Best South African thriller movies
A curated collection of popular thriller movies from South Africa.
Heatstroke (2013)
Heatstroke (2013)
On a family trip in the African desert, a research scientist unintentionally travels off course and is brutally murdered by an arms dealer. His girlfriend is put to the ultimate survival test as she attempts to evade the killers and protect his teenage daughter.
Number 37 (2018)
Number 37 (2018)
Entrapped in his apartment, Randal, a recent paraplegic, is given a gift of binoculars by his devoted girlfriend, Pam. But Randal is in financial debt to a sadistic loan shark, and when he witnesses a powerful criminal commit a murder while observing his neighbours through binoculars, he initiates a treacherous blackmail scheme.
In a Time of Violence: The Line (1994)
In a Time of Violence: The Line (1994)
This controversial political thriller, which provoked mass demonstrations and nine deaths in South Africa when it was first shown, gives dramatic form to the African National Congress's basic program of reconcilliation within a non-racialist, democratic society. A train massacre by an Inkatha militant causes the sole witness to the crime to flee the Soweto townships to take refuge in Johannesburg; but the violence follows him when his ANC comrades try to buy guns for a retaliatory raid against Inkatha supporters.
The Monster Is Gone? (2023)
Layla Fourie (2013)
Layla Fourie (2013)
Layla Fourie, a young single-mother in South Africa, receives a job assignment as polygraphist. In the constant presence of mistrust, lies and fear Layla soon becomes a suspect herself.
Tenth of a Second (1987)
Tenth of a Second (1987)
"Tenth of a Second" is the account of one man's desperate attempt to fight the oppressive apartheid regime of South Africa. This political thriller centres around Michael Wilder (James Whyle), a schoolteacher and political activist, with a failing marriage. Wilder is a member of the "Organisation" which is involved in subversive activities against the state. One day, Raymond (Nicky Rebelo), a fellow member, visits Wilder and leaves him with a suitcase containing a bomb. Wilder is expected to place in a busy shopping centre. But things do not go according to plan and the consequences of his actions result in devastating effects for Wilder and his grip on reality.
Dune Surfer (1988)
Dune Surfer (1988)
In a desire to find the ultimate wave, a surfer travels to the Kalahari Desert. His car breaks down in an isolated area where he is befriended by a farmer and his wife, who becomes attracted to the stranger.
My Brother's Shades (1972)
My Brother's Shades (1972)
Twenty years ago, twin brothers Adriaan and Paul van der Bijl went their separate ways after an argument that left Adriaan blind. Embittered, Adriaan stayed on in his diabetic father’s mansion, eventually marrying the sick man’s beautiful nurse Marie.On the day of his father’s funeral, which Adriaan does not attend, Paul returns. The brothers’ meeting is not friendly: a shot rings out, and one lies dead. Adriaan tells his manservant, Freddie, that he killed Paul in self-defence. As the two are trying to dispose of the body, a detective knocks on the door. He has been hired to find Paul, who may be a beneficiary in the old man’s will. And to make matters worse, Marie is becoming suspicious as well.
The Emissary (1989)
The Emissary (1989)
Jack Cavanaugh, handpicked by the US president, is a hard-nosed diplomat constantly on the move between hot-spots around the world. When Russia's KGB use his wife to get access to a top secret computer system, the world's future is at stake. Time is running short and Cavanaugh see no other way out than to take on the foreign agents himself.
Fraud! (1974)
Fraud! (1974)
The manager of a leading stockbroking firm is found dead in his car. On inspection, an audit team find that one-and-a-half million pounds worth of shares are missing.