Here are 25 political thrillers which are underappreciated but brilliant.

Bonus: Christopher Plummer as the head of Czech Counter Intelligence.

Oh, and the kicker?

The real-life exercise which morphed into a nightmare took place in California.

But dont let that worry you.

Egyptian-born Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally) is living the American dream with pregnant wife Isabella (Witherspoon).

Its an edge-of-your-seat ride with some nice little twists and great performances.

It was followed by an arguably superior 2010 remake which racked up the suspense and the shocks.

Renegade ex-general Lancaster and his pals have escaped from prison and now plan to seize control of nuclear missiles.

Can the president give in to their demands, one of which is becoming their hostage?

Despite being a tad over-long, its full of nail-biting sequences and tense moments.

Can ONeill live with himself for leading the guilty man to justice?

Jeff Bridges plays Nick Kegan, younger brother of a president who was assassinated 19 years ago.

Whats his connection with the three corpses?

it appears to have been given a deliberately timeless feeling.

Going off-grid means no protection; he wont officially exist.

The movie got panned at the time of its release it was too unlikely and silly.

what more do you want?

Should you let millions die because youre too principled (or squeamish) to watch someone suffer?

She seeks help from her ex, hunky journalist Joe Frady (Warren Beatty).

His investigations lead him to the mysterious Parallax Corporation, who recruit potential assassins.

Martial law is declared in a nightmarish vision of what happens when multi-culturalism isnt tolerated.

(Source novelist Robert Harris confessed that Blair was an inspiration.)

Strangelove; covering similar ground story-wise, the satire madeFail Safeseem unintentionally comedic in comparison.

(Over the phone.

Not ideal when the fate of the world hangs in the balance.)

Every possible twist is wrung out for maximum tension, with an incredibly dramatic and powerful ending.

Always a diligent worker, shes soon promoted to be head of gender affairs.

Its full of twists and How the hell are you going to get out of this, then?

moments, all whipping along at breakneck speed.

He also meets Sean Young, and a passionate affair ensues.

Its an original plot thats perhaps due for a glossier remake.