Thriller Analysis

What makes a good thriller movie?

Thriller is a movie genre that has been popular for a very long time and will continue to be. Thrillers can have different aspects in them but can still equally be engaging and addictive. I am an individual who is hooked to this genre. 

 

One of the first thrillers I will talk about is a film I have seen very recently called "V for Vendetta". This was a British film with twists and turns about what the Government could do if they have enough control. The movie has quite a lot of violent scenes in it but not too much blood for the injuries "V" causes. This movie is quite far fetched but this is actually a good thing. Rather then allowing the viewer to have to use their imagination, they can visualise it. This means they can not interpert the film incorrectly. This movie does have a message, a sort of warning about what could happen in our future. This is an interesting element to play on as it makes people be wary about the kind of world they are living in and what could happen, even in the near future.

 

 The movie Shutter Island has to be one of my favourite films. It's very complex and involves a lot of concentration. The movie is very creepy and has a certain fear factor to it, (though it is not a horror movie). The movie is about two police officers sent to "Shutter Island" to investigate the disappearance of a woman. The island itself is used for one thing only, and that is to harbour the criminally insane. The mysterious thing about the woman's disappearance is that it is impossible to escape. On the night of her disappearance, there was torrential rain and she was in bare feet. Her cell was locked and there is only one way off of the island. The movie is set in the 1960's and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo. From the minute the movie starts, it is gripping, especially as you learn the island only takes the most dangerous and damaged patients because there is no other hospital that can manage these people. From about 15 minutes into the movie, we can tell there is a conspiracy occurring. It appears that the doctors are experimenting on the patients and Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is going to "blow the roof off this place" but things don't quite turn out the way they are supposed to. With spooky flash backs and clever angle shots, this movie gives people the shivers. The music in this movie is possibly the most terrifying music I have ever heard.

 

 Eagle eye is a thriller staring Shia LaBeouf. When Jerry Shaw arrives home to find thousands of dollars worth of ammunition and bombs, he receives a phone call from an unknown number telling him that the FBI are on their way. As the story continues, it becomes apparent that the mysterious woman controlling everything is manipulating more then just one person. As the film progresses, viewers can't help but want to find out who this woman is and what does she want with all these people. The woman dominates their lives and sets them on a dangerous and life risking tasks. She does this by blackmailing the people. This movie has a lot of action scenes in it and a couple of nasty deaths.

These three movies are very popular and have many similarities and differences. In V for Vendetta and Eagle Eye, stunts and effects are what make the movie very addictive, where as in Shutter Island, it's a more physiological thriller. The movies all have a male lead who has to do something, whether it's find jusitice for a nation, or complete the tasks of a (spoiler alert) evil computer. The movies all have a wonderful soundtrack which plays a massive part in thrilling audiences. One thing I tend to find with most thrillers (excluding some, E.G. V for Vendetta), is that the endings are disappointing. This is because it is very difficult to sum up an adrenaline pumping movie with an interesting yet settling ending.