10 Films that Prove 1998 Was the 'Year of the Thriller' - ComicBook.com Open Menu Close Menu Comics Movies TV
Gaming Anime Collectibles Forum Facebook X YouTube Instagram Google Discover Google Top Posts Search Comics Comic News
Comic Reviews Marvel DC Image IDW BOOM! Studios Movies Movie News Movie Reviews Supergirl Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Clayface Dune: Part 3 Avengers: Doomsday Superman: Man of Tomorrow TV TV News TV Reviews Spider-Noir X-Men ’97
House of the Dragon Lanterns Vought Rising VisionQuest Gaming Gaming News Video Game Reviews Nintendo Xbox PlayStation
PC Anime Anime News Dragon Ball Demon Slayer Jujutsu Kaisen Naruto My Hero Academia One Piece Franchises DC Marvel Star
Wars Star Trek Power Rangers Grand Theft Auto Collectibles Shop Forum Facebook X YouTube Instagram Google Discover
Google Top Posts Movies 10 Films that Prove 1998 Was the ‘Year of the Thriller’ By Kofi Outlaw July 22,
2026, 9:00pm Comments Share on X (Opens in new window)X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook We go to
see thriller films for one reason above all else: to get our heart rates up. A quality thriller is not just one that
teases the brain with mystery and the constant hint of danger, but one that also affects us physically – a quickening
pulse, a drying mouth, palms too sweaty to properly grip the seat in moments of extreme tension. It’s the same
reason horror is such a consistent box office draw, just not as intense. Videos by ComicBook.com However, other genres
like horror and sci-fi tend to get grouped or ranked regularly, with fans spotting trends and patterns they love to
highlight. For thrillers, it’s far less common to find such deep analysis, but that’s where we come in.
We’ve looked back at decades of cinema and found there was one year where we were blessed with so many thrillers
that are now considered cult classics (if not classics), and that was the year 1998. Don’t believe it? See how you
feel after reviewing the 10 films below. 10. Following Momentum Pictures Christopher Nolan is leaving audiences
breathless with The Odyssey right now, but his filmmaking career began in 1998 with his independent thriller, Following.
The film follows “The Young Man,” a struggling writer who starts following strangers around the London
streets, hoping to find inspiration for his work. Instead, he finds a serial burglar named “Cobb” (sound
familiar?) and quickly falls under his wing. However, Nolan was Nolan from the very start, and the seemingly simple
neo-Noir story quickly takes some major turns, as The Young Man finds out that the world of crime, lies, burglary, and
deceit is far more treacherous than he ever imagined. Now that Nolan has become Nolan, Following is even more powerful
as a snapshot of filmmaking potential, when he had few resources to prove it. 9. Run Lola Run Prokino Filmverleih German
filmmaker Tom Tykwer really got his big breakout with the 1998 thriller Run Lola Run. Starring Franka Potente in the
titular role, the film took the Groundhog Day concept and married it to a ticking-clock thriller: Lola gets a call from
her shady boyfriend saying he will be killed over a money delivery gone wrong, unless he can steal more money to replace
it. The movie runs through different scenarios of what happens when Lola tries to intervene, and the different outcomes
it creates. Along the way, we learn more about Lola’s life, and the toxic men surrounding her. Back in 1998, this
kind of nonlinear storytelling was revolutionary (especially for a thriller), as was the thumping “techno
music” soundtrack that came with the film. 8. Pi Artisan Entertainment Pi is the film that started the career of
Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Black Swan) and is a clear indicator of why his unique mix of high art and pulpy genre
would make him one of the most acclaimed directors of his time. The movie is the epitome of a “psychological
thriller,” following a mentally unstable theoretical mathematician named Max Cohen (Sean Gullette) who discovers a
number made up of 216 digits that begins to affect his mind. Max begins predicting the stock market through some kind of
emerging clairvoyance, causing government agents to start pursuing him. Max begins connecting the number back to
religious texts like the Torah, questioning if the advanced math isn’t a message from a higher being. That draws
the attention of religious fanatics, and marks Max as one of the most hunted (and haunted) men in the world. Pi is
simple indie filmmaking, but elicits a sense of panic and paranoia that few thrillers can. And it does it all using
math. Go figure. 7. The Negotiator Warner Bros. – New Regency The film sees Samuel L. Jackson playing Danny Roman,
a renowned hostage negotiator for the Chicago P.D. When his partner turns up dead after implicating corruption in the
department, Danny becomes the patsy for the crime. Instead of being taken in, Danny storms into Internal Affairs and
takes hostages, demanding that he’ll only speak to one negotiator: Lt. Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey), a cop from a
different department who Danny barely knows. Chris forms a tenuous truce with Danny, as the two negotiators try to step
out of the trap. F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, Law Abiding Citizen) got his start in the thriller genre with the
cult-classic femme fatale heist film, Set It Off; however, his 1998 film The Negotiator was the studio film that really
put him on the map – same with screenwriter James DeMonaco, who would go on to create The Purge franchise. After
Disney passed on the film, Warner Bros. tried to hand it to Sylvester Stallone, but he also passed, opening the door for
Samuel L. Jackson to take his career to the next level. And, as the world now knows all too well, Samuel L. Jackson had
the charisma to carry an action-thriller on his back. The Negotiator is one of the best single-setting thrillers you
will find. 6. A Simple Plan Paramount Pictures Sam Raimi may have gotten his breakout success in horror-comedy with The
Evil Dead, but in 1998 he took a detour into the thriller genre with A Simple Plan. The film was adapted by Scott B.
Smith, based on his own novel. It follows two Minnesota brothers, one a successful accountant named Hank (Bill Paxton),
the other, a “simple-minded” brother named Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton). One day while visiting their
parents’ graves, the brothers and a close friend come across a crashed plane in the woods, carrying over $4
million in cash. They decide to take the money and hold it in secret, until they can be sure they are in the clear.
Instead, their act of theft sets off a series of disastrous events, as the men learn fisthand that there is no
‘easy way’ to walk away with that much money. A Simple Plan lives up to the delicious irony of its title,
and the real “thrill” of the film is watching a close-knit group of family and friends slowly unravel as the
money keeps forcing them do the unthinkable to keep it. It’s a modern (for the time) Hitchcokian thriller as only
Raimi could do. 5. Enemy of the State Touchstone – Buena Vista Pictures Director Tony Scott (Top Gun, True
Romance) was at the top of his game in the 1990s, and in 1998 his fimmaking prowess met Will Smith’s star power
(and Jerry Bruckheimer’s producing power) for the thriller Enemy of the State. In it, Smith plays labor lawyer
Robert Clayton Dean, who one day runs into an old college buddy on the street. What Robert doesn’t know is that
his buddy (a wildlife photographer) has accidentally gotten footage of a political assasination related to the NSA, and
slipped the only copy of it into his shopping bag. It doesn’t take long for the NSA to start looking at Robert,
and putting their resources toward taking him in – or worse. Robert’s only hope becomes “Brill”
(Gene Hackman), his clandestine contact who is a survllieance expert. With Brill’s help, Robert tries to stay
alive long enough to clear his name. Enemy of the State now looks almost freakishly prophetic in its vision of espionage
and government surrviellance, which would soon become a reality after 9/11. It’s only made the film more relatable
over time, plus, seeing Will Smith and Tony Scott working in their prime now feels like a precious gem. Same with seeing
Gene Hackman in one of his final best performances. The rest of the cast is also stacked, with Jon Voight, Regina King,
Gabriel Byrne, Jake Busey, and others. 4. A Perfect Murder Andrew Davis is one of the most successful action-thriller
directors of the 1990s, with Chuck Norris (Code of Silence), Steven Seagal (Above the Law, Under Siege), and Harrison
Ford (The Fugitive) all owing him for propelling their careers forward. However, in 1998, Davis scaled back for a remake
of Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder, entitled A Perfect Murder, and ended up striking box office gold. The
film follows a wealthy Wall Street trader (Michael Douglas), who discovers his younger wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) is having
an affair with a local artist (Viggo Mortensen). The first twist comes when the wealthy husband approaches the side-guy
and exposes him as a con man, who preys on wealthy wives. However, instead of busting the thief, the husband makes a
different move: hiring him to kill his wife, get paid, and avoid prison. They plan the murder out precisely, but nothing
goes to plan, and no one can be trusted. A Perfect Murder is as good as remakes get, and even Hitchock would’ve
been proud. 3. Apt Pupil Sony Pictures Between the Oscar-winning success of The Ususal Suspect and the box office
success of X-Men (2000), Bryan Singer released the dark thriller Apt Pupil, an adaptation of the 1980s Stephen King
novella. The film had an indie budget ($14 million) and bombed at the box office ($8.9 million), but has since become a
cult-hit, mainly due to an intense performance from Ian McKellen. The film follows a high school kid named Todd Bowden
(Brad Renfro), who begins to suspect that his elderly neighbor, Arthur Denker (McKellen) is actually a former Nazi, and
one of the worst conceration camp commadants of the war. But rather than turn him in, Todd forces Arthur (aka
“Kurt Dussander”) to tell him real stories from WWII (his personal obsession), and who the Nazis really
were. At the time it wasn’t appreciated, but Singer’s thriller is darkly insightful in how it forces
would-be facist fanboys to confront the true monstrosity of people who commit vile attrocities. 2. U.S. Marshals The
Fugitive was such a box office success that Warner Bros. took a swing at a spinoff film, following Tommy Lee
Jones’ Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Getard, and his squad of Marshals. This time, the man they are sent to
bring in is a former black-ops agent (Wesley Snipes) with a government target on his head. That makes the hunt all the
more dangerous for the Marshals, as their prey is highly-skilled and dangerous, and the ones trying to kill him may be
even more so. U.S. Marshals isn’t just a good spinoff, it’s a top-notch thriller in its own right. Alongside
Jones and Snipes, the film’s ensemble inlcludes Roberte Downey Jr., Joe Pantoliano, and many others. Director
Stuar Baird didn’t director many films (this, Executive Decision, Star Trek: Nemesis) but his work seems to stand
the test of time better than most. 1. Rounders Miramax The Odyssey star Matt Damon partenered with Edward Norton for
this crime thriler set in the world of underground poker. Damon played Mike, a brilliant player who got broken by a
high-stakes game cone wrong. Mike is living a normal life with his lady Jo (Gretchen Mol), until his old buddy Lester
“Worm” Murphy gets out of jail, and comes looking for his old partner in crime to start
“rounding” again (i.e., hustling at various poker games). Before long, Mike finds himself right back in the
hole, and this time, the consequences could be much higher than money. Rounders has one of the tightest ensembles of any
film, with John Malkovich, John Turturo, Famke Janssen, and Martin Landau all playing major supporting roles. It is a
testatment to director John Dahl (Joy Ride, Evil) that he keeps you on the edge of your seat simply waiting for the flip
of a card. Any other 1998 thrillers you love? Talk to us about it on the ComicBook Forum! One Avengers: Doomsday Trailer
Detail Might Confirm a Massive Rumor (And It Would Devstate Everyone) Tagged:Christopher Nolan, List Feature, Thriller
(Genre) Follow Us On Discover Make Us Preferred In Top Stories Next Article 5 Sci-Fi Movie Remakes That Actually Lived
Up To The Hype → Forum Conversation: What Should Nolan Do Next? Go to Forum Marco Vito Oddo Members July 22 20
hours ago, KOutlaw said:I mean… the answer is horror, right?A non-linear Nolan horror movie with a major
twist?I’m already trying to pre-order that for a dollar!Yes! The Odyssey has some amazing horror moments, like the
Cyclops sequence and even Circe. A full-blown horror by Nolan would rock! DomVonTomb Members July 22 He should probably
just make a reboot of the next reboot that is waiting to be rebooted..or maybe he could make another rambo movie? Maybe
a female rambo this time…. that’s about his speed. KOutlaw Members July 21 I mean… the answer is
horror, right? A non-linear Nolan horror movie with a major twist? I’m already trying to pre-order that for a
dollar! More Movies It’s Been a Decade Since The DCEU Wowed Fans With a Trailer for A Movie That Actually Lived Up
to the Hype Tom Holland Teases Major Spider-Man Storyline in MCU’s Future, And Fans Think They Know When This 1984
Cult Sci-fi Movie Should Have Started a Franchise (Or At Least Given Us a Jeff Goldblum Spinoff) SDCC Exclusive
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Sneak Peek Has Fans Close to “Tears of Joy”—Watch It Now 4 Years Ago Today,
Marvel Studios Made An Unfortunate Announcement That Cost Millions & 2 Years to Fix ALL THE BEST GEEK MOVIES IN YOUR
INBOX Get access to exclusive stories on new releases, movies, shows, comics, anime, games and more! By signing up, you
confirm that you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. More Movies Movies 4 hours
ago One of the First Video Games in History Is Getting Adapted As a Movie, & We Have Questions Movies 4 hours ago
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Could Be Second Movie Ever to Accomplish This Box Office Feat Movies 4 hours ago Resident Evil
Director Reveals the Scene That Almost Killed His Star, And Why He’s Not Adapting the Games Outright Marvel
Studios Movies 7 hours ago Tom Holland Debunks the Biggest Spider-Man: Brand New Day Rumor, And Literally No One
Believes Him Movies 7 hours ago Batman Favorite Alan Ritchson Reveals What He Needs to Join the DCU, And Confirms
“A Lot” of Conversations Movies 8 hours ago Jon Bernthal Says Nothing Is Off the Table for MCU Punisher,
Including the White Boots [EXCLUSIVE] Movies 8 hours ago Supergirl Digital & 4k Release Date & Extras Confirmed
– Watch an Exclusive Featurette About Adapting the Comic Movies 8 hours ago In Theaters 27 Years Ago, The
‘Sausage King of Chicago’ Starred in a Box Office Bomb Based on a Fan-Favorite Cartoon Series Facebook X
YouTube Instagram Google Discover Google Top Posts Comics Comic News Comic Reviews Marvel DC Image IDW BOOM! Studios
Movies Movie News Movie Reviews Supergirl Spider-Man: Brand New Day Clayface Dune: Part 3 Avengers: Doomsday Superman:
Man of Tomorrow TV TV News TV Reviews Spider-Noir X-Men ’97 House of the Dragon Lanterns Vought Rising VisionQuest
Gaming Gaming News Video Game Reviews Nintendo Xbox PlayStation PC Anime Anime News Dragon Ball Demon Slayer Jujutsu
Kaisen Naruto My Hero Academia One Piece Franchises DC Marvel Star Wars Star Trek Power Rangers Grand Theft Auto
Collectibles Shop Forum Contact Us Advertising About Careers Terms of Use Privacy Policy Copyright 2026 ComicBook.com.
All rights reserved. Login / Sign Up