10 Pulse-Pounding Thrillers Streaming on Amazon Prime

Danny Gallagher was once a talented narcotics detective. Now, he’s an ex-con hell-bent on finding the people who framed him and murdered his partner. There are a number of leads—his former coworkers, a drug lord, the CIA. In his search, Gallagher crosses paths with Rebecca, a rogue government agent, and Jimmy, a retired cop dedicated to fighting corruption. Rebecca and Jimmy could become Gallagher’s allies, or they could make his mission just that much harder.

Joe Braven is the owner of a logging company, and he needs a break. Braven, his father, who is developing dementia, and his daughter, Charlotte, decide to go to the family’s cabin for some time away. Unbeknownst to Joe, a coworker has gotten involved in the drug trade and is storing cocaine there. When they arrive at the cabin, the Bravens are surrounded by armed mercenaries and must engage in a dangerous fight for their lives.

When Detective Mal Toohey survives a gunshot thanks to his bulletproof vest, he spends the night celebrating life. Drunk after the night’s festivities, Toohey drives home and hits a young boy on his way. He calls 911, insisting that he had no part in the accident. Two cops, the eager, idealistic Jim Mellic and the seasoned Carl Summer, are assigned to investigate the crash that left the boy in a coma. As Toohey struggles to cover up his crime, he entangles Mellic and Summer in a complicated web of lies.

Sam and Tommy Cahill may be brothers, but they are nothing alike. Sam, a marine, married his high school sweetheart and loves his two young daughters. Tommy is a thief who was just released from prison. When news comes that Sam is missing in action after a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, Tommy tries to do right by his brother. He goes to help Sam’s wife with their children, growing close to his brother’s family. When Sam suddenly returns home–broken and suffering from severe PTSD–everything begins to fall apart.

Driven by their religion, Irish-Catholic twins Conner and Murphy MacManus decide they’re going to clean up Boston. After killing two Russian mobsters in self-defense, the brothers become vigilantes, hunting and killing the dangerous gangsters dirtying the streets of their beloved city. Although The Boondock Saints had a surprisingly cool reception, the film has become one of most beloved cult movies in the thriller genre.

In this historical thriller, Sir Robert Beaumont is not pleased that his African railroad project is behind schedule. In an attempt to get the project back on track, he hires John Henry Patterson, a well-respected British engineer. Not even Patterson can solve the problem behind the delay: a series of deadly lion attacks. The situation gets just as ugly and spine-chilling as you might imagine.

Harrison Ford makes his second appearance as Jack Ryan in this beloved 90s thriller. An American businessman, a close friend of the president, is found dead on a yacht. An investigation into the murder reveals that the businessman had skimmed $650 million from a Colombian cartel and was killed in retaliation. The president conspires with his national security advisor to launch a mission in Colombia to kill the men who killed his friend and keeps Jack Ryan, the new deputy director of the CIA’s intelligence unit in the dark. Ryan knows there’s something going on, but can he figure it out in time to prevent irreparable damage and multiple deaths?

In 2019, the United States is a totalitarian police state. Its residents are obsessed with a show called The Running Man. Contestants on the show, all of whom are convicted criminals, attempt to outrun hitmen. If they somehow manage to escape with their lives, they are pardoned by the government. For Ben Richards, an innocent man framed by his own government, The Running Man is his only hope. But the cruel host of the show knows what his viewers want—and is determined to do whatever it takes to ensure that Richards doesn’t make it off the show alive. 

Set in the Prohibition Era, The Untouchables is based on Eliot Ness’s memoir. Al Capone is the king of Chicago: After making a fortune selling bootleg alcohol, the legendary crime boss has become virtually untouchable. Eliot Ness, an agent in the Bureau of Prohibition, is assigned to bring down Capone, not a simple task. Infuriated by all the dirty cops in the city, Ness puts together the Untouchables–a group of incorruptible agents determined to bring Capone to justice.

Based on the real-life prison break documented in J. Campbell Bruce’s true crime classic, Escape from Alcatraz is the dramatic story of a hardened convict determined to break out of one of America’s highest security prisons. Frank Morris is a brilliant criminal who has spent most of his life in and out of prison. When he arrives at Alcatraz, he’s informed that no one has ever successfully escaped the fortress, which naturally sparks a flame. After Morris discovers that some of the concrete in his cell is weak, he develops a complex plan to escape the island.