Having produced such classics as Chinatown, The Maltese Falcon, and The Conversation, the thriller is one of the most revered corners of cinema. Filling its audience with mystery, intrigue, and elements of horror, it delves into the lives of both sides of the law, from mob bosses to detectives. While most of these are standalone stories, some of the best have returned with sequels and, in even rarer instances, trilogies.
A thriller trilogy can be hard to pull off, in no small part due to the usual difficulty of living up to an original masterpiece. While some of these maintain quality from start to finish, others are brilliant in spite of their weaker entries, sometimes better experienced as a two-parter with an optional continuation. Regardless, these have earned their place at the top of crime, mystery, and conspiracy cinema.
Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot Movies Are Fun Whodunit Mysteries
The mystery novels of Agatha Christie have been adapted into some of the best detective stories in Hollywood, a tradition revived by Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot trilogy. The films follow the Belgian sleuth as he travels the world, solving some of the toughest whodunit cases imaginable. From a murder aboard the Orient Express to a supposedly haunted house in Venice, he proves himself the perfect answer to Sherlock Holmes after Benedict Cumberbatch.
Managing to honor Christie’s stories while giving viewers something new, Branagh’s treatment of the novels reminds everyone that Poirot is among the world’s greatest detectives. Moving from one captivating setting to the next, these films delight in presenting their audience with a charming, antiquated world. The fun comes in watching Hercule piece each mystery together, encountering eccentric and enigmatic characters as he gets to the heart of murder.
Tom Hanks’ Robert Langdon Films Delve Into the Mysteries of Religion
In 2006, Ron Howard adapted Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, casting Tom Hanks as symbology expert Robert Langdon. The first film takes place in Paris, where a murder at the Louvre gets the professor roped into a conspiracy buried at the heart of the Catholic Church. From there, the academic sleuth returns for new adventures, each one higher stakes than the last, as he investigates destructive plots and fanatics.
The Robert Langdon trilogy served up a Catholic plot series amidst a devastating era for the church, making it feel all the more poignant as the films were coming out. As an exploration of symbolism, mystery, and the ever-changing nature of organized religion, the series is a fascinating juxtaposition of belief and science. In a century that’s been uniquely ripe for great conspiracy thrillers, the Dan Brown stories emerged as a favorite for their look at the power of faith and organized religion.
The Original Bourne Trilogy Is an Espionage Thriller At Its Finest
After the end of the Cold War, Hollywood needed a new brand of spy thriller, something it found when it modernized Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne novels. Bringing the story into the 21st century, it focuses on the assassin as he washes up with amnesia after a failed mission. Struggling to remember who he is, he embarks on a journey across Europe, prompting the CIA to chase him down before he can realize the truth.
The original Bourne trilogy is an unmatched assassin thriller series, adding a commendable sense of realism and grounding often lacking in the likes of John Wick. Everything Jason does feels like it has stakes and consequences, building up a pulse-pounding experience that never lets up. While the franchise did return for a spin-off and long-awaited conclusion, the first three stand as their own masterpiece, one that was better left untouched.
M. Night Shyamalan’s Eastrail 177 Trilogy Subverted Superhero Cinema
In 2000, M. Night Shyamalan turned in one of the greatest genre mash-up movies of all time when he crafted Unbreakable, a superhero thriller starring Bruce Willis. Written as both a love letter to and a deconstruction of comic book cinema, the first movie introduces the seemingly invulnerable hero David Dunn and his arch-nemesis, Elijah Price. 16 years later, the director set about turning that story into a trilogy, creating a new villain in Split, and bringing it all together in 2019’s Glass.
The so-called “Eastrail 177 Trilogy” is among the unique stories in modern Hollywood, reminding everyone of Shyamalan’s ability to subvert expectations at every turn. Unbreakable alone is enough to secure its place in history as a deep, thought-provoking reinvention of both genres, and the sequels added so much to it. While the ending wasn’t for everyone, seeing everything come together still made for one of the most rewarding trilogies of the 21st century, and a superhero-thriller masterpiece.
Everyone Forgets In the Heat of the Night Spawned A Trilogy
In 1967, Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger teamed up to usher in a new brand of socially-conscious thrillers for the Civil Rights Era when they starred alongside each other for In the Heat of the Night. The film follows a black Philadelphia police detective, Virgil Tibbs, to the small town of Sparta, Mississippi, where he’s wrongly accused of the murder of a local business leader. After the chief clears up the misunderstanding, he turns to Tibbs to build an unlikely partnership, all while confronting their own prejudices.
In the Heat of the Night practically spawned an entire franchise when it landed two sequel movies and a TV series. Only appearing in the films, Poitier continued the story of Tibbs, moving to 1970s San Francisco, where he went on to solve more murders, always clashing with the world as it changes around him. While the sequels are solid crime stories, the original alone was enough to propel the black detective into fame as one of cinema’s finest investigators.
The French Connection Is Great Despite Its Third Film
In 1971, Gene Hackman immediately proved himself one of the thriller genre’s greatest stars when he played NYPD detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection. The original film focuses on the cop as he searches for Alain Charneir, a French crime boss importing heroin to the city. After losing everything at the end, the sequel follows Popeye on his way to France, where he seeks revenge and justice against the crook. What many completely forgot is that the character returned for an ill-fated third part.
The French Connection is a great example of a trilogy that succeeds in spite of its barely canon third film, a TV movie that traded Hackman for Ed O’Neill. It’s better viewed as a standalone masterpiece with a serviceable sequel, offering closure to those who want it. The rivalry between Popeye and Charnier defines it, and Friedkin’s original direction left crime cinema with an all-time classic.
Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter Trilogy Revived Serial Killer Thrillers
In 1991, director Jonathan Demme made thriller history when he cast Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter for a fresh take on Richard Harris’ novels. Focusing on FBI recruit Clarice Starling as she works with the convicted serial killer to bring down another murderer, it walked the line between mystery and horror brilliantly. After its decade-defining success, directors Ridley Scott and Brett Ratner continued that continuity with Hopkins for Hannibal and Red Dragon, respectively.
The three Hopkins Lecter films are the perfect blend of detective fiction, psychological horror, and character drama, especially the first and third stories. Never afraid to shock the audience, either through graphic violence or gruesome twists, the Welsh actor set a new standard when it came to playing the role of a great mystery villain. It’s easily the most compelling mystery trilogy out there, and its antagonists ensure an intense experience for any thriller fan.
The Godfather Trilogy Made Al Pacino A Hollywood Legend
In 1972, Francis Ford Coppola began what would soon become his magnum opus when he adapted Mario Puzo’s The Godfather to the silver screen. Originating as a standalone epic, it earned a sequel and, sixteen years after that, one of the most unnecessary cash-grabs in history when the studio requested he make a third film. The trilogy documents the rise and fall of Michael Corleone from respected war hero to crime lord as he takes over his father’s Mafia organization.
Regardless of how people feel about the third entry, it’s undeniable that Coppola’s trilogy ranks at the absolute peak of crime cinema. Watching the story of Michael take full shape is one of the finest character studies ever written and acted, and the ensemble cast assembled from start to finish has no equal. It’s impossible to find a mob movie today not influenced by The Godfather, and stars like Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, and Robert Duvall ensured it’d go down as a thriller trilogy masterpiece.