Best Malayalam Thriller Movies

79 films · 25 with 3+ critic reviews

Tautly plotted cat-and-mouse cinema. Malayalam and Tamil filmmakers have made this the most consistently well-reviewed popular genre in the country.

The best Malayalam thriller movies, ranked by aggregated critic score.

01ThudarumMalayalam · 2025“He features Mohanlal in a role that has a good character arc with emotional depth and is…” — Latha Srinivasan

6.9

13 criticsRecommended02PonmanMalayalam · 2025“Director Jotish Shankar's film Ponman is extremely different, and Basil has broken out of…” — Latha Srinivasan

6.8

11 criticsRecommended03Kishkindha KaandamMalayalam · 2024“Here, screenwriter Bahul Ramesh achieves a near flawless pay off, worthy of the painfully…” — S.R. Praveen

6.8

4 criticsRecommended04BramayugamMalayalam · 2024“Everything about this Bramayugam. Every aspect of the film works towards making this film…” — Priyanka Sundar

6.6

10 criticsRecommended05L2: EmpuraanMalayalam · 2025“Empuraan has hardly anything going for it, except for the richness of its production…” — S.R. Praveen

6.5

14 criticsRecommended06Manjummel BoysMalayalam · 2024“With Manjummel Boys, Chidambaram pulls off an immaculately-crafted survival thriller.…” — S.R. Praveen

6.5

6 criticsRecommended07Bharathanatyam 2 MohiniyattamMalayalam · 2026“A bolder, funnier sequel that dances into dark spaces with aplomb” — Vivek Santhosh

6.4

3 criticsRecommended08Pradhama Drishtiya KuttakkarMalayalam · 2026“Shahad, who debuted with the forgettable coming-of-age drama Prakashan Parakkatte (2022),…” — S.R. Praveen

6.3

11 criticsRecommended09Anweshippin KandethumMalayalam · 2024“In conclusion, while "Anveshippin Kandethum" offers a gripping narrative and compelling…” — Anjana George

6.2

4 criticsRecommended10RekhachithramMalayalam · 2025“On the whole, Rekhachithram is a unique, cleverly made film that has a lot going for it.…” — Shilpa Nair Anand

6.2

6 criticsRecommended11MarcoMalayalam · 2024“Marco reminds one of the Transporter series, the butchering and the bloodbath brings to…” — Shilpa Nair Anand

6.1

6 criticsRecommended12PatriotMalayalam · 2026“Despite its predictable narrative, Patriot is an engaging and even brave film on a…” — S.R. Praveen

6.0

7 criticsRecommended13UnmadhamMalayalam · 2026“Kabir, who is usually on a sure footing, struggles to maintain balance between different…” — S.R. Praveen

5.9

11 criticsMixed14Drishyam 3Malayalam · 2026“Drishyam 3, the least effective of the three films, does not feel like a page from a…” — S.R. Praveen

5.8

15 criticsMixed15MaranamassMalayalam · 2025“The film has plenty of laughs, but also meanders as it progresses.” — Janani K.

5.8

5 criticsMixed16Abraham OzlerMalayalam · 2024“... The movie sure offers a cinematic experience, but is that enough?” — Vishal Menon

5.7

9 criticsMixed17Dominic and the Ladies' PurseMalayalam · 2025“Mammootty, aka Mammukka, who was dismissed from the police force for taking bribes…” — Latha Srinivasan

5.7

7 criticsMixed18I, NobodyMalayalam · 2026“Things are quite taut till the halfway point, with the movie taking us to all the…” — S.R. Praveen

5.4

15 criticsMixed19ThalavanMalayalam · 2024“Despite having quite an intriguing plot, Thalavan is weighed down by all these situations…” — S.R. Praveen

5.2

5 criticsMixed20IdentityMalayalam · 2025“If someone were to narrate the story of Identity, directed by Akhil Paul and Anas Khan,…” — S.R. Praveen

5.1

6 criticsMixed21I'm GameMalayalam · 2026“Dulquer Salmaan's fantasy actioner is a gamble that nearly pays off” — Anandu Suresh

5.0

8 criticsMixed22UyirMalayalam · 2026“The treatment of the film is such that at no point in the story does any of the…” — S.R. Praveen

4.8

7 criticsMixed23KattalanMalayalam · 2026“Atmospheric and technically impressive, Kattalan mistakes relentless intensity and…” — Rohit Panikker

4.4

5 criticsUnfavorable24Ananthan KaaduMalayalam · 2026“Jiyen Krishnakumar's action drama tries hard, but Murali Gopy's text-heavy, pretentious…” — Anandu Suresh

4.3

7 criticsUnfavorable25Law & OrderMalayalam · 2026“Law And Order not only delivers an outdated and amateurish cop drama, but also manages to…” — Sreeju Sudhakaran

3.2

3 criticsUnfavorable

See all 79 Malayalam thriller films →

Recent Malayalam Thriller releases

3.2

Law & Order

3 critics

6.3

Pradhama Drishtiya Kuttakkar

11 critics

5.0

I'm Game

8 critics

5.9

Unmadham

11 critics

5.4

I, Nobody

15 critics

4.8

Uyir

7 critics

← All genres