Paramount+ has a considerably smaller lineup of thrillers than many of its streaming rivals.
The tradeoff works out well for subscribers because the thrillers on Paramount+ include some of the best ever made.
Chinatown may have left the streamer this month, but Paramount+ has picked up two classics in the genre: Face/Off and Witness.
You can find those films below with the rest of the Watch With Us team’s picks for the must-watch thrillers to watch on Paramount+.
6 Must-Watch Movies on Paramount+ Right Now (September 2025)
‘Face/Off’ (1997)
There are few movies that let an actor play both the hero and the villain and the same story, but no others quite like Face/Off. Hong Kong cinema legend John Woo directed this action thriller about two men with a grudge against each other, FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) and domestic terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage).
After Archer finally defeats Troy and leaves him comatose, he discovers that leftover bombs from Troy’s last plot still need to be found. Archer reluctantly agrees to have a temporary face transplant with Troy to go undercover and find the bombs. That awakens Troy, who seizes the opportunity to steal Archer’s life and erase all evidence of Archer’s undercover status. Now, Archer has to reclaim his life, his family and even his face from the man he hates most in the world while evading a massive manhunt.
Face/Off is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Witness’ (1985)
Witness is an underrated thriller that turned 40 this year, but it remains a top-notch example of the genre. Harrison Ford plays John Book, a detective in the Philadelphia PD who takes the case of a young Amish boy, Samuel Lapp (Lukas Haas), who accidentally witnesses a murder. Book soon realizes that Samuel and his mother, Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis), are in grave danger from corrupt cops because of what her son saw.
10 Greatest Thrillers of the 1990s, Ranked
After Book is seriously injured, he recuperates alongside Rachel and Samuel in the Amish community. Book and Rachel even feel romantic sparks, even as the corrupt police officials attempt to hunt them down and silence them. Book can’t hide with Rachel forever, and his way is not the Amish way.
Witness is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Red Eye’ (2005)
Considering the trajectory of their careers over the last two decades, director Wes Craven caught lightning in a bottle when he cast Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy as the leads in Red Eye. Murphy is particularly like a cinematic chameleon, as his character, Jackson Rippner, is so kind and charming to Lisa Reisert (McAdams). He’s the kind of guy she’d take home to meet her father, Joe (Brian Cox) — if Jackson hadn’t already sent an assassin to kill him first.
Much to Lisa’s horror, she learns that Jackson plans to use her father’s life to blackmail her into helping him pull off an act of domestic terrorism. Lisa finds herself stuck on an overnight flight with this sociopath watching her every move. If Lisa can’t get out from under Jackson’s control, then she’ll be an accessory to murder. But if she defies him, there’s no way she can warn her dad about the danger he’s in.
Red Eye is streaming on Paramount+.
3 Must-Watch Thriller Movies That Are Perfect to Stream in the Fall
‘The Untouchables’ (1987)
Director Brian De Palma and screenwriter David Mamet may have taken a lot of liberties with the real story of Eliot Ness and Al Capone, but who can complain when The Untouchables is so wildly entertaining? A young Kevin Costner stars as Ness, a crusading Bureau of Prohibition agent who struggles to take down the criminal empire of Al Capone (Robert De Niro).
The late Sean Connery won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his turn as Jimmy Malone, a veteran police officer who helps Ness recruit honest cops to help them turn the tide against Capone. George Stone (Andy García) and Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith) join their crusade, but all of them have underestimated just how far the corruption has set in among Chicago’s cops and the extent of Capone’s ability to hurt them for daring to cross him.
The Untouchables is streaming on Paramount+.
‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ (1999)
Matt Damon was still early in his career when he was cast as Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Despite the name of the movie, Tom’s only real talents lie in deception and in ingratiating himself among the rich and powerful. Tom even manages to convince Herbert Greenleaf (James Rebhorn) to send him to Europe to retrieve his wealthy and wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law).
6 Must-Watch Movies on Paramount+ Right Now (September 2025)
Although Dickie has a beautiful American girlfriend, Marge Sherwood (Gwyneth Paltrow), it’s Dickie himself who catches Tom’s eye. And let’s just say that Tom isn’t the kind of man who accepts rejection well. Instead, Tom lines up the con of a lifetime, but it’s going to take a lot to convince everyone that he’s Dickie, especially when dealing with the people who know the truth.
The Talented Mr. Ripley is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Changing Lanes’ (2002)
Lawyer Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) and Doyle Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson) are strangers to each other in Changing Lanes, but a minor traffic accident changes the course of both of their lives. Gavin left Doyle stranded on the side of the road, which means that he arrived too late to stop the court from awarding his estranged wife, Valerie Gipson (Kim Staunton), from getting full custody of their kids.
However, Gavin accidentally left behind an important legal file at the scene of the accident, which Doyle now has in his possession. That leads to an escalating series of events as both Doyle and Gavin try to get revenge on each other. In the process, they may wind up destroying themselves.
Changing Lanes is streaming on Paramount+.
28 Must-Watch Movies on Prime Video Right Now (September 2025)
‘Basic Instinct’ (1992)
Over three decades ago, Basic Instinct took erotic thrillers to another level with Sharon Stone‘s showstopping turn as Catherine Tramell. She’s a successful crime novelist and also the prime suspect in the death of her rock star boyfriend. Catherine not only seems guilty as hell, but she also appears to delight in teasing the police about their inability to catch her.
SFPD Police Detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) makes several bad decisions while working on this case. First, he allows Catherine to seduce him while he was already having an affair with his psychologist, Dr. Beth Garner (Jeanne Tripplehorn). But Nick’s potentially fatal mistake may be letting Catherine get close enough to either destroy his personal life or kill him.
Basic Instinct is streaming on Paramount+.
