Types of Thrillers.

Types of Thrillers

There are various kinds of thriller sub-genres, each bring a different element into the world of 'thriller films'.

Psychological - thrillers which are based around the idea of the mind. The plot is almost definitely based around one of the main characters, albeit bad, mental state.

An example of this is the film 'The Machinist' in which the entire film is based around the main character trying to come to turns with his insomnia. However, the film reveals his mental state is in shatters as his entire social life is basically a hallucination created from guilt.

Crime - thrillers which are based around the idea of criminal behaviour. The majority of the films follow street-gangs, mafias etc. 

An example of this is the film 'The Departed', set in Boston. It revolves around an undercover cop in the Irish Mafia, and a member of the same Mafia undercover in the police force. The plot is based on both of the characters trying to discover who the other is, before they, them self, gets caught.

Spy - thrillers which are based around the concept of government agents, spies etc. There is a broad spectrum of plot ideas for a spy thriller, although commonly they involve: Double-crossing, identity crises etc.

An example of this is the Bourne Trilogy, a series of films based around a man who has forgotten his identity, through out the series, he uses a variety of spy tactics to overcome his enemies and find out his true identity.

Political - thrillers which are based around the government, or political parties. Commonly, these films revolve around terrorism, rogue government agents etc. 

An example of this is the film the Manchurian Candidate . Which is based around a brainwashed political candidate, and terrorism.

Sci-Fi - thrillers which are based around science fiction. Due to the wide range of different Sci-Fi elements, the plot ideas are very wide-ranged as well, however, there is a very thin line as to when a Sci-Fi Thriller becomes just a Sci-Fi film. Sci-Fi Thrillers tend to have a more down to earth and realistic approach than Sci-Fi films.

An example of this is the film Limitless, in which a man digests a pill, thinking it will be just be a drug, such as ecstasy for example, however, it completely improves him as a person, it makes him smarter, more charismatic etc.

There are a variety of other Sub-Genres as well.

No Country For Old Men

No Country For Old Men

No Country For Old Men (2007) is a thriller written and directed by the Coen Brothers (Ethan and Joel Coen). It stars Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem. The film is based on the novel by the same name, written by Cormac McArthy.

The plot revolves around a fairly normal, and innocent man called Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), stumbles upon $2.4 million from a drug-deal gone wrong, and he ends up in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with a 'psycopathic killer' hired to track him down, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) whilst Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to get to the bottom of everything. 

One moment of suspense in this film is when Moss is in his hotel room, and he finds the transponder. As it starts beeping; us, the audience, know that Chigurh is close. It leaves the audience on the edge of their seats, anticipating the outcome of the situation: Is Chigurh going to kill Moss?

Another thriller element in this film is the frequent action, albeit sometimes quite short. There are various moments of action, from start to finish, from Moss running away from the cartel, and various moments of Chigurh killing people. 

An interesting fact about this film is the majority of 'signifcant' deaths in this film appear off-screen, such as the Cartel members near the start of the film, Moss in the hotel, Carson Wells when confronted by Chigurh (although we can just about see him), and possibly Moss' wife (although it is up to interpretation whether she died, although in the book she definitely did).

My Thriller Questionnaire

My Thriller Questionnaire

James Bond Films

James Bond Films

James Bond is a character who appears as the protagonist in films based on Ian Fleming's 007 novels. A lot of the novels have been adapted into films. There have been a variety of films released, and a variety of actors have played the role of James Bond.

There are a variety of conventions & rules in a James Bond film.

• Shaken not stirred - in every James Bond film, at some point, he will order a martini from a bar, and ask for it to be 'Shaken not stirred' - one of the more light-hearted elements of the Bond films

• Sexuality - through-out every film, Bond manages to have sex, or at least have a romantic relationship. Usually, his first 'sexual encounter' ends in either the woman dying, leaving him or betraying him (a femme fatale). He also usually later develops another sexual/romantic relationship with a woman who is more on his side, or wants to help him, or him help her, she can be seen as a heroine in this aspect, they are called Bond Girls. For example, in 'Die Another Day', he is betrayed by Miranda Frost, a double agent, whom he previously slept with. She took the bullets out of his gun whilst he slept, causing him to get captured later on in the film. However, with help from Bond Girl Jinx, played by Halle Berry, they save the day.
• Exotic Locations - unlike most thriller films, Bond is usually taken to exotic locations on his missions. For example, the Bahamas in Casino Royale.
• Gadgets - Bond is given an arsenal of gadgets by MI6 technician Agent Q. This include lazers hidden in watches, miniature explosives etc.

• Captivity - frequently, Bond is captured by his nemesis, but manages to escape. Usually, the antagonist explains to Bond his evil plan while he is in his captivity.
• Pursuit - Bond usually has a chase scene in the film, either him being chased by his enemies, or him chasing them. For example in Casino Royale, around the start of the film, he chases a man linked with terrorists through Madagascar. 

• Cars - Bond also has the nicest of cars a lot of the time. His personal favourite is an Aston Martin, which has been his favourite car since the films began. Obviously, as the era modernised, he began driving newer more advanced cars.

Vertigo (Opening Sequence)

Vertigo (Opening Sequence)

The opening sequence to Vertigo is very mysterious, it doesn't reveal anything about the film. It opens up by scaling up a woman's face, she looks scared. It focuses into her eye, which then fades into a spiral shape. This is a graphic match. For the rest of the opening, spiral shapes appear all over the screen whilst the names of the actors and people involved in the film. The music playing over the top is quite haunting, this reveals the mood for the whole film, that it will be rather scary.

Zodiac (Opening Sequence)

Zodiac (Opening Sequence)

The opening sequence to Zodiac is very effective, it immediately reveals the antagonist's personality. It opens with a young man and woman in the car kissing, when a car begins to circle them. They at first get nervous and worried, however the car appears to drive away. The car then returns and a man gets out. The dialogue suggests that they know him, however, he quickly shoots them both, repeatedly with a silenced pistol. The killer is never revealed. There is no music in this scene. This immediately sets the tone for the film, that it is dark, and mysterious.

Se7en (Opening Sequence)

Se7en (Opening Sequence)

This opening is very effective, and allows the audience to see what the film is going to be like. The use of quite disturbing sounding music, and a haunting looking text makes the audience sure the film is going to be very dark, and quite horriffic. Also we can see the antagonist in this film, shaving off his finger prints, among other things, showing him to be disturbed but quite cunning. Also, the dark, un-colourful lighting allows us to see the film is going to be dark.