The best thrillers to watch on Netflix this April

Greetings, Polygon readers!

April is lastly upon us and spring is totally in swing, with a month stuffed with thrilling theatrical premieres on the horizon. This weekend, Civil Battle, the brand new dystopian drama from Ex Machina director Alex Garland starring Kirsten Dunst, opens in theaters, whereas latest releases similar to The First Omen and Monkey Man proceed to herald audiences.

In the event you’re on the lookout for pleasure from the consolation of your personal residence, not to fear: We’ve as soon as once more combed by Netflix’s library to deliver you the best thrillers out there for you to watch this April. This month’s choices embrace an missed traditional from Blow Out and Mission: Inconceivable director Brian De Palma, a darkish revenge thriller starring Quantum of Solace’s Olga Kurylenko, and a bruising African spy thriller following a former hitman combating to reclaim his life.

Editor’s decide: Physique Double

Director: Brian De Palma
Forged: Craig Wasson, Gregg Henry, Melanie Griffith

No title was extra synonymous with thrillers within the ’80s than Brian De Palma. The director behind such acclaimed movies as Blow Out and Dressed to Kill gained a popularity in the course of the period for his penchant for graphic violence, evocative cinematography, and trenchant satire of Hollywood artifice, all of which is current in this 1984 movie starring Craig Wasson and Melanie Griffith.

Physique Double follows the story of Jake Sully (Wasson), a down-and-out actor battling claustrophobia who, after dropping out on a job and splitting up together with his girlfriend, is obtainable a job housesitting within the Hollywood Hills. Jake turns into fixated on Gloria Revelle (Deborah Shelton), a neighbor whose magnificence inadvertently attracts the eye of one other admirer with sinister intentions. Trying to warn Gloria of this potential risk, Jake finds himself ensnared in an internet of lies and deceit that solely an unlikely ally within the type of a porn actress named Holly Physique (Griffith) can hope to assist him untangle.

Physique Double is a lurid and completely sensible erotic thriller that explores the depths of Hollywood’s voyeuristic obsessions to devastating impact. Although panned throughout its preliminary launch, the movie has grown to be a cult favourite amongst audiences for its satirical melodrama, deft modifying, and a terrific efficiency by Melanie Griffith. In the event you’re all proper with a justifiable share of nudity in your thrillers, it’s an absolute must-watch. —Toussaint Egan

Sentinelle

Picture: Netflix

Director: Julien Leclercq
Forged: Olga Kurylenko, Marilyn Lima, Michel Nabokoff

Late final month, Netflix launched a brand new adaptation of the legendary nail-biting thriller Wages of Concern. I got here in with some excessive expectations, as a fan of each director Julien Leclercq and star Alban Lenoir. The film was in the end fairly disappointing (particularly compared to the unique and William Friedkin’s adaptation, Sorcerer), however it’s a good excuse to advocate one in every of Leclercq’s higher earlier efforts (my favourite of his, 2015’s The Crew, is sadly not on Netflix).

Starring the all the time dependable Olga Kurylenko, who has been a fixture in stable direct-to-video motion thrillers this decade, Sentinelle is a darkish revenge thriller with a lean 80-minute working time. In contrast to the brand new Wages of Concern, this film is constantly thrilling and paints a fancy image of its lead character, a traumatized soldier (Kurylenko) who returns residence and seeks revenge on the boys who assaulted her sister. Her assured lead efficiency instructions the digital camera in each scene, and the film’s close-quarters motion is tense and thrilling. —Pete Volk

Coronary heart of the Hunter

Picture: Netflix

Director: Mandla Walter Dube
Forged: Bonko Khoza, Connie Ferguson, Masasa Mbangeni

South African director Mandla Walter Dube had a gentle Netflix hit on his palms two years in the past within the ripped-from-the-headlines thriller Silverton Siege. He’s adopted up with Coronary heart of the Hunter, a stable little thriller about an ex-assassin (Bonko Khoza) popping out of retirement after his outdated life comes again to hang-out him. It’s a simple conspiracy/revenge thriller that doesn’t reinvent the style, however it’s a stable film with a powerful main efficiency, and a part of an ongoing effort from Netflix to improve its choices from South Africa. —PV