The best thrillers to watch on Netflix in July 2023

Happy July, Polygon readers.

Summer is in full swing and it’s the perfect time to have a BBQ outside, go to the beach or stay home and watch the Tour de France. But in between all of these fun activities, there are plenty of great ways to watch great summer movies at home.

Each month we select five thrillers from the Netflix catalog that we highlight as a particularly good selection that month. Maybe they’re new releases, maybe they’re seasonal, maybe they’re in conversation with what’s going on in the world right now, or maybe they’re just good.

Here are our five picks for this month. Enjoy!

extraction 2

Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake with a gun, winter clothes and visible bloodstains on his forehead in

Year: 2023
Duration: 2h 2m
Director: Sam Hargrave
Pour: Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa

Chris Hemsworth’s partnership with stuntman director Sam Hargrave has been fruitful for both the collaboration partners and Netflix. extraction was one of the biggest hits in the history of the streaming platform’s original productions and extraction 2 It was a far better film after that.

Gone is the piss yellow filter that was supposed to signal that the first film was shot in South Asia. Instead of this, extraction 2 is an action-packed stunt spectacle in which Chris Hemsworth punches guys with his fists on fire, shoots a helicopter with a minigun while standing on a moving train, and much more. It’s roughly 122 minutes of non-stop action, including a stunning 21-minute one-take action sequence that was incredibly difficult to film.

extraction 2 also gives a bigger role to breakthrough star Golshifteh Farahani, who (along with Adam Bessa) plays half of a dynamic sibling duo that adds an extra dimension to this new group of action stars. It’s one of the standout action movies of the year, and the ending sets a rather intriguing premise for potential extraction 3. —pete people

run rabbit run

Year: 2023
Duration: 1h 40m
Director: Daina Reid
Pour: Sarah Snook, Lily LaTorre, Neil Melville

If you’re looking for a psychological horror that deals with maternal angst and barely repressed family trauma, à la The Babadookthis new film from director Daina Reid (The story of the maid) is sure to be right for you.

run rabbit run stars Sarah Snook (successor) as Sarah, a fertility doctor and single mother grieving the recent loss of her father. When Sarah’s daughter Mia (Lily LaTorre) exhibits strange behaviors similar to those of her late sister Alice, who disappeared years ago, Sarah’s mental and emotional state begins to rapidly unravel as she tries to understand her daughter and her own to reconcile conflicting pasts. While it’s pretty average in its adherence to the tried-and-true tropes of trauma-focused horror, run rabbit run It certainly stands out as one of the better recent entries in this subgenre simply on the strength of Snook’s performance, with haunting facial expressions and penetrating dialogue delivered with trembling affectation that draws the audience in and keeps them going until the end capture the heartbreaking ending of the film. —Toussaint Egan

destruction

A woman's silhouette stands in front of a wild field of glowing, burning trees under a dark sky.

Year: 2018
Duration: 1h 55m
Director: Alex Garland
Pour: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez

Alex Garland’s adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s critically acclaimed Southern Reach trilogy is a gripping work of psychological horror that compels viewers not only to contemplate the limits of love (and human biology) but also the future of a species , which may be on the verge of extinction. Natalie Portman plays Lena, a biologist whose soldier husband Kane (Oscar Isaac) has been missing for over a year on a secret mission. Upon his miraculous return, Lena learns that Kane’s mission was to explore the Shimmer, an anomalous zone in Florida filled with hostile beings mutated by radiation from a nearby meteor. Fearing for her husband’s life, Lena volunteers to join a new expedition team exploring the Shimmer in search of answers, only to be confronted with a world beyond her wildest fears.

Like the meteor that hits the Garland lighthouse in the opening moments of the film destruction transforms the source text into a cinema experience full of phantasmagorical amazement and existential fear. It’s a horror film that’s totally in the vein of a thriller and will keep you on your toes and drawn to the screen every minute. -THE

Dunkirk

Year: 2017
Duration: 1h 46m
Director: Christopher nolan
Pour: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn Carney, Jack Lowden

Is Christopher Nolan’s 2017 war drama the best film of his career? Possibly. Is it one of the best thrillers on Netflix? Without question. Featuring Nolan’s historical drama Oppenheimer The premiere is scheduled to begin later this month. What better time than now to watch it? Dunkirk?

The film tells the true story of the evacuation of thousands of British soldiers trying to escape the French beaches of Dunkirk at the start of World War II. As resources dwindle and Nazi troops close in, Dunkirk

follows the point of view of several soldiers trying to survive one of the most momentous battles of the 20th century.

Even if you’re not a history buff, Nolan’s film is an engaging sight. With brilliant set pieces conveyed through the skillful cinematography of Hoyte van Hoytema, a suspenseful and haunting score by Hans Zimmer that brilliantly repeats the leitmotif of a ticking clock to depict the desperation of the film’s characters as they race against time, and a superb performance from an ensemble cast including Fionn Whitehead, Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy, Dunkirk is an exquisite war drama that finds hope amidst despair and triumph through the simple act of survival. -THE

The mule

Year: 2018
Duration: 1h 56m
Director: Clinton Eastwood
Pour: Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne

Clint Eastwood’s recent films have been some of his most insightful and thoughtful, and have often been unfairly dismissed on the basis of Eastwood’s perceptions or his age. Based on a true story The mule is a skillful and nuanced portrayal of humanity, aware of our prejudices but refusing to give in to them.

In The muleEastwood is a famous gardener who is forced to retire when his business goes bust. With his home foreclosed and his family no longer speaking to him after years of putting his work ahead of them, he is recruited by a cartel as a drug mule – they believe an 80-year-old white male with no criminal record is among the fewest counts Candidates are likely to be stopped by the police.

The mule is an outstanding example of a strong run that has lasted since 2014 Jersey boys until 2021 Scream macho — for my money, it’s right behind sully And Richard Jewell as the strongest films from this phase of Eastwood’s career. The legend is currently working on it Judge #2, which looks set to be the final film of his illustrious career, so there’s no better time than now to explore some of his superb recent work. —PV