Certain thrillers avoid overstaying their welcome, as this genre benefits from being snappy. It maintains a fast pace, leaving no time to waste, resulting in iconic thrillers that run under 90 minutes, such as Rope, Run Lola Run, and Perfect Blue, along with many others that are under two hours.
Epic movies don’t necessarily waste time, but they tell larger stories and generally require more time than your average thriller. However, there are some great epic thrillers out there, including the ones below, which are among the very best. Some epics are thrilling without being classified as thrillers (like The Lord of the Rings and Lawrence of Arabia), but for consistency, only movies marked as thrillers on Letterboxd are included here.
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‘The Towering Inferno’ (1974)
Image via 20th Century Studios
Disaster movies typically benefit from runtimes that aren’t excessively long, as films about survival are generally straightforward. For instance, while Titanic has a runtime over three hours, much of it isn’t focused on the disaster itself. However, it’s not really a thriller, even if the second half is thrilling. If you seek the best disaster movie that feels like a thriller and has an epic runtime, look no further than The Towering Inferno.
This film is lengthy due to its numerous characters. The premise is simple: a fire breaks out during the opening party of a skyscraper, and people inside must fight to survive while those outside try to contain the fire and rescue them. It reflects its era, as disaster movies like this were popular in the 1970s, but among that decade’s many blockbuster disaster films, The Towering Inferno stands out as the best.
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‘Dragged Across Concrete’ (2018)
Image via Lionsgate
For reasons that are somewhat unclear, Heat often isn’t labeled as a thriller in most places you might expect (not IMDb, Letterboxd, or Wikipedia). Instead, we have Dragged Across Concrete, another heist movie with an epic runtime. This film tends to be categorized as a crime/thriller and follows two police detectives who are suspended and become involved in a heist.
Thematically, it’s interesting as it blurs the lines between two groups typically seen as “opposite” sides of the law in brutal ways. It’s also as violent as you’d expect from a title like Dragged Across Concrete, directed by S. Craig Zahler, known for his infamously grisly film Bone Tomahawk, which is a great Western but definitely not for everyone.
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‘Spies’ (1928)
Image via UFA
While not quite as good as Metropolis, Spies is another epic-length silent film by Fritz Lang, which holds up remarkably well for something nearly a century old. Just as Metropolis significantly influenced sci-fi genres, Spies can be seen as incredibly forward-thinking within the spy and thriller genres, exploring complex relationships between various spies and individuals seemingly involved in espionage operations.
Spies runs about 2.5 hours long and is relentless in its chaos and thrilling nature. By design, it can be challenging to follow at times, but it’s also fun to experience the ride while witnessing Fritz Lang accomplish feats ahead of most filmmakers of his time. Spies is underrated, much like Woman in the Moon, which marked Lang’s return to sci-fi and is another epic-length film released just one year after Spies.
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‘Blood In, Blood Out’ (1993)
Sometimes referred to by its alternate title “Bound by Honor, ”Blood In, Blood Out stands as one of the most underrated epic-length films of its era. Running over three hours and spanning more than a decade, it follows three young men entangled in gang conflict early on and their various life changes over time.
A number of traditional epics are set many decades or even centuries ago, yet while feeling like a traditional epic in some respects (in terms of its unfolding narrative and time span), it distinguishes itself by being set in relatively recent times—covering much of the late ‘70s into the early ‘80s. While primarily a crime/drama film, it also qualifies as a thriller,<strong making it an engaging watch despite its lengthy runtime.
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‘One Battle After Another'(2025)
Since it’s recent , it’s hard to know at this stage whetherOne Battle After Anotherwill endure and be a genuine classic some years (or decades) from now , but at the moment , it feels like its chances are good . Worst-case scenario is that it becomes a time capsule for the2010s , but a very comprehensive and unusually accurate one , in terms of the conflict it explores and the general anxiety that it’s willing to depict .
There’s also a good deal of action and excitement here , especially for aPaul Thomas Andersonmovie , since he hadn’t really operated in the blockbuster filmmaking sphere beforeOne Battle After Another. It’s high on thrills , and has some great set pieces , soeven with the somewhat polarizing subject matter , it doesn’t feel too hard to recommend this moviethanks to it being so dedicated to delivering spectacle.
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‘Gangs of Wasseypur'(2012)
Image via Viacom18 Motion Pictures
The runtime might intimidate some people , consideringGangs of Wasseypuris almost five and a half hours long , but it’s split into two volumes , similar to how another epic about killing someone named Bill was initially divided into two parts. In other words , watchingGangs of Wasseypurfeels akin to viewing bothThe GodfatherandThe Godfather Part II back-to-back , which is manageable given how great those films are.
Sure,Gangs of Wasseypurisn’t quite as good asThe Godfatherbut it’s not far off either , functioning remarkably well both as an unpredictable thriller and an epic crime film while maintaining an action-packed atmosphere throughout.
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‘Zodiac'(2007)
Image via Paramount Pictures
As a mystery film,Zodiacis heavy and downbeat ; however , it’s intense enough to function effectively as a thriller at the same time , focusing on the hunt for the Zodiac killer. Several individuals become drawn into this case , particularly cartoonistRobert Graysmithwho becomes obsessed with uncovering the elusive killer’s identity even when murders seem to cease.
About half ofZodiacplays out predictably , while the other half delves into themes of obsession and uncertainty. The first half serves as a grim and violent thriller while the second half generates anxiety through terror stemming from uncertainty. On both fronts,Zodiacis captivating and arguably represents David Fincher’s most ambitious work to date,not to mention one of his finest efforts.
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‘Inglourious Basterds'(2009)
The exception beingDeath Proof, all ofQuentin Tarantino’s’21st-century movies have been pretty much epic-length. If you go back to his three pre-’00 films onlyReservoir Dogs‘ clocks under two-and-a-half hours.
‘There’s so much more than visceral thrills here if you feel inclined.’ Otherwise,’Inglourious Basterds’is still just an exhilarating experience on gut level.
No matter what else Tarantino has done since then,’Inglourious Basterds’ cannot be overlooked for present purposes. It’s set during World War II where various individuals resist German forces in Nazi-controlled France culminating with a movie premiere allowing Tarantino commentary on cinematic violence while showcasing plenty of onscreen brutality.
‘JFK’ (1991)
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‘JFK’(1991)‘is an enthralling mess about John F.Kennedy’s assassination aftermath featuring New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison investigating alarming discoveries while trying to convince others about them.
‘JFK’(or director Oliver Stone)‘is engrossing when portraying obsession over historical events similar to Zodiac.’ It moves quickly despite overwhelming density making getting swept up surprisingly easy.
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