A new month means a new batch of thrillers on Netflix and a new breakdown from us on which ones are worth your time. And this month there's even a new release that's perfect for the holidays.
Each month we select some of the best thrillers on Netflix that match the current season. Sometimes they pair well with an upcoming release. Other titles could be new additions to the platform.
This month's selections include David Fincher's funniest film, an under-the-radar thriller despite being released ten years ago and starring one of the world's greatest actors, and a new addition to the Christmas thriller canon.
Editor's tip: carry-on luggage
Director: Jaume Collet Serra
Pour: Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman, Sofia Carson
Few thrillers are better than Christmas thrillers, and Hand luggage is further proof of this. The film follows a beleaguered, unmotivated TSA agent named Ethan (Taron Egerton), who has the misfortune of being chosen by a terrorist to let a bag through security. But the threat to the lives of hundreds of people is just enough to convince Ethan that maybe it's time to do his job right, putting him on a collision course with the terrorists, the police, his superiors, and pretty much everyone else brings meets on Christmas Eve at LAX. The whole movie is big, ridiculous, exciting and a lot of fun, making it a perfect thriller for the holidays. —Austen Goslin
Director: Paul Greengrass
Pour: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman
The 2013 dramatization of the Maersk Alabama plane hijacking is one of the most underrated thrillers of the last decade. Starring Tom Hanks, the film tells the story of Richard Phillips, the captain of an unarmed container ship that is taken hostage by Somali pirates. Hanks' performance is standout and poignant as always, but it's Barkhad Abdi's Oscar-nominated portrayal of Abduwali Muse, the film's antagonist, that steals the show. Captain Phillips is a thrilling human drama about a working-class man who, against all odds, fights to protect his crew and return home safely. –Toussaint Egan
Director: David Fincher
Pour: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell
Humans are, by and large, creatures of habit. Even Michael Fassbender's character in The murdereran anonymous assassin with a penchant for McGriddles and The Smiths, is not immune to the siren call of routine. After the execution of a target in Paris fails, the film's protagonist is forced to hunt down two assassins hired to kill him – and work backwards to find the person who hired them, and them too to eliminate. “Predict, don’t improvise,” the killer says to himself over the course of the film. “Don’t trust anyone. Never give yourself an advantage. Only fight the fight you're paid to fight.” Over the course of the film's two-hour running time, you'll see Fassbender's character push his interpretation of this mantra to its limits, unaware of the personal liberties he's taking in the process . Sometimes new challenges require new routines. —THE
