Category Archives: Psychological Thriller

2011, Mediocre, Mystery Film, Plot Twist, Psychological Thriller, Supernatural, Suspense, Violent

Dream House (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Daniel Craig plays Will Atenton, a successful businessman who forsakes New York City for the rural pleasures of New England, only to discover that the tranquil abode he’s moved into was the scene of an as-yet-unsolved multiple homicide. Drawn reluctantly into the mystery surrounding the tragic events, Will and his wife (Rachel Weisz) soon begin finding plenty of reasons to worry about their own safety in this psychological thriller.

Another haunted house film ? Not really. In fact the plot twist here is clever and unexpected. Unfortunately the details at the end are easy to miss. For help in this respect see the Wikipedia plot summary. Also our hero gets some ghostly help that just seems like cheating.

Give it a “B”. There are better films out there.

2011, Clever Plot, Crime, Detective, Love Story, Mystery Film, Plot Twist, Psychological Thriller, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suspense

Faces in the Crowd (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Milla Jovovich stars in this thriller about a woman who suffers from “face-blindness,” the inability to remember people’s faces. With the serial killer who caused her condition still on the loose, the woman lives in fear of his return.

While not exactly A-material, I don’t remember ever having seen a suspense whodunnit with this particular very original theme of “face-blindness”. Acting is not bad. There are unexpected surprises in addition to discovering the serial killer. Keep in mind that she cannot recognize people by their faces including the killer.

Somewhat hokey was the psychiatrist who hypnotizes her. That old movie solution seems by now a bit worn out.

Coincidentally while watching this film whose “gimmick” is facial recognition I kept staring at the police detective thinking I had seen him before. Sure enough, Sam Kerrest is played by Julian McMahon who was one of the plastic surgeons in “Nip/Tuck”. In those days he was a mere 35 years old (his partner was Dylan Walsh who is currently playing in the TV series “Unforgettable”). So I am seeing a heavy-set man with a paunch and a heavy mustache and it eventually hits me that here is Julian McMahon now age 43. My but what 8 years can do to a person. Perhaps I better get to the gym.

Not to titillate, but there are sex scenes including a succession in which her partner hovering over her has a different face each time she looks.

Not at all a waste of time!

2003, Clever Plot, Complicated, Dark, Disturbing Image, Mediocre, Plot Twist, Psychological Thriller, Serial Killer, Suspense, Violent

Identity (2003)

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From NetFlix:

Complete strangers stranded at a remote desert motel during a raging storm soon find themselves the target of a deranged murderer. As their numbers thin out, the travelers begin to turn on each other, as each tries to figure out who the killer is. John Cusack, Jake Busey, Rebecca De Mornay, Clea DuVall and Ray Liotta co-star in this spine-tingling thriller that culminates in a surprising twist for everyone concerned — including the murderer.

Let me begin by quoting someone else’s opinion:

Good, smart psychological thrillers are so rare that we all ought to be grateful for James Mangold’s IDENTITY. It begins terrifically well and keeps up this pace for most of its running time. It also keeps you guessing right up to the end. Some may find this part over-the-top, but it has stayed with me longer than I expected, and I keep turning it ’round and ’round in my mind. Here’s a good idea, filmed with all the necessary follow-through of intelligent writing, good acting (from a top-notch cast) and clever directing. And considering the amount of corpses that pile up in the course of events, there is relatively little gore. All in all, IDENTITY’s a class act.

Not everyone will gush so much over the film, including yours truly. That phrase “over-the-top” describes how I reacted to the end of the film. With so many known good actors the film should have been better. When the actors shout A LOT, that is a bad sign.

Let us review the actors:

  • John Cusack was in “High Fidelity” and Grace Is Gone (2007).
  • Ray Liotta was in “Powder Blue” and “Crossing Over”
  • Alfred Molina was the girl’s father in An Education (2008)
  • Pruitt Taylor Vince is the actor that fascinates me. You might remember him from the TV series “The Mentalist” in which for many episodes he was the Mentalist’s boss’s boss. He is a corpulent bald man whose eyes suffer from nystagmus, a condition which causes a person’s eyes to move involuntarily. Once you see him, you will never forget him.

Although I don’t regret spending the time watching this film, you can do better.

2008, Detective, Drama, Psychological Drama, Psychological Thriller, Serial Killer, Suspense

Tenderness (2008)

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From NetFlix:

After completing his stint in a juvenile detention center for murder, 18-year-old ex-con Eric Poole (Jon Foster) embarks on a hazardous road trip with Lori, a hyper teen (Sophie Traub), close by his side. But little do the troubled pair know that they are being tracked by Det. Cristofuoro (Russell Crowe), a hard-nosed New York cop who’s convinced that Poole is a psychopath capable of killing again.

Detective Cristofuoro (Russell Crowe) is not so much hard-nosed as he is a caring man who is almost retired from the force and has as his only case the task of preventing Eric Poole (Jon Foster) from killing again. In fact the detective spends most of his time at the side of his comatose wife caring for her. Otherwise he is tracking Eric.

For only a short while did I wonder if Eric is really a psychopath, but only for a short while. Jon Foster as Eric Poole is perfect portraying a conflicted young man searching for a way out. Foster played Art Bechstein in The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2008), a film I strongly recommend.

Not until the end of the film could I really understood what was motivating Lori (Sophie Traub). At that very end all the details add up to her real goal. She played young Sylvia in The Interpreter (2005).

You will not experience any violence, but the threat of such is constantly lurking in this psychological drama. What you might experience, however, is sadness for the two unfortunate young characters.

2009, Drama, Psychological Thriller, Quiet, Trains, Transvestite theme, Unusual

Peacock (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Bank clerk John Skillpa (Cillian Murphy) hides a disturbing past from everyone in small-town Peacock, Neb. When a train jumps the tracks and crashes into John’s backyard, his neighbors discover a confused woman named Emma milling about. They rush to aid the woman they assume is John’s wife, but their efforts prompt John to descend into psychosis. Only Maggie (Ellen Page), a young mother, seems to know the truth behind his bizarre behavior.

Do not believe the last sentence of the NetFlix summary. This film is so bizarre that no one in the town of Peacock could begin to guess what was happening. From the very first shock to the end of the film I could not begin to guess what would come next. Probably it was this kind of originality that made me value the film. In retrospect the way the film ends is very fitting but not what I would have predicted.

Be sure to pay strict attention to the very first seconds of the film because it helps to explain John Skillpa’s behavior.

Susan Sarandon, Josh Lucas, Bill Pullman and Keith Carredine are all familiar to us.

But hats off to Cillian Murphy who does an amazing job of acting two parts. His portrayal of John Skillpa is masterful. Because I have never heard of Cillian Murphy I looked him up in IMDB. His first name is pronounced “Killian”. He was born in Cork, Ireland. He played Robert Fischer in “Inception”. He was The Scarecrow in the 1992 “Batman”.

Once again, this well-done film might not be to everyone’s taste.

2010, Car Chase, Complicated, Fantasy, Psychological Thriller, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

Inception (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Nominated for two Golden Globes, this unnerving sci-fi thriller stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, who earns a tidy sum infiltrating the dreams of corporate titans to steal their most closely held secrets. Tapped by a rich industrialist (Ken Watanabe) for a job involving a rival’s heir, Cobb marshals a team of specialists that includes his right-hand man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an architecture student (Ellen Page) and a chemist (Dileep Rao).

A dream within a dream within a dream !!! Well, if you are comfortable with computer recursion or computer stacks or maybe just plain old multiprocessing, why not ?

Just let your mind go, enjoy the eye candy (pseudo-science, dreamscapes, elaborate settings, digital effects, etc), and if you don’t seem to understand everything, it just doesn’t matter.

You might try reading the Wikipedia explanation.

At the very least pay attention to the meaning of the spinning top so that you can truly appreciate the final 5 seconds of the film.

2004, Crime, Detective, Mystery Film, Occasional gore, Plot Twist, Police Story, Psychological Thriller, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Stalker, Suspense, Violent

Twisted (2004)

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From NetFlix:

Female cop Jessica (Ashley Judd) is more dedicated to enforcing the law than most of her colleagues, since she feels she has a lot to make up for: Her father moonlighted as a serial killer. Could it be that the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree? That’s what Jessica thinks when she finds herself at the center of her own investigation as past lovers inexplicably start dying at a breakneck pace.

Did I guess who-done-it ? No, I was wrong twice. Try your own luck.

Good acting, well shot in San Francisco, well-known actors, sexy! Could have been an hour TV crime show but the film is still a strong B+. Not a total waste of time.

2005, Imperfect, Mediocre, Plot Twist, Psychological Thriller, Redemption, Suspense

The Lazarus Project (2005)

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From NetFlix:

Ben (Paul Walker) thought his life was over when he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. But following his execution, he awakens to a whole new world. After learning he’s been hired as a groundskeeper at a crumbling psychiatric facility, Ben realizes he’s earned a second chance. But whether he’s truly come back from the dead — or never died in the first place — remains a mystery. Linda Cardellini and Piper Perabo co-star.

Do NOT see this film. Instead see Shutter Island (2010).

In a certain sense this film is the reverse of “Shutter Island”. If Dennis Lehane had not written “Shutter Island” in 2003, I would have suspected he was inspired by “The Lazarus Project”.

Watch it if you must, but see if you don’t object to the following: Our hero is ending his prison probation with a job that seems to require no computer skills. Skip ahead to the “Shutter Island”-like captivity and finally he is so clever that he suddenly develops an amazing ability with computers. Moreover he is so clever that his captors give up without much fight. I just don’t buy it.

2009, Atom Egoyan, Drama, Erotic Thriller, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, Mostly About Sex, Nudity, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Vulgar

Chloe (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Suspecting her husband, David (Liam Neeson), of infidelity, doctor Catherine (Julianne Moore) hires sexy escort Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) to seduce him and test his faithfulness. But as Catherine checks in on Chloe’s encounters with David, Chloe’s reports become increasingly lurid. Soon, the relationships between all three intensify in unexpected ways. Renowned filmmaker Atom Egoyan directs this psychological drama

Not until the middle of this erotic thriller did I begin to suspect the truth. In fact for much of the beginning I almost dismissed the film as a mediocre excuse for “talking dirty”. But I stayed the course thinking that Julianne Moore just does not do cheap films. Up to the very last seconds this film remains sexually ambivalent.

Amada Seyfried is deviously beautiful as the “other woman”. Every now and then I could almost mistake her for Scarlett Johanssen (which can also be spelled “Johansson”). In this film she is certainly not the wonderful girlfriend in Dear John (2010)

Worthy film or not ? I am not sure. Opinions welcome.