Chris Pratt looking serious sitting in a chair in Mercy
By
Shawn S. Lealos
Published Feb 1, 2026, 9:00 PM EST
Shawn S. Lealos is an entertainment writer who is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He has written for Screen Rant, CBR, ComicBook, The Direct, The Sportster, Chud, 411mania, Renegade Cinema, Yahoo Movies, and many more.
Shawn has a bachelor's degree in professional writing and a minor in film studies from the University of Oklahoma. He also has won numerous awards, including several Columbia Gold Circle Awards and an SPJ honor. He also wrote Dollar Deal: The Story of the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers, the first official book about the Dollar Baby film program. Shawn is also currently writing his first fiction novel under a pen name, based in the fantasy genre.
To learn more, visit his website at shawnlealos.net.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapThe best action movies are designed to keep viewers glued to the screen, but several dialogue-driven movies accomplish the same thing, often even better. When people think of dialogue-driven films, they often envision dramas that unfold the plot at a steady pace. However, there are also thrillers that live and die by their dialogue.
A movie doesn't need massive car chases, explosions, or a serial killer terrorizing someone to deliver a thrilling experience. These movies don't use dialogue to slow-drip the story. Instead, they use dialogue to amplify the intensity, often leaving viewers even more tense than the best action thrillers could.
Mercy (2026)
Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson) sitting stoically between two flags in Mercy©Amazon MGM Studios/Courtesy Everett Collection
The most recent example of a dialogue-driven movie using conversation to propel a thrilling plot is the Chris Pratt film Mercy. This film has action in it, but the majority of it sees Pratt's police detective, Chris Raven, strapped to a chair, put on trial by an AI known as Judge Maddox, who will determine his fate.
Chris is accused of murdering his wife, and he has 90 minutes to prove his innocence before the AI executes him. That means most of the movie follows Chris in a chair, speaking to an AI face on a screen in front of him while directing people to investigate certain things to prove his innocence.
The movie didn't receive the best reviews, but it delivered an intense and somewhat thrilling story about a man whose life is in the hands of an AI, and who can only prove his innocence from a chair he cannot leave.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
The stars of The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club remains a film that is a genuine masterpiece to anyone who grew up in the 1980s. A John Hughes movie featuring members of the legendary Brat Pack, the film tells the story of a group of high school students serving Saturday detention for breaking various rules at school.
The film breaks down the stereotypes of high school students from the '80s: the jock, the popular girl, the brainiac, the loner, and the rebel. What makes this movie so beloved is their interactions throughout the detention, where they realize they are just as similar as they are different.
The movie never drags, even though it focuses only on five teens (and their authoritarian teacher) forced to spend an afternoon together, discovering their beliefs and prejudices broken down as the film unfolds.
The Social Network (2010)
Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
The Social Network is a David Fincher film, and while Fincher is known for dark thrillers, this is a departure because he prefers to let the dialogue drive the story, and the narrative never lets up as viewers are drawn in.
The movie tells the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) as he creates the social media platform with his friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). However, the real story is how Zuckerberg maneuvers to make himself the sole creator, betraying everyone who helped him.
This is a movie about how human loneliness gave rise to social media, and the movie uses almost exclusively dialogue to tell its story; it is never a boring experience.
Spotlight (2015)
The news team from Spotlight
Spotlight is about a fascinating true-life story, but it doesn't focus on the actions of the perpetrators as much as it does on the reporters whose job it is to expose corruption. Directed by Tom McCarthy, this movie follows The Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team, some of the most distinguished investigative journalists in America.
The story follows the Spotlight team's work investigating the decades-long cover-up of child sex abuse by priests in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Based on several stories by the Spotlight team that won them the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, the film features an incredible cast.
Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, and Michael Keaton lead the ensemble, and that cast is a significant reason this dialogue-driven movie never lets up and remains as thrilling as any action film.
A Few Good Men (1992)
Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan R. Jessep in A Few Good Men
Rob Reiner directed the 1992 courtroom drama A Few Good Men, proving himself a master at delivering intense drama through dialogue. The film focuses on two military men facing a court-martial following the death of another soldier. However, they were ordered to carry out the act and did only what they were told.
The film has two young attorneys working the case, with Tom Cruise and Demi Moore as the main legal team. They must face formidable military figures, the most important being a colonel named Nathan R. Jessep (Jack Nicholson). This movie is all about the investigation and the court case.
That makes the scene when Jessep finally breaks down under testimony one of the best in courtroom drama history. A Few Good Men is nothing but dialogue from start to finish, but it remains a highly entertaining thriller regardless.
Conclave (2024)
Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence in Conclave
Conclave is a movie that could have failed, but it ended up as an engrossing and thrilling drama about life in the Catholic Church. The movie follows the death of the pope and the procedure undertaken to name his replacement. This involves more politics than most people might imagine.
The way the new pope is chosen is that the different factions in the Catholic Church from around the world gather together and are locked in a building, where no one leaves until a new pope is chosen. The new pope must receive a certain number of votes, and the different factions must convince others why their choice is best.
The movie also addresses many controversies inside the Catholic Church, including the battle between the old-school factions, which want little change in modern times, and the newer factions, which understand it is time to evolve. By the end, the twists and turns made this a movie that never let up.
The Conversation (1974)
Gene Hackman as Harry R Caul in The Conversation
Francis Ford Coppola has proven he can deliver great movies that offer substantial dialogue and still remain thrilling, including his first two Godfather films. However, The Conversation was nothing but dialogue, and it remains one of the most thrilling mysteries of the 1970s.
Gene Hackman stars as surveillance expert Harry Caul, a man hired to record a couple's conversations. He faces a strong moral dilemma when his recordings reveal what might be a potential murder. When he learns the people who hired him might be involved, things take a dark turn.
This is a movie about a man who realizes he must either do something because it is the right thing to do and face possible backlash, or keep quiet and live with his knowledge. The Conversation earned three Oscar nominations and is just as thrilling as any action movie from that era.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Tim Robbins as Andy talking to Morgan Freeman as Red in the yard in The Shawshank Redemption
Based on a Stephen King novella, The Shawshank Redemption remains one of the best movies based on King's work that isn't horror-related. The story follows a man named Andy who is wrongfully found guilty of killing his wife and her lover. He ends up sentenced to Shawshank State Penitentiary.
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Dive into the world of movies and TV shows with Screen Rant, your source for news, reviews, and exclusive content. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.While there, he befriends a fellow prisoner named Red, and the two try to survive a corrupt prison system. When Andy learns the real killer of his wife is in prison, and the guards have that man killed, Andy realizes he has no choice but to attempt an escape.
There is "action" in the movie, as Andy finds his life in danger on more than one occasion. However, this is a story about a man planning his escape behind the scenes, while the film itself is mostly dialogue-driven, with most of the clues given out in conversations rather than actions.
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Al Pacino in Glengarry Glen Ross
David Mamet has proven to be a master of dialogue-driven stories thanks to his history of working on stage plays. With Glengarry Glen Ross, Mamet adapted his stage play of the same name and delivered one of the best dialogue-driven dramas ever put to film.
The movie follows four real estate salesmen who are given leads—names and phone numbers of prospective buyers—that they need to turn into sales. They then learn about a contest where the lead salesman wins a prize, and the bottom two salesmen will be fired. This leads them to take deceitful measures to keep their jobs.
The cast is why this dialogue-driven movie is so brilliantly told. Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, and Alan Arkin are the salesmen, while Kevin Spacey is their boss, and Alec Baldwin impressed as a man from the home office. This might be the best ensemble movie ever made.
12 Angry Men (1957)
The Jurors in 12 Angry Men
It seems almost hard to believe that Sidney Lumet's debut film was 12 Angry Men. The movie is held in such high regard that it seems a director would never match this debut, but Lumet went on to have a massively successful career following this dramatic masterpiece.
The movie focuses on a group of 12 jurors tasked with determining if a young man is innocent or guilty of the murder of his abusive father. What results is 12 men who break each other down, with prejudice and disinterest rampant in the jury room.
What makes this such a tense and thrilling movie is how Lumet filmed it. The director starts with the camera positioned high, showing all 12 men preparing their debate. By the end, the camera is low to the floor, claustrophobia has set in, and it visually builds the tension to the climax. It is one of the best dialogue-driven thrillers ever made.
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Mercy
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