"Split", directed by M Night Shyamalan

Movie, 2016

Thriller horror about the abduction of three teenagers by a multiple-personality crank played with some gusto by James McAvoy. A well paced film with some interesting photography and composition, dogged by an all-too predictable back story retold in the mind of the main character, and some pretty exploitative schlock which at times, borders on misogyny. Not great overall, but not bad. The acting pulls the script a few favours, while there are a few tension points which could have been a little better timed. All in all, a fairly enjoyable romp.

"Taste of Fear", directed by Seth Holt

US title - Scream of Fear

Movie, 1961

Crackling, atmospheric suspense horror thriller, in which a load of tropes are aired - the spooky house, the creepy matriarch, the imperiled heroine - and a storming film delivered. This is unsophisticated, well-plotted fare, without a trace of gore, but some suitably jolting moments. At times, the lighting, the angles, the photography and claustrophobia build a really terrific atmosphere, which more than compensates for creaking plot points and the odd piece of cardboard acting. Well worth seeking out for a night time comfort watch. 

"The Narrow Margin," directed by Richard Fleischer

Movie, 1952

Thrilled set on a train, as a tough Chicagoan cop escorts a gangster's widow to stand testimony in Los Angeles. Solid noir with some really pleasing and tricksy visual effects and a hard edge which eschews title music for the grating, alienating noise of trains and machinery. While visually a treat, the characters include a none-too convincing pastiche here and there - a lumpen criminal in a check jacket and a fat man blocking corridors, and there are parts of the plot which seem underdone in a hurried finish. Nonetheless, great entertainment.

"The Beast Within," by Emile Zola

Novel, 1890

Melodrama set on and around the French railway line from Le Havre to Paris. A book both old fashioned, in its narrative approach, but also modern, in terms of the themes of technology and intense, dysfunctional psychology and some warped crimes and derring-do. And a cracking read - the details firmly set up the social and physical surroundings, but the action is relentless. Some barbed comments on the justice and political systems are also thrown into a book whose pace - like the trains and characters - whisks the reader along and grips them at the some time. 

"The Two Faces of January", by Patricia Highsmith

Novel, 1964

Gripping psychological thriller looking at attachments, classical and Oedipal conflicts and characters struggling and bringing each other down across Europe. While this novel may possibly have benefited from a tighter ending, and if the classical references are laid on a little thick in places this is, nonetheless, a cracking read. Not in the top bracket for Highsmith, but an excellent romp, with a load of obsessive, guilty and perverse behaviours demonstrated by all three of the main characters.

"Branded to Kill", directed by Seijun Suzuki

Movie, 1967

At times hypnotic, at times frustrating thriller about an assassin tormented by his carnal and professional desires and ambitions. A film whose surreal structure, flamboyant scenes and stunning imagery work in isolation, although don't make for an entirely satisfactory whole. What the film has in these respects it lacks in warmth and humanity, which isn't helped by a jerky narrative. There's plenty to admire here and some of the beats and motifs are a joy, but the stories and legends around the film are probably more interesting than the film is entertaining.

"The Mask of Dimitrios", by Eric Ambler

Novel, 1939

Spy thriller, whose touch of paranoia and the shadowy role of bankers give it a more contemporary edge - with only a few twists and adjustments, this could be a late 60s Pynchony romp or a story for our own times. Some lovely descriptive touches and an establishment of the world of espionage on some rather sordid activity and a cast of fairly undesirable characters. Nonetheless and despite bogging down towards the end, this is a cracking look at the grime of a Europe trying to work through the early part of the twentieth century. 

"In a Lonely Place," by Dorothy Hughes

Novel, 1947

Gripping thriller, with an unreliable narrator, stakeouts, murders and a Los Angeles full of noir and women who would comfortably fit the femme fatale trope were the narrator not so warped and wrapped up in himself. This is a book with a small number of characters and a gloomy trajectory whose mystery is hinted at then revealed in short notice, with the rest of the book moving its characters round with the inevitable consequences playing out. This is a book where the psychology and tension of noir and mental imbalance play out splendidly. The book rattles along at a good pace and though gloomy, rewards the reader with some really atmospheric suspence.

"American Hustle", directed by David O Russell

Movie, 2013

One of those films, of high quality and excellent production values, which looks like a number of other similar films and whose plot is overly fiendish and involved. Let these twists and turns wash over you and it's still  visual treat, with a hard hitting cast and period visuals and soundtrack helping make this film enjoyable. A few curious features, such as the ambitious FBI agent's rapid descent into what looks like a drugs problem, swiftly forgotten from one scene to the next. But, overall, an entertaining film.

Image by Fair Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40944043

"Gone Girl," directed by David Fincher

Movie, 2014

Genre inspired, slightly sprawling film which delivers plenty of solid entertainment and thrills despite its length and despite being a little stretched in places with regards the plot and a sprinkling of wooden acting, here and there. Credit, however, due to pulling something in that ultimately feels quite tight, even if some of the initial build up feels a little lethargic and could perhaps have been edited down, just a little. The twists and turns are reasonably effective, with a big message about appearance, truth and the media bought home with a bang.

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"Seance on a Wet Afternoon", directed by Bryan Forbes

Movie, 1964

A film looking at desperation in the English suburbs at a time when the swinging 60s was really kicking off. This is a film in which credibility and motivations are stretched, but which carries a powerful punch in looking and presenting a world teetering on the brink of insanity. Some great camerawork and music give a really tense atmosphere, as the main characters battle with each other and a situation running out of control. Gloriously overblown and entertaining for it.

"Journey into Fear", directed Norman Foster

Movie, 1943

Atmospheric, gloomy film which creaks in places with its lack of subtlety and 'few too many characters', but delivers a huge chunk of entertainment nonetheless. Some of the action scenes are a real treat, not least the nightclub scene towards the beginning and the excellent finale, although the tension is occasionally undercut with some over-simplified caricatures. A feeling of anarchy, claustrophobia and underhandedness is, however, gloriously put across - if the film had a little more depth, it could have been a monster.

"A Suspension of Mercy", by Patricia Highsmith

Novel, 1965

Nail-biting suspense of little subtlety but huge impact, in which a net and circumstances draw ever tighter round a pretty unhinged, psychotic central protagonist. This is real page-turning stuff and a study in a few disintegrating personalities, where the readers' view is continually shifted around by some deceptively read-a-long writing skirting over some pretty seismic motivations and actions. This is a novel which is relentless and which at any point, could have jumped off in a number of different directions.

"The Purge", directed James DeMonaco

Movie, 2013
A film with a few good ideas which all look as if they could either be freshly reflected upon, or collapse into a cliche of haunted house cum last man on Earth cum zombie type horror. Sadly, it doesn't take too long before the latter sets in. Granted, there a few effective, tense moments in among those which are less interesting and plot twist which many will have seen coming from a country mile off. By no means terrible, but one which is a rather lame imitation of some much better pictures.

"The Bag Man", directed David Grovic

Movie, 2014

Relatively tightly plotted thriller about a hit man entrusted with the job of getting a bag safely delivered to a gangland boss. A film whose A-list cast is a little wasted, but which nonetheless delivers some claustrophobic thrills and tension. In a film reminiscent of hard boiled films from the late 1990s there is, however, some rather flabby plotting and violence which, at times, feels gratuitous. Some of the humour also feels similarly passe. But still, overall a decent watch.