Everyone occasionally enjoys a rush of adrenaline in their lives and one of the easiest ways to achieve that is by watching a truly engrossing film that stimulates all your emotions. French thriller movies are a good option to visit in this aspect.
French cinema has so many offerings on multiple streaming platforms to satiate your craving for a good thriller, ranging from action-heavy ones to psychological romance thrillers. Here are the 10 best French thriller movies that you must watch:
1. À la folie… pas du tout (He Loves Me…He Loves Me Not)
Available on: Prime Video
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Samuel Le Bihan, Isabelle Carré, Sophie Guillemin, Clément Sibony, Élodie Navarre
Angélique (Tautou) is an art student who meets Loïc (Le Bihan) one day and the two of them begin a friendship that slowly progresses to something more. Loïc is a doctor who is married and truly loves his wife but Angélique believes they have a future together. In this warped love story, we learn that it’s always important to get both sides of the story.
A film told from different perspectives gives the audience two wildly differing opinions concerning the lead characters. This French thriller successfully pulls the rug from under you with its engaging story.
2. Bronx (Rogue City)
Available on: Netflix
Cast: Lannick Gautry, Stanislas Merhar, Kaaris, David Belle, Patrick Catalifo, Jean Reno
An anti-gang task force of the police is forced to take matters into their own hands when all the gangs in Marseille wage an all-out war against each other. The task force uses unorthodox methods that might not always be acceptable but the arrival of a new police commissioner means that they have to reign in their natural tendencies.
A solid enjoyable French thriller fill to the brim with scintillating action and mind games as the traditional cops vs robbers concept is dialled to eleven.
3. Frères ennemis (Close Enemies)
Available on: Netflix
Cast: Matthias Schoenaerts, Reda Kateb, Adel Bencherif, Sofiane Zermani, Sabrina Ouazani, Gwendolyn Gourvenec
Two childhood friends grow up to follow different paths that find them on opposite sides of the law and order divide. Manuel (Schoenaerts) carries out crimes with his group while Driss (Kateb) is a cop tasked with stopping these crimes. When a deal goes sideways, these old friends are forced to work together, realising that they need each other to survive.
A story of friendship and its complicated nature with moments of action interspersed means that this is one French thriller bound to excite the audience.
4. La French (The Connection)
Available on: Hulu
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Gilles Lellouche, Céline Sallette, Mélanie Doutey, Benoît Magimel, Guillaume Gouix
Pierre Michel (Dujardin) is a French police magistrate who worked primarily with juvenile cases. When he is moved to the organized crime unit to combat the rising influence of ‘la french’, a drug gang that deals in heroin, he sees the complexity of the task before him. The head of the gang, Gaètan ‘Tany’ Zampa is a smart operator who knows how to keep his hands clean.
A game of chess between the police and the drug gang ensues in this French thriller that portrays the height of the drug trade in the 70s in Marseille.
5. Burn Out
Available on: Netflix
Cast: François Civil, Olivier Rabourdin, Manon Azem, Samuel Jouy, Narcisse Mame, Naël Rabia
Tony (Civil) is a motorcycle racer with dreams of joining the professional circuit when he’s not caring for his son while his ex-wife looks for work. When she gets in trouble with a drug lord, Tony offers his assistance to wipe her off debt but his willingness to work is taken advantage of as Tony is forced to carry out endless drug dropoffs with no respite.
An adrenaline heavy French thriller, the exhilarating motorcycle sequences are a true standout of the film. It stimulates the mind of the viewers with its brilliant action.
6. Balle perdue (Lost Bullet)
Available on: Netflix
Cast: Alban Lenoir, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Ramzy Bedia, Stéfi Celma, Rod Paradot, Sébastien Lalanne
Lino (Lenoir) is a talented mechanic who gets arrested by the police under unfortunate circumstances. They want to use his expertise to improve the vehicles of their go-fast task force that combats drug runners, but when he is framed by some corrupt cops he is forced to go on the run and prove his innocence.
A clever lead character takes the audience on a journey in this frenzied French thriller featuring fast cars and tons of wrecks.
7. Revenge
Available on: Netflix
Cast: Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe, Guillaume Bouchède, Jean-Louis Tribes
Jen (Lutz) is in a relationship with Richard (Janssens) even though he is married. When the two of them head out to a secluded desert for his hunting trip, things take a turn for the worse when Jen is raped by one of Richard’s friends. When she refuses to just forget what happened, they push her off a cliff and leave her for dead. What they don’t expect though, is her coming back for revenge.
With such an empowering character at its forefront, this French thriller explores some common tropes that women have to face and flips them on their heads as she chooses to fight back against her oppressors.
8. Carbone (Carbon)
Available on: Netflix
Cast: Benoît Magimel, Gringe, Idir Chender, Laura Smet, Michaël Youn, Dani
When Anthony (Magimel) is in danger of losing his family business, he figures out a plan to save it through illegal means. He gets in touch with influential people who are more accustomed to breaking the law and slowly gets consumed by his new way of life. As things move forward, he has to face all the consequences that come with this kind of work.
A film portraying what ordinary people may resort to when they’re backed into a corner. This French thriller is very relatable and has a very nail-biting story.
9. Contre-enquête (Counter Investigation)
Available on: Prime Video
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Laurent Lucas, Agnès Blanchot, Aurélien Recoing, Jacques Frantz, Jean-François Garreaud
When a police captain’s daughter is raped and murdered, the authorities find a suspect and charge him despite the lack of concrete evidence or any witnesses. After the suspect is sent to jail, he writes a letter to the captain to sow seeds of doubt as to whether he’s the real killer. The captain begins investigating on his own to bring peace to his mind and justice to his daughter.
A gripping French thriller with the magnificent Jean Dujardin, this film has a great score and a very intriguing plot to follow.
10. BAC Nord (The Stronghold)
Available on: Netflix
Cast: Gilles Lellouche, Karim Leklou, François Civil, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Kenza Fortas, Cyril Lecomte
3 police officers want to take down the drug operations in the northern part of Marseille, a region with the highest crime rate in the city. They have to work against the system as well as the powerful kingpins who act without any consequence to protect their turf. After some hard work, they succeed in their mission but it’s all forgotten when the three men are framed and sent to prison where they have to prove their innocence.
This French thriller was one of the most-watched foreign language films on Netflix upon its release thanks to its alluring plot and intense setpieces.
Also Read: 10 best French thriller series on Netflix, Prime Video & more