3 tremendous Netflix thrillers to watch this week (May 11-17)
Apex’s reign at the top of Netflix might be coming to an end with the addition of two new movies in May. The first is Swapped, an animated adventure starring Michael B. Jordan and Juno Temple. The other movie is Remarkably Bright Creatures, an endearing drama starring Sally Field and Lewis Pullman. Both movies have the potential to be the No. 1 movie when Netflix updates its rankings.
None of this week’s three thriller picks to watch in the U.S. will crack the top 10. However, you should add them to your queue if you’re looking for exciting movies to stream. Our top pick features two A-list superstars stuck in a hostage crisis. As for the other movies, one is a recent erotic thriller, while the other depicts a heist gone wrong.
3
Triple 9
Trust no one in this heist thriller
I’m not well-versed in law enforcement terms, so learning about a “triple 9” was a first for me. A triple 9 is used in an “officer down” situation. That could be anything from a stabbing to a shooting. In any case, the injured officer needs immediate assistance. Knowing these details, it should come as no surprise that the crime movie Triple 9 features a dangerous situation involving an officer, but it’s not a black-and-white case.
A five-man heist crew based out of Atlanta includes Michael Atwood (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Russell Welch (Norman Reedus), Gabe Welch (Aaron Paul), and two corrupt detectives: Marcus Belmont (Anthony Mackie) and Franco Rodriguez (Clifton Collins Jr.). After robbing a bank, the group is forced to take on another mission for their ruthless boss Irina Vlaslov (Kate Winslet). To pull off the job, Marcus suggests a triple 9 scenario with his new partner, Chris (Casey Affleck). Therefore, all the police would converge on the triple 9, freeing up the other members to pull off the heist.
There are so many moving pieces in Triple 9. There’s more lying and backstabbing than a game of Monopoly. The phrase “trust no one” definitely comes to mind when watching this thriller. As a forewarning, don’t get too attached to a character because you never know who might be taken out.
2
Fair Play
Old-school erotic thriller
What happened to the erotic thriller? The genre peaked in the 1980s and 1990s with hits like Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, and Disclosure. I don’t know why these movies fell out of style in the 2000s. Many film historians will cite the internet for the genre’s downfall—specifically, online pornography. I love that these movies are unapologetic in their ridiculousness—the crazier, the better.
- Integrations
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Alexa
- Storage
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16GB
Chloe Domont attempted to revive the erotic thriller genre with 2023’s Fair Play. Emily Meyers (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke Edmunds (Alden Ehrenreich) are coworkers at a Manhattan hedge fund. The two employees are also in a secret relationship that leads to an engagement. Their relationship faces trouble when Luke is passed over for a promotion in favor of Emily. Now, Emily is in control at work, shifting the power dynamics in their personal lives, too.
Fair Play has everything I want in an erotic thriller. It’s sweaty, sleazy, and passionate. The addition of gender politics in the workplace elevated this thriller and made it feel more like a movie set in the present day. It’s a lot smarter than most erotic thrillers, too. I don’t think it revived the genre as much as Netflix hoped it would, but overall, I was satisfied with Dumont’s take.
1
Money Monster
A deadly stock market
I don’t care what Jodie Foster said. I’m convinced that George Clooney’s character in Money Monster is inspired by Jim Cramer. If you’re making a movie about a boisterous and animated financial television host, it’s hard not to seek inspiration from Cramer, the most famous person in the medium. Oh well, I guess we have to take Foster and Clooney at their word.
As for the movie, Money Monster introduces audiences to Lee Gates (Clooney), a financial expert who hosts the titular show. During one of Lee’s shows, a random man named Kyle Budwell (Jack O’Connell) strolls onto the set with a gun and takes Lee as his hostage. Kyle lost his life savings on a bad stock tip from Lee, so he makes the host wear a suicide vest. Kyle wants answers for what went wrong, and Lee agrees to help by tracking down the CEO of the company (Dominic West). While Lee occupies Kyle, his longtime director Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) tries to de-escalate the situation.
The natural chemistry between Clooney and Roberts is on full display. Admittedly, it was weird seeing the A-list duo not playing romantic partners. My biggest takeaway was O’Connell’s performance, who excels at playing antagonists, most recently in Sinners and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Overall, it’s an effective thriller backed by three good performances from the leads.
Money Monster
- Release Date
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May 13, 2016
- Director
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Jodie Foster
- Writers
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Jim Kouf, Alan DiFiore, Jamie Linden
More Netflix movies and TV shows coming your way
If you need more Netflix content, check out our list of shows to watch this weekend, including Legends and Lord of the Flies. Elsewhere, try a Netflix documentary, such as Full Swing or Worst Ex Ever.
- Subscription with ads
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Yes, $8/month
- Simultaneous streams
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Two or four