Coventions of a Thriller

• 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 (captured) and drawn into a complex web of intrigue (lots of problems that must be solved) by the antagonist.
• Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations.
• Themes of identity.
• Themes of mirroring.
• Themes of voyeurism (spying. watching, sometimes shown in point of view shots).
• Protagonist with a flaw (character defect) which is exploited by the antagonist.
• Titles often reflect an aspect of the protagonist/antagonist's psychological state.
• There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril.
• Misé en Scene which echoes/mirrors the protagonist's plight.