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443 voters

The Best British Thriller Movies

Updated September 23, 2019 2.6k votes 443 voters 39.3k views51 items

If you're sick of re-watching the same American stuff, here are the best British thriller movies to get your adrenaline pumping. Whether you’re looking for thrills in the Scottish Highlands (A Lonely Place to Die), suburban terror (Cherry Tree Lane), or panic in the big city (London to Brighton), you’ll find it on this list of the greatest English thrillers.

You’ll also find some major stars on this list of British thriller movies: Gillian Anderson (Closure), Daniel Craig (Layer Cake), Michael Fassbender (Eden Lake), Ewan McGregor (The Ghost Writer). Of special note is the classic A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick’s disturbing vision of a futurist and lawless London.

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A Clockwork Orange
Malcolm McDowell, Warren Clarke
Released: 1971
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
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28 Days Later...
Cillian Murphy, Christopher Eccleston
Released: 2002
Directed by: Danny Boyle
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Goldfinger
Sean Connery, Honor Blackman
Released: 1964
Directed by: Guy Hamilton
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The Prestige
Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie
Released: 2006
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Sting, Jason Statham
Released: 1998
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
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Layer Cake
Sienna Miller, Tom Hardy
Released: 2005
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Layer Cake is a 2005 British thriller film directed by Matthew Vaughn, in his directorial... more
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Casino Royale
Alessandra Ambrosio, Eva Green
Released: 2006
Directed by: Martin Campbell
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Snatch
Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro
Released: 2000
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
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Trance
Rosario Dawson, James McAvoy
Released: 2013
Directed by: Danny Boyle
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Dr. No
Sean Connery, Ursula Andress
Released: 1962
Directed by: Terence Young
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Skyfall
Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes
Released: 2012
Directed by: Sam Mendes
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Get Carter
Michael Caine, Britt Ekland
Released: 1971
Directed by: Mike Hodges
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28 Weeks Later
Rose Byrne, Idris Elba
Released: 2007
Directed by: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
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The Descent
Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza
Released: 2005
Directed by: Neil Marshall
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The Woman in Black
Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds
Released: 2012
Directed by: James Watkins
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Harry Brown
Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer
Released: 2009
Directed by: Daniel Barber
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Eden Lake
Michael Fassbender, Kelly Reilly
Released: 2008
Directed by: James Watkins
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Shallow Grave
Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston
Released: 1994
Directed by: Danny Boyle
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Donkey Punch
Jaime Winstone, Julian Morris
Released: 2008
Directed by: Olly Blackburn
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Spectre
Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz
Released: 2015
Directed by: Sam Mendes
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Blowup
Jimmy Page, Vanessa Redgrave
Released: 1966
Directed by: Michelangelo Antonioni
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A Lonely Place to Die
Melissa George, Eamonn Walker
Released: 2011
Directed by: Julian Gilbey
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Eye of the Needle
Donald Sutherland, Bill Nighy
Released: 1981
Directed by: Richard Marquand
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The Ghost Writer
Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor
Released: 2010
Directed by: Roman Polanski
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Dog Soldiers
Kevin McKidd, Liam Cunningham
Released: 2002
Directed by: Neil Marshall
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