A Glean movie guide
Mind-Bending Thrillers
Don't trust everything you see.
High-stakes mysteries and psychological puzzles designed to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Memento
A reverse-chronological puzzle that forces you to piece together a murder mystery alongside the protagonist.
Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.
- 02
The Usual Suspects
A legendary crime mystery framed as an interrogation that leads to one of cinema's most famous reveals.
Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.
- 03
The Prestige
A dark tale of obsession where the narrative structure mimics a magic trick to hide its final secret.
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.
- 04
Shutter Island
An atmospheric psychological thriller that challenges your perception of reality at every turn.
World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.
- 05
Gone Girl
A sharp, cynical mystery that completely recontextualizes its plot with a shocking mid-film pivot.
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
- 06
The Invisible Guest
A high-speed Spanish thriller packed with rapid-fire twists and conflicting testimonies.
Barcelona, Spain. Adrián Doria, a young and successful businessman accused of murder, meets one night with Virginia Goodman, an expert interrogation lawyer, in order to devise a defense strategy.
- 07
The Game
A paranoid journey where a wealthy banker is forced into a reality-bending game with no clear rules.
In honor of his birthday, San Francisco banker Nicholas Van Orton, a financial genius and a cold-hearted loner, receives an unusual present from his younger brother, Conrad: a gift certificate to play a unique kind of game. In nary a nanosecond, Nicholas finds himself consumed by a dangerous set of ever-changing rules, unable to distinguish where the charade ends and reality begins.
- 08
Searching
A unique, screen-based mystery that uses digital clues to create a relentless and modern ticking-clock story.
After David Kim's 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter's laptop.
- 09
Se7en
A dark and gritty procedural that maintains unbearable tension until its devastating final moments.
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Somerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.
- 10
Parasite
An unpredictable masterpiece that shifts from social satire to a high-stakes thriller without warning.
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
- 11
Get Out
A masterfully paced social thriller that uses subtle clues to build toward a disturbing revelation.
Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.
- 12
Prisoners
A visceral, emotionally charged search for missing children that keeps the true culprit hidden until the end.
Keller Dover is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street.