Best Tamil Thriller Movies

107 films · 27 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 Tamil thriller movies, ranked by aggregated critic score.

01PapanasamTamil · 2015“'Papanasam' is a faithful, if not better remake. It's an exhilarating cocktail of family,…” — S. Shiva Kumar

7.1

19 criticsRecommended02VisaranaiTamil · 2016“A powerful, chilling drama about how the System toys with us...” — Baradwaj Rangan

6.8

12 criticsRecommended03Yennai Arindhaal...Tamil · 2015“A rushed climax, a problematic organ trafficking angle, a repeated plot device, a…” — Sudhir Srinivasan

6.3

11 criticsMixed04Thani OruvanTamil · 2015“Thani Oruvan isn't all that it could have been. If you've wondered why we don't make…” — Baradwaj Rangan

6.3

10 criticsMixed0524Tamil · 2016“However, the Sathya-Mani romance is silly to the core, and drags the narrative down by…” — Gautaman Bhaskaran

6.3

10 criticsMixed06ThoongavanamTamil · 2015“Thoongaavanam is eminently watchable, even if that means keeping awake for a late night…” — Gautaman Bhaskaran

6.0

17 criticsMixed07Demonte ColonyTamil · 2015“Kudos to the director for choosing a horror subject in his debut movie and delivering it…” — Avinash Gopinnath

5.8

5 criticsMixed08SethupathiTamil · 2016“Sethupathi is one of those films with a second half so good that you are willing to…” — Vishal Menon

5.7

10 criticsMixed09BlastTamil · 2026“In a different film, where more ingenious ideas are spring-loaded for mass elevations,…” — Bhuvanesh Chandar

5.7

6 criticsMixed10Naaigal JaakirathaiTamil · 2014“However, despite these inspirations, there are quite a few genuinely enjoyable moments in…” — Sudhir Srinivasan

5.6

11 criticsMixed11KaraTamil · 2026“What Kara promises in the first 10 minutes is a grand cat-and-mouse game between a…” — Srinivasa Ramanujam

5.5

9 criticsMixed12PhotographerTamil · 2026“A promising survival thriller that gets caught between genres.” — Rohini M

5.5

4 criticsMixed13RaTamil · 2014“Ra also shows good production values (especially in its VFX), and that's more than you…” — Sudhir Srinivasan

5.5

4 criticsMixed14UrumeenTamil · 2015“Urumeen doesn't have much by way of laughs. It doesn't need any. The way-over-the-top…” — Baradwaj Rangan

5.4

8 criticsMixed15Thirudan PoliceTamil · 2014“As you walk out, you can't but wonder if the director, after noting all the laughter at…” — Sudhir Srinivasan

5.4

6 criticsMixed16Aarathu SinamTamil · 2016“Characters come and go – a journalist who doesn't believe in research, a cop who doubts…” — Baradwaj Rangan

5.4

7 criticsMixed17TestTamil · 2025“R Madhavan, Siddharth and Nayanthara are match-winners, but the story fails to clear the…” — Latha Srinivasan

5.4

4 criticsMixed18MiruthanTamil · 2016“That's native, organic humour, but there isn't a lot of that in Miruthan, which suffers…” — Sudhir Srinivasan

5.3

10 criticsMixed19Vai Raja VaiTamil · 2015“With Vai Raja Vai, Aishwaryaa has gone unapologetically commercial and this time, her…” — Vishal Menon

5.3

7 criticsMixed20StephenTamil · 2025“A psychological thriller that spins out of control” — Janani K

5.2

3 criticsMixed21GethuTamil · 2016“But Gethu is definitely a welcome relief for those of us who wondered how long…” — Sudhir Srinivasan

5.0

7 criticsMixed22MasssTamil · 2015“Tamil cinema has been talked about because of its ability to present novel themes, but…” — Gautaman Bhaskaran

5.0

7 criticsMixed23VedalamTamil · 2015“At 157 minutes, Vedalam is but an Ajith Kumar show (all the way where Menon and Haasan…” — Gautaman Bhaskaran

4.9

12 criticsUnfavorable24KanithanTamil · 2016“Like so many Tamil films, Kanithan begins with a fantastic idea and story, but Santosh…” — Gautaman Bhaskaran

4.9

10 criticsUnfavorable25AnjaanTamil · 2014“Weak script, too much attention on Suriya spoils Anjaan...” — Hindustan Times

4.8

10 criticsUnfavorable26MagudamTamil · 2026“If you haven't caught the drift yet, this three-hour-long gangster saga is a terribly…” — Bhuvanesh Chandar

4.6

9 criticsUnfavorable27YaanTamil · 2014“It is high time that filmmakers recognise the fact that packing a two-hour film merely…” — Udhav Naig

4.4

11 criticsUnfavorable

See all 107 Tamil thriller films →

Recent Tamil Thriller releases

4.6

Magudam

9 critics

5.5

Photographer

4 critics

5.7

Blast

6 critics

5.5

Kara

9 critics

5.2

Stephen

3 critics

5.4

Test

4 critics

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