Collider has ranked the ten best thriller films of the 2020s so far, and the list runs from John Wick: Chapter 4 at number 10 down to It Was Just an Accident at number 6. The 10 Best Thriller Films of the 2020s So Far, Ranked puts the John Wick franchise at the bottom of the list, with Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 at number 9 and Edward Berger’s Conclave at number 8.
The Films on the List
John Wick: Chapter 4 closes out the assassin saga with the most intense fight scenes yet. Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 stars Nicholas Hoult as a juror who realizes the defendant is innocent and that he himself may be guilty. The film leans on Eastwood’s older directing style.
Edward Berger’s Conclave is a Vatican-set thriller about cardinals voting for a new pope after the old one dies unexpectedly. Ralph Fiennes leads the cast as one of the candidates, and the film draws on institutional power and faith in its central story.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners blends horror, thriller, action and period musicals into one blockbuster hit. It became one of the most recognizable films of the decade.
Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident was shot without permission from Iranian authorities. The film tells the story of a mechanic who believes he has found the man who tortured him in prison and plans a plot of revenge.
What the Ranking Shows
The list rewards ambition and craft across a range of styles. John Wick: Chapter 4 is a pure action spectacle, while Juror #2 is a character study wrapped in tense courtroom drama. Conclave uses institutional power as its engine, and Sinners mixes genres without losing pace.
It Was Just an Accident is the most morally engaged film on the list, dealing directly with imprisonment and torture in Iran. Its final shot is described as one of the greatest in any thriller.
The ranking also shows how far the thriller has spread across platforms and formats. These films arrived on multiple channels, and the genre remains flexible enough to support everything from martial arts epics to quiet courtroom dramas.
Why the Ranking Works
The list is consistent in its praise, and each film earns its spot through craft rather than hype. The ranking describes the films’ strengths in detail, and the admiration for the final shot of It Was Just an Accident is particular.
The ranking ends with It Was Just an Accident, a film that raises moral questions about imprisonment and torture in Iran. Its final shot is described as one of the greatest in any thriller.
The list is a snapshot of a decade of thrilling cinema, and it points toward a future where the genre continues to push boundaries.
| Film | Rank |
|---|---|
| John Wick: Chapter 4 | 10 |
| Juror #2 | 9 |
| Conclave | 8 |
| Sinners | 7 |
| It Was Just an Accident | 6 |
Source material: “The 10 Best Thriller Films of the 2020s So Far, Ranked,” Collider.
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