In the throes of the dead of winter, it’s the perfect time to embrace the chill with a good thriller
Streamers like Netflix, HBO Max and Peacock have a fantastic selection of thrillers to watch, and Watch With Us wants to highlight three new additions to streaming platforms that we think you should watch in January 2025.
Our picks include the twist-filled erotic thriller Wild Things and the Coen brothers’ classic black comedy Fargo.
‘Wild Things’ (1998) — Netflix
In the elite Miami suburb of Blue Bay, notorious wealthy teen Kelly (Denise Richards) falls for her handsome high school guidance counselor, Sam (Matt Dillon). But when Sam turns down her advances, Kelly falsely accuses him of rape and incites a media feeding frenzy. Sam is subsequently arrested, but when a second student (Neve Campbell) comes forward, the investigating detective, Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon), discovers a case in which nothing and no one is what it seems.
The number of twists and turns that Wild Things takes will make your head spin, but that’s only part of what makes the salacious, indulgently low-brow erotic thriller so much fun. Somewhere in between a B-movie noir, a porno, a soap opera and a teen drama, you find Wild Things. John McNaughton’s direction adds a glossy sheen to such lurid trash, while Campbell and Richards give genuinely scene-stealing performances.
‘Fargo’ (1996) — HBO Max
Nebbish car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is so deep in debt that he devises a plot to stage his own wife’s kidnapping, with the goal of her wealthy father paying a steep ransom to get her back. Jerry hires a couple of low-rent thugs named Carl (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear (Peter Stormare), but things go off the rails when the criminals shoot a state trooper. A comedy of errors, accidents and misunderstandings guides this black comedy crime caper that received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Fargo’s status as a classic of the American cinema canon allowed it to spawn a successful anthology television series of the same name in 2014. Still, there’s nothing quite like the original film, which boasts the Coen brothers’ signature blend of dark humor, quirky characters, twisty crime drama and plenty of violence. Of course, a huge part of what makes Fargo so memorable is the performances from the ensemble cast, chiefly Oscar winner Frances McDormand, who plays the unforgettable police Chief Marge Gunderson.
‘The Game’ (1997) — Peacock
Successful investment banker Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) has everything he could want as he reaches his 48th birthday, but he has isolated himself from family and friends. When his estranged brother Conrad (Sean Penn) shows up ahead of Nicholas’ special day, he comes bearing a strange gift: participation in a fully immersive, real-life game. As Nicholas reluctantly accepts, he soon realizes that this is no Sorry! or Parcheesi, and he quickly finds himself running for his life while questioning what is real and what is the Game.
A less-revered inclusion to David Fincher’s esteemed oeuvre, The Game has nevertheless earned itself a cult following over the years. The film is pulpy mystery-thriller trash at its very finest, featuring a totally committed performance from Douglas as an uptight money-grubber (not unlike Ebenezer Scrooge) who progressively unspools. With enough surprises and misdirections to keep you hooked, The Game demands your full attention from start to finish — and deserves it.
