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Here are some memorable films which keep you hooked until the very end, revealing a thoroughly overwhelming and enjoyable climax.

Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock): This one’s a classic by Hitchcock, the auteur who redefined the genre of suspense and thrillers. Photographer L.B (Jeff) Jeffries (James Stewart) has an accident and is stranded in his apartment on a wheelchair with his leg in a cast. Jeff’s only source of entertainment is his rear window which looks out into the courtyard common to the entire neighborhood. He takes to watching his neighbors through his telephoto lens. He soon realizes that one of them may have murdered his wife. He sends his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) to investigate for him, and tension of the moment hits a crescendo because he cannot go to help her when she is in danger

The dominant theme in the movie is voyeurism, and throughout the movie Hitchcock frames his shots in such a way, that the audience is watching the Rear Window through the same telephoto lens, and experiencing the same tension as Jeff. Like all Hitchcock classics, this film is marked by an intelligent plot, brilliant framing of shots, and a grand finale.

Other must watch Hitchcock classics: Rebecca, North by Northwest, and Psycho (but of course)

Memento (Christopher Nolan): Based on the short story Memento Mori by Jonathan Nolan, this is one of the most innovative and brilliantly edited suspense thrillers in recent times. It is refreshingly original, the audience is as perplexed as the lead Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) and Nolan deftly portrays Shelby’s dilemma with an extremely intricate plot. Shelby is looking for the man who raped and murdered his wife; However, since the incident he has developed a rare disorder and he cannot retain new memories, his memories are wiped out in a few minutes. He takes notes, Polaroid shots and tattoos himself to remind himself of events.

Nolan’s opening shot for the film is a Polaroid fading from a fully developed to a total blank. The opening sequence is the climax of the film, the following scenes narrates the story in a reverse order and progresses to the beginning. While the scenes are in sequence, they are ordered in reverse. There is a series of scenes in black-and-white that are shown chronologically, and a series of color sequences shown in reverse order. This confuses the audience and they fully understand Shelby’s dilemma as he is trying to search for the villain in spite of his memory loss. Watching Memento is an experience, and if you like suspense thrillers, then get a DVD today.

The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer):

Who is Keyser Soze?The title of the film is taken from the famous Casablanca dialogue, “Round up the usual suspects.’ The film follows the interrogation of Roger “Verbal” Kint (Kevin Spacey), the only survivor of a massacre and a fire on a ship docked at LA. Initially, five criminals are taken in by cops for questioning, and the plot thickens when they are approached by a spokesman for Keyser Soze who is a criminal mastermind.

Verbal narrates the entire story of heist to the cops in flashback sequences. The brilliantly disguised suspense results in a startling climax, and the audience is as overwhelmed as Agent Kujan after the revelations in the final sequence, and of course you would want to kick yourself for not seeing it earlier.

The film has some stellar performances by Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro and Kevin Pollak. Kevin Spacey is outstanding in his Oscar winning portrayal of Verbal, and the film manages to thoroughly entertain and baffle you.

Se7en (David Flincher):

Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) begin investigating murder crimes based on the Seven Sins by serial killer John Doe (Kevin Spacey.) This is a chilling murder mystery with a catastrophic climax, and it’s not for the faint hearted with its fair share of detailed crimes on film. Kevin Spacey’s performance as an arrogant mass murdering psycho is outstanding and his final smile in the film remains with you for some time.

The film has a dark noir lighting, which lends to the depressing tone. As the detectives begin chasing Spacey, the pace of the film quickens and the tension is brilliantly controlled. Gwyneth Paltrow puts in a great performance as Detective Mill’s wife. It’s a great suspense by Flincher who went on to make Fight Club after this; However, essentially this film is a tragedy. Detective Somerset signs off by quoting Hemingway,

‘”The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.”

Other must watch suspense thrillers: Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet,) The Sting (George Roy Hill,) The Maltese Falcon (John Huston,) Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino,) The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme,) The French Connection (William Friedkin.)

Aruni Bhattacharya

Here are some memorable films which keep you hooked until the very end, revealing a thoroughly overwhelming and enjoyable climax.Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock): This one’s a classic by Hitchcock, the auteur who redefined the genre of suspense and thrillers. Photographer L.B (Jeff) Jeffries (James Stewart) has an accident and is stranded in his apartment on a wheelchair with his leg in a cast. Jeff’s only source of entertainment is his rear window which looks out into the courtyard common to the entire neighborhood. He takes to watching his neighbors through his telephoto lens. He soon realizes that one of them may have murdered his wife. He sends his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) to investigate for him, and tension of the moment hits a crescendo because he cannot go to help her when she is in danger.The dominant theme in the movie is voyeurism, and throughout the movie Hitchcock frames his shots in such a way, that the audience is watching the Rear Window through the same telephoto lens, and experiencing the same tension as Jeff. Like all Hitchcock classics, this film is marked by an intelligent plot, brilliant framing of shots, and a grand finale.

Other must watch Hitchcock classics: Rebecca, North by Northwest, and Psycho (but of course)

Memento (Christopher Nolan): Based on the short story Memento Mori by Jonathan Nolan, this is one of the most innovative and brilliantly edited suspense thrillers in recent times. It is refreshingly original, the audience is as perplexed as the lead Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) and Nolan deftly portrays Shelby’s dilemma with an extremely intricate plot. Shelby is looking for the man who raped and murdered his wife; However, since the incident he has developed a rare disorder and he cannot retain new memories, his memories are wiped out in a few minutes. He takes notes, Polaroid shots and tattoos himself to remind himself of events. Nolan’s opening shot for the film is a Polaroid fading from a fully developed to a total blank. The opening sequence is the climax of the film, the following scenes narrates the story in a reverse order and progresses to the beginning. While the scenes are in sequence, they are ordered in reverse. There is a series of scenes in black-and-white that are shown chronologically, and a series of color sequences shown in reverse order. This confuses the audience and they fully understand Shelby’s dilemma as he is trying to search for the villain in spite of his memory loss. Watching Memento is an experience, and if you like suspense thrillers, then get a DVD today.

The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer): Who is Keyser Soze?The title of the film is taken from the famous Casablanca dialogue, “Round up the usual suspects.’ The film follows the interrogation of Roger “Verbal” Kint (Kevin Spacey), the only survivor of a massacre and a fire on a ship docked at LA. Initially, five criminals are taken in by cops for questioning, and the plot thickens when they are approached by a spokesman for Keyser Soze who is a criminal mastermind. Verbal narrates the entire story of heist to the cops in flashback sequences. The brilliantly disguised suspense results in a startling climax, and the audience is as overwhelmed as Agent Kujan after the revelations in the final sequence, and of course you would want to kick yourself for not seeing it earlier.

The film has some stellar performances by Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro and Kevin Pollak. Kevin Spacey is outstanding in his Oscar winning portrayal of Verbal, and the film manages to thoroughly entertain and baffle you.

Se7en (David Flincher): Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) begin investigating murder crimes based on the Seven Sins by serial killer John Doe (Kevin Spacey.) This is a chilling murder mystery with a catastrophic climax, and it’s not for the faint hearted with its fair share of detailed crimes on film. Kevin Spacey’s performance as an arrogant mass murdering psycho is outstanding and his final smile in the film remains with you for some time.The film has a dark noir lighting, which lends to the depressing tone. As the detectives begin chasing Spacey, the pace of the film quickens and the tension is brilliantly controlled. Gwyneth Paltrow puts in a great performance as Detective Mill’s wife. It’s a great suspense by Flincher who went on to make Fight Club after this; However, essentially this film is a tragedy. Detective Somerset signs off by quoting Hemingway, ‘”The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.”

Other must watch suspense thrillers: Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet,) The Sting (George Roy Hill,) The Maltese Falcon (John Huston,) Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino,) The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme,) The French Connection (William Friedkin.)

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