Greetings, Polygon readers!
April is finally upon us and spring is in full swing, with a month full of exciting theater premieres on the horizon. This weekend, Civil Warthe new dystopian drama from Ex Machina Director Alex Garland starring Kirsten Dunst opens in cinemas, while current releases such as The first omen And Monkey man continue to attract audiences.
If you’re looking for excitement you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home, don’t worry: we’ve once again scoured the Netflix library to bring you the best thrillers to watch this April. This month’s selection includes an overlooked classic from Blow out And Mission impossible Director Brian De Palma, a dark revenge thriller with Quantum of Solaceis Olga Kurylenko and a brutal African spy thriller about a former hitman fighting to reclaim his life.
Editor’s tip: Body Double
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25390645/MV5BYzBlNDM2ZjYtZmRmZS00YzFmLWFjZTUtNTE5MTVjYTlmZDcxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg)
Image: Delphi II Productions/Columbia Pictures
Director: Brian DePalma
Pour: Craig Wasson, Gregg Henry, Melanie Griffith
No name was more associated with thrillers in the ’80s than Brian De Palma. The director behind such acclaimed films as Blow out And Dressed to kill gained a reputation during this period for its penchant for graphic violence, striking cinematography and sharp satire of Hollywood artifice, all of which are present in this 1984 film starring Craig Wasson and Melanie Griffith.
Body double tells the story of Jake Sully (Wasson), a down-and-out claustrophobic actor who, after losing his job and breaking up with his girlfriend, is offered a job as a house-sitter in the Hollywood Hills. Jake becomes fixated on Gloria Revelle (Deborah Shelton), a neighbor whose beauty inadvertently attracts the attention of another suitor with sinister intentions. In trying to warn Gloria of this potential threat, Jake finds himself caught in a web of lies and deception that only an unlikely ally in the form of a porn actress named Holly Body (Griffith) can hope to help him untangle.
Body double is a lurid and thoroughly brilliant erotic thriller that explores the depths of Hollywood’s voyeuristic obsessions to devastating effect. Although the film was filmed upon its initial release, it has become a cult favorite with audiences due to its satirical melodrama, deft editing, and a great performance from Melanie Griffith. If you’re okay with a fair amount of nudity in your thrillers, this is an absolute must-watch. –Toussaint Egan
Guardian
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22356203/Sentinelle_1093_R.jpg)
Image: Netflix
Director: Julien Leclercq
Pour: Olga Kurylenko, Marilyn Lima, Michel Nabokoff
Late last month, Netflix released a new adaptation of the iconic suspense thriller Wages of fear. As a fan of director Julien Leclercq and lead actor Alban Lenoir, I had high expectations. The film was ultimately quite disappointing (especially compared to the original and William Friedkin’s adaptation). wizard), but it’s a good excuse to recommend one of Leclercq’s better earlier works (my favorite of his, 2015). The crewUnfortunately it is no longer available on Netflix).
Starring the ever-reliable Olga Kurylenko, a fixture in solid direct-to-video action thrillers this decade, Guardian
Hunter’s Heart
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25381604/Heart_of_the_Hunter_n_01_32_04_04.jpg)
Image: Netflix
Director: Mandla Walter Dube
Pour: Bonko Khoza, Connie Ferguson, Masasa Mbangeni
South African director Mandla Walter Dube had a mild Netflix hit two years ago with the ripped-from-the-headlines thriller Silverton Siege. He pursued it Hunter’s Heart, a solid little thriller about an ex-assassin (Bonko Khoza) who comes out of retirement after his old life comes back to haunt him. It’s a straightforward conspiracy/revenge thriller that doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it’s a solid film with a strong lead performance and part of Netflix’s ongoing effort to expand its offerings from South Africa. —PV
Table of Contents
