Thriller Conventions

• A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder, but not necessarily).
• A complex narrative structure with false paths, clues and resolutions.
• A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved.
• A protagonist who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist.
• Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations.
• Themes of identity.
• Themes of mirroring.
• Themes of voyeurism.
• Protagonist with a flaw which is exploited by the antagonist.
• Titles often respect an aspect of the protagonist / antagonist's psychological state.
• Often a scene near the end of a film in which the protagonist is in peril.
• Mis-en-scene which echoes / mirrors the protagonists plight.