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5 underrated thrillers to watch this holiday season

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A scene from Allegiant. Photo source: Andrew Cooper/ Lionsgate" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/advertorial/12/16/photo01.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from Allegiant. Photo source: Murray Close/ Lionsgate</figcaption></figure></div>What makes the mystery genre so addictive, especially on screen? The puzzle that needs solving, the red herrings, the plot twist, and finally the reveal and resolution – all presented through beautiful writing and deceptive cinematography that add to the narrative&#x27;s mystique. Indeed, the mystery genre has expanded from trench coat-wearing detectives to adrenaline-pumping murder culprits, heist masterminds, cult leaders, magicians, and even real-life perpetrators.A lineup of good mystery shows will make bonding time with friends and family special over the holidays. Looking for mystery flicks and series to keep you and your family&#x27;s nerves jumpy and awake this cold, lazy December? Premium streaming app Lionsgate Play offers a wide range of these thrillers for your binge-watching fix.Here are five of the most underrated ones to catch on Lionsgate Play this holiday season – all of which PLDT Home customers can stream just by activating their <a href="https://pldthome.com/lionsgateplay-activation-raffle">complimentary voucher code</a> that comes with their broadband subscription.<div>1. Magic City (2012)</div>Unlike classic gangster movies that usually take place in New York or Chicago,Magic City is set in Miami Beach where gangster killings are just as rampant, bribery is brazen, and illicit affairs are gun-to-head dangerous. In 1959, shortly after the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro took over the country, Miami was ruled by the Jewish mafia and sociopath power brokers who are in turn ruled by the bigger Chicago mafia.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A scene from Magic City. Photo source: Justin Mintz/ Starz Entertainment" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/advertorial/12/16/photo02.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from Magic City. Photo source: Justin Mintz/ Starz Entertainment</figcaption></figure></div>The two-season series revolves around two men and their women — and a senate vote to legalize gambling in Miami. Ben Diamond (Danny Huston, Wonder Woman, American Horror Story , known as the Butcher, is the type of gangster that shoots his wife&#x27;s dog in the head if it does not stop barking while he&#x27;s on the phone; and hotelier Ike Evans (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, The Walking Dead, Supernatural, who has built and now runs the Miramar Aplaya – Miami&#x27;s center of glamour and debauchery. Unknown to Ike&#x27;s other investors, Ben is his silent partner in Miramar. But as the series progresses, the rift between the two men becomes an all-out war for control.As in any gangster movie, there is plenty of sex, drugs, political maneuverings, and family drama by way of Ike&#x27;s three children from his dead first wife. The Jewish culture is woven throughout the show as gangsters attend service in a synagogue, culminating in a bloody shootout — think of the Italian mafia attending mass at their local Catholic church. 2. Gomorrah (2014)Watched in over 90 countries worldwide, the Italian crime drama Gomorrah ran for five seasons. Filmed in the gritty city of Naples in southern Italy, Gomorrah follows Ciro Di Marzio of the Savastano Camorra clan. As in any organized crime family, an internal power struggle breaks out when the head is arrested. Alliances are made and broken, rival gangs take advantage of the chaos, and the Naples underworld becomes more dangerous for all.Gomorrah has been called a &quot;darker, grown-up version of The Sopranos&quot; and &quot;Italy&#x27;s version of Breaking Bad.&quot; Just watch to discover why.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A scene from Gomorrah. Photo source: Cattleya/ Fandango/ Sky" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/advertorial/12/16/photo03.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from Gomorrah. Photo source: Cattleya/ Fandango/ Sky</figcaption></figure></div><div>3. Now You See Me (2013)</div>Director Louis Leterrier&#x27;s fun frolic into the world of magicians has all the works of a magic show: sleight of hand, misdirection, hypnosis, and an anonymous puppet master. Throw in a bank robbery, the FBI, and a disgruntled former magician who bears grudges as deep as a Vegas trapdoor onstage, and you get an entertaining caper that merges the world of illusion and crime.The Four Horsemen, former competitors who have put aside their hatred for each other, are now the biggest act in Vegas. They are also under suspicion of a bank robbery. You get glimpses of how magicians do their tricks and the politics that run within the industry as a magician turned magic debunker aids the FBI and Interpol in their investigation.The spoiler you ought to know: The twist will just blow you away. The movie stars Jesse Eisenberg The Social Network, Woody Harrelson The Hunger Games , Isla Fisher Confessions of a Shopaholic, Dave Franco Easy A, and Mark Ruffalo The Avengers.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A scene from Now You See Me. Photo source: Barry Wetcher, SMPSP/ Summit Entertainment" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/advertorial/12/16/photo04.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from Now You See Me. Photo source: Barry Wetcher, SMPSP/ Summit Entertainment</figcaption></figure></div><div>4. Hightown (2020)</div>Hightown is set in the popular beach community of Cape Cod. It centers around National Marine Fisheries Service agent Jackie Quiñones, who is tasked to investigate serious crimes as she herself struggles to stay sober.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A scene from Hightown. Photo source: Jerry Bruckheimer Television/ Lionsgate Television" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/advertorial/12/16/photo05.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from Hightown. Photo source: Jerry Bruckheimer Television/ Lionsgate Television</figcaption></figure></div>Like any former addict, Jackie is keeping secrets from her past as she investigates the world of opioids and becomes at odds with Ray Abruzzo of the Cape Cod Interagency Narcotics Unit. The show gets darker as she spirals from the stress of their investigations. It is an interesting character study of how people try to step out of the shadows from their past only to fall back right in on their way to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. 5. The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015) and Allegiant (2016)From the science fiction trilogy Divergent comes Insurgent and Allegiant. Shailene Woodley The Fault In Our Stars reprises her character Tris from the original Divergent movie. Insurgent is set directly after the events of Divergent. The dystopian world is divided by factions called Erudite (intellectual), Abnegation (selfless), Dauntless (brave), Candor (honest), and Amity (peaceful). Tris and her boyfriend Four are Divergents (rebels). Erudite leader Jeanine and her mind-controlled Dauntless soldiers hunt down the Divergents as Dauntless leaders recover a box with all five faction symbols on its sides, presumably containing data from the city founders. As only Divergents can open the box, Jeanine orders all Divergents to be captured, starting the chase that sparks the film’s plot.In the third installment, Allegiant, Tris and Four are thrust into a more dangerous world as they try to go beyond the wall enclosing Chicago. A new battle begins that threatens all of humanity.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A scene from Insurgent. Photo source: Andrew Cooper/ Lionsgate" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/advertorial/12/16/photo06.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from Insurgent. Photo source: Andrew Cooper/ Lionsgate</figcaption></figure></div>Watch and win prizes courtesy of PLDT Home and Lionsgate PlayBring out the popcorn and the hot choco this Christmas because there is more to watch on Lionsgate Play. To open a world of blockbuster movies and TV series, <a href="https://pldthome.com/lionsgateplay">PLDT Home</a> customers have to activate their complimentary Lionsgate Play voucher code that comes with their broadband subscription.Just in time for the holidays, PLDT Home is also rewarding one lucky subscriber with a set of smart home entertainment gadgets — namely an LG 65&quot; OLED TV, a Xiaomi Stick, and an additional one-year Lionsgate Play subscription. Customers who activate their Lionsgate Play code automatically enter the raffle promo. Visit <a href="http://pldthome.com/lionsgateplay">pldthome.com/lionsgateplay</a> to know more. Check out PLDT&#x27;s Holideals and other promos by clicking <a href="https://pldthome.com/fiber-upgrade">here</a>.

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