Primary Elements and Narrative Aspects of the Thriller Genre

• The central protagonist/s faces death; either their own or somebody else's, (e.g-‘Se7en’, ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, ‘Speed’ and ‘Phone Booth’).
  
• The force/s of the antagonist must initially be clever and/or stronger than the protagonist, (e.g-‘Phone Booth’, ‘Speed’, ‘Cape Fear’ and ‘No Country For Old Men’).
  
• The main storyline for the protagonist is usually a quest, or the character that cannot be put down, (e.g-‘Speed’, ‘Inception’, ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Memento’).
  
• The main plot usually focuses on a mystery that must be solved, (e.g- ‘Insomnia’, ‘Se7en’, ‘Zodiac’ and ‘Shutter Island’).
  
• The film's narrative construction is dominated by the protagonist's point of view and the story is portrayed through ‘the eyes’ or viewpoint of the character, (e.g- ‘Shutter Island’, ‘Speed’, ‘Phone Booth’, and ‘Memento’).
  
• All action and characters must be credibly realistic/natural in their representation on screen in order for the product to justify the story ad meet the needs of the genre, (e.g- Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘Shutter Island’, Colin Farrell in ‘Phone Booth’ and James Caan and Kathy Bates in ‘Misery’).
  
• The two major themes that underpin the thriller are the desire for justice and the morality of particular individuals (e.g- ‘Se7en’, ‘Speed’ and ‘Shutter Island’).
  
• One small but significant aspect of a great thriller is the presence of innocence in what is seen as an essentially corrupt world (e.g- ‘JFK’, ‘LA Confidential’ and ‘Shutter Island’).