The Best Thrillers with an Assumed Identity

Thrillers are that much more engaging when the lead character operates under an assumed identity. Whether the audience is in on the ruse from the beginning or is left stunned by a third-act reveal, these dramas keep them on the edge of their seats. The best movies about an assumed identity feature complicated scenarios that make it difficult to tell the truth from fiction. This is a list of the top movies about pretending to be someone else, including everything from Psycho to Single White Female to Fatal Attraction.

What films will you find on this list of movies about taking over a life? In The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) befriends – and eventually impersonates – the wealthy Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law). The movie was nominated for five Academy Awards in 1999. The Usual Suspects is another good movie about assumed identities. Typically, the villain is the character with the assumed identity, but Julia Roberts flipped the script for her 1991 movie Sleeping with the Enemy. Other good movies about pretending to be someone else include Mr. Brooks, Taking Lives, and American Psycho.

Which movies about assuming an identity do you think are the best? Give your favorites a thumbs up and please add any great features that are missing.