With ticket prices as high as they are these days, who wants to go to the movies and not be left breathless? To honor the arrival of the new Samuel L. Jackson nail-biter Lakeview Terrace (in theaters on Sept. 19), we've put together a collection of the best "edge of your seat" films out there - and we're not talking slasher films or shoot-em up testosterone-fests, either. We're looking for fast-paced thrillers - a list we're sure Lakeview Terrace will be joining very soon.
District B-13
This French action flick highlights the art of parkour for this fast-paced tale of one man's war on the drug lords that have plunged his hometown into ruin. The action is relentless and innovative, the fight scenes jaw-dropping. Even without the subtitles, it's a helluva show.
Crank
This intense adrenaline pumper pushes the limits of outrageous. With a relentless backdrop of sex and violence, Chev Chelios (played to a "T" by Jason Statham) is a hitman who discovers he's been poisoned with a lethal chemical that will kill him within the hour. Naturally, he spends that time hunting down his assailant, only slowing down to do whatever it takes to keep his heart pumping. Drugs, defibrillators, jumping out of airplanes - it's all fair game. Can't wait for part two.
The Game
Michael Douglas plays Nicholas Van Orton, an uptight millionaire businessman who's devoted his life to climbing the corporate ladder. When his polar-opposite brother (Sean Penn) gives him a birthday gift - entry into an unexplained "game" put on by a shadowy company called CRS - Nicholas disregards it at first. But soon enough, his world is turned upside down in this live-action role playing game that's as terrifying as it is confusing. It's a tricky, sharp thriller that leaves you guessing till the end.
28 Days Later
A man wakes up alone in a hospital, only to realize that the entire city has been abandoned. He soon comes to realize the horrible truth: everybody has either fled in terror, or fallen victim to the Rage, a blood-borne virus that transforms humans into the ravenous undead. He and a ragtag group of survivors must make their way to safety before they, too, fall victim to the Rage.
Cloverfield
A massive sea monster wreaks havoc on New York City, leaving all five boroughs caught in the crossfire between the military and mother nature. Shot entirely with hand-held cameras, the film follows a group of twentysomethings in their breathless rush to escape the carnage of the enraged monstrosity.
Se7en
A serial killer taunts police by following a theme in his killings - the Seven Deadly Sins. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are detectives out to track this psycho down, but things soon get far too personal, and they learn too late that the killer's grand finale centers specifically around one of them. An excellent edge-of-your-seat film, and an outstanding breakthrough performance by Kevin Spacey.
Children of Men
Set in a war-torn England in 2027 where global infertility threatens the human race, this dystopian sci-fi thriller by Alfonso Cuaron focuses on one man's quest to save the only pregnant woman on Earth from groups with lethal motives. The sorrowful beauty in the cinematography, mixed with unpredictable, adrenaline-laced action, makes this a must-see film.