You've spent the last week anguishing over what to buy your Dad for Father's Day and finally settled on a 6-pack and a John le Carré novel. Now comes the really tough part of Father's Day - finding a Sunday afternoon movie that both of you are going to enjoy together.
Fret not - we've anticipated this very concern at and have put together a list of some fantastic thrillers that will keep everyone entertained.
Deep State
Mark Strong stars in this espionage thriller as Max Easton, an ex-spy brought back into the field to avenge the death of his son, only to find himself at the heart of a covert intelligence war and a conspiracy to profit from the spread of chaos throughout the Middle East.
New episodes added to SBS On Demand after it airs, Wednesday nights at 9:30pm on SBS.
Counterpart
This espionage series explores a mysterious world hidden beneath the surface of our everyday existence. Howard Silk (J.K. Simmons), a lowly cog in a Berlin-based UN spy agency, discovers that his organisation safeguards the secret of a crossing into a parallel dimension, where the only man he can trust is his near-identical counterpart from this parallel world.
All 10 episodes are streaming now at SBS On Demand.
MOVIES
The Fourth Protocol
On July 1, 1968, America, Britain and Russia signed a treaty to halt the spread of nuclear weapons. The powers then added four secret extra clauses. The most secret and dangerous of them was, and remains, the last. One winter, the Chairman of the KGB hatches a plan to breach this Fourth Protocol and destroy NATO. He sends an agent, Major Petrofsky (Pierce Brosnan), to assemble the operation. A British spycatcher, John Preston (Michael Caine), must race against an unknown deadline to stop him and his devastating mission. A tense thriller based on the novel by Frederick Forsyth.
Syriana
Starring George Clooney in an Oscar-winning performance, this acclaimed political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.
600 Miles
Winner of the Best Debut Feature Award at the Berlin Film Festival, 600 Miles is a gripping thriller about Arnulfo (Kristyan Ferrer), a young man trafficking illegal weapons between the US and Mexico who is unaware he is being followed by special agent Hank Harris (Tim Roth). After Harris risks an arrest that goes wrong, Arnulfo panics, makes a desperate decision and smuggles the agent into Mexico. During their long road trip across the border towards certain bloodshed, the two enemies slowly connect and discover that the only way they will get out alive is by trusting each other.
Assault on Precinct 13
This gritty urban western by John Carpenter is set at an isolated police station in the process of relocation. Lt. Ethan Bishop is a dedicated cop overseeing the job. But when a busload of convicts make an unexpected pit-stop, the precinct becomes a scene of restless animosity and bubbling testosterone. Their situation is soon compounded by a ruthless street gang surrounding the station, armed to the hilt and ready to rampage against the establishment. Under siege, convicts and cops must unite to face the gang and survive the brutal and bloody onslaught.
Raman Raghav 2.0
Set in present day Mumbai, the story follows the life of a serial killer Ramanna who is inspired by an infamous serial killer from the 1960s, Raman Raghav. His strange obsession with Raghavan, a young cop, keeps growing as he closely follows him without his knowledge and often creates situations where both of them come face to face.
Night Train To Lisbon
Life can change in an instant. High school Latin teacher Raimund Gregorius (Jeremy Irons) finds his life transformed when he saves a young Portuguese woman from jumping to her death. After the woman disappears, she leaves behind her coat and with it, an enigmatic book containing a train ticket. Gregorius spontaneously decides to take an adventurous journey to Lisbon, where he will uncover a mystery, encounter love and rediscover life itself.
Sushi Girl
Fish has spent six years behind bars keeping his mouth shut after a botched jewellery heist. The night he is released, the four men he protected with his silence throw a spectacular dinner party for him. The meal is a lavish array of sushi served on the naked body of beautiful girl. The Sushi Girl seems catatonic, she has been trained to ignore everything she sees... or hears. But as the night progresses, it is clear there is no honour amongst thieves and old wounds soon surface as they attempt to question Fish about their missing diamonds.
The Ipcress File
This tense thriller stars acting legend Michael Caine as agent Harry Palmer, whose investigation into the kidnapping and brainwashing of British scientists sparks off a trail of intrigue, double-dealing and murder.
Cold In July
How can a split-second decision change your life? While investigating noises in his house one balmy Texas night in 1989, Richard Dane (Michael C. Hall, Dexter) puts a bullet in the brain of a low-life burglar. Although he’s hailed as a small-town hero, Dane soon finds himself fearing for his family’s safety when the deceased burglar's ex-con father (Oscar® nominee Sam Shepard, The Right Stuff) rolls into town hell-bent on revenge. However, not all is as it seems and Dane's life begins to unravel into a dark underworld of corruption and bloody violence.
Pioneer
In this gripping thriller the Norwegian government has enlisted an American diving company to guide their efforts to tap into the North Sea's immense oil deposits. But a sudden, tragic accident changes everything.
13 (Tzameti)
Sebastian, a young Georgian immigrant, has decided to follow instructions intended for someone else, without knowing where they will take him. When he reaches his destination, Sebastian falls into a frightening game of real-life Russian roulette. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2006 and two Venice Film Festival awards.
Subway
Christopher Lambert stars in this post-punk romance as Fred, a successful safecracker who needs to find a hideout after robbing the wealthy and well-connected Héléna. Fleeing from Héléna's thuggish husband and the police, Fred escapes into the Paris Metro. Here he discovers a bizarre world populated by artists, musicians, and eccentric social misfits. While searching for Fred, Héléna gets drawn into the strange sub-culture, where love and possibilities await.
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