The 1990s are often remembered for their glossy studio blockbusters, the rise of CGI, and the loss to a certain extent of indie releases in the multiplexes. But beneath the surface of the decade’s more popcorn entertainment offerings, a different kind of thriller appeared—moody, character-driven stories that flirted with noir, moral torment, and narcissistic power dynamics.

These were films that didn’t necessarily make a splash at the box office but have aged remarkably well; stories that swapped explosions for atmosphere, and spectacle for slow-burn tension. In this article, we dive into some of the most overlooked thrillers of the ’90s—films that didn’t always get their due, but still simmer with style, suspense, and unforgettable characters.

1. The Hot Spot (1990)

Dennis Hopper’s neo-noir opens in a haze of desert heat and tension, not least because it stars Miami Vice (1984-1990) heartthrob Don Johnson as Harry Madox in the lead role, a drifter who lands a job in a sleepy Texas town and quickly gets tangled up with not one but two dangerously alluring women.

Virginia Madsen is on excellent form as a seductive femme fatale, while Jennifer Connelly brings a vulnerability to her role that complicates the film’s pulpy love triangle, and subsequently offers one her career best performances.

There’s a languid, dreamlike quality to The Hot Spot, cemented by Jack Nitzsche’s jazzy score and Ueli Steiger’s sun-beating cinematography. Hopper provides us with a real classic noir feel, and the film is a slow burner with a thoroughly effective small-town claustrophobic feel to it, and has been compared by some to the work of David Lynch. At times, it feels a little like Twin Peaks (1990-2017) in the sun, by way of something like Detour (1945).

The Hot Spot contains themes of temptation, duplicity, and narcissism, and is a violent thriller that offers little hope for any of its characters. But don’t let that put you off, it’s a criminally under-seen film that has only recently seen the light of day on Blu-Ray.

2. State of Grace (1990)

Released the same year as Goodfellas, Phil Joanou’s State of Grace was instantly overshadowed as you’d probably expect—but it absolutely deserves mention in the same conversation, if perhaps not the same sentence. Set in a pre-gentrified Hell’s Kitchen, the film follows Terry (Sean Penn), an undercover cop who infiltrates a gang run by childhood friend Jackie (a gloriously unhinged Gary Oldman) and Jackie’s older brother Frankie (Ed Harris).

State of Grace is a story about loyalty and identity, about how the past never really lets you go, themes that have of course been explored to death within the gangster genre, but Penn brings real authenticity in the lead role—quietly torn, permanently out of step—while Oldman delivers one of his most electric performances, full of dangerous charisma and unpredictable rage; it reminds you of his insane cameo in True Romance (1993) to an extent.

There’s a tragic inevitability to the whole affair, but Joanou offers enough beauty and purity amongst the grime ridden back streets to really make you care. It’s a modern noir soaked in booze, blood, and Catholic guilt, and whilst it doesn’t perhaps merit a seat at the top table, State of Grace’s banishment to the bargain bin does it a huge disservice.

3. Bad Influence (1990)

A young Rob Lowe and an even younger James Spader team up for this slick psychological thriller about identity and manipulation, slotting nicely into the erotic thriller genre that was thriving at the turn of the decade.

Directed by Curtis Hanson—seven years before his magnum opus L.A. Confidential—Bad Influence reminds you of similar films released at the time, sure, but it’s two main leads offer such terrific performances that it well and truly drags it from the bloated straight to DVD sub-genre that the erotic thriller had become; not to be critically reborn arguably until Basic Instinct (1992).

Spader is Michael, a mild-mannered financial analyst whose life is upended when he meets the seeming enigma that is Alex (Lowe), a charming stranger who helps him break free from his dull existence. But freedom comes at a cost, and before long, Michael is pulled into a world of blackmail, drugs, and violence.

It might sound like another adaptation of a J.G Ballard novel at this point (not only because Spader went on to star in David Cronenberg’s Crash [1996]) but Hansen steps away from out and out erotica, replacing it with psychological seduction, resulting in a far more intriguing affair than most have given it credit for.

In a time when toxic masculinity is a subject hot on the lips of mainstream media, Bad Influence is a document that proves it’s not a new topic of conversation, but weaves an exciting and exhilarating fictional tale of the dystopian world of the elite, a full decade before we saw Brett Easton Ellis’ American Psycho put to screen.

4. Deep Cover (1992)

Bill Duke’s Deep Cover is one of the most stylish and politically charged thrillers of the nineties. Laurence Fishburne (recently on our screens in The Amateur) plays Russell Stevens, an undercover cop recruited by the DEA to infiltrate a drug operation in Los Angeles—but the deeper he gets, the harder it becomes to tell where the mask ends, and the man begins.

Values and integrity are topics that go with undercover cop thrillers like bread and butter but Deep Cover packs them into a Venn diagram that’s impossible to read, such are the blurred lines. The film is also steeped in a neon sheen, shot mostly at night (falling in line with the hours that Stevens is forced to keep) meaning that when the neon hits, it draws you even further into the shadowy underbelly of L.A.

The film, as you’d probably expect, grapples with race, corruption, and morality, as well as featuring a rather terrific performance from Jeff Goldblum as L.A’s biggest drug dealer. Although the story itself might seem overly familiar and well-trodden content, Deep Cover has only been widely available in the last couple of years, and Bill Duke’s fantastic undercover cop thriller deserves to be seen by a much wider audience.

5. Light Sleeper (1992)

Paul Schrader has dealt with lonely men wandering city streets in search of redemption or ruin before, he wrote Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976) and directed 1979’s Hardcore. Light Sleeper might be his most underappreciated riff on that theme.

Willem Dafoe plays John LeTour, a high-end drug courier drifting through life, dreaming of past relationships and going nowhere fast; and this is compounded when he runs into his ex-wife (Dana Delaney).

The plot, in typical Schrader fashion, is minimal—but New York is a big brooding character in itself, captured in a state of cold decay, shot with a ghostly blue/grey colour palette (reminiscent of Schrader’s American Gigolo [1980]) connoting the deathly feel of LeTour’s situation.

Dafoe is exceptional, as always, his quiet desperation driving the film as he struggles to find a foothold on his own life as he spirals into an ever-expanding void.

Although many excellent thrillers are produced annually, the 1990s felt like la belle époque for the genre. In the years after Blood Simple, filmmakers rebelled against the milquetoast mores of 1980s cinema. Taking inspiration from ‘40s noirs, the ‘90s delved into thrillers’ darkest, most provocative recesses. This era’s neo-noir style shared recognisable tropes across different movies. Red convertible road-tripping through the Arizona desert, atmospheric motels, neon-lit saloons, rampant violence, Elvis-like, leather-clad antiheroes. The ‘50s template of the western genre was updated, swapping horses for Cadillacs.

Cinephiles are typically already familiar with this decade’s thriller masters: Quentin Tarantino, the Coen Brothers and Martin Scorsese. On the other hand, a wealth of entertaining thrillers have been lost to the annals of cinema history. This is attributable to their status as direct-to-video or TV movies, being poorly publicised, lacking A-list stars, or receiving limited distribution. There is a never-ending lineup of stalwart movies to be recovered from this decade. This list aims to bring to light forgotten ‘90s titles to satisfy thriller fans.

1. Trouble Bound (1993)

Ex-con Harry Talbot (Michael Madsen) goes on the run across Arizona with waitress Kit Kalifano (Patricia Arquette). Kit is attempting to outrun her mafioso grandmother’s henchmen. She also wishes to get revenge on the man who murdered her father. There are appearances from Billy-Bob Thornton and Seymour Cassel.

With zeitgeist costumes, a neo-rockabilly soundtrack and neon lighting, Trouble Bound is emblematic of ‘90s fashion. Its sumptuous stylishness is supported by its painterly cinematography of desert landscapes. It differs from similar lovers on the run movies because Harry and Kit do not get along at-all well. Typically, the screenplay would have the characters flirting, yet Harry positively despises Kit for much of the film. The repartee between her defensiveness and his amplifying annoyance is where Trouble Bound succeeds as a comedy.

Of all of the titles in his storied filmography, this is the one that best showcases Madsen’s distinctive persona: a neo-noir, B-movie icon of cool. Patricia Arquette is equally legendary, bringing her usual charm and sweetness Similarly, Trouble bound provides her a leading role canvas to express her unique brand of comedy. With its bumbling mobster characters and exhilarating, swerving storyline, Trouble Bound is especially recommendable to fans of Sicilian American mafia movies.

2. The Immortals (1995)

Nightclub owner Jack (Eric Roberts) recruits eight criminals to synchronously commit four different heists. Jack’s mafioso boss (Tony Curtis) suspects it was Jack who orchestrated the robberies and invades his nightclub. The cast includes: Chris Rock, Tia Carrere and William Forsythe.

Aesthetically, with its slick costumes and evocative set design, The Immortals is a time capsule for cool ‘90s pop culture. That said, the movie’s core themes of unity and acceptance are more pertinent today than they were upon its release. In interviews, actress Cate Blanchett has referred to some of her films as “Trojan Horses.” This is where, she divulges, a poignant message is “sneaked in,” under the guise of an entertaining genre picture. The Immortals is a prime example of this technique. For the four heists, Jack strategically pairs opposites together. A sexist with a woman, a homophobe with a homosexual, a racist with an African American and an intellectual with a mentally disabled man.

At first, the prejudiced member of the duo inevitably expresses their stigma. Subsequently, the persecuted individual is repulsed and angered by their behaviour. As the film progresses, however, these pairs forge an unlikely bond. In spite of their differences, they reluctantly begin to understand and develop affection for one another. United by a common enemy, they touchingly empathise and recognise the humanity in the other. They question their prejudices, even becoming close friends. Although The Immortals quenches genre fans with classic tropes, wild action and stylish panache, its message of love, humanity and forgiveness ranks it a cut above brasher thrillers of its ilk. In the contemporary politically-divided climate, The Immortals is particularly valuable for today’s audiences to consider.

3. Black Day Blue Night (1995)

The movie opens with a tarantula crawling across a highway. On a road trip through the southwest, outgoing Rinda Woolley (Michelle Forbes) gives shy Hallie Schrag (Mia Sara, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) a ride. The women forge an unlikely friendship and pickup a mysterious, seductive hitchhiker named Dodge (Gil Bellows, The Shawshank Redemption). One of them has a past that soon catches up, spiralling into disaster.

Firstly, Black Day Blue Night is an idiosyncratic entry into neo-noir for being especially female-centric and character-driven. Rather than a fast-paced plot, it favours a simple story and a meditative, atmospheric tone, underscored with tragedy. A “hangout movie,” the focus is upon the drifting characters’ romances, conversations and traumas. This provides the players with sufficient space to craft admirable performances. The reflective feeling is facilitated by the soothing chiaroscuro lighting. This is best manifested when a cigarette cherry glows in a car’s darkness, the smoker flashed by lightning. The effect is further realised through the sparsity of the haunting, catchy, reverb blues guitar score.

As usual, under-appreciated maestro J.T. Walsh delivers the film’s most proficient acting work. He plays the sly, snarky, calculating Lieutenant John Quinn. In his complex, nuanced rendition, Walsh continues to prove that his ability is on-par with the most revered names in the business. Nevertheless, the movie’s most memorable character is a Navajo gas station owner, embodied by Thomas Redhouse. Although Black Day Blue Night is his sole IMDB credit, he steals the show with his effortless naturalism and dry wit. 

4. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

In Pennsylvania, Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) is a schoolteacher and mother suffering from amnesia. She has no recollection of anything that transpired before she washed up on a beach, eight years prior. After her past violently arrives at her home, Samantha embarks on a road trip to rediscover her identity. She is aided by private detective Mitch Hennessy (Samuel L. Jackson). Thriller regulars Brian Cox and David Morse also star.

In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Samuel L. Jackson named Mitch Hennessy his personal favourite of all the characters he has portrayed. He has also stated several times that The Long Kiss Goodnight is his favourite of all the movies he has appeared in. Undeniably, Jackson’s turn as the deadbeat, seedy and wise-cracking Hennessy is the film’s crown jewel. He dispenses consistent comic relief, in what is perhaps Jackson’s funniest performance. Hennessy’s character arc is also particularly heartwarming and inspiring. Additionally, while most actors embody a character with a uniform persona and tone, Geena Davis is tasked with seamlessly transitioning from a smily, folksy housewife into a merciless assassin.

Her mastery of both ends of this spectrum not only makes the film’s progression fascinating, it exemplifies her adept command over the acting craft. The consequence is perhaps the most badass female action hero to-date, surpassing The Bride in Kill Bill. Hidden gem The Long Kiss Goodnight has been criminally unsung and forgotten. It is an unconventionally ideal Christmas movie, whilst containing some of the most riveting set pieces and suspense sequences. A film that deserves to be seen by more people, it should be heralded as one of the greatest action movies of the ‘90s.

5. Top of the World (1997)

Soon-to-be exes Ray (Peter Weller) and Rebecca Mercer (Tia Carrere) are gambling in a Las Vegas casino when it is robbed. Ray is implicated, chased by the police and goes up against the casino’s shady boss, Charlie Atlas (Dennis Hopper). Whilst trying to clear his name, Ray attempts to salvage his collapsed marriage, but Rebecca is now dating Atlas.

Top of the World is a chaotic yet fun action ride, with a memorable theme tune. Using farcical, lighthearted comedy, it professes perpetual, entertaining gunplay and eccentric characters. Moreover, there is a nail-biting climax at the Hoover Dam and an epic car chase of explosions and barrel rolls. Dennis Hopper’s interpretation of the cheeky, sarcastic, yet ominous fat cat casino boss expands upon the relentless villains he brought to life in Blue Velvet and Speed.

Furthermore, Hopper’s then-newfound niche playing cruel authority figures, continuing through Land of the Dead, is ironic, given his former status as a hippie icon. Ray seeing his wife now in a relationship with another, richer man examines jealousy, despair and inadequacy. Thematically, Top of the World debates true love versus financial wealth.

Tonally, the location choice in Top of the World signifies what is known in photography and internet culture as a ‘liminal space.’ The casino’s yellow Regency Revival hotel rooms of bouquet vases and the Memphis Milano-carpeted hallways, in hindsight, invoke the concept’s uncanny “sense of nostalgia, lostness and uncertainty.” The prominent ‘90s nostalgia sentiment is hauntingly felt in the ersatz, cathedral-sized casino floor. This comprises of two-storey plastic trees, internal balustrade restaurants, neon lighting, an interior railway and a faux arbor.

Given that Top of the World was released on the cusp of the 21st century, the liminality of its transient location makes it all the more sentimental for contemporary viewers. The colourful interior design time travels to the recent past. A bygone aesthetic of an arguably more carefree, optimistic era. That being said, the filming location, Buffalo Bill’s in Primm, Nevada, retains the same appearance to this day.

The 1990s were a golden era for high quality thrillers, from the erotically charged likes of Basic Instinct and Disclosure, to exciting blockbusters like The Fugitive and The Juror. So many thrillers were made throughout the decade, though, that naturally many of them were destined to slip under the radar and became neglected as the years went on.

While many of the films in this list are available if you seek them out, they are unlikely to appear on streaming services any time soon. Thankfully, Hollywood’s rich and varied history is there to be discovered if you have the time. So here are ten stand out thrillers from the 1990s, many of which have become buried in time.

1. Narrow Margin (1990)

Gene Hackman was firmly in star mode for Narrow Margin (1990), a thriller directed by Peter Hyams and co-starring Anne Archer. Hackman plays Robert Caulfield, an LA deputy district attorney and Vietnam vet, who is taking Carol (Archer) back to America where she will hopefully testify against a mob boss. After the perpetrators of the murder she witnessed track them down, Robert and Carol board a train from Canada to America. But then the duo realise hitmen are on board, and they spend the next day going cross country trying to keep alive.

Genuinely gripping, Narrow Margin is a damn fine thriller, wonderfully shot and expertly played by all involved. Fans of Gene Hackman in intense mode will be pleased, and he definitely delivers the goods. Indeed, the character might just be one of his most memorable from this era. He has the Hackman cynicism, the cocky humour and thorough forthrightness, but a lot of the time he’s basically a slave to the film’s tension, which tightens as it goes on. Yet there is room for Hackman quirkiness and he has many stand out scenes. Within the confines of this slick genre piece, Hackman is more convincing an action hero, albeit one wearing a suit and tie, than any muscle bound herculean warrior.

Unfortunately the film was not greeted with too much enthusiasm, either by the critics or movie-goers, but thirty odd years on it remains a solid slice of intrigue. In fact, it’s arguably one of Hackman’s most enjoyable pictures.

2. True Crime (1999)

In Clint Eastwood’s underrated True Crime, based on Andrew Klavan’s hit novel, the big man himself plays a journalist who hopes to bring to light some evidence which will prove a man’s innocence who is destined to be executed on death row.

This measured and carefully paced picture, a ticking time bomb of a drama that mostly takes place in a 24 hour period leading to the execution, has aged very well. Eastwood, a master of his craft, takes a mature tone with the material as director and is great in his role as the recovering alcoholic ready to step up. But some of the best moments are filled out by the splendid supporting cast, which includes Denis Leary and James Woods as Alan Mann, Eastwood’s editor-in-chief.

Woods is pure vital energy in this small but important role, wired up at all times as he makes his way back and forth through the busy office. He’s fast talking, funny and full of quips, put downs and witticisms. He works against Eastwood’s more laid back style beautifully and they enjoy some genuinely fantastic moments together. Denis Leary plays against type here as the boss, a role rather unlike his more comedic, fast talking usual parts.

True Crime didn’t fare too well upon release and is almost totally forgotten these days. It’s an exciting story, superbly directed and acted flawlessly by a top notch cast. Seek it out and you will not be disappointed.

3. A Kiss Before Dying (1991)

Based on Ira Levin’s classic novel, director James Dearden’s early 90s update of A Kiss Before Dying (it also hit the big screen in 1956) is a tight, suspenseful, unsettling, and engaging thriller. Starring two of the era’s most underrated stars, Sean Young and Matt Dillon, it has a plot that may look far fetched on paper but is in fact cleverly woven and brought to the screen with a lot of surprises.

Dillon stars as the conniving Jonathan Corliss, a young man who murders his girlfriend Dorothy (Young) and stages it as a suicide. Soon after he begins to get close to her twin sister Ellen (also Young), using a fake identity, and moves in on her life. As Ellen begins to investigate the mysterious “suicide” of her twin, Jonathan, acting as Jay, charms Ellen’s rich father, Thor, his eyes very much on the family fortune. As the plot thickens and Carliss reveals himself capable of even more dastardly acts, the film moves towards its shocking climax.

Sadly, A Kiss Before Dying was not a hit upon release and received mixed reviews, though Dillon did attract praise for his creepy, villainous turn. He had played rogues and tear-aways brilliantly prior to the film’s release, but never before had he been so evil. He would return to the dark side in Lars Von Trier’s highly disturbing The House That Jack Built, but for some time this would remain Dillon’s darkest performance. Sean Young, who shone brightly for a brief period in the late 80s and early 90s, is exceptionally good here, and the whole thing is brilliantly written and directed. A twisted treat from start to finish, this lost gem deserves a rediscovery.

4. Wild Things (1998)

Wild Things (1998), directed by John McNaughton, is one of the best sleazy thrillers of the decade. Starring Matt Dillon as a teacher accused of improper behaviour with two students, the film is full of twists and turns from the word go, right until the very last frame – quite literally so, in fact.

Denise Richards and Neve Campbell are two scheming high school students who just might be in on the Dillon abuse case, while Kevin Bacon is a crooked cop who wants a piece of the action. As great as the picture is, for me it’s probably stolen by Bill Murray who is superb as Ken Bowden, a neck-brace wearing dodgy lawyer. From the moment he first appears, it’s immediately impossible to imagine anyone else but Bill playing him. At first it may seem odd seeing Murray in such a sweaty, sexy thriller, but he gives the film the light relief it needs. He even makes a surprise re-appearance at the end.

Full of over the top moments, steamy sexual tension, unexpected violence and a host of superb performances, Wild Things is a tightly structured, gripping, and very funny fable on greed and lust. Would they make it these days? In short, no.

5. Mad City (1997)

In the overlooked Mad City, Dustin Hoffman plays Max Brackett, a local TV journo looking for a big scoop – which he gets when he finds himself in the middle a siege involving fired security guard Sam Bailey (John Travolta), who is holding up a group of people – including kids on a school trip – hostage in a museum. Brackett, seeing he has access to a story that could restore his image as a hot reporter, begins to manipulate the situation, first making Bailey a working class hero, the little man fighting back against the system, then a villain, a bad guy created by the media through manipulation, misunderstandings and cynicism.

Mad City is an enthralling film, wonderfully directed by the French master Costa-Gavras and with a rich, full screenplay by Tom Matthews, and though it could easily have been cliché ridden and predictable, there are enough moralistic twists and shifts to surprise the viewer at every turn.

The acting, too, is sublime. Hoffman is very good as the corrupt, ruthlessly minded journalist, a man who will do anything for his chance at the big time but begins to develop a conscience when he sees what the media is really capable, a realisation that becomes brutally blunt at the film’s climax. The finest performance however, in my view at least, comes from John Travolta as the likeable, slightly slow and ultimately tragic Sam, a wide eyed innocent unaware of the seriousness of his actions and a helpless victim of a harsh, unforgiving, brainwashing media. The great Alan Alda delivers a fine effort too, but Hoffman and Travolta are the focus of the film and their interactions are the vital ingredient.

The reviews, however, were not so good, meaning that with bad notices and poor box office the film has gone down as a bomb, which seems unfair, given that all these years on it’s a perfectly well made and executed mainstream rollercoaster, just as good or even better than the best commercial thrillers that emerged in the 1990s.

Mad City is worthy of your time for a number of reasons; the satirical attacks on the media; the explosive ending including Hoffman’s moralistic awakening; the fine performances. Perhaps most important of all, though, is the fact it’s so enjoyable, just as all good popcorn movies should be.