Because of the increased focus on edge-of-your-seat tension that thrillers have over every other genre, they are given certain liberties with their filmmaking. The versatility and differences within the genre lead to a great deal of leeway in terms of approach for their story, whether it be a heart-pounding actioner or a slow-paced psychological study. However, this creativity wouldn’t be where it is today without a worthy history of ambitious thrillers working to push the genre forward.
Whether it’s projects with a massive scope and scale that attempt to craft a complete cinematic epic or experimental deconstructions of the genre as a whole, these wildly ambitious thrillers can vary in terms of approachability and overall quality. The risks that these films take may not work for all audiences, yet the fact that they are even taking them speaks volumes to the versatility of their filmmaking.
10
‘Southland Tales’ (2006)
Following the cult classic success of Donnie Darko, all eyes were on director Richard Kelly and what type of wild, high-concept thriller he would create next. Above all else, Southland Tales certainly lives up to the build-up and reputation of abstract storytelling that Kelly set up for himself, as it goes above and beyond to create one of the strangest, most exceptionally chaotic thriller experiences of all time. Through its intertwined stories, perverse portrayal of a sci-fi future, and wild conspiracy storytelling, it feels like it ramped up the wildest aspects of Donnie Darko up to 11.
The film had massive aspirations of creating a layered, exceptional satire and exploration of all the different cultural cornerstones of the 2000s. Alas, many audiences simply found the film to be juggling too many different concepts to feel anything close to focused or concrete. However, its incredibly distinct style has given it a distinct fanbase over the years, who consider it vastly overhated and have a deep respect for its ambitious filmmaking style.
9
‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ (2011)
While the Mission: Impossible franchise is synonymous with wildly impressive practical stunts and setpieces, the franchise didn’t truly earn its reputation until midway through the series. Indeed, 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is one of the most ambitious action thrillers of the era. Under the guise of legendary animation director Brad Bird, Ghost Protocol took a distinctly different approach when it came to its action thrills compared to previous entries, emphasized by the legendary sequence of Ethan Hunt scaling the Burj Khalifa.
This single standout scene not only exemplifies the ambitious approach that the film was taking, but is also just the tip of the compelling setpieces and depth-defying action that Ghost Protocol provides. The film helped largely redefine the scope and perspective for this type of blockbuster action thriller, feeling like a breath of fresh air when its contemporaries were increasingly feeling more generic and uninteresting.
8
‘Inland Empire’ (2006)
Few thriller filmmakers have made such an impactful career for themselves in the creation of audacious, unrestrained films, quite like David Lynch. However, even among the director’s legendary filmography, Inland Empire stands as his most divisive and ambitious work. The film constantly and consistently breaks apart the very rules and conceptions of what a psychological thriller can and should be, blending a variety of genres into a cavalcade of visual madness and reality.
Any film that is transforming so many different genres together is going to receive some pushback (this one certainly did). Yet, those who are in touch with Lynch’s distinct filmmaking voice have found a lot of strength and beauty within this strange, unlikely work of art. While it may not be as beloved or acclaimed as films like Mulholland Drive or Eraserhead, the massive swings that it goes for make it arguably Lynch’s most ambitious work.
7
‘Funny Games’ (1997)
Home invasion films have stood as one of the most tried-and-true concepts in horror thriller history, as there’s something so deeply terrifying yet engaging about people finding discomfort and a lack of safety within their own homes. Michael Haneke‘s brilliant satirical thriller Funny Games takes this inherent fascination that people have with the concept and flips it on its head, showing that the audience shouldn’t be finding such joy and pleasure from watching sadistic displays of torture and evil.
It’s ambitious enough for a film to attempt such active hostility towards audiences with its very concept, taking an experimental approach and having a sense of contempt towards those willing to engage with it. This dangerous balancing act pays off tremendously, as Funny Games is one of the most insightful and brilliant satirical thrillers that the ’90s have to offer. The American remake of the film, released in 2007 and also directed by Haneke, is similarly effective and ambitious but far less potent.
6
‘Irreversible’ (2002)
Going to the limits in terms of bleak filmmaking with its painful depiction of disturbing sexual crimes combined with gruesome violent revenge, Irreversible is undeniably ambitious in its combination of artful filmmaking and dreadful content. It isn’t just the fact that the film is willing to delve into uncomfortable subject matter that makes it such a compelling watch, but the fact that, in its reverse chronological order, it begins with ruthless revenge before going into the painful truth of what set this quest for revenge.
Gaspar Noé has made a distinct career out of making such disturbing cinematic experiences that still hold unexpected artistic brilliance hidden beneath the surface. Irreversible arguably sees the director at the absolute heights of his ambitious style. Both the disturbing content and the reverse-chronological approach would be ambitious enough individually, but when combined, they complement each other so effectively, amplifying the thematic brilliance and strengths of the film.
5
‘Sin City’ (2005)
Films adapted from graphic novels and comic books have been a wildly lucrative concept for Hollywood for decades now. Sin City goes a step beyond in terms of its ambitious attempts to recreate the exact tone and visual style of Frank Miller‘s original graphic novel. With its sleek, one-of-a-kind black and white style that amplifies the shadows and perfectly parallels the panels, combined with pitch-perfect recreations of the original stories, it’s about as close as a movie can get to directly recreating the source material.
Such a well-crafted recreation on this level had rarely been truly accomplished up until this point, as many other comic book adaptations are content with having a distinct flair and approach towards the material. In contrast, Robert Rodriguez actually co-directs the film alongside Frank Miller, the creator of the original graphic novel, allowing Sin City to be as faithful to the original material as possible.
4
‘One Battle After Another’ (2025)
A sprawling and intricate cinematic epic that combines crime thriller characters and world with effective action and top-notch comedy, One Battle After Another sees legendary director Paul Thomas Anderson pulling out all the stops to create a defining chapter of his illustrious career. There’s a sense of scale and meticulous craft put into each moment of the film that allows it to shine brightly as a true achievement of modern cinema, further amplified by its ambitious combination of emotional moments with striking black comedy.
Despite being the first modern-day set film that Anderson has made since Punch-Drunk Love in 2002, he has such a distinct and well-crafted view of the divisive state of the world, utilizing chaos for a variety of action and comedy alike. As it cycles between various perspectives and intricate characters, One Battle After Another never loses its heightened sense of thrills or tension, even as it’s able to have the audience laugh in the moments when they aren’t at the edge of their seat.
3
‘JFK’ (1991)
John F. Kennedy stands as easily one of the most important and recognizable historical figures of the 20th century. His assassination shocked the world and created a dark underbelly of conspiracy and chaos. Any film that attempted to tell the story surrounding the investigation of his assassination was going to have high ambitions from the get-go, yet JFK goes above and beyond in terms of scale and care for this legendary story.
The ambition and weight behind JFK may start at its inception, but it is a story that is only continued by its wild production and lofty, intricate execution. The result is a 3+ hour thriller epic that now stands as one of the most impactful and respected political thrillers of all time, the apex of Oliver Stone‘s career, and a defining chapter in American history on film. The film as a whole simply would have never been nearly as impactful if it didn’t have this exact high level of care placed into it.
2
‘Oppenheimer’ (2023)
Christopher Nolan has always created ambitious cinematic experiences that move the needle in terms of striking visuals as well as exceptional, layered thriller storytelling. While any number of his legendary thrillers could have earned a spot on this list, the sheer magnitude behind the production of Oppenheimer earns it a well-deserved spot as the definitive piece of ambitious art in recent memory.
Between its massive 3-hour runtime, one of the biggest and most expansive supporting casts imaginable, and a wild sense of pacing that shifts between time periods and perspectives, Oppenheimer builds upon all of Nolan’s signature traits in the perfect historical thriller package. Only Nolan, with his signature sense of craftiness, could have made a blockbuster epic out of a historical thriller in the modern era, but it just goes to show the ambitious nature of the film as a whole and just how much it paid off.
1
‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
Sci-fi continues to be the go-to genre when it comes to creating vast, intricately layered worlds filled with depth and exceptional messaging. Yet with so many great sci-fi worlds to choose from, it’s increasingly difficult for new sci-fi stories to make a name for themselves in terms of originality. Ridley Scott‘s Blade Runner, even after decades of original sci-fi greatness before it, stands as the most strikingly ambitious sci-fi thriller ever made, concocting a massive-scale cyberpunk world that confused audiences of the time, but now stands as an icon of the genre.
There is a sense of timelessness, combined with experimentation and lofty goals, present throughout each moment of Blade Runner. The entire experience works towards building a living and fluid vision of the future that isn’t afraid to delve into the grimy reality of human nature and greed. It utilizes this tone and energy for a brilliant story of autonomy and free will fighting for their right to exist amidst rising artificial intelligence. Blade Runner is as ambitious and brilliant a cinematic experience today as it was almost 45 years ago, and sci-fi filmmaking and thrillers as a whole wouldn’t be the same without it.
