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Thriller
Movies 2012
Thrillers are the movies that put
you on the edge of your seat. They’re about suspense, excitement, mystery,
crime, and the psychological. We’re going to take a look at the biggest and
best thriller movies of 2012. So draw the blinds and prepare to discover
danger.
Man On A Ledge
Starring: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Edward Burns, Ed Harris
Director: Asger Leth (first timer)
Out: 27th January 2012 (U.S. Dates)
An ex-cop and now wanted fugitive (Worthington) stands on the ledge of a
high-rise building while a hard-living New York Police Department hostage
negotiator (Banks) tries to talk him out of suicide. But perhaps he has an
ulterior motive for being there… Expect twists and turns. I’ve read the full
plot breakdown and this will be much more enjoyable if you don’t know any more
than is written here. Avoid the trailer for that reason. Looks decent.
The Grey
Starring: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo
Director: Joe Carnahan
Out: 27th January 2012
Testosterone-fuelled survival thriller about an unruly group of oil-rig
roughnecks who are stranded in the remote Alaskan wilds when their plane crashes.
Battling mortal injuries and merciless weather, the survivors have only a few
days to escape the icy elements and a deadly pack of wolves who see them as
intruders. From the director of The A-Team and Smoking Aces, this has had great
early reviews from the geek community. Liam Neeson is getting better and better
with age, especially in this sort of role.
Justice
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Guy Pearce, January Jones, Jennifer Carpenter, Harold
Perrineau
Director: Roger Donaldson
Out: 16th March 2012
When his wife is violently assaulted, a high school teacher (Cage) enlists the
services of a vigilante group (Pearce etc.) to help him settle the score. But
once they do, they demand a favour in return… Think Death Wish with a few plot
twists. Already out in the UK, Justice got poor reviews, but half-decent
audience reaction. When Cage is slumming it he’s significantly more
entertaining in quirky roles, this one looks too straight. Still, I’m curious
to see Guy Pearce as a villain. From the mixed-bag director of The Bank Job,
Thirteen Days and Species.
Cold Light Of Day
Starring: Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis, Sigourney Weaver
Director: Mabrouk El Mechri
Out: 6th April 2012
An American broker (Cavill), whose family are kidnapped while on vacation in
Spain, uncovers a conspiracy while trying to save them. Henry Cavill’s star is
on the rise after Immortals performed pretty well and Superman on the way. This
appears to be a standard American-in-trouble-abroad action-thriller with a
touch of Bourne spy-games mixed in. It comes from the respected director of
JCVD, who made a serious actor of Van Damme. Sigourney’s character is
physically deadly kick-ass brutal evil, which at 63 should be pretty fun.
Killing Them Softly
Starring: Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Vytaute Andrijauskaite, Richard Jenkins,
Ray Liotta
Director: Andrew Dominik
Out: TBC June 2012
Jackie Cogan (Pitt) is a mob enforcer called in to find the criminals that
stole from a mob-protected high-stakes poker game. From the director of The
Assassination Of Jesse James, which some called genius and others called slow.
This is more whimsical but also fairly risky, with long monologues, an unusual
focus on side characters, and an abrupt love-it-or-hate-it ending.
Premium Rush
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jamie Chung, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez
Director: David Koepp
Out: 24th August 2012
A NYC bike messenger (Gordon-Levitt)
gets embroiled in a high stakes chase with a dirty cop (Shannon) after picking
up an envelope at Columbia University. Gordon-Levitt’s in a lot of movies these
days, but this sort of leading man thriller role is rare, and Michael Shannon’s
an interesting, potentially unpredictable, actor. A city-wide thriller with
courier bicycles is an original premise and it looks like it’s handled well.
Director David Koepp makes understated but solid pics (Stir of Echoes, Secret
Window).