis

IMDb rating: 7.4

Synopsis: After his retirement, Burglar John Robie (Grant) is shocked to see a series of robberies committed in his style. Agitated by the blame, John decides to clear his name. Suspecting the robbers’ next target to be the young and rich Francie (Kelly), John begins following her. Soon a passionate romance ensues. Will their budding love pose a threat to John?

About the film: Adapted from the 1952 novel of the same name by David Dodge.

Directed by: Peter Weir

Cast: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas

IMDb rating: 7.4

Synopsis: Rachel (McGillis) and her son Samuel (Haas) are on a train journey to Philadelphia when the latter witnesses the brutal murder of an undercover agent. When Detective John Book (Ford) is assigned to the case, he decides to protect the only witness — eight-year-old Samuel — and his mother from the law.

Awards won: Best Original Screenplay (Earl W. Wallace and William Kelley) and Best Film Editing (Thom Noble) at the 58th Academy Awards.

Directed by: Richard Eyre

Cast: Dame Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett

IMDb rating: 7.4

Synopsis: History teacher Barbara (Dench) uncovers fellow teacher Sheba’s (Blanchett) affair with a student from their school. When Barbara confronts Sheba about the same, the latter promises to stop them. However, Sheba continues her tentative romance in secret. In revenge, Barbara leaks the scandal unbeknownst to the fact that it will ruin her life in ways she had never imagined.

About the film: Notes on a Scandal earned four Academy Awards nominations – Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.

Directed by: Park Chan-wook

Cast: Tang Wei, Park Hae-il,

IMDb rating: 7.3

Synopsis: Detective Jang Hae-jun (Park) is assigned the case of a man’s unnatural death on a mountain. As the investigation unfolds, Park comes across the deceased man’s beautiful widow, Chinese immigrant Song Seo-rae (Tang). Over time, Seo-rae starts making bold advances towards Hae-jun, making it difficult for him to stay focused on the case.

About the film: This romantic thriller received great critical acclaim and was selected as the South Korean entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.

Awards won: In April 2022, Decision to Leave premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as a competitor for the Palme d’Or, where Park won Best Director.

Directed by: Jerry Zucker

Cast: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn, Whoopi Goldberg

IMDb rating: 7.1

Synopsis: Banker Sam Wheat (Swayze) and artist Molly Jensen (Moore) are head over heels for each other. When Sam’s co-worker Carl Bruner (Goldwyn) enters their lives, things start getting messy, leading to the brutal murder of Sam. However, Sam’s spirit vows revenge and seeks help from psychic Oda (Whoopi) to protect Molly from Carl.

About the film: One of the best thriller romances, it earned multiple nominations at the 63rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Original Score and Best Film Editing.

Awards won: Best Supporting Actress for Goldberg and Best Original Screenplay for Bruce Joel Rubin.

Directed by: Melina Matsoukas

Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine

IMDb rating: 7.1

Synopsis: On their very first road trip date, Slim (Kaluuya) and Queen (Turner-Smith) are pulled over by a policeman for a traffic violation. The situation soon escalates, and Slim ends up shooting the officer in self-defence. Now with the police force tailing them, Slim and Queen have no choice but to go on the run.

Directed by: George Nolfi

Cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt

IMDb rating: 7

Synopsis: Politician David Norris (Damon) falls for ballerina Elise Sellas (Blunt) at the brink of winning a senate seat. However, with mysterious men planning to keep him away from Elise, David must now either forget his lover or defy fate to be with her.

Directed by: Adrian Lyne

Cast: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Olivier Martinez, Erik Per Sullivan

IMDb rating: 6.7

Synopsis: Doting husband Edward Sumner (Gere) discovers that his wife Connie (Lane) is having an affair with a man named Paul Martel (Martinez). Heartbroken, Edward confronts Paul and in a moment of rage, ends up doing the unthinkable. Will his reaction invite more trouble in paradise? 

About the film: Lane earned a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards for her performance in the film.