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The Best Thriller Movies on Netflix Right Now (October 2026)

By Matt Oakes · October 25, 2026

A good thriller is the easiest thing to put on and the hardest thing to find, because every service is stuffed with interchangeable airport-novel adaptations. These are the best thrillers on Netflix that I’ve reviewed, from The Northman and Wind River to Nightcrawler. Horror lives in its own guide, so this one sticks to crime, suspense, and paranoia.

Every pick links to my full review, and the list gets refreshed as titles come and go.

Critics and Audience scores from Rotten Tomatoes; ratings from IMDb. Scores as of October 2026.

THE NORTHMAN (2022)

90%Critics 64%Audience 7.0IMDb

A cinematic wonder of Viking violence and old-school melodramatic barbarity, The Northman is an unrelenting and gruesome historic epic that showcases an absolutely berserk performance from Alexander Skarsgård and all the visual style and fascinating dialogue you’d expect from auteur Robert Eggers.▶ Streaming on Netflix · Read the full review

NIGHTCRAWLER (2014)

95%Critics 86%Audience 7.8IMDb

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Lou Bloom, a sociopath who discovers he can make money filming LA’s crimes and car wrecks for the local news. Dan Gilroy’s razor-sharp thriller is a scathing look at media ghouls, and Gyllenhaal is terrifying.▶ Streaming on Netflix · Read the full review

I CARE A LOT (2021)

Rosamund Pike leads a deliciously contemptible cast of characters in J Blakeson’s dark-satire-cum-crime-thriller I Care a Lot. Though the film suffers the sin of having its cake and eating it too (and doesn’t always succeed wrestling together conflicting tones), the biting script and devilish performances bury that shortcoming many times over.▶ Streaming on Netflix · Read the full review

THE IRISHMAN (2019)

Martin Scorsese’s passion project finally comes to life (through the magic of distracting de-aging technology) telling a long-winded but mostly gripping story of the intersection of crime, politics, and morality in the mob-controlled Chicago union scene. A freshly un-retired Joe Pesci swoops in to steal the show.▶ Streaming on Netflix · Read the full review

WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (2025)

The winning combo of Daniel Craig and Josh O’Connor threatens to send ’ Wake Up Dead Man’ to the heavens, but the third Knives Out entry, though the most thematically ambitious of the bunch, is held back by some material flaws, chief among them an over-reliance on over-explanation.▶ Streaming on Netflix · Read the full review

NOBODY 2 (2025)

Bob Odenkirk returns as everyman assassin Hutch Mansell in a vacation-themed sequel that extends the brand no further than swapping his hoodie for a Hawaiian shirt. At a brisk 89 minutes, stuffed to bursting with laugh-inducing fisticuff mania, it serves as a breezy and blood-soaked capstone to an otherwise forgettable summer season.▶ Streaming on Netflix · Read the full review

CAUGHT STEALING (2025)

An easy-to-consume crime thriller with a swaggering Austin Butler in the lead, Caught Stealing abandons the deeper themes and close attention to performance that have defined Darren Aronofsky’s best work. What it delivers instead is one of his most straightforward, surface-level movies, fun but forgettable.▶ Streaming on Netflix · Read the full review

MONEY MONSTER (2016)

Money Monster won’t change the genre or leave a lasting impact but as far as semi-disposable adult entertainment goes, Jodie Foster’s fourth film serves as a strong reminder that thrillers need not rely on excessive explosions or exposition to be worthwhile. With a good measure of solid laughs and a well-diagnosed ribbing of the bourgeoisie class, Foster’s film also underscores how simply fantastic Jack O’Connell can be.▶ Streaming on Netflix · Read the full review