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Like The Silence of the Lambs? Then watch these 3 great thrillers right now

Dan Girolamo
By
A man attacks another man in Prisoners.
Warner Bros. Pictures

The definition of thriller should feature a passage on The Silence of the Lambs. Jonathan Demme’s 1991 masterpiece stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee tasked with interviewing the brilliant serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), who may provide insight into catching another murderer, “Buffalo Bill.” The psychological horror film weaves a thrilling mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences agreed, awarding The Silence of the Lambs the “Big Five” Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Several movies provide similar thrills and chills to The Silence of the Lambs. Below, you’ll find three great thrillers to watch this weekend. Our selections include an earlier depiction of Hopkins’ iconic character, a 1990s violent mystery, and a chilling story about what a father is willing to do to protect his family.

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Manhunter (1986)

William Peterson points a gun and stares in Manhunter.
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

Brian Cox walked so Hopkins could run. Six years before The Silence of the Lambs, Cox had the first shot at portraying Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter. Written and directed by Michael Mann, Manhunter is based on Thomas Harris’ 1981 novel, Red Dragon. At the center of Manhunter is Will Graham (William Petersen), a former FBI profiler who retired after capturing Dr. Hannibal Lecktor* (Succession’s Cox). The entire ordeal with Lecktor changed Graham, leading to frequent mental breakdowns.

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While living with his family in Florida, Graham is visited by his former FBI superior, Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina), who recruits him to investigate the profile of a serial killer known as the “Tooth Fairy” (Tom Noonan). To catch a psychopath, Graham needs the help of someone who thinks like one, leading him to seek aid from Dr. Lecktor. Manhunter is ultimately better as a Mann movie than an adaptation of Harris’ works. That being said, Manhunter is a compelling thriller with an atmospheric score and tense mystery.

*Lecter’s name was changed to “Lecktor” in Manhunter.

Rent Manhunter Prime Video, Apple, or Google.

Se7en (1995)

Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in Se7en.
New Line Cinema

What’s in the box? Se7en was already a great movie before Brad Pitt’s David Mills uttered that iconic phrase. However, that phrase and a shocking ending have become Se7en’s legacy. With all due respect to Alien 3, Se7en is David Fincher’s arrival as a film director. Fincher’s technical prowess and attention to detail were on full display as Se7en established the young filmmaker as a master of the thriller.

In Se7en, Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman), one week away from retirement, teams up with young Detective Mills on a case not for the faint of heart. The duo are on the hunt for a serial killer known as John Doe (Kevin Spacey), whose murders are based on the Seven Deadly Sins. Despite making progress on the case, Somerset realizes that they’re pawns in John Doe’s games, while Mills still believes he can put an end to the killer’s destruction. Unfortunately for both detectives, there are no winners in this game …

Stream Se7en on Max.

Prisoners (2013)

Hugh Jackman holding Paul Dano by the jacket against a car in Prisoners (2013).
Warner Bros. Pictures

Before storming the theaters this weekend to watch Dune: Part Two, revisit Denis Villeneuve’s first English-language feature, Prisoners. On Thanksgiving, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) and his family spend the holiday with neighborhood friends, the Birches. After dinner, Keller’s young daughter and the Birch’s daughter go missing. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), the lead investigator, arrests Alex Jones (Paul Dano), the owner of a motor home parked on the street where the girls were taken. Due to a lack of evidence, Loki is forced to release Jones.

Disgusted with the legal system, Keller takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps Jones, torturing him for answers about his daughter’s whereabouts. Knowing that Prisoners kicks off Villeneuve’s insane run of critically acclaimed films makes the film that much more special. It also features two aggressive, committed, and mesmerizing performances from Jackman and Gyllenhaal.

Rent Manhunter Prime Video, Apple, or Google.

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Dan Girolamo
Dan Girolamo
Entertainment Writer
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
Like the 1997 action satire Starship Troopers? Then watch these 3 classic sci-fi movies now
Johnny runs from a giant alien bug in Starship Troopers

Since its release more than 25 years ago, more and more people have come to realize that Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers is actually something close to a masterpiece. (Well, except for one Twitter user, who went viral with his tone-deaf take on it.) The 1997 film, which is set in a future in which young army officers battle against massive alien bugs, is a hilarious send-up of the military-industrial complex and the ideologies that propel it.
Given its incredibly specific tone, though, it’s fair to say that there aren’t a lot of movies out there that are like Starship Troopers. That doesn’t mean there are none, though, so we’ve done our best to come up with a list of three great sci-fi satires that will remind you of what Starship Troopers is able to achieve.

Mars Attacks! (1996)
Mars Attacks! (1996) Official Trailer #1 - Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan Sci-Fi Comedy
One of Tim Burton’s least hyped films, Mars Attacks! is a pretty straightforward story about what would happen on Earth if Martians invaded. While something like Independence Day takes that story with a certain amount of seriousness, though, Mars Attacks! emplys the opposite approach.
The film is a camp comedy where Jack Nicholson has two roles, James Bond's Pierce Brosnan plays a scientist, and all of Washington, D.C. is totally destroyed by the end of the movie. It’s one of the very best sci-fi comedies of its kind, and one of Burton’s most underrated films.
Mars Attacks! can be rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video.
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Galaxy Quest (1999) Theatrical Trailer
Ostensibly a parody of Star Trek, Galaxy Quest has built up its own fandom thanks to its tremendous success. The film follows a group of actors who once starred in a Star Trek-esque series as they discover that real aliens exist -- and that the aliens believe these actors are actually the characters they played on the show.
Thanks to brilliant work from a great ensemble cast, as well as a premise that lends itself to plenty of comedy, Galaxy Quest is a sci-fi romp of the highest caliber, and it's also surprisingly moving when it needs to be. Add in a dash of Tony Shalhoub’s expert comic timing and a healthy dose of Alan Rickman, and you have a genuine comic masterpiece. 
Galaxy Quest is streaming for free in Pluto TV.
They Live (1988)
They Live Official Trailer #1 - Keith David Movie (1988)
John Carpenter has long been a master of sci-fi satire, and They Live might be his magnum opus. The film tells the story of a working-class guy who discovers that the entire world he believed he lived in is actually run by aliens who look like people.
The film is both deeply silly and a little bit serious, as it suggests that everything from the news to advertisements is designed to hypnotize the populous into unthinking compliance. Is it a pretty blunt allegory? Undoubtedly, but it’s one that Carpenter manages to pull off with aplomb.
They Live can be rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video.

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Don’t miss these 5 movies leaving Max in February you have to watch right now
Julia Ormond and Harrison Ford in Sabrina.

Like all streaming services, Max is losing several titles at the end of February. And for reasons that aren't clear, Max is also purging a lot of Warner Bros. Pictures this month, especially when it comes to the DC animated films from the past three decades. Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero, Superman/Shazam!: The Return Of Black Adam, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Green Lantern: First Flight, and the animated Wonder Woman movie are all among the departures. If you're not a superhero fan, then you may not care. But these films were far and away better than the live-action DCEU movies of the past few years, and there's no guarantee that they'll go to a rival streamer.

But rather than fill up our picks with superhero movies alone, we've spread out our choices of the five best movies leaving Max in February that you have to watch. This month's departures include a sports biopic starring Chadwick Boseman, one of Oliver Stone's wildest films, a remake of a classic rom-com, and more.
42 (2013)

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3 great movies leaving Peacock in February you have to watch
The cast of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.

Peacock celebrated the streaming premiere of Oppenheimer by adding several other Christopher Nolan movies to its lineup for February. What Peacock declined to mention is that The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, and Dunkirk are all leaving at the end of the month. So you only have a short time left if you want to curate your own Nolan film festival at home.

Our picks for the three movies leaving Peacock in February that you have to watch only includes one of Nolan's films, because it just wouldn't be fair to give him the entire spotlight. Our other picks include a family drama starring George Clooney, as well as a Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller comedy that is turning 20 in 2024.
The Dark Knight (2008)

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