Foreign Films The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked  

Ranker Film
693 votes 138 voters 7.4k views 45 items

List Rules Only thriller films in a language other than English. Vote up the best foreign action movies.

If you love a good adrenaline rush, check out some of these superb foreign thriller movies to get your heart rate pumping. Thriller films are always enticing, with that mix of action, adventure, and larger-than-life characters.

Foreign thriller films add an extra layer of excitement as they simultaneously offer you the opportunity to broaden your horizon and learn more about other cultures. From new foreign action movies to long-beloved classics, you'll find films to satiate your craving for action and adventure in the list below. 

What are some great foreign language action films? Tom Tykwer's 1998 German film Run Lola Run follows the title character as she tries to save her boyfriend's life. The film is set in three parts each, with a small variance that changes the plot immensely. The Swedish adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is also a great foreign thriller. The Hunt - a 2012 Danish film - is a slow-burner, full of psychological suspense. Other good foreign thrillers include Oldboy, The Lives of Others, and I Saw the Devil.

Do you have a favorite foreign thriller? Give the best movies a thumbs up, and please add any good films we may have missed.

list ordered by

1
38 16
Oldboy is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Oh Dal-su Oldboy is a 2003 South Korean mystery thriller neo-noir film directed by Park Chan-wook. It is based on the Japanese manga of the same name written by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya. ...more

2
25 6
The Hunt is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Mads Mikkelsen, Alexandra Rapaport, Thomas Bo Larsen The Hunt is a 2012 Danish drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starring Mads Mikkelsen. The story is set in a small Danish village around Christmas, and follows a man who becomes the ...more

3
32 12
I Saw the Devil is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Cheon Ho-Jin I Saw the Devil is a 2010 South Korean psychological thriller/horror film directed by Kim Ji-woon, written by Park Hoon-jung, and starring Choi Min-sik and Lee Byung-hun. The film introduces the ...more

4
24 6
The Girl with the Dragon Tatto... is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Noomi Rapace, Marika Lagercrantz, Lena Endre The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a 2009 Swedish drama thriller film based on the novel of the same name by Swedish author/journalist Stieg Larsson. It is the first book in the trilogy known as ...more

5
22 5
Headhunters is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Aksel Hennie, Baard Owe Headhunters is a 2011 Norwegian-Swedish action thriller film, based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Jo Nesbø. The film was directed by Morten Tyldum and stars Aksel Hennie, Nikolaj ...more

6
19 4
The Skin I Live In is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Antonio Banderas, Blanca Suárez, Elena Anaya The Skin I Live In is a 2011 Spanish psychological thriller film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet, and Roberto ...more

7
25 10
The Secret in Their Eyes is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Ricardo Darín, Mariano Argento, Soledad Villamil The Secret in Their Eyes is a 2009 Argentine crime thriller film directed, produced and edited by Juan José Campanella and written by Eduardo Sacheri and Campanella, based on Sacheri's ...more

8
19 5
The Body is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
The Body Belén Rueda, José Coronado, Pere Brasó The Body is a 2012 thriller film written by Oriol Paulo and Lara Sendim; and directed by Oriol Paulo.

9
25 11
The Man from Nowhere is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron, Young-chang Song "Won Bin’s heartthrob’s pretty boy image is shattered, tossed out, and forever lost buried under the pile of blood splattered bodies in his latest film “The Man from Nowhere” (Korean title ...more

10
20 10
Run Lola Run is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Franka Potente, Armin Rohde, Moritz Bleibtreu Run Lola Run is a 1998 German thriller film written and directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Franka Potente as Lola and Moritz Bleibtreu as Manni. The story follows a woman who needs to obtain ...more

11
22 12
Tell No One is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Kristin Scott Thomas, Harlan Coben, Guillaume Canet Tell No One is a 2006 French thriller film directed by Guillaume Canet and based on the novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. Written by Canet and Philippe Lefebvre and starring ...more

12
12 3
The Hidden Face is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
The Hidden Face Clara Lago, Alexandra Stewart, Martina García The Hidden Face is a 2011 Colombian thriller film directed by Andrés Baiz. An official Bollywood remake of the film, titled Murder 3, was made in 2013.

13
17 8
The Lives of Others is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Ulrich Tukur, Ulrich Mühe, Martina Gedeck The Lives of Others is a 2006 German drama film, marking the feature film debut of filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, about the monitoring of East Berlin by agents of the Stasi, the ...more

14
14 6
The Chaser is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Kim Yoo-jung, Ha Jung-woo, In-gi Jeong The Chaser is a 2008 South Korean film starring Kim Yoon-seok and Ha Jung-woo. It was directed by Na Hong-jin in his directorial debut. Inspired by real-life Korean serial killer Yoo Young-chul, ...more

15
10 3
Dead Man's Shoes is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Paddy Constantine, Toby Kebbell, Gary Stretch Dead Man's Shoes is a 2004 British psychological thriller film written and directed by Shane Meadows, and co-written by Paddy Considine, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Toby ...more

16
14 7
Audition is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Eihi Shiina, Renji Ishibashi, Ren Osugi Audition is a 1999 Japanese psychological horror-drama film, directed by Takashi Miike and starring Ryo Ishibashi and Eihi Shiina. It is based on a Ryu Murakami novel of the same title, from a ...more

17
9 3
Lady Vengeance is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked

18
16 10
Timecrimes is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Karra Elejalde, Nacho Vigalondo, Barbara Goenaga Timecrimes is a 2007 Spanish science-fiction thriller film directed by Nacho Vigalondo. A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour, starting a series f ...more

19
5 0
The Invisible Guest is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
asifhaque98 added The Invisible Guest

20
12 7
Animal Kingdom is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton, Jacki Weaver "Welcome to the jungle known as the Melbourne underworld. Animal Kingdom uses this edgy locale to unspool a gripping tale of survival and revenge. Pope Cody, an armed robber on the run from ...more

21
8 3
Nine Queens is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Ricardo Darín, Oscar Nunez, Alejandro Awada Nine Queens is a 2000 Argentine crime drama film written and directed by Fabián Bielinsky and starring Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, Leticia Brédice, Tomás ...more

22
7 3
Loft is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Loft Rachael Taylor, Veerle Baetens, Jan Decleir Loft is a 2008 Belgian thriller directed by Erik Van Looy and written by Bart De Pauw, starring an ensemble cast of notable Flemish actors.

23
5 1
I'm Not Scared is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Diego Abatantuono, Dino Abbrescia I'm Not Scared is a 2003 film directed by Gabriele Salvatores. Francesa Marciano and Niccolò Ammaniti wrote the script, basing it on Niccolò Ammaniti's successful 2001 Italian ...more

24
4 0
The Orphanage is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
asifhaque98 added Geraldine Chaplin, Belén Rueda, Édgar Vivar The Orphanage is a 2007 Spanish horror film and the debut feature of Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona. The film stars Belén Rueda as Laura, Fernando Cayo as her husband, Carlos, and Roger ...more

25
4 0
REC is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
asifhaque98 added Manuela Velasco, Javier Botet, Ana Isabel Velásquez REC is a 2007 Spanish horror film, co-written and directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza. The film was shot in Barcelona, Spain and the title is an abbreviation of the word ...more

26
4 0
Julia's Eyes is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
asifhaque98 added Belén Rueda, Clara Segura, Lluís Homar Julia's Eyes is a critically acclaimed 2010 Spanish horror film directed by Guillem Morales and written by Morales and Oriol Paulo.

27
4 1
Wild Tales is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
asifhaque98 added Ricardo Darín, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Érica Rivas Wild Tales is a 2014 Argentine-Spanish black comedy film written and directed by Damián Szifron and starring an ensemble cast consisting of Ricardo Darín, Oscar Martínez, ...more

28
3 0
Open Your Eyes is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
asifhaque98 added Penélope Cruz, Eduardo Noriega, Najwa Nimri Abre los Ojos is a 1997 Spanish film co-written, co-scored and directed by Alejandro Amenábar and co-written by Mateo Gil. It stars Eduardo Noriega, Penélope Cruz, Fele ...more

29
12 10
Funny Games is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, Wolfgang Glück Written and directed by German-born Michael Haneke, FUNNY GAMES combines thriller conventions "with a number of Brechtian devices that catch audiences in a voyeuristic trance" (Stephen ...more

30
5 3
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Nig... is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Marshall Manesh, Mozhan Marnò, Dominic Rains A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is a 2014 American film directed by Ana Lily Amirpour. Tagged as "The first Iranian vampire Western", it was chosen to show in the "Next" ...more

31
5 3
Who Am I is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Who Am I

32
2 0
Fermat's Room is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
asifhaque98 added Alejo Sauras, Federico Luppi, Lluís Homar Fermat's Room is a 2007 Spanish thriller film directed by Luis Piedrahita and Rodrigo Sopeña. Three mathematicians and one inventor are invited to a house under the premise of solving a ...more

33
9 8
Sleep Tight is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Luis Tosar, Alberto San Juan, Marta Etura Sleep Tight is a 2011 horror and thriller film written by Alberto Marini and directed by Jaume Balagueró.

34
3 2
Jar City is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Erlendur Eiriksson Jar City is a 2006 Icelandic film directed by Baltasar Kormákur. It is based on Mýrin, a novel written by Arnaldur Indriðason and released in English as Jar City. ...more

35
3 3
Cold Fish is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Taro Suwa, Denden, Megumi Kagurazaka Cold Fish is a 2010 Japanese serial killer film directed by Sion Sono. The film is about a quiet and unambitious owner of a tropical fish shop whose life and family are taken over by a fellow ...more

36
0 0
The Vanishing is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Bragi Schut added Johanna ter Steege, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets The Vanishing is a Dutch–French film adaptation of the novella The Golden Egg by Tim Krabbé, released on 27 October 1988. Directed by George Sluizer and starring Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, ...more

37
0 0
Nightwatch is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Bragi Schut added Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Ulrich Thomsen, Sofie Gråbøl Nightwatch is a 1994 Danish thriller film directed and written by Danish director Ole Bornedal. The film involves Martin who gets a student job as night watchman at the Forensic Medicine ...more

38
0 0
Big Bad Wolves is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Bragi Schut added Lior Ashkenazi, Kais Nashif, Dvir Benedek Big Bad Wolves is a 2013 Israeli black comedy horror-thriller film written and directed by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado. It was the official selection of Tribeca Film Festival.

39
5 6
No Mercy is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Kim Basinger, Richard Gere, Charles S. Dutton No Mercy is a 1986 film starring Richard Gere and Kim Basinger about a cop who accepts an offer to kill a Cajun gangster.

40
5 6
Confessions is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Takako Matsu, Masaki Okada, Ai Hashimoto Confessions is a 2010 Japanese drama film directed by Tetsuya Nakashima, based on housewife-turned-author Kanae Minato's 2008 debut mystery novel that won the 2009 Honya Taisho award.

41
4 5
The Silence is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom, Birger Malmsten The Silence is a 1963 Swedish film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Ingrid Thulin and Gunnel Lindblom. The plot focuses on two sisters – the younger a sensuous woman with a ...more

42
1 2
Paradise Now is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Lubna Azabal, Hiam Abbass, Ashraf Barhom Paradise Now is a 2005 film directed by Hany Abu-Assad about two Palestinian men preparing for a suicide attack in Israel. It won a Golden Globe for best foreign language film and was nominated ...more

43
4 6
The Experiment is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Fatih Akın, Moritz Bleibtreu, Christian Berkel Das Experiment is a 2001 German thriller film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, about a social experiment, based on Mario Giordano's novel Black Box, which resembles Philip Zimbardo's Stanford ...more

44
2 4
The Wave is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Jacob Matschenz, Christiane Paul, Jürgen Vogel Die Welle is a 2008 German sociopolitical thriller film directed by Dennis Gansel and starring Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Jennifer Ulrich and Max Riemelt in the leads. It is based on Ron ...more

45
1 3
Sound of Noise is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Best Foreign Thriller Movies, Ranked
Ralph Carlsson, Anders Jansson, Peter Schildt Sound of Noise is a 2010 film written and directed by Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stjärne Nilsson. "The revival of the musical takes a dramatic turn as the directors and musicians from ...more