6. Bad Country (2014)
In Louisiana, Detective Bud Carter (Willem Dafoe) arrests hitman Jesse Weiland (Matt Dillon). Bud persuades Jesse to take down his Dixie Mafia boss.
Bad Country is another title that has been unrecognised as the entertaining thriller it truly is. The Southern Gothic-meets-mafia tale is augmented by the all-star cast. Unusually speaking with a Southern accent, Matt Dillon is an underused, yet engrossing and powerful leading man. Meanwhile, Neal McDonough (Justified, Tulsa King) brings his signature stubborn, passive-aggressive slipperiness. The 2010s proved to be the decade McDonough broke-in as Hollywood’s most sought-after villain. However, Willem Dafoe, one of the world’s preeminent actors, transforms Bad Country, with his passion for and unwavering commitment to his craft.
With every film he appears in, it is a pleasure to watch Dafoe paint masterpiece after masterpiece with his acting brilliance. Bad Country possesses accurate Cajun accents and foreboding photography of Spanish moss and alligators. Another of the movie’s enjoyable traits is its period piece style. Some costumes and interiors show off the panache of 1980s fashion. At the same time, other outfits and locations could equally belong to today. The result of this effect is an ‘1980s-lite aesthetic.’ This feels grounded in the present, making the characters relatable for contemporary viewers, yet with tasteful nods to nostalgia.
7. Stockholm (2018)
This Canadian production dramatises the Norrmalmstorg Robbery, which took place in Stockholm, 1973. This event was the origin of the term ‘Stockholm Syndrome,’ where a captive falls for their captor. Whilst Lars Nystrom (Ethan Hawke) robs Kreditbanken, a days-long hostage situation burgeons. Lars and teller Bianca Lind (Noomi Rapace) begin to fall in love.
What makes Stockholm one of the best, albeit unsung heist movies is its sweet, warm-hearted core. This is largely down to an endearing comedic lead performance from Ethan Hawke. His charming romantic exchanges with Bianca elevates the movie above the cruder, more violent titles of the sub-genre. With high production value, Stockholm particularly excels in eliciting sympathy for and closeness with its characters.
A cosy, surrogate family intimacy is forged through their bonding in the walk-in safe, bolstered by an against-type turn from Mark Strong. Additionally, the comedy is enhanced by the contrast between the cowboy hatted, “yee-haw”-ing Lars and the friendly Swedes. In such a peaceful country, the quaint, folksy Stockholm police are comically unsure of how to handle a brazen American desperado. The emotiveness of the Bob Dylan soundtrack captures both the period setting and Lars’s optimistic, freewheeling personality.
8. Asher (2018)
Asher (Ron Perlman) is an Israeli hitman living in Brooklyn. He yearns to end his career and nurture a romance with Sophie (Famke Janssen).
The definitive hitman movie, Asher is perhaps Ron Perlman’s best role, permitting him to reach a poignant depth of tenderness. The protagonist’s solitude is felt through the still, contemplative, slow jazz tone. This is encapsulated when Asher sits on a balcony, enjoying red wine, listening to antique French music. He looks out onto the vista of skyscrapers, glowing in the night.
Ostensibly drawing influence from Le Samouraï, Asher’s signature is smoking in the hallway outside his target’s door. After the sprinklers go off, Asher opens his umbrella. When the target opens their door, Asher shoots them. Asher inverts the excesses of typical crime movies, in favour of a poetic, character-driven approach. It is as much a successful thriller as it is a character study, romance and meditative drama. There is touching realism, wisdom and melancholy to Asher’s emotionally affecting scenes with Sophie.
9. The Standoff at Sparrow Creek (2018)
A police funeral is attacked. Believing they could be implicated, a covert militia barricades themselves inside their clubhouse. Waiting for the police to strike, they attempt to decipher which one of them is responsible for the shooting.
Unlike the other titles of this list, The Standoff at Sparrow Creek has a high approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, this incredible debut is not discussed enough as a memorable work of thriller genius. It is unique in the genre for having an original premise and style. Numbering among its many attributes is its spectral lighting, incorporating a painterly use of silhouettes. There are politically relevant undertones, denoting the contemporarily divided social climate, government mistrust and the rise of far-right politics.
Importantly, The Standoff at Sparrow Creek is a triumphant locked room mystery, because it is able to sustain a horror movie’s intensity throughout its runtime. During the interrogations, No Country for Old Men’s Gene Jones brings his complex unpredictability and Patrick Fischler (Mulholland Drive), his intellectual mysteriousness. Though an independent movie, The Standoff at Sparrow Creek’s artistic craftsmanship gives it A-list production value and serious gravity.
10. Polar (2019)
Duncan Vizla (Mads Mikkelsen), a hitman on the cusp of retirement, is targeted by the agency he works for. They want to kill him and retain his $8 million pension.
Somehow only receiving a 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Polar is, in fact, wackily entertaining, unique and visually stunning. What is more, it is a novel interpretation of the well-trodden hitman sub-genre. Its artistic value is ascribed to a notable, well-realised vision from director Jonas Åkerlund. With an auteur’s fantastical mise en scène, he uses bright colours, cruel, stylised gore, luscious cinematography and a comic book tone to cultivate a mythology unique to this film.
Everything in it is heightened to fabulism, like the characters: Matt Lucas as Duncan’s eccentric, yellow suit-wearing boss. Furthermore, Mikkelsen proves why he is a born action star. He brings mysteriousness and character to the eyepatch-donning protagonist, holding his own in epic, cartoonish machine gun skirmishes. That said, Vanessa Hudgens’ humane, sympathetic performance is the film’s heart and acting highlight. Through her portrayal of Camille, Polar’s message touches upon trauma and mental health.