Thief

Director: Michael Mann

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083190

Review: A mood and atmosphere that's hard to beat with an intriguing central character and a nice slow burning feeling.

Watch it if: You're ok with some fairly visual violence.

And if you liked: Drive, Taxi Driver

Check this out: The Home Invaders: Confessions of a Cat Burglar

Paprika

Director: Satoshi Kon

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0851578

Review: Visually dazzling and engaging with an eerie tone that wraps around the head.

Watch it if: You're ok with a film being more about vibes than worrying too much about the plot.

And if you liked: Inception, Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue

Check this out: Paprika

Tokyo Godfathers

Director: Shôgo Furuya and Satoshi Kon

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388473

Review: A masterclass in tone management with a set of characters that carries the film's momentum with vigour and wit.

Watch it if: You're ok with some fairly harsh realities.

And if you liked: Millennium Actress, Magnolia

Millennium Actress

Director: Satoshi Kon and Kô Matsuo

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291350

Review: Engaging and romantic throughout with a real sense of thrust and intrigue that carries a genuine emotional weight.

Watch it if: You want to see something that really says something with a meta-textual angle.

And if you liked: Perfect Blue, Decision to Leave

Abigail

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27489557

Review: Just buzzing with energetic fun from the get-go with plenty of twists and turns and a real sense of delight.

Watch it if: You're ok with a lot of cartoonish blood.

And if you liked: Ready or Not, From Dusk Till Dawn, M3GAN

Check this out: Dracula's Daughter

Monkey Man

Director: Dev Patel

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9214772

Review: Damaged by its length but sequence by sequence delivers some startling action and fascinating imagery.

Watch it if: You can handle some fairly brutal violence.

And if you liked: Only God Forvies, John Wick

Basic

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264395

Review: Over-twists itself towards the end but holds attention throughout with a fun plot and a buzzy sense of energy.

Watch it if: You're ok with something fun that doesn't necessarily hold up to scrutiny.

And if you liked: Joint Security Area, Rashomon, The Usual Suspects

Check this out: TITLE

10 to Midnight

Director: J. Lee Thompson

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085121

Review: Bizarre in its choices and perspectives but magnetic and thrilling on its own terms.

Watch it if: You can enjoy a text with extremely messy morality.

And if you liked: Dirty Harry, American Psycho, Black Christmas

The Prowler

Director: Joseph Zito

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082951

Review: Fairly run of the mill for the most part but delivers hard with its special effects.

Watch it if: You enjoy slasher films.

And if you liked: My Bloody Valentine, New Year's Evil, Black Christmas

The First Omen

Director: Arkasha Stevenson

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5672290

Review: At its best when not trying to reference the original with a strong sense of dread and some genuinely chilling moments.

Watch it if: You want something that goes for it.

And if you liked: The Omen, Hereditary

Rollerball (2002)

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246894

Review: Baffling from its opening moments with no sense of tension or danger and an absolutely flat lead performance.

Watch it if: You want something that will have you confused by every choice.

And if you liked: Point Break, Death Race 2000, The Running Man

Check this out: Rollerball

The 13th Warrior

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120657

Review: Competently made and never fully flat but oddly anodyne in its presentation.

Watch it if: You want something that's not too distracting.

And if you liked: Beowulf (2007), Bone Tomahawk, Dances With Wolves

Check this out: Eaters of the Dead: The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in AD 922

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155267

Review: A fun, breezy watch with a playful energy and attractive central chemistry.

Watch it if: You want something that keeps throwing turns at you.

And if you liked: Catch Me If You Can, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Trance

Check this out: The Thomas Crown Affair