Intercultural crime thriller Extravaganza – The Greyhound

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If you know me, you know that it was only a matter of time before I got back to my true love. the horror genre. So today we're going to delve into a subgenre that I didn't really cover in my History of Horror Handshake (LINK) article, where I reviewed the 5 most influential American horror films. I've talked about slashers, zombie movies, supernatural horror, folk horror, and alien horror. But today we're going to talk about my favorite horror film of all time, the crime thriller. As we delve into this terrible world, I'll try to convince you that these dark, almost always depressing films are more than just dark violence and a rainy camera filter. I've picked out three prime examples of the genre that are some of my absolute favorites and will captivate you as much as they did me; Se7en (1995), Memories of Murder (2003) and Cure (1997). The order in which I listed them is not a coincidence – they are sorted according to how I would recommend watching them if you aren't a horror freak like me. I would also like to warn at this point: these films are not happy films. There may be some humorous or optimistic moments, but they are often tragic, graphic and violent.

“Se7en”

Directed by one of the greatest American directors of all time, David Fincher, “Se7en” stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as two homicide detectives at opposite ends of their careers. Set in a bleak and intentionally vague American city, the film follows a series of gruesome murders centered around the seven deadly sins and how two detectives, Mills (Pitt) and Somerset (Freeman), race against time to find the murderer catch. Somerset is an old, jaded police officer just a week away from retirement when the first murder is discovered. His partner Mills is a brash young police officer who immediately comes up with the idea of ​​solving the case and catching the bad guy. The dynamic between the two is one of the film's many strengths, as Somerset attempts to convey to Mills that life is not always black and white, while Mills pushes back against Somerset's jaded cynicism. But it's not just the acting that makes the film great, it's also the sound and set design that make it one of the all-time greats.

Se7en is only David Fincher's second film and is a big step up from his first film Alien 3, which is a pretty bad film in every way. Fincher went on to direct classics like “Fight Club,” “Gone Girl,” and “The Social Network,” as well as the underrated but high-quality crime thriller “Zodiac,” based on the real-life case of the Zodiac Killer. I almost put “Se7en” in mine instead List included. But I digress, Fincher, like his spiritual predecessor Stanley Kubrick, is known for taking one shot at a time, focusing on tiny details, and generally not being the most pleasant person to work with , and all for the sake of perfect realism . I must say that his pursuit of excellence is clearly evident in his films. The realism he craves in his films is evident in the way his characters read their lines, right down to the way the camera moves. When Fincher makes Brad Pitt do 40 takes of a shot of him making coffee, it's not because Brad Pitt is a bad actor who can't interpret his lines convincingly, it's also because of the cameraman. When you watch this film, pay attention to the way the camera moves in the film – David Fincher's camera comes as close to the way a human would observe a situation as I've ever seen on the saw the canvas. Combine this natural realism with great acting, a well-written script and brilliant set design, and you have a truly terrifying masterpiece. Let me put it this way; My dad has been in law enforcement his entire adult life and couldn't get through this movie without running into the kitchen to hide.

“Memories of a Murder”

Okay, so you saw Se7en and liked it… well, I have the movie for you. It's a little less well known, but Bong Joon-ho's 2003 film “Memories of Murder” is just as good, if not better than “Se7en”, and due to the success of his 2019 film “Parasite”, Joon- ho's name is something that will be familiar to many western viewers. “Memories of Murder” even stars Song Kang-ho as the main protagonist. He plays Detective Park alongside Kim Sang-Kyung as Detective Seo and Kim Roi-ha as Detective Cho. Unlike “Se7en,” “Memories of Murder” is based on real events, particularly the real-life story of South Korea’s first serial killer. We follow the local police in Gyeonggi Province as they try to put an end to the murders, through the main characters Detectives Park, Seo and Cho. Each man is a symbol of a different problem facing South Korean police. Park relies on intuition instead of facts, Seo is too busy being the opposite of Park to work with his colleagues, and Cho seems more like a criminal who enjoys being a cop just for defenseless people to beat up. But despite their weaknesses, each man is likeable in his own way.

That's really the beauty of this film. We follow these flawed men because the story is about them; But the real story takes place in the background, from the violent suppression of student protests to the rampant misogyny that actively enables the murderer to escape. There are so many moments when the killer seems to be within reach, but the police's inherent corruption rears its ugly head. But this corruption is not shown to us in black and white. These corrupt detectives are characters we love; They try, they have flaws, and we really care about them. It's that dynamic of fruitless struggle, the tension created by these men failing when they're so close, the human element of watching innocent women who could have been saved suffer the consequences – it's real poignant. Despite the scares, this film is actually funny (definitely the funniest of the three), and it all just goes to show how talented a director Bong Joon-ho is. The tension, the rain, the beautiful shots, the performances he demands of his actors, like Fincher, Joon-ho is undeniably one of the greatest living directors. And besides, this is only his second film. I promise this film is worth a watch… and then a re-watch… and about a hundred more. Every time I watch it I think of something I didn't see last time. I just want to watch it again and again, even if it's really sad.

“Cure”

Finally, the least known film of the three that I recommend is a Japanese film called Cure, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and starring by far Koji Yakusho as Detective Takabe, Tsuyoshi Ujiki as Dr. Sakuma and Masato Hagiwara as Mamiya star in the most supernatural of the three films. The plot revolves around a series of murders throughout Tokyo. The murderers have nothing in common and yet they all leave the same bloody marks on their victims. Detective Takabe and Dr. Sakuma are tasked with solving these heinous crimes, but their investigation deviates from known reality and goes to some pretty crazy places. If we just followed the investigation, the film would still be very interesting. But what takes the plot to a higher level is the relationship between Takabe and his wife Fumie, played by Anna Nakagawa. Fumie struggles with early onset dementia or some form of amnesia, and along with the case, caring for her has a serious impact on Takabe.

Kurosawa's use of sound in this film elevates the material here, creating a truly hypnotic tone that lulls you into a false sense of security while your subconscious screams that something is wrong. Man, there's a scene in this movie, about halfway through, that I don't want to give away here, but you'll know right away what I'm talking about. One of the most powerful moments I've ever seen in a film. Of the three crime thrillers I've mentioned here, Cure definitely veers the furthest into traditional horror – but that gritty realism is still in play, even if some suspension of disbelief is required. Kurosawa's masterpiece can be deeply unsettling and I would argue that it is the most unsettling of the three films based on the atmosphere created alone. Be sure to check out “Cure” and let me know what you think. I guarantee you that this film will stay with you long after you finish watching it.

It was really hard to narrow down this list, but before I go, I'd like to mention a few honorable mentions in case you're as excited about this genre as I am. These won't necessarily be underground hits, but of course how could I not mention 1991's The Silence of the Lambs? It's about Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), a top student at the FBI Academy who is tasked with tracking down the cannibalistic serial killer Dr. to question Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) because the FBI believes they have information about Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), a crazed murderer still at large. The on-screen chemistry between Foster and Hopkins is perfect and the tension as we slowly get closer to Bill is palpable. This is the kind of movie you watch hidden behind the couch. Also, I know I've mentioned it before, but David Fincher's Zodiac is an underrated film in his discography that I think more people should see. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr., “Zodiac” tells the true story of the Bay Area Zodiac murders, the investigation and the resulting excitement. We watch as the investigation consumes the lives of Ruffalo, the detective on the case, and Downey, a reporter investigating the murders, only for Gyllenhaal's character, a cartoonist at the same newspaper as Downey, to fall down a rabbit hole of clues descends and resurrects the long-dead investigation that destroyed the lives of the other two, but at what cost?

I've seen a lot of horror films in my time, but there's something about these crime thrillers that shakes me to the core. Please consider giving some of them a watch! They will scare you, but I know that the art, beautifully captured in these films, will shine through the gritty brutality. Each film is a fantastic example of how to tell a personal story, no matter how dark, and each is also a standout example in the catalog of the three greatest living film directors. So make some popcorn, curl up under a blanket, and definitely don't watch these movies alone.