Political thrillers were popular in the 1960s and ’70s, producing classics like The Manchurian Candidate, The Conversation, and Three Days of the Condor. They appear to have fallen out of favor in recent years, perhaps because real-life politics has become so much more unbelievable. Indeed, it sometimes feels as if the whole world is living through a badly-written political thriller. Nevertheless, the last five years have yielded a few gems in this subgenre, which ought to please fans of political skullduggery and ever-ratcheting tension.
The best of these movies take ideas from reality and extrapolate them to their extreme conclusion or fuse actual political anxiety with elements from spy movies or crime films. It’s a tricky genre to pull off, but when done right, it can be highly entertaining. From The Report to Tetris, this is a ranking of the best political thrillers of the last five years based on their reception from critics and audiences, how well they represent the genre, and their overall quality.
10 ‘Without Remorse’ (2021)
Directed by Stefano Sollima
“You better hope he doesn’t survive.” The list of recent political thrillers is not extensive, meaning that even fairly mid-tier movies like Tom Clancy‘s Without Remorse make the top ten. Michael B. Jordan leads the cast of this one as John Kelly, a Navy SEAL who sets out for vengeance after his pregnant wife is murdered by Russian assassins. After Kelly uncovers a larger conspiracy involving the U.S. government and international relations, he finds himself caught between his duty as a soldier and his vendetta.
The plot is formulaic, retreading old ground, but the brisk pacing and steady direction from Stefano Sollima keep the movie engaging. Plus, Jordan does a ton of heavy lifting; his raw, determined performance anchors the whole affair. A likable star and a steady stream of action scenes mean that fans of this genre will be entertained, even if some viewers will groan a little at some of the tropes and the generic supporting characters. Although far from the best Tom Clancy movie, Without Remorse is still a solid, if fairly forgettable, watch.
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9 ‘New Order’ (2020)
Directed by Michel Franco
“Citizens are forbidden from leaving their homes.” New Order is a dystopian film set in Mexico City, where a lavish wedding is interrupted by a violent uprising of the working class against the wealthy elite. Chaos ensues as society collapses, with the government’s brutal response leading to a new authoritarian regime. The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of various characters, including Marianne (Naian Gonzalez Norvind), the bride caught up in the turmoil.
The movie draws on real ideas, as Mexico itself has a history of military dictatorship. Many in the film’s home country found it classist and stereotypical, but most international audiences embraced it. (It won the Grand Jury Prize at that year’s Venice Film Festival.) Some viewers will find the relentless violence overwhelming, and others will dislike the protagonists, but New Order‘s attempt to fuse entertainment with social commentary is commendable; it’s certainly bold and provocative. Where other films approach similar themes with a scalpel, New Order uses a sledgehammer.
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8 ‘Reality’ (2023)
Directed by Tina Satter
“I knew it was secret. But I also knew I had pledged my service to the American people.” Sydney Sweeney turns in perhaps her best performance to date in Reality, a tense thriller based on a true story. She plays Reality Winner, a former NSA contractor who was arrested for leaking classified information to the media. The film unfolds in real-time on the day that government agents arrive at Winner’s home with a search warrant.
This single-location setting works well, and director Tina Satter turns the events of that day into a tense and claustrophobic thriller/character study hybrid. Reality also benefits from sticking close to the facts, sometimes recreating dialogue word-for-word from transcripts. It breezes by at a lean 82 minutes long but is jam-packed with great moments. In the process, the movie also probes pertinent questions around secrecy, transparency, national security, and the role of leakers in modern democratic societies.
7 ‘Munich – The Edge of War’ (2021)
Directed by Christian Schwochow
“Hoping is waiting for someone else to do it. We’d all be much better off without it.” The World War II movie genre is oversaturated at this point, but German filmmaker Christian Schwochow does a solid job with this historical thriller. Set during the tense days leading up to WWII, Munich – The Edge of War centers on Hugh Legat (George MacKay), a British diplomat, and Paul von Hartmann (Jannis Niewöhner), a German one, who are former friends now caught on opposite sides of the political divide. As Hitler prepares to invade Czechoslovakia, the two men attempt to thwart the impending war by smuggling critical documents that could expose the Führer’s true intentions.
An underrated political thriller,
Munich – The Edge of War
is still able to maintain tension in its high stakes.
As usually happens with historical movies, some viewers had quibbles with a few details depicted in the film. Overall, Munich succeeds as a historical drama and tense mystery. The plot accelerates as it rolls along, even as the viewer knows that success is impossible. The lead performances are good, though the real highlight is Jeremy Irons as British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. An underrated political thriller, Munich – The Edge of War is still able to maintain tension in its high stakes, an impressive feat considering everyone knows the ending going into it.
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6 ‘Civil War’ (2024)
Directed by Alex Garland
“We are closer than we have ever been.” Alex Garland‘s latest (and perhaps final) directorial effort imagines a near-future America on the brink of internal conflict. Civil War follows a group of individuals whose lives intersect as opposing political factions escalate into open warfare. The federal government is controlled by a despot, and secessionists seek independence by violent means if necessary.
Civil War is an engaging thriller, riffing nicely on ideas currently percolating around the public consciousness. However, it falls short of its potential by not engaging with present-day reality as deeply as it could have. For example, it largely avoids actual contemporary politics and political fault lines, probably as a way to avoid alienating any particular audience. Unfortunately, this approach waters down the whole movie and makes its message hit less hard. That said, slick visuals, a bleak vision and an awareness of the country’s division mean that Civil War is still worth a watch.
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5 ‘The Courier’ (2020)
Directed by Dominic Cooke
“I thought I could make the world a safer place. But I failed.” The Courier is a Cold War espionage thriller based on the true story of Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch), a British businessman who is recruited by MI6 to act as a courier between a Soviet whistleblower and Western intelligence. In the process, he forms a tense but unlikely friendship with his Russian contact, Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), who is risking everything to prevent nuclear war.
Cumberbatch aces this lead role, as one would expect, playing Wynne as a modest everyman who transforms into something of an unlikely hero and channeling a similar energy to the one he brought to his Oscar-nominated role in The Imitation Game. The plot occasionally lets him down with story developments that feel ripped out of a stereotypical spy flick, but fundamentally, The Courier benefits from being based on real events. Alongside Cumberbatch, Ninidze also turns in a committed, emotional performance that elevates the material.
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4 ‘The Report’ (2019)
Directed by Scott Z. Burns
“You may not realize, but we were trying to protect this country from people who wanna destroy everything we believe in.” The Report dramatizes the U.S. Senate’s investigation into the CIA’s use of torture in the years after 9/11. The focus is on Daniel Jones (Adam Driver), a senator tasked with leading the investigation and compiling a report on the agency’s controversial practices. As he uncovers more, Jones faces mounting pressure from both the CIA and the government to suppress the findings.
As with Reality, this is a well-made movie that delves into relevant issues. Director Scott Z. Burns handles the tough subject matter with a light touch and avoids partisanship in his critique of those responsible. The surprisingly revealing film conveys a ton of information without feeling clumsy, thanks to Burns’s sharp script. Feeling like a neat homage to ’70s political thrillers, The Report has only gotten better in the following years, earning its spot as the fourth-best political thriller from the last 5 years.
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3 ‘Tetris’ (2023)
Directed by Jon S. Baird
“I played Tetris for five minutes, yeah. I still see falling blocks in my dreams.” One of the most entertaining political thrillers of years is Tetris, which tells the behind-the-scenes story of the legal battle over the rights to the iconic video game during the Cold War era. Taron Egerton plays Henk Rogers, a Dutch entrepreneur who travels to the Soviet Union to secure the rights to Tetris, navigating a dangerous landscape of corporate espionage, political intrigue, and KGB surveillance.
The finished product is simultaneously fun and informative. The clever use of pixelated effects, a balanced dose of humor, and the familiar tunes of the game make the runtime fly by effortlessly. Sure, Tetris plays fast and loose with the facts for dramatic purposes, but it comes across as true to the spirit of the game. The main story is light and charming, but it unfolds against a backdrop of world-shaking events, with the USSR beginning to crumble. Tetris is an unexpected but very welcome presence in this ranking, as few would’ve expected a movie based on a video game to be so thrilling and insightful.
2 ‘The Mauritanian’ (2021)
Directed by Kevin McDonald
“I’ve never been part of a conspiracy, but I’m starting to think this is what it must feel like to be on the other side of one.” The Mauritanian recounts the true story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim), a man who was detained at Guantanamo Bay for fourteen years without charge. Jodie Foster stars as his defense attorney, Nancy Hollander, who helps Slahi fight for his freedom.
The Mauritanian alternates between the present day and Slahi’s memories, painting a layered portrait of the man and his time in the detention facility. Cinematographer Alwin H. Küchler (who also worked on Steve Jobs and Tetris) effectively uses light and color to differentiate these timelines. Overall, the film is competently constructed, but it wouldn’t work as well as it does without the compelling lead performance from Rahim, who humanizes and presents a layered, complex depiction of Slahi. Excelling as both a biopic and a political thriller, The Mauritanian is as gripping as it’s eye-opening, shining a light on a consequential, controversial moment in recent American history.
1 ‘Argentina, 1985’ (2022)
Directed by Santiago Mitre
“History was not made by guys like me.” When it comes to the best political thrillers of the last half-decade, it’s hard to top this sprawling historical film about the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina between the late ’70s and early ’80s. It revolves around prosecutor Julio César Strassera (Ricardo Darín) and his team as they attempt to put these former rulers on trial. Going up against such powerful figures is dangerous work, earning this team of lawyers considerable hatred and death threats.
Argentina, 1985 received rave reviews, with praise for its thematic depth, historical accuracy, and intense lead performances. It manages to be both information-rich and entertaining, with good narrative structure and confident storytelling. It’s also shot through with welcome undercurrents of humor, which help to balance out the serious, often harrowing subject matter. Argentina, 1985 makes for a terrific snapshot of this moment in Argentinian history while also making statements that are relevant to corrupt and oppressive governments the world over.
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