Fans of real nail-biter movies probably already know that Heart of the hunter, the explosive conspiracy thriller from the streamer’s latest collaboration with South African filmmakers, is a big hit on Netflix. At the time of writing, the film is number one in the English film charts, with 11 million views and almost 20 million viewing hours.
The film tells the story of Zuko Khumalo, a man whose mission to save his family escalates into a battle to prevent a corrupt politician from becoming president, and features acclaimed actor Bonko Khoza (Tie Youth, Crash, The Queen King) starring alongside a who’s who of iconic South African actors.
If that’s whetted your appetite for thrilling thriller action, here are three more films to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The murderer
The murderer is another Netflix hit, topping the streamer’s movie charts when it premiered in November. Directed by David Fincher and starring Michael Fassbender. It may not be Fincher’s best film, but it’s still a dark and stylish drama with an excellent central performance from Fassbender as an assassin. Empire magazine calling it “a riveting revenge riot, with stunning levels of cinematography and a performance from Michael Fassbender to make your blood run cold.”
Only
This stripped-down survival thriller takes a simple and perhaps all-too-familiar premise – a woman becomes the obsession of a terrifying man in a place almost as dangerous as the man hunting her – and delivers an exceptionally tense drama that’s cheap. tricks like jump scares, unreasonably competent protagonists or far-fetched coincidences: Only feels real, and that makes it all the more frightening. If Thrillist it states: “The cat-and-mouse premise may seem somewhat familiar, but the presentation is top-notch. Scary, suspenseful and downright riveting.”
Emily the criminal
You may know Aubrey Plaza from her roles in comedies such as Parks and recreation, but here she plays it straight as a young woman exploring the LA underworld. Thanks to her mounting debts, she is desperate for money and quickly becomes a con artist, with all the excitement, adrenaline and danger that entails. The Daily beast loved her performance and said that “Emily the criminal is just the latest in a decade of iconic, perfect, unforgettable dramatic roles for the queen of deadpan,” while Ready Steady Cut writes that “Emily the criminal is a brilliant work of art that is particularly relevant to today’s world. It is almost frighteningly realistic and shows how far someone can go when society turns their back on them.”