The Best 2000s Thriller Movies

Updated June 27, 2019 897 votes 212 voters 8.1k views35 items

List RulesVote up your favorite suspense films that were released in the 2000s

The greatest ‘00s thriller movies are chock full of big stars, unforgettable heroes, and seat-gripping suspense. The 2000s saw the return of Batman, an Oscar for Martin Scorsese, and Tarantino returning in top form.

What are the best ‘00s thriller movies? Christopher Nolan had a big decade, giving us the Dark Knight trilogy that reimagined Batman as a darker, grittier hero. Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker earned him a posthumous Oscar nod. Nolan also wrote and directed the psychological thriller Memento, a film that plays with chronology and sequencing, presenting a muddled but captivating picture. Martin Scorsese directed The Departed, an intense crime thriller set in Boston, a marked departure from his usual New York setting. Another significant 2000s suspense movies on this list is American Psycho. Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis and starring Christian Bale (also of The Dark Knight fame), the film is known for its gruesome violence and unforgiving portrayal of Manhattan’s upper crust.

Here, you’ll also find films like The Hurt Locker, an unflinching story of bomb diffusers in the embattled Middle East. Did we include your ultimate ‘00s thriller movie? Help us re-rank this list by adding anything we missed and be sure to vote up your favorites!

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The Prestige
Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie
Released: 2006
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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The Dark Knight
Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Released: 2008
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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No Country for Old Men
Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones
Released: 2007
Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
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The Departed
Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson
Released: 2006
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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Training Day
Eva Mendes, Snoop Dogg
Released: 2001
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
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Mystic River
Emmy Rossum, Sean Penn
Released: 2003
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
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Sin City
Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis
Released: 2005
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller
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Memento
Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss
Released: 2000
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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Gone Baby Gone
Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan
Released: 2007
Directed by: Ben Affleck
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Batman Begins
Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Released: 2005
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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American Psycho
Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe
Released: 2000
Directed by: Mary Harron
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The Bourne Identity
Matt Damon, Clive Owen
Released: 2002
Directed by: Doug Liman
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Kill Bill Volume 2
Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu
Released: 2004
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
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Collateral
Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx
Released: 2004
Directed by: Michael Mann
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A History of Violence
Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello
Released: 2005
Directed by: David Cronenberg
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Ocean's Eleven
Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts
Released: 2001
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
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The Devil's Backbone
Eduardo Noriega, Marisa Paredes
Released: 2001
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
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Sherlock Holmes
Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law
Released: 2009
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
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Mulholland Drive
Naomi Watts, Billy Ray Cyrus
Released: 2001
Directed by: David Lynch
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Minority Report
Cameron Diaz, Tom Cruise
Released: 2002
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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Munich
Daniel Craig, Eric Bana
Released: 2005
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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Taken
Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen
Released: 2008
Directed by: Pierre Morel
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Battle Royale
Beat Kitano, Chiaki Kuriyama
Released: 2000
Directed by: Kinji Fukasaku
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Kill Bill Volume 1
Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu
Released: 2003
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
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V for Vendetta
Natalie Portman, John Hurt
Released: 2006
Directed by: James McTeigue
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