History of the thriller genre

1. By Kelechi Okorie
History of the thriller genre

2. When retiring police Detective William
Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tackles a
final case with the aid of newly
transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt), they
discover a number of elaborate and
grizzly murders. They soon realize they
are dealing with a serial killer (Kevin
Spacey) who is targeting people
he thinks represent one of the seven
deadly sins. Somerset also befriends
Mills' wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow),
who is pregnant and afraid to raise her
child in the crime-riddled city.
Initial release: September 22, 1995
(USA)
Director: David Fincher
Running time: 2h 8m
Screenplay: Andrew Kevin Walker
Cinematography: Darius Khondji

3. The Dark Knight Rises
2012 film
It has been eight years since Batman
(Christian Bale), in collusion with
Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman),
vanished into the night. Assuming
responsibility for the death of Harvey
Dent, Batman sacrificed everything for
what he and Gordon hoped would be the
greater good. However, the arrival of a
cunning cat burglar (Anne Hathaway)
and a merciless terrorist named Bane
(Tom Hardy) force Batman out of exile
and into a battle he may not be able to
win.
Release date: July 20, 2012 (United
Kingdom)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Running time: 2h 45m
Film series: Dark Knight trilogy
Featured songs: The Fire
Rises, Gotham's Reckoning

4. In Steven Spielberg's massive blockbuster,
palaeontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and
Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and
mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff
Goldblum) are among a select group
chosen to tour an island theme park
populated by dinosaurs created from
prehistoric DNA. While the park's
mastermind, billionaire John Hammond
(Richard Attenborough), assures everyone
that the facility is safe, they find out
otherwise when various ferocious predators
break free and go on the hunt.
Release date: July 16, 1993 (United
Kingdom)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Running time: 2h 7m
Initial DVD release: October 10, 2000
Featured songs: Theme From Jurassic
Park, Welcome To Jurassic Park, Journey to
the Island

5. Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), a teenager, arrives in
a glade at the center of a giant labyrinth. Like
the other youths dumped there before him, he
has no memory of his previous life. Thomas
quickly becomes part of the group and soon
after demonstrates a unique perspective that
scores him a promotion to Runner status --
those who patrol the always-changing maze to
find an escape route. Together with Teresa
(Kaya Scodelario), the only female, Thomas
tries to convince his cohorts that he knows a
way out.
Release date: October 10, 2014 (United
Kingdom)
Director: Wes Ball
Running time: 1h 53m
Film series: Maze Runner
Adapted from: The Maze Runner

6. In what was once North America, the Capitol
of Panem maintains its hold on its 12
districts by forcing them each to select a boy
and a girl, called Tributes, to compete in a
nationally televised event called the Hunger
Games. Every citizen must watch as the
youths fight to the death until only one
remains. District 12 Tribute Katniss
Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has little to
rely on, other than her hunting skills and
sharp instincts, in an arena where she must
weigh survival against love.
Release date: March 23, 2012 (United
Kingdom)
Director: Gary Ross
Running time: 2h 22m
Featured song: Safe & Sound
Film series: The Hunger Games

7. After receiving a license to kill, British
Secret Service agent James Bond
(Daniel Craig) heads to Madagascar,
where he uncovers a link to Le Chiffre
(Mads Mikkelsen), a man who
finances terrorist organizations.
Learning that Le Chiffre plans to raise
money in a high-stakes poker game,
MI6 sends Bond to play against him,
gambling that their newest "00"
operative will topple the man's
organization.
Release date: November 16, 2006
(United Kingdom)
Director: Martin Campbell
Running time: 2h 25m
Featured song: You Know My Name
Film series: James Bond Film Series

8. One night per year, the government
sanctions a 12-hour period in which
citizens can commit any crime they
wish -- including murder -- without
fear of punishment or imprisonment.
Leo, a sergeant who lost his son,
plans a vigilante mission of revenge
during the mayhem. However, instead
of a death-dealing avenger, he
becomes the unexpected protector of
four innocent strangers who
desperately need his help if they are
to survive the night.
Initial release: July 18, 2014 (USA)
Director: James DeMonaco
Running time: 1h 43m
Initial DVD release: October 21,
2014 (USA)
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Action Film

9. Seeking solace from his dark past,
Logan (Hugh Jackman), better known
as Wolverine, seems to have found
love and contentment with Kayla
Silverfox (Lynn Collins). Logan's
peaceful existence is shattered when
Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber), his
vicious brother, brutally murders Kayla.
Logan's thirst for revenge propels him
into the Weapon X program, where he
undergoes a painful procedure to bond
his bones with adamantium, making
him virtually indestructible and more
than a match for Victor.
Release date: April 29, 2009 (United
Kingdom)
Director: Gavin Hood
Running time: 1h 47m
Film series: X-Men
Screenplay: David Benioff, Skip
Woods

10. When U.S. government operative Ethan
Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his mentor, Jim
Phelps (Jon Voight), go on a covert
assignment that takes a disastrous turn, Jim
is killed, and Ethan becomes the prime
murder suspect. Now a fugitive, Hunt
recruits brilliant hacker Luther Stickell (Ving
Rhames) and maverick pilot Franz Krieger
(Jean Reno) to help him sneak into a
heavily guarded CIA building to retrieve a
confidential computer file that will prove his
innocence.
Initial release: May 22, 1996 (USA)
Director: Brian De Palma
Running time: 1h 50m
Film series: Mission: Impossible
Initial DVD release: January 17, 1998