Thriller Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Thriller

Close-up of a woman with blonde hair wearing a blue sequined top, crying with tears running down her face.
Review

Smile 2 review – this is going to ruin the tour

by Hannah Strong

Park­er Finn fol­lows up his 2022 smash with a suit­ably sil­ly sequel, in which a pop star becomes the lat­est vic­tim of the grin­ning demon who dri­ves vic­tims to suicide.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Portrait of a man wearing a brown leather jacket and floral shirt, with a serious expression on his face.
Review

A Different Man review – an atmospheric, idiosyncratic thriller

by Hannah Strong

Sebas­t­ian Stan and Adam Pear­son are an excel­lent dou­ble act in Aaron Schim­berg’s effec­tive sopho­more feature.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people leaning in close, lit by warm orange light.
Review

Joker: Folie à Deux review – a grim karaoke session

by Hannah Strong

Todd Phillips recruits Lady Gaga to his cir­cus act as Joaquin Phoenix repris­es his role as the crime-com­mit­ting clown about town in this shock­ing­ly ama­teur musi­cal effort.

2
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A smiling man with a beard wearing a red and black checked shirt, looking through a wooden doorway.
Review

Speak No Evil review – an effective game of cat and mouse

by David Jenkins

James McAvoy is a blast as the over­ly-friend­ly patri­arch who invites unwit­ting tourists back to his west coun­try stack for fun and games.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Close-up of a woman's face, with vibrant orange and red lighting casting a dramatic glow on her features.
Review

Red Rooms review – a claustrophobic tech-tinged nightmare

by Hannah Strong

Pas­cal Plante’s haunt­ing dra­ma exam­ines the dark real­i­ty of the true crime indus­tri­al com­plex in ele­gant and aus­tere fashion.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Young Black man sitting on kerb outside building, looking thoughtful
Review

Rebel Ridge review – Aaron Pierre delivers the goods and then some

by Kambole Campbell

Jere­my Saulnier returns with a flinty, restrained crime-con­spir­a­cy thriller explor­ing small town police cor­rup­tion and the one guy who they should nev­er have messed with.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Close-up of a woman with dark hair covering her mouth with her hand, appearing distressed.
Review

Cadejo Blanco review – a stand-out performance from Karen Martínez

by David Jenkins

A young woman in Guatemala takes a dead­ly risk to find her miss­ing sis­ter in Justin Lern­er’s tense thriller.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people, a woman wearing a sun hat and a man in a white shirt, standing in a lush, green garden.
Review

Blink Twice review – righteous fury in paradise

by Hannah Strong

Zoë Kravitz makes her direc­to­r­i­al debut with this gut­sy thriller about a dream vaca­tion that quick­ly takes a dark turn.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A dark, ominous creature looming over a person's terrified face in a dimly lit setting.
Review

Alien: Romulus review – does enough to get a passing mark

by David Jenkins

The Xenomorphs are allowed to run amok once more in this pass­able fran­chise offshoot.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A middle-aged man with short dark hair and a broad, cheerful smile.
Review

Trap review – classic Shyamalan, hold the twist

by Hannah Strong

M Night Shya­malan sets the stage for a killer game of cat and mouse as a psy­chopath attempts to out­smart the FBI while tak­ing his daugh­ter to see her favourite pop star.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect