Crime TV & Film We’re Watching This Spring
Channel surf no further—here’s a list of eight thrillers coming to a box office or television screen near you in spring of 2024.
Apples Never Fall
When empty-nest mother Joy goes missing, none of her four adult children or husband worry… at first. Little by little, they learn more details that give cause for alarm, like the fact that she called all five of them on her last day and they all screened her call, or that her bike was recovered after a wreck, or that the neighbor’s dog dug up her jacket covered in her blood. Not to mention that gnarly scratch down the side of her husband’s face. Or the strange woman who just showed up one day a few months ago, and then disappeared just as mysteriously. Good news: all episodes of this adaptation from the Liane Moriarty thriller novel by the same title have been released, so you can binge them at your leisure.
The Gentleman
At the reading of the last will and testament of his father, the duke of Halstead, Eddie Horniman discovers that he’s inherited a 15,000 acre estate—and the title. Soon after, he also learns that much of the land has been devoted to a marijuana empire… so now the has to navigate the dangerous underworld of drug smuggling and dealing all while trying to keep his family home safe. This one’s also been released in full!
Manhunt
This seven part true crime limited series is a conspiracy thriller based on the book by James L. Swanson of the same name. It follows one of the least understood, most famous crimes in America, the hunt of John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at the theater. The first two episodes were released on March 15, and Apple TV+ will release a new episode each following Friday.
Love Lies Bleeding
This one’s a new theater release, and I really can’t oversell it! It’s 1989, and gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) falls for a mysterious new bodybuilder and vagrant passing through their small Texas town, Jackie (Katy O’Brian). Their first night hanging out, Jackie shoots steroids for the first time, to give her an edge on an upcoming competition, and they affect her in an unprecedented way. Then, when we learn that Lou’s father (Ed Harris) is the head of an organized crime unit… the situation quickly escalates, and not in the way you’d expect.
Parish
Gray Parish (Giancarlo Esposito) is a family man. At least, he is now. He put aside his life of crime to raise his family… that is, until his son is violently murdered, and Parish gets sucked back in. Episode 1 releases on AMC on March 31.
Ripley
If you loved Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, get excited for this new adaptation! Tom Ripley is charged with bringing the blueblood heir, Dickie Greenleaf, back from Italy. His father insists it’s essential because his mother is knocking at death’s door. He’s so determined to bring Dickie home that he tells Tom he’ll pay for the whole trip. Tom—who knows Dickie vaguely from a school where Dickie was a legacy and Dickie was scraping by—is all too eager to help out. Tom becomes obsessed with Dickie… in one of those confusing ways where you can’t tell if you want to be with someone, or be them. Stay tuned if you want to see how it shakes out! (And if you’re familiar with the book, then of course you must know!)
Monkey Man
Dev Patel stars and directs in this action-packed thriller, set in an unnamed city in India. He plays “Bobby,” a bareknuckle fighter bent on avenging the many crimes committed against him and his family in his childhood… by the chief of police. Bobby models his stage persona after the Hindu half-monkey god Hanuman, the most devoted follower of Rama—which is ironic, considering that the cause of Bobby’s misfortune is another claimed devotee, and he discreetly climbs his way into a super-elite organization to reach his targets. Bobby’s undeterred when his initial attempts at revenge fail, and in his darkest hour, the help of a marginalized former-warrior group victimized by the same people save the day. It’s the kind of glamor, fighting, and redemption story that you want from every action thriller… and you should probably go see this one on opening night.
Dark Matter
This science fiction thriller is based on the bestselling book by Blake Crouch. Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) gets somehow abducted into an alternate reality of his own life. In this doppelganger retelling, he has to fight to get back to his real family… and he has to fight himself! Premieres on Apple TV on May 8.
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Mary Kay McBrayer is the author of America’s First Female Serial Killer: Jane Toppan and the Making of a Monster. You can find her short works at Oxford American, Narratively, Mental Floss, and FANGORIA, among other publications. She hosts the podcast about women in true crime, The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. Follow Mary Kay McBrayer on Instagram and Twitter, or check out her author site here.