There are a lot of films about which it is possible to say that these are the best thrillers with a twisted plot. But we will not follow up on this and in this article we will only talk about films that really deserve audience attention.
Let's take a closer look at the best thrillers with a twisted plot. Their list looks like this:
- "Silence of the Lambs";
- "Shutter Island";
- "Seven";
- "Sixth Sense";
- "Devil's Advocate".
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The FBI has a problem: a new serial killer has appeared. No one knows who he is. There are no clues. There is only a corporate identity: it strips the skin from its victims. For this copyright mark he was nicknamed Buffalo Bill. The investigation has come to a standstill. FBI employees decide on a desperate step: they want to ask for help from another serial killer - Hannibal (cannibal) Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). It mixes two very rare features of a person: he is both a psychopath and a psychiatrist in one person. Dr. Lecter may unravel this case, but he is unlikely to help the authorities just like that.
You need a good reason, and it is in the person of a girl (a student at the FBI Academy at Quantico) Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster). It is not known why, but the head of the investigation, Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn), decides that C. Starling will be able to talk to Dr. Lecter, and he, in turn, will voluntarily or involuntarily contribute to the investigation and the search for "baby Billy."
Before directing Clarice into the cage to Hannibal, J. Crawford warns her: "Do not let Lecter get into your head." As you might guess, this is exactly what happens almost at their very first meeting. This is the plot of the film, which opens the list of "The best thrillers with a twisted plot." According to film critics and viewers, the picture is one of the best in its genre.
The subtlest psychological games
There is almost no shooting in this thriller, and the main scene is the head of Clarice Starling. The girl is trying to solve the riddles of Hannibal Lecter and simultaneously defeat their own fears and complexes. The film would not have been a masterpiece without the fantastic, breathtaking play of the actors.
Thomas Harris Novels
In order to understand the depth and originality of the most charming psychopath in the history of cinema, you need to turn to the original source, namely the books of Thomas Harris. Specifically about Hannibal the following works are narrated:
- The Red Dragon (1981);
- “Silence of the Lambs” (1988);
- Hannibal (1999);
- Hannibal: Ascension (2006).
The last novel on the list does not add much to understanding the personality of a brilliant psychiatrist, so you can not read it with a clear conscience, but the remaining three are mandatory for all fans of the genre to study.
This is all you need to know about “Silence of the Lambs” (a film from the series “Best Thrillers with a Twisted Story”) in order to put off all affairs and immediately run to watch it.
Island of the Damned (2010)
"Reality is not what it seems." With such a banal wording, you can precede Scorsese's masterpiece with Leo DiCaprio in the title role. The plot is too complicated to be succinctly conveyed, so we restrict ourselves to dashed lines.
In the yard is the middle of the 20th century. Two United States Marshals are sent to a closed hospital to investigate the mysterious disappearance of one of the patients. The psychiatric clinic is located on a closed island. You can get there only by ferry, which runs once a day in good weather.
When the Marshals get there, strange things begin to happen to one of them (Edward Daniels) - he has nightmares. He suddenly recalls the liberation of a concentration camp, dead children and their mothers in the snow. In addition, some details of the biography of the disappeared patient throw him into a shiver and seem vaguely familiar. Why? This is what Edward Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) has to find out.
Whoever composed the hit parade “The Best Thrillers with a Twisted Story” by rating, “Island of the Damned” will definitely go there and will occupy high positions.
The Seven (1995)
Two detectives catch a serial killer who sows pain and suffering for a reason, but in accordance with a list of deadly sins, there are only 7 of them:
- pride;
- envy;
- anger;
- despondency (laziness, idleness);
- greed;
- gluttony;
- lust.
The killer, of course, is not in the correct order, but in random. Distinctive features of crimes are:
- firstly, the fact that they are all rationalized to the limit, that is, an ideological and motivational basis is thought out;
- secondly, everything was done so that the victims suffered as much as possible for their sins, and the police would never have solved the “killer” puzzles.
Surprisingly, the maniac obeys not only his atrocities, but also the entire stream of events of the film and even the final picture.
A pair of detectives performed by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman
Almost a classic for American cinema: a young investigator and an old, stupid (in the sense of inexperienced) and smart, emotional and rational, married and lonely. And all this with brilliance played out on the screen.
The masterpiece of the actors is a distinctive feature of the films included in the best thrillers with a twisted plot. Our list has already passed its middle. Next in turn is the penultimate film.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
As in Silence of the Lambs, the main character (Malcolm Crowe) in this film is a specialist in human souls. True, unlike Lecter, he is a positive character. M. Crowe (Bruce Willis) treats children wholeheartedly and loyally. But the trouble is, he still could not help one. And this difficult child (his name Vincent Gray), having matured, broke into him at the height of a private party on the occasion of receiving a letter from the Government of Philadelphia and shot a psychologist, but Malcolm miraculously survived. And now he is obsessed with only one idea - to find out exactly where he made a mistake. Moreover, the case seemed appropriate: he has a patient (Cole Sier) with exactly the same symptoms as Vincent Gray. Who knows, maybe helping a boy, he will help himself.
“I see dead people”
The phrase in the title, according to statistics, is one of the three most terrible phrases in the history of cinema, and the film, which by its genre is not horror, nevertheless makes the audience tremble and wonder where the clue lies that torments the main character. What other advertising is needed to make people want to watch this wonderful movie? Of course, he is part of a group of films under the proud title “The Best Thrillers with a Twisted Story with an Unexpected End”.
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
Successful lawyer Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) wins a school teacher's sexual harassment case against her student. Events unfold in a Florida court. But not so simple! Kevin experiences the throes of conscience when, during the interrogation of the main witness (the victim himself), realizes that his client is really guilty. Lomax asks the judge for a break, enters the toilet, and his acquaintance journalist Larry visits the bathroom with him. He tells him literally the following: “It seems that the series of victories of the brilliant Kevin Lomax has come to an end. Don’t worry, Kevin, no one has been able to win forever. ”
Pride and vanity leaped from Lomax (the theme of “mortal sins” suddenly pops up again), and he wins the case. And then everything goes on the thumb: an offer of huge money to protect the scoundrels-millionaires. It comes from John Milton (Al Pacino). It just represents "a part of that power that always wants evil and constantly does good." But outwardly it looks like a good offer from a renowned company for a lawyer without a conscience. In general, the defender of criminals must be unscrupulous, otherwise he is professionally unsuitable, but Kevin in this regard is an outstanding person, even among his colleagues in the craft.
Nevertheless, Lomax, caught on the hook of Satan, passes all possible tests (wealth, fame, lust, power) in order to understand something.
The charm of evil
Everyone knows that in Russian literature the main evil-eater is F. M. Dostoevsky. It was he who, in his imperishable creations, for the first time glorified evil on such a scale, showed its attractiveness and scale. The films presented here are flesh from the flesh of our classic. These films tell of people immersed in extreme life circumstances that border either death or insanity.
God forbid, of course, anyone should have such an experience, but nevertheless it is necessary to have at least some idea of it, albeit a cinematic one, so that if one falls into such a “borderline situation” (K. Jaspers), a person can leave it with honor.