A Glean movie guide
Hidden 90s Thrillers
Masterclasses in tension.
Uncover the tense, atmospheric, and overlooked gems that defined a decade of suspense.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Arlington Road
A college professor becomes increasingly suspicious that his suburban neighbors are involved in domestic terrorism.
Bedraggled college professor Michael Faraday has been vexed — and increasingly paranoid — since his wife's accidental death in a botched FBI operation. When a seemingly all-American couple set up house next door, Michael begins to suspect there’s more to them than meets the eye.
- 02
Breakdown
A man's desperate search for his missing wife after their car breaks down in the desert is a masterclass in pacing.
On their cross-country drive, a married couple, Jeff and Amy Taylor, experience car trouble after their SUV breaks down. Stranded in the New Mexico desert, the two catch a break when a passing truck driver offers Amy a ride to a nearby café to call for help. Meanwhile, Jeff is able to fix the car and make his way to the café, but Amy isn't there. He tracks down the trucker ― who tells the police he's never seen Jeff or his wife before. Jeff then begins a desperate, frenzied search for Amy.
- 03
One False Move
This gritty, character-driven crime drama follows three criminals on a collision course with a small-town sheriff.
Following a series of drug deals and murders, three criminals -- Fantasia, Ray Malcolm and Pluto -- travel from Los Angeles to Houston, finally arriving in a small Arkansas town to go into hiding. Two detectives from the LAPD, who are already on the case, contact the town's sheriff, Dale Dixon, to alert him of the fugitives' presence in the area. Underestimating Dixon, the criminals have no idea what they are about to face.
- 04
A Simple Plan
The discovery of a crashed plane filled with cash leads to a gripping, moral downward spiral for three ordinary men.
Captivated by the lure of sudden wealth, the quiet rural lives of two brothers erupt into conflicts of greed, paranoia and distrust when over $4 million in cash is discovered at the remote site of a downed small airplane. Their simple plan to retain the money while avoiding detection opens a Pandora's box when the fear of getting caught triggers panicked behavior and leads to virulent consequences.
- 05
Deep Cover
An undercover cop struggles to maintain his identity while infiltrating a dangerous drug syndicate in this stylish noir.
Black police officer Russell Stevens applies for a special anti-drug squad which targets the highest boss of cocaine delivery to LA—the Colombian foreign minister's nephew. Russell works his way up from the bottom undercover, until he reaches the boss.
- 06
Blue Steel
Kathryn Bigelow directs this stylish, under-appreciated thriller about a rookie cop stalked by an obsessed trader.
Rookie cop Megan Turner orders a burglar to drop his gun. He whirls to shoot. Too late. Turner fires, killing him instantly. When someone lifts the assailant's gun from the crime scene, the police hold Turner accountable for killing an unarmed man. That same someone carves Turner's name into the bullets and uses them in a series of murders. Turner teams up with detective Nick Mann to clear her name and catch the killer. But she is drawn into a deadly game of wits with a psychopath who's always one step ahead… and much closer than she thinks!
- 07
Pacific Heights
Michael Keaton delivers a chilling performance as a manipulative tenant who turns a couple's life into a nightmare.
A couple works hard to renovate their dream house and become landlords to pay for it. Unfortunately one of their tenants has plans of his own.
- 08
Fallen
Denzel Washington stars in this atmospheric blend of detective procedural and supernatural horror.
Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.
- 09
Unlawful Entry
Ray Liotta is terrifying as a police officer who becomes dangerously obsessed with a couple he was meant to protect.
When Michael and Karen Carr’s home is robbed, the couple strike up a friendship with duty officer Pete Davis. But the disturbed cop develops an intense fixation on Karen, and his idea of friendship soon turns into a dangerous obsession, making him the Carrs’ worst nightmare.
- 10
Dead Again
Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in this clever, twist-filled mystery that serves as a stylish throwback to noir.
In 1949, composer Roman Strauss is executed for the murder of his wife. In 1990s Los Angeles, a detective comes across a mute amnesiac woman who is somehow linked to the Strauss murder.