MRQE Ranks: Best French Thrillers

1

Army of Shadows (1969)

Cast: Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville

Synopsis: In this war drama set during the French Resistance of WW II, a courageous fighter escapes Gestapo headquarters and returns to Marseille. There he a... [MORE]

2

Wages of Fear, The (1953)

Cast: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter Van Eyck, Vera Clouzot, Folco Lulli

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot

Synopsis: Together with Diabolique, The Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la Peur) earned Henri-Georges Clouzot the reputation as a "French Hitchcock." In truth, ... [MORE]

3

Diabolique (1955)

Cast: Simone Signoret, Paul Meurisse, Vera Clouzot, Charles Vanel, Jean Brochard

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot

Synopsis: The greatest film that Alfred Hitchcock never made, Henri-Georges Clouzot's Diabolique is set in a provincial boarding school run by headmaster Mic... [MORE]

4

Le Cercle rouge (1970)

Cast: Alain Delon, Andre Bourvil, Yves Montand, Gian Maria Volonte

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville

Writer: Jean-Pierre Melville

Synopsis: Corey (Alain Delon) is the young gun in the French underworld who has just been released from prison. Escaped convict Vogel (Gian-Maria Volonté) hi... [MORE]

5

Le Samouraï (1967)

Cast: Alain Delon, Nathalie Delon, François Périer, Cathy Rosier

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville

6

Z (1969)

Cast: Yves Montand, Irene Papas, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jacques Perrin, Charles Denner

Director: Constantin Costa-Gavras

Synopsis: Z is one of the most politically insightful films ever made, exposing government hypocrisy and cover-up in the wake of a political assassination. Z... [MORE]

7

Le Doulos (1962)

Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani, Jean Desailly, Fabienne Dali, Monique Hennessy

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville

8

Leon: The Professional (1994)

Cast: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, Danny Aiello, Peter Appel

Director: Luc Besson

Synopsis: As visually stylish as it is graphically violent, this thriller directed by Luc Besson concerns Mathilda (Natalie Portman), a 12-year-old girl livi... [MORE]

9

Elevator to the Gallows (1958)

Cast: Maurice Ronet, Jeanne Moreau, Jean Wall, Georges Poujouly

Synopsis: The feature-film debut of famed director Louis Malle is an interesting, modern film noir with the classic theme of lovers plotting to kill t... [MORE]

10

Caché (Hidden) (2005)

Cast: Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Maurice Benichou, Annie Girardot, Lester Makedonsky

Director: Michael Haneke

11

Tell No One (2006)

Cast: François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze, André Dussollier, Kristin Scott Thomas, François Berléand

Director: Guillaume Canet

Synopsis: An innocent man is on the run after he's accused of murder and his spouse seemingly returns from the grave in this thriller from France. Alex Beck ... [MORE]

12

Son, The (2002)

Cast: Olivier Gourmet, Isabella Soupart, Morgan Marinne, Nassim Hassaïni, Kevin Leroy

Director: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne

13

Diva (1981)

Cast: Frederic Andrei, Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, Richard Bohringer, Roland Bertin, Thuy An Luu

Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix

Synopsis: The diva of the title is a famous black opera singer (Wilhelmina Wiggins-Fernandez) who steadfastly refuses to be recorded. The singer is idolized ... [MORE]

14

Read My Lips (2001)

Cast: Vincent Cassel, Emmanuelle Devos, Olivier Gourmet, Olivier Perrier, Olivia Bonamy

Director: Jacques Audiard

Synopsis: A woman looking for love finds a man who leads her into a life of crime in this thriller. Carla (Emmanuelle Devos) is a woman in her mid-twenties w... [MORE]

15

With a Friend Like Harry... (2000)

Cast: Laurent Lucas, Sergi Lopez, Mathilde Seigner, Sophie Guillemin, Liliane Rovere

Director: Dominik Moll

Synopsis: Dominik Moll directs this black comedy about a family outing gone to hell. The film opens with Michel (Laurent Lucas) and Claire (Mathilde Seigner)... [MORE]

16

Purple Noon (1960)

Cast: Alain Delon, Marie LaForet, Maurice Ronet, Erno Crisa, Elvire Popesco

Director: Rene Clement

Synopsis: René Clément's thriller Purple Noon stars Alain Delon as Tom Ripley, an American who travels to Europe on an all-expenses-paid mission to convince ... [MORE]

17

Feux rouges (2004)

Cast: Carole Bouquet, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Vincent Deniard, Charline Paul, Jean-Pierre Gos

Director: Cédric Kahn

18

13 Tzameti (2005)

Cast: Georges Babluani, Aurélien Recoing, Pascal Bongard, Fred Ulysse, Nicolas Pignon

Director: Gela Babluani

Synopsis: An aimless 20-year-old with a penchant for following the rules receives a mysterious set of instructions that lead him down a path from which he ma... [MORE]

19

Roman de gare (2007)

Cast: Dominique Pinon, Fanny Ardant, Audrey Dana

Director: Claude Lelouch

Writer: Claude Lelouch

20

Swimming Pool (2003)

Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance, Marc Fayolle, Jean-Marie Lamour

Director: Francois Ozon

Synopsis: François Ozon's psychological thriller Swimming Pool stars Charlotte Rampling as a mystery writer. When Sarah (Rampling) is offered the use of her ... [MORE]

21

Beat That My Heart Skipped, The (2005)

Cast: Romain Duris, Niels Arestrup, Linh Dan Pham, Aure Atika, Emmanuelle Devos

Director: Jacques Audiard

Synopsis: A man finds his heart and soul torn between loyalty to his family and a need to be redeemed from his violent lifestyle in this powerful drama from ... [MORE]

22

Lemming (2005)

Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Laurent Lucas, Charlotte Rampling, André Dussollier

Director: Dominik Moll

23

Farewell (2009)

Cast: Emir Kusturica, Guillaume Canet, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Oleksii Gorbunov

Director: Christian Carion

Synopsis: An espionage agent begins working against his own country for the good of the world in this drama based on a true story. Sergei Grigoriev (Emir Kus... [MORE]

24

Irréversible (2002)

Cast: Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel, Jo Prestia, Philippe Nahon

Director: Gaspar Noe

Synopsis: Gaspar Noé's Irreversible utilizes the same storytelling technique used by Christopher Nolan in Memento and Harold Pinter in Betrayal. Consisting o... [MORE]

25

Crimson Rivers, The (2000)

Cast: Jean Reno, Vincent Cassel, Nadia Fares, Dominique Sanda, Karim Belkhadra

Director: Mathieu Kassovitz

26

Amer (2009)

Cast: Marie Bos, Cassandra Foret, Charlotte Eugene-Guibbaud, Bianca Maria D'Amato, Harry Cleven

Director: Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani

Synopsis: The power and danger of eros plays a key role for three women of different ages who may or may not be the same person in this enigmatic picture. Th... [MORE]

27

Anything for Her (2008)

Cast: Diane Kruger, Vincent Lindon, Lancelot Roch, Hammou Graia

Director: Fred Cavayé

Synopsis: With a loving, stable marriage of many years, a devoted son named Oscar (Lancelot Roch) and a quiet life in suburban France, life feels supremely h... [MORE]

29

Criminal Lovers (1999)

Cast: Jeremie Renier, Natacha Regnier, Miki Manojlovic, Salim Kechiouche, Yasmine Belmadi

Director: Francois Ozon

Synopsis: French bad boy director François Ozon, who caused a stir with his controversial first feature Sitcom (1998) and his shorts A Summer Dress (1997) an... [MORE]

31

Demonlover (2002)

Cast: Connie Nielsen, Charles Berling, Chloe Sevigny, Gina Gershon, Jean-Baptiste Malartre

Director: Olivier Assayas

Synopsis: French director Olivier Assayas departs from his usual dramas with Demonlover, a wild thriller about corporate intrigue, hardcore sex Internet site... [MORE]

32

Boarding Gate (2007)

Cast: Asia Argento, Michael Madsen, Carl Ng, Kelly Lin, Joana Preiss

Director: Olivier Assayas

Synopsis: From director Olivier Assayas comes this erotic thriller starring Asia Argento as Sandra, a former prostitute, and Michael Madsen as Miles, her one... [MORE]

33

Eyes Without a Face (1960)

Cast: Pierre Brasseur, Edith Scob, Alida Valli, Francois Guerin

34

Anthony Zimmer (2005)

Cast: Sophie Marceau, Yvan Attal, Sami Frey, Gilles Lellouche, Daniel Olbrychski

Director: Jérôme Salle

35

Arsène Lupin (2004)

Cast: Romain Duris, Kristin Scott Thomas, Pascal Greggory, Eva Green, Robin Renucci

Director: Jean-Paul Salomé