A Glean movie guide
Hidden 90s Thrillers
Beyond the blockbusters.
Overlooked gems of suspense, neo-noir, and high-stakes crime.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Red Rock West
A drifter is mistaken for a hitman in this quintessential, suspenseful neo-noir.
- 02
One False Move
This slow-burn crime drama builds incredible tension as three criminals head toward a fateful confrontation.
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.
- 03
Bound
The Wachowskis' directorial debut is a stylish, taut heist thriller that remains criminally underrated.
Corky, a tough female ex-convict working on an apartment renovation in a Chicago building, meets a couple living next door, Caesar, a paranoid mobster, and Violet, his seductive girlfriend, who is immediately attracted to her.
- 04
The Spanish Prisoner
A masterclass in psychological suspense, this film weaves a complex web of corporate espionage and betrayal.
An inventor of a secret process suddenly finds himself alone as both his friends and the corporation he works for turn against him.
- 05
Blue Steel
Kathryn Bigelow directs this gritty urban thriller featuring a standout performance by Jamie Lee Curtis.
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!
- 06
Deep Cover
An atmospheric crime thriller that explores the moral ambiguity of an undercover cop losing his identity.
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.
- 07
Breakdown
This high-intensity, straightforward thriller relies on pure, relentless suspense in the desert.
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.
- 08
A Simple Plan
A dark, character-focused study on the erosion of morality following a life-changing discovery.
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.
- 09
Copycat
An intense serial killer thriller that pairs an agoraphobic psychologist with a determined detective.
An agoraphobic psychologist and a female detective must work together to take down a serial killer who copies serial killers from the past.
- 10
Arlington Road
A quintessential 90s paranoia thriller known for its bleak tone and truly shocking conclusion.
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.