R-rated movies have always seemed like a teenage rite of passage to me.
When I saw my first R-rated movie, a relatively tame action movie with all gory or inappropriate scenes sped through while I held my hands over my eyes, I decided I was finally a real teenager—one from the movies that perpetually rolls their eyes, groans at any request from their parents, and one that parties, gossips, and pulls all-nighters with their friends. Of course, this was the very tilted perspective of a preteen stuck alone in lockdown, longing for the promise of a future like the movies, given how very uncinematic my life was. Even now, watching R-rated movies makes me feel like I truly have grown up over the past five years, but I have a confession. I hate gore. I hate blood, I hate knife violence, and I hate slasher and horror films, no matter how childish it may be to admit.
The unnecessary stomach-lurching violence in movies that makes me shield my eyes immensely takes away from my enjoyment when watching a movie. So, I instead went on a search to find a genre that could involve my favorite parts of scary movies without the same high-intensity gore. I love psychological suspense and whodunnit movies that combine comedy, suspense, and action into one, which eventually led me to my all-time favorite genre: thrillers.
Thrillers can vary in their sub-genres and plots, from mysteries and detective stories to something so weird and out of this world that it hurts your head to try and make sense of it. Since the genre has so many subplots and variegated storylines within each film—with no overwhelming stereotype or archetype dominating the genre—each movie is written so uniquely that it’s impossible to get bored of. So, I have condensed all of my favorites—a very difficult task—into one list, giving each movie a superlative in a way that fits it into the puzzle of the genre as a whole.
All-Time Favorite: The Usual Suspects
I, of course, have to begin with my all-time favorite thriller and one of my all-time favorite movies as a whole: The Usual Suspects. To be honest, at my initial reaction, the description and trailer made the movie seem overall bland and poorly made. But at the behest of some convincing from my dad and the need for a late-night movie to pair with my popcorn, I decided to give it a try. Oh my god, was it worth it. I won’t say too much about the movie and overall plot because I think going into the movie blind is what made it so perfect. I am someone who appreciates a well-told story. You could sit me down in front of a TV and give me any type of storyline, and I will eat up every word if it is told poetically and interestingly enough.
The Usual Suspects is exactly that: a story. Although this seems obvious in any movie, this one achieves a certain degree of separation between the plot and the narration of the story, almost similar to the story-within-a-story type that can be seen in movies like The Grand Budapest Hotel (another one of my favorites). The Usual Suspects follows the main character and narrator, Roger “Verbal” Kint (Kevin Spacey), through his retelling of the events leading up to a horrific massacre and fire on a ship in the Port of Los Angeles. He tells the riveting and twisting story of how he and his accomplices were being controlled from afar by a man named Keyser Söze. He uses a series of flashbacks and intrinsic storytelling to weave the recount of what happened on that fateful night and the weeks leading up to it.
Not only is the direction and plot of this movie extraordinary, but each actor gave the performance of a lifetime and entirely leaned into their characters, making it all more believable and compelling. This movie is the best of the best in the thriller genre to me, and I don’t know if anything will ever be able to compare to how it enthralled me. I was hanging on to every word spoken in this as I was placed into the story and fully captivated by all of the twists and turns.
Best Cinematography: Searching
Now, although I very much value the storytelling and plot above all, it never hurts to have unique imagery. This is the reason that I enjoy the quirks in cinematography of directors like Wes Anderson and Edgar Wright. Searching is part of a two-movie “series” that takes place in the same universe but isn’t directly connected, and I have never seen such an interesting take on the filming as in these movies. The entirety of the filming through Searching takes place from footage accessible via the Internet. It follows the story of single dad David Kim (John Cho) on the search for his teenage daughter Margot (Michelle La), who has gone inexplicably missing without a trace. The narrative is told through a series of FaceTime calls, security cameras, recorded videos, audio messages, and texts that enhance the suspense of the thriller as you’re following along with the case in a matter that feels more up-close and personal. I was quite literally on the edge of my seat and following along with the plot with my friend while we watched this movie, and although my dad, annoyingly, guessed the entire plot within a matter of twenty minutes, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment as a simple-minded viewer who can’t for the life of me guess plot twists.
Best Comedic Thriller: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Now, it seems strange, even to me, that one of my favorite thrillers is somehow a sequel. As a self-proclaimed sequel hater—as it often detracts from and destroys the original intent of the plot and story as nonsense problems are added in to form some semblance of a plot—I found this one extremely enjoyable, and a large part of that is the fact that it stands independently from the first movie. Glass Onion, retains only one part of the original plot line of the first movie: the intriguing detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) and his strange blend of a southern and British accent.
There are several aspects to this movie that made me assume upon first glance that I would dislike it: the fact it was a sequel and the fact that it takes place during COVID-19, which I find typically consists of awkward plots based around quarantine measures, however, it handles it extremely well. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, a group of close-knit friends who refer to themselves as “The Disruptors” receive invitations to a weekend excursion. Detective Blanc also receives an invitation to the island despite never having met them. The strange group, all respectively hiding mounting secrets that threaten to ruin their reputations, are invited under the guise of a murder-mystery game, but when a real murder unravels, it’s clear that these people are willing to do more than meets the eye to hide their true intentions.
This film is the perfect blend of suspense and comedy, which are often difficult to intertwine. Each character mounts in ridiculousness as caricatures of reality and the outstanding performances by each actor, some that I would never expect to see together, work seamlessly when combined.
Weirdest: The Game
This one was another late-night watch that I wasn’t fully sold on when I began it. All I really understood about the movie, even after a trailer and description, was that it featured Michael Douglass and Sean Penn. This sentiment rang true even halfway through the movie where, if I were asked to describe it, I would have told you the exact same thing as before. What works about the film at its core is how strange and unpredictable it is. You never know what’s coming because it’s hard to even comprehend what’s happening at the present moment. However, this can’t be mistaken for poor story-telling; what’s so enrapturing about the film is its brand-new concepts of seeking the thrills in life and venturing away from normalcy.
In an attempt to as best as I can describe the “non-plot” plot of this movie, I will briefly summarize the overall idea: successful banker Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is gifted an experience for his birthday from his estranged brother Conrad (Sean Penn). The gift is unlike any other: an individualized, entirely personal experience in a real-life game. Nicholas, discounting the gift as a scam from his generally untrustworthy brother, decides to indulge in the present, not truly understanding what he is in for as his life is thrown into mounting chaos with seemingly no escape from the game with no beginning and no end. This movie’s both underlying and smack-you-in-the-face obvious messages intertwine well to create a beautifully crafted story of how we view ourselves and others.
Best Acting: Primal Fear
This is a movie that had been on my to-watch list for a long time before I finally caved. The reason I waited so long to watch it was because I was afraid it wouldn’t be able to live up to the incredibly high standards that I had for it, coming from the glowing reviews both online and from my family. This movie contains some of my favorite actors, such as Laura Linney, Edward Norton, and Richard Gere, and each of them performed to an extent never seen before. Although I enjoy the plot of this movie immensely, it, without a doubt, would not be anywhere near as high on my list without the extraordinary performance given by all of them. The way they portray their characters and the relationships between them bring a sense of reality into the story that reflects a plot that is entirely possible in real life, of course, with the twists Hollywood put on it.
Primal Fear follows cocky and wealthy defense attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere), who takes on cases exclusively for money and prestige rather than the greater good, and when altar boy Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) is found covered in blood running away from the scene of the murder of the archbishop of Chicago, Martin flocks to the case for the publicity of the high-profile homicide. He fights against prosecutor Janet Venable (Laura Linney), his ex-apprentice and ex-lover, as they both fight to reveal the truth; however, although it may have started off as a straightforward case, it quickly reveals itself to hold many more secrets than previously thought. This film is masterfully crafted and still renowned as the best courtroom thriller of all time due to the outstanding acting performances that make the movie what it is.
No other genre will ever be able to compare with thrillers in my mind, and each one is so enjoyable and unique for specific reasons that stem from the diversity at the core of the genre. The suspense, laughs, intensity, and re-watchability of the genre as a whole make it perfect for every occasion, and as I watch more and more, my favorites list only grows, each one expanding on its individual point of interest.
