Unknown

Unknown

Unknown was released in 2011 and directed by Jaume Collet-Sara. it is the story of Dr Martin Harris, who, after a car crash, loses his memory and finds that someone has taken his identity. The mcguffin that drives this story is the biotechnology summit that he has to attend, and the world food crisis which the biotechnology summit is about.

There are various scenes that have thriller aspects in 'unknown', but one scene that stands out in particular is the scene where Martin harris is tied to a hospital bed and is attempted to be killed by an assassin. As the assassin leaves the room we see Marin Harris reach for a pair of scissors, Martin is straining for the scissors and is cutting his hand in the process. This is a tense scene because it is unclear to the audience whether or not Martin Harris will reach the scissors in time. however as the assassin re enters the room it is clear to the audience that Martin Harris does have the scissors, and he soon escapes.

Another tense scene is the car chase scene. The car chase scene has elements of fast paced editing, this is so that it matches the chaos of the action that is happening on screen. The fast paced editing may also give the audience a sense of speed, this is to show how fast the cars are driving and how frantic it is for Martin Harris.

A thriller convention in unknown, similar to the convention used in Alfred Hitchcock's work, is the convention of a resourceful hero who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains. Despite the fact that he has had his identity stolen and is being chased by assassins and the police, Martin Harris still uses his wits and quick decision making to thwart the assassination plants of the villains.

Another thriller convention used in unknown is red herrings. Throughout the film we see that Martin Harris is attempting to save his wife liz, who he believes is being forced against her will to co operate with the assassins. however the audience later finds out that liz is an assassin herself, and her partner was Martin Harris, who was an assassin before he lost his memory.