The 25 Greatest Foreign-Language Thrillers Ever Made

25 The Hunt (1966)

It’s rabbit season for three veterans of the Spanish Civil War to begin the plot of The Hunt (1966), a Spanish-language psychological thriller by director Carlos Suara. Reminiscing on their past makes the veterans-turned-hunters go crazy in the woods, and the plot unravels from there into one of well-built tension.

And although The Hunt was met with lukewarm reception from critics upon release, it’s now considered a classic of Spanish cinema. Such American directors as Sam Peckinpah have cited this one as a direct influence on their work, and for that fact alone it deserved to begin the list.

24 Antibodies (2005)

Serial killers, police raids, poetic parallels within the plot — on paper, Antibodies (2005) pretty much sells itself. What helps is that the overall product was seen into near perfect fruition, and is undoubtedly worth your time.

A German crime thriller directed by Christian Alvart, it’s far from the most popular film on the list. But Antibodies twists and turns around every corner of its plot, especially at the end. Sure, it can be a bit out there and hard to watch at times, but fans of the genre won’t regret giving Antibodies a go.

Related: The Best Fictional Serial Killer Performances, Ranked

23 City on Fire (1987)

A Hong Kong action thriller, City on Fire (1987) helped establish the popularity of actor Chow Yun-fat not just in China, but in other parts of the world, as well. And for those unfamiliar with that particular actor, don’t worry: you should be more than acquainted by the time this list is done, as he appears again down the line — of course, that will be touched on later.

With regard to City on Fire, though: a massacre breaks out when an undercover cop infiltrates a group of jewel thieves in Honk Kong. As a result, the cop gets injured, and the gang tries to uncover the mole in their midst. If you haven’t checked it out, City on Fire is more than worth your time.

22 Nine Queens (2000)

This Argentine crime-thriller follows a conman named Marcos who searches for someone to work alongside after the mysterious disappearance of his partner. He finds a perfect replacement in Juan, whom he meets while performing his own con at a gas station. They then team up to sell rare stamps to a wealthy foreign collector — except, the stamps are counterfeit.

Nine Queens (2000) features engrossing camerawork on top of its intriguing plot, and the performers of the aforementioned conmen perform their absolute hearts out. Written and directed by Fabián Bielinsky, it should undoubtedly be added to your list of foreign-language thrillers to check out.

21 Timecrimes (2007)

A wild ride from start to finish, Timecrimes (2007) at first seems like your typical thriller: a man, sitting in his backyard with a pair of binoculars, sees a woman undressing in the woods. He spies on her, loses sight, then moves forward to get a closer look. But when he finds her, she’s seemingly dead, and he’s then attacked by a strange, masked man. On the run, he breaks into a nearby facility, and things take a scientific twist from there.

Written by, directed by, and featuring Nacho Vigalondo, this Spanish-language thriller hits home on multiple levels of entertainment. It’s funny, often dramatic, and thrilling both in nature and execution. Blurry POV shots through the binoculars made for intriguing cinematography, let alone the careful camera movements. Although Timecrimes blends genres, it undoubtedly fits the thriller bill, and for that deserves a spot on the list.

20 Battle Royale (2000)

A Japanese action-thriller, Battle Royale (2000) is perhaps best-known today for popularizing the Battle Royale style of video games, comics, manga, and other forms of entertainment. But it’s also a tremendous thriller, championed by American directors like Quentin Tarantino upon release. He even names it among his favorite films.

Its plot chronicles a Japanese totalitarian government that forces a group of junior high school students to fight to the death. Of course, this plot greatly resembles The Hunger Games, an American novel series-turned-film franchise. But Battle Royale is perhaps the superior project, landing here almost on style points alone. If you’re a fan of foreign language thrillers, though, it’s pretty much essential viewing.

19 The Vanishing (1988)

A Dutch couple named Rex (played by Gene Bervoets) and Saskia (played by Johanna ter Steege) are driving through France on vacation. When the latter goes missing at a rest stop and Rex searches for her endlessly, audiences are less than shocked. But director Geore Sluizer builds tension through masterful means of camera movements, well-chosen shots, and intricate sound design.

And despite that predictable inciting incident, The Vanishing (1988) is flanked by an unexpected ending. Avoiding prominent plot points, it’s worth noting the engrossing performance from Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu as Raymond Lemorne, the project’s antagonist. This one is worth watching for the efforts of its actors alone, not to mention its well-paced plot with engrossing behind-the-scenes elements of the craft constantly at play.

18 Insomnia (1997)

There are two names worth noting with regard to Insomnia (1997), a Norwegian crime thriller, with the first being Christopher Nolan. He remade the film five years down the line with Al Pacino and Robin Williams in the lead roles. Both plots follow a police detective who accidentally shoots his partner while investigating a murder above the Arctic Circle. And that’s where the second name comes into play with regard to the Norwegian original: Stellan Skarsgård.

Known for showing up in American projects like Good Will Hunting (1997), The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011), and several others within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that lead Swedish actor is fairly well-known throughout the States. The product of Insomnia as a whole was widely revered by critics, with comparisons being made by Roger Ebert to the stories of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. And if you’re familiar with Skarsgård, his efforts are an added bonus.

17 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

Following up directly with another foreign language thriller that was remade into an American film — now by David Fincher — The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009) is originally based on a novel by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. And although the project at hand was made by a Danish director in Niels Arden Oplev, it’s ultimately filmed in Swedish.

Its plot follows a male journalist and a female hacker who are hired to find a wealthy man’s niece. If you’re a fan of the American remake, you probably knew of this one’s existence. But you may not know of its two sequels, The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009) and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest (2009). All three films were released in the same year, and they’re all well worth the watch.

16 Sleep Tight (2011)

Spanish actor Luis Tosar plays César, an apartment concierge in Barcelona who believes he is entirely incapable of feeling happiness. Even if good things occur in his life, César remains unhappy, and he escapes these feelings for a fleeting moment by making the lives of the apartment tenets miserable. When he finds one woman named Clara nearly impenetrable to negative thoughts, he sets out to essentially make her frown, to wipe the smile from her face despite his attraction for her.

This leads to the plot of an enticing psychological thriller in Sleep Tight (2011), with all the staples you might expect from a film of its ilk: careful camerawork, specifically dark color palettes, and intense, well-written scenes around every corner of its plot. It takes unexpected turns without once apologizing for the tandem risks taken by its behind-the-scenes creatives. Sleep Tight is essential viewing for any fans of the psychological thriller genre, regardless of region or language.

15 Four Days in September (1997)

A Brazilian thriller by director Bruno Barreto, this project follows a fictionalized version of events regarding the 1969 kidnapping of Charles Burke Elbrick, the United States Ambassador to Brazil. And although Four Days in September (1997) may not hold the name value in America that other films on this list can boast, it was nonetheless nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 70th Academy Awards.

It came up short, but its quality had already been noted. Four Days in September is in Portuguese, but the aforementioned Ambassador to Brazil is portrayed by a well-known face for English-language fans in American actor Alan Arkin. His performance is one of many reasons you should check this one out.

14 The Handmaiden (2016)

This entry marks the first of a line of South Korean thrillers — films of that genre and from that region have grown increasingly popular in the United States as of late, thanks in part to the film at hand: The Handmaiden (2016), directed by Park Chan-wook. And spoilers: that filmmaker appears again later in the list. More on that thriller later, though.

The Handmaiden follows a Korean conman who schemes to seduce and swindle a Japanese woman out of her inheritance. The conman, Count Fujiwara played by Ha Jung-woo, recruits an orphaned pickpocket named Nam Sook-hee (played by Kim Tae-ri) as help, and the result is a dynamic plot that will leave you engrossed until the final frame.

13 Cache (2005)

Upon receiving videotapes at their doorstep, a French couple — played by Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche — learn they’re under some kind of surveillance. They at first think it’s nothing, perhaps a friend playing a joke, until underlying nefarious motives begin to reveal themselves. They continue receiving the tapes, and while avoiding prominent plot points, it’s worth noting how integral a part they played in the overall making of the film, Caché (2005) by Michael Haneke.

Tactics of cinematography and editing bounce off each other like rubber bullets, as the videotapes received by the couple facilitate creative camerawork that in turn renders this worth the watch for the visual experience alone, not to mention its well-executed plot and memorable performances.

12 Run Lola Run (1998)

Written and directed by Tom Tykwer, this German experimental thriller begins with a criminal named Manni who fumbled the ball while delivering loot to his boss. He accidentally left a 100,000-mark payment on a subway car, and calls his girlfriend to retrieve it. But there’s a twist: she has twenty minutes.

It’s an endlessly intriguing premise that’s seen into flawless fruition thanks to a well-written script, impressive visuals, and convincing performances from everyone involved, most notably Franka Potente as the titular protagonist. Run Lola Run (1998) goes down as a staple of modern German cinema, and is widely revered with good reason. It holds up tremendously today.

11 Knife in the Water (1963)

Directed by Roman Polanski in his only Polish-language feature to-date, Knife in the Water (1962) was shot by Jerzy Lipman, and stars the likes of Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, and Zygmunt Malanowicz. None of those will be familiar names, but they’re worth noting for their individual efforts.

Niemczyk purposefully places the camera to get the most out of each frame, and there isn’t a wasted movement throughout the film. He only pans when necessary, and often relies on shot value — simple over-the-shoulders having the utmost effect thanks to a tandem expertise of blocking by Polanski. And just as intriguing are the tactics of editing, particularly Halina Prugar-Ketling’s utilization of jump cuts. Even if this were a silent film, tension would be built by those elements alone. The script takes it to new heights, as its plot follows a young couple on a sailing trip who are joined by something of an unwanted guest: a male hitchhiker. For further plot details, it’s best worth watching for yourself.

10 Cure (1997)

Imagine a crime-thriller following a string of murders perpetrated by people who have no memory of ever committing a crime in the first place. The result exists as a Japanese psychological thriller called Cure (1997). The definitive title of Kyoshi Kurosawa’s acclaimed career, this is one of the most influential thrillers of the past thirty years, and is considered a masterpiece of modern Japanese cinema.

The protagonist detective (named Kenichi Takabe) in charge of solving the case is played to perfection by Japanese superstar Kōji Yakusho. His performance is one of many filmmaking elements worth writing home about with regard to Cure, along with the film’s close attention to camerawork and a rock-solid structure within the script. It’s a masterclass all around.

9 Funny Games (1997)

An Austrian psychological thriller by Michael Haneke — his second appearance on the list — Funny Games (1997) almost attempts to subvert the slasher subgenre of horror films. The premise is rather absurd in nature, and the antagonists (named Paul and Peter) break conventions around every corner of its horrifying plot. But the film’s camerawork and tandem sound design — not to mention the plot itself — more appropriately resemble those of a thriller.

And it’s one that takes risks, never playing things any safer than the previous beat in the story. Paul constantly breaks the fourth wall by winking into the camera and asking the audience questions. Funny Games stands out for that element alone. But as Paul and Peter use the titular, sadistic games to torment a family in their vacation home, the perfect pacing of its plot warrants this spot as well.

8 Parasite (2019)

For American audiences, this is without a doubt among the more recognizable titles. A South Korean thriller, you might remember it for sweeping a particular ceremony called the Academy Awards. The writer-director in Bong Joon-ho picked up Best Screenplay and Best Director, while Parasite (2019) as a whole was deemed the Best Picture. And justifiably so.

Joon-ho had been a mainstay of South Korean cinema since his breakthrough project Memories of Murder (2003), but only gained true international recognition with Parasite. Sure, Snowpiercer (2013) and Okja (2017) had followings of their own. But Parasite reached new heights for Joon-ho, with its story about an indigent family who seek employment from the wealthy Park family. They execute their plot by infiltrating the Park household and posing as professional help — Mr. Kim is a chauffeur, his son a tutor, and his daughter an art therapist. But when they begin their plot of employment and security, a strange twist soon develops.

7 Oldboy (2003)

This entry marks yet another South Korean thriller, and another popular title in the States. Its well-choreographed action sequences feature tandem masteries of camerawork that render them almost like urban legends of foreign films, with American audiences more intrigued with the fight scenes from Oldboy (2003) than anything else produced by South Korean cinema at the time.

Directed by Park Chan-wook, it follows Oh Dae-su’s quest for vengeance as he’s released from a fifteen-year holding sentence by an unknown captor. Choi Min-sook’s stone-cold performance as the iconic protagonist carries the film by itself, let alone the stylistic intrigue around every corner of the well-written plot. On top of its region and popularity, this entry also marks another project that was remade by an American filmmaker. You can skip that Spike Lee remake, though. When it comes to Oldboy, you’d best stick to the original.

6 Infernal Affairs (2002)

Starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung, the popularity of Infernal Affairs (2002) in the States and beyond pretty much speaks for itself. The first of a trilogy, it’s well-known across the world with good reason, as it served as the basis for The Departed (2006) by Martin Scorsese.

Their plots are the same, in fact, as Infernal Affairs follows a Honk Kong police officer who goes undercover to infiltrate a Triad, while an officer in his department is on the other hand a spy for the Triad. Its plot works well off the bat, and ultimately results in an action thriller that without a doubt deserves a spot on this list.