SEVEN - 1995

The psychological/thriller, one of my favorite genres and this film delivers. The cinematography and editing only add to the darkness this film conveys. A realistic portrayal of two detective's (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) investigation into the undescribable world of a serial killer.

On a desperate hunt for a serial killer (Kevin Spacey), whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next, the seasoned Det. Sommerset (Morgan Freeman) researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills (Brad Pitt), scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.


Andrew Kevin Walker had enormous difficulty getting a studio to buy the rights to his script because he was a complete unknown in Hollywood. Allegedly he put together a list of agents that represented writers that work in the crime and thriller genres, and just called each one up until he got a positive response.

The Fugitive - 1993

The Fugitive is a 1993 American thriller film based on the television series of the same name. The film was directed by Andrew Davis and stars Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. The film was one of the few movies associated with a television series to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Dr. Richard Kimble, a successful vascular surgeon in Chicago, comes home one night to find his wife, Helen, fatally wounded by a one-armed man, and though he attempts to subdue the killer, the man escapes. The lack of evidence of a break-in, being the beneficiary of Helen's lucrative life insurance and a misunderstood 9-1-1 call led to Kimble being convicted of first-degree murder, for which he is sentenced to death. On his way to death row via bus, the other prisoners attempt an escape that wounds a guard and kills the driver, causing the bus to fall into the path of an oncoming train. Kimble barely escapes the bus's destruction—saving the guard's life by dragging him out of the bus—and flees into the night. Deputy Samuel Gerard and a group of US Marshals arrive, to locate and round up the escaped convicts while the injured are taken to a nearby hospital. Kimble sneaks into the same hospital to treat his wounds and change his appearance. While leaving the hospital, he is recognized by the injured guard, but escapes in an ambulance. Gerard and his team blockade a tunnel through a nearby dam to stop Kimble's escape, but Kimble abandons the vehicle and climbs into the storm water system. Kimble is eventually cornered by Gerard above the outlet of the dam spillway. Kimble dives over the edge and swims downstream, leaving no trail for the Marshals to follow.

Der Untergang (Downfall) - 2004

Downfall (German: Der Untergang) is a 2004 German/Italian/Austrian epic war film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, depicting the final ten days of Adolf Hitler's life in his Berlin bunker and Nazi Germany in 1945.

The film was written by Bernd Eichinger, and based upon the books Inside Hitler's Bunker, by historian Joachim Fest; Until the Final Hour, the memoirs of Traudl Junge, one of Hitler's secretaries; portions of Albert Speer's memoirs Inside the Third Reich; Hitler's Last Days: An Eye–Witness Account, by Gerhardt Boldt; Das Notlazarett Unter Der Reichskanzlei: Ein Arzt Erlebt Hitlers Ende in Berlin (memoirs) by Doctor Ernst-Günther Schenck; and Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier, 1936–1949 (memoirs) by Siegfried Knappe. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In 1942, a group of German secretaries are escorted to Adolf Hitler's (Bruno Ganz) compound at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia. After dictating to her for a moment and despite multiple mistakes, Hitler selects Traudl Humps (Alexandra Maria Lara) to be one of his personal secretaries.

The scene shifts to Hitler's 56th birthday on April 20, 1945. Secretary Traudl Humps (now Traudl Junge) is awakened in the Führerbunker by the sound of Soviet artillery. Later, Generals Wilhelm Burgdorf and Karl Koller confirm to a surprised Hitler that the Red Army is just 12 kilometres from the city centre. Later, at his birthday reception, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler (Ulrich Noethen) and his SS adjutant Hermann Fegelein (Thomas Kretschmann) plead with Hitler to allow himself to be evacuated from the city. Instead, Hitler declares, "I will defeat them in Berlin, or face my downfall." Himmler leaves Berlin with the intention of negotiating surrender terms with the Western Allies behind Hitler's back.

In another part of the city, a group of Hitler Youth members continue to build up defenses for the defense of Berlin. Peter, a boy in the group, is vainly urged by his father to desert and flee the city. Later, Peter's unit is part of a group which is awarded the Iron Cross by Hitler.

Match Point - 2005

Match Point is a 2005 dramatic thriller film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox and Penelope Wilton. The film received critical acclaim, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

When former tennis pro Chris Wilton begins a relationship with shy heiress Chloe Hewett after befriending her brother Tom, he finds his social and financial status vastly improved. However, once he has an affair with Tom’s ex-lover, American actress Nola Rice, he realises that his new, luxurious lifestyle may be threatened. Intensely dramatic!

White Squall - 1996

You know I love it when a dramatic film is based on a true story. Here is one that stuck with me from the mid-1990s.


The film is based on the fate of the brigantine Albatross, which sank on 2 May 1961, allegedly because of a white squall. The film relates the ill-fated school sailing trip led by Dr. Christopher B. Sheldon (Jeff Bridges), whom the boys call "Skipper". He is tough and teaches them discipline. He forms a close connection with all-American Chuck Gieg (Scott Wolf), troubled rich kid Frank Beaumont (Jeremy Sisto), shy Gil Martin (Ryan Phillippe) and bad-boy Dean Preston (Eric Michael Cole). When a white squall threatens their ship, the boys must use what Skipper has taught them to survive the horrific ordeal.

Shattered Glass - 2003

I love a good drama based on a true story. I thought of this one because my Sunday NY Times newspaper was not delivered today. I hate when that happens! In any case, this is a great film as Hayden Christensen gives a stellar performance as Stephen Glass. The performance of Peter Sarsgaard as Charles Lane was singled out by several critics for praise as well.


The screenplay is based on a September 1998 Vanity Fair article by H. G. Bissinger. In it he chronicled the rapid rise of Stephen Glass's journalistic career at "The New Republic" during the mid-1990s and his steep fall when his widespread journalistic fraud was exposed. The film is based on real events and also captures the high-pressure world of national political journalism as well as being a character study of sociopaths.


The 'real' Stephen Glass saw the film and when reflecting about the experience, he said, "It was very painful for me. It was like being on a guided tour of the moments of my life I am most ashamed of".

The Silence of the Lambs - 1991

To be a good psychological thriller a film has to have enough tension to keep you on the edge of your seat and get into your head enough to keep you thinking about it well after the credits have rolled. This is just that film.

In preparation for his role, Anthony Hopkins studied files of serial killers. Also, he visited prisons and studied convicted murderers and was present during some court hearings concerning serial killings.

Jodie Foster spent a great deal of time with FBI agent Mary Ann Krause prior to filming and it was Krause who gave Foster the idea of Starling standing by her car crying. Krause told Foster that at times, the work just became so overbearing that this was a good way to get an emotional release.

In this pulse-pounding adaptation of Thomas Harris's novel, FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) ventures into a maximum-security asylum to pick the diseased brain of Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a psychiatrist turned homicidal cannibal. Starling needs clues to help her capture a serial killer; unfortunately, her Faustian relationship with Lecter soon leads to his escape … and now, two deranged killers are on the loose.

Antibodies - 2005

The psychological thriller is probably one of my favorite genres, and this is a worthy example.

Small town farmer and policeman Michael is haunted by the brutal death of a local girl and the mental games played by a recently apprehended serial killer who holds the key. Perfect casting, exceptional performances, and gorgeous cinematography make this worth watching. The film's thoughtful writing leads an intelligent viewer along a dark path and asks if they can recognize evil, or see the seeds of its infectious nature.

Deathtrap - 1982

American film-director, Sidney Lumet, died yesterday, April 9, 2011. He is known for films like '12 Angry Men', 'Dog Day Afternoon', 'Network', and 'The Verdict'. I remember him for his direction of Christopher Reeve and Michael Caine in the 1982 film 'Deathtrap'.


Deathtrap began as a 1978 play by Ira Levin which received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play. I find the 1982 film to be a great thriller with mysterious suspense and dialogue. It's a favorite of mine and I post this one, today, as a tribute and honor to director Sidney Lumet.