Thriller Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dead Calm

Isolation thrillers use the device of pitting a weaker or weakened protagonist against a supposedly superior force in a situation where help from an outside agency is either unlikely or unavailable. Part psychological thriller and part action, the suspense is built up watching the hero or heroine rely on their wits and ingenuity to extract themselves from their predicament. Alfred Hitchcock did it with great effect in "Rear Window" (1954) having James Stewart confined to a wheel chair with a broken leg. Terence Young extracted an extraordinary performance from Audrey Hepburn as a recently blinded woman terrorized in her apartment by three thugs in "Wait Until Dark" (1967). In "Dead Calm", Nicole Kidman is menaced by a deranged Billy Zane after he has isolated her from her husband (Sam Neill) by stranding him on a broken down vessel in the middle of a deserted ocean. Noyce makes wonderful use of panoramic shots of the wide seascape to heighten the isolation and build the anxiety in the film.

Answer: The Eye of the Needle

Donald Sutherland is "the Needle", so called because his weapon of choice is the stiletto. A romance develops between him and his landlady, Lucy, played by Kate Nelligan, as he uncovers vital information about the Allied invasion that he desperately tries to get through to his superiors.

The thing to bear in mind with films such as these is that they are not "alternate" histories but fictional secret events that have occurred within our own history. Now, as the viewer, we know how history has transpired and, accordingly, that the plan is doomed to fail.

This then creates an issue for the film maker in that he will need to ensure that the action is, in equal parts, credible and fascinating and guarded enough to keep us guessing how the plan will become unravelled.

Answer: Firefox

"Firefox" is a story written and published by Craig Thomas in 1977 that focuses on a fictional plane, the MiG-31, that aside from the above named capabilities, also has stealth technologies that make it virtually invisible to radar. The major difficulty that a film such as this has is transferring the technical data that was part of the novel's charm onto the screen in such a way that the storyline can still retain its edge-of-the-seat tension.

As technical details tend to have an inherent coldness about them, these films generally struggle with this aspect and Eastwood's efforts here are no exception.

Whilst the air battle scenes are truly riveting and, in this aspect they are beautifully supported by Maurice Jarre's score, the script and the direction plod their way forward and fail to bring forth the tautness so beautifully crafted by Thomas in the novel.

Answer: Body Heat

Erotic thrillers place a heavy emphasis on a sexual relationship to underpin the plot. The other movies listed above, "Basic Instinct" (1992), Dressed to Kill" (1980) and "Fatal Attraction" (1987), managed to intertwine sex with infidelity and murder or emotional blackmail as a means to heighten the tension. "Body Heat" was written by Lawrence Kasdan who, for its inspiration, drew on Billy Wilder's 1944 classic "Double Indemnity" that starred Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck.

The film "Body Heat" uses sex as a means to connect storylines and draw the characters together.

However, the key to the credibility of this story is the confidence that the leading character (played by Turner) has in her sexuality. In this regard Turner literally sizzles.

Despite it being her debut film role she delivers a performance so robust that it led Empire magazine to name her one of the "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History" in 1995.

Answer: Coma

Robin Cook is an American physician who crafted an alternate career for himself as the author of a number of medical related thrillers. "Coma" was directed by Michael Crichton, ironically, also a doctor-turned-novelist, and features Michael Douglas, Richard Widmark and Rip Torn. Susan Wheeler (Bujold) notes that the number of patients who slip into a coma at Boston Memorial Hospital is statistically high.

She begins to dig deeper and soon finds a killer hot on her heels as she uncovers an organ harvesting conspiracy.

Answer: Topaz

Political thrillers generally involve a series of plots designed to destabilise the custodian power and open a scenario for a takeover by another power with ulterior motives. Some great examples of this genre include "Seven Days in May" (1962), "The Interpreter" (2005) and "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962). Hitchcock's movie is based on a novel by Leon Uris and starred Frederick Stafford and John Vernon. Karin Dor makes an appearance as Juanita de Cordoba. For the German born actress (Dor) this was only her second English speaking role, the first being the James Bond film "You Only Live Twice" (1967).

The plot revolves around a mole supplying Cuba's leader, Fidel Castro, with NATO secrets in the lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. In this you can read that it's the Soviets and it is the job of Stafford's character to expose the plot.

Despite the use of the pun in the question (gem) this film is not up to the usual standard by the "Master of Suspense". Perhaps it was the historical nature of the events that led Hitchcock to produce what is essentially a routine film. Hitchcock himself may have had doubts about the film as he created three alternate endings for it.

Answer: The Conversation

Paranoia thrillers are similar to psychological thrillers in that they tend to pit a character against himself, or more to the point, his mind as well as against another person or situation where they are required to rely on their physical attributes to overcome an opponent or obstacles.

The suspense is then generated by drawing the focus onto the battle of wills that unfolds before the viewer. Alfred Hitchcock thrived in this environment with such movies as "Rebecca" (1940), "Spellbound" (1945) and "Vertigo" (1958). In "The Conversation", Harry Caul is obsessed about his privacy brought on by the fact that he makes a living delving into other people's lives.

This is showcased by an apartment that is totally bare, the fact that he triple locks his doors and only makes telephone calls from public phones, and the sense of discomfort he experiences standing in crowds. Francis Ford Coppola directs this movie with precision as he draws us, the viewer, into Harry's world and peels back the layers of Harry's thought processes while he grapples with the consequences of the recording that he's made. Hackman would later star in the 1998 thriller "Enemy of the State" where his character, Edward "Brill" Lyle, draws heavily on the characteristics of Harry Caul.

Answer: Harry Palmer

Harry Palmer is described by his creator, Len Deighton, as a "working class" spy. Unlike James Bond, Palmer lives in seedy hotels, is in need of a pay raise and does his shopping in supermarkets. Spy thrillers have allowed filmmakers to employ technology, exotic locations, car chases, incredible stunts and even science fiction to deliver high velocity action to the genre.

It is ironic then that Michael Caine, as Harry Palmer, delivers a portrayal that is deliberately down beat and gritty. This is particularly evident in the first film of the series "The Ipcress File". To add further to this irony is that a number of prominent members of the production team, producer Harry Saltzman, executive producer Charles Kasher, editor Peter Hunt, composer John Barry, production designer Ken Adams and director (for "Billion Dollar Brain") Guy Hamilton were all major players in the production of the early James Bond movies.

Answer: Capricorn One

A conspiracy thriller will generally produce some form of manoeuvre that will go all the way to the highest power in the country or a vast organisation that wields substantial power. The protagonist, in their endeavours to reveal the truth, will usually be placed in a situation where they're faced with a moral dilemma or they will constantly run into dead ends, deceptions and counter plots. In "Capricorn One" the NASA space programme is desperately in need of some success to ensure that it will secure future funding.

They have pinned their hopes on a successful Mars mission. However, just before take-off they discover a faulty life support system that will kill the astronauts during the flight. It is decided to launch the mission but with an empty space craft while showing a fake landing that is being filmed in a studio near to the base.

The craft will then appear to be destroyed upon re-entry and disappear into the ocean. A journalist played by Elliott Gould uncovers the plot and now his life and those of the astronauts are in danger.

Answer: The Dark Knight

"The Dark Knight" is the second film in the Batman series to be directed by Christopher Nolan. In this storyline Batman is confronted by the Joker, played by Heath Ledger, a villain with the sole desire to create anarchy and mayhem. There is no motive offered for the Joker's actions within the film, which tends to draw the viewer deeper into the plot asking the questions "Why?" and "What makes this man tick?".

At the other end of the spectrum our protagonist, Batman, is forced to confront and examine the methods he employs to combat crime with questions such as "Are his actions committed to the rule of the law?", "Does his existence foster rather than curb the presence of crime?", "Do his actions lead to the death of innocents?" and "Should he even be (in existence)?". Nolan and his fellow writer, David S. Goyer, combine all these elements beautifully to provide a first class psychological thriller that was rated one of the best films of 2008 by a number of critics. Reviewers also recognised that the performance of Heath Ledger was one of great depth and without it the film may have become a tide of moralistic babble.