Representation of Different groups

Different films represent different types of people in certain ways. For instance, in American Action films, the protagonist is always a military man or bodybuilder, while the antagonist is foreign, normally a country that America has 'defeated' in previous wars, such as the British, Russians and more recently the Middle East. They are normally portrayed as wanting to destroy the 'American way of life' and the hero always wins without so much as a scratch, showing America to be 'invincible'. Sometimes the protagonist stereotype has been challenged successfully. For instance in Rambo the protagonist is a Vietnam veteran who is on the run from American authorities.

Representation is quite different in Thriller films. For instance although women are often used as the protagonist, it is more likely to be a male as the hero, although modern action thrillers such as 'Salt' have used female protagonists. The adaptations of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo make the female protagonist a genius hacker, and do not conform to stereotypes in terms of her personality, looks or sexuality, although this is mainly due to the source material. There is no set representative group in Thriller films as such, as using obvious character archetypes would not build tension in the same way that going against conventions arguably would. An early example of a thriller that does this is Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho', which initially makes the audience believe that Marion Crane, a female is the main character, when in fact is the titular Psycho, Norman Bates, who we follow after Crane's death, now an infamous scene. Sometimes a well-established character may be explored in new ways, such as the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes films, or even the Steven Moffat TV series, which places Holmes in a modern setting. These versions of Holmes differ considerably, due to their target audience, and the actors playing them. Steven Moffat's Sherlock, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is a lot less unfeeling than Robert Downey Jr's portrayal, although Cumberbatch does warm to Martin Freeman's Watson. This could be due to the medium's which they are being broadcasted, the era's (Moffat's Sherlock is modern day, whereas Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes is a typical Victorian London) or even the writers/directors.

Christopher Nolan is a very interesting case study when it comes to character representation. None of his characters are clear cut, and so we are never 100% sure of their motives. For instance, in Memento, his representation of the protagonist with Anterograde amnesia takes a completely different turn at the end of the film, and while the audience may still feel for him, it is for a different reason (he may have already killed the man he is after, and now others are using his condition for their own gain), and the portrayal is considered one of the most realistic of the conditions sufferers (the way the amnesia works, rather than the narrative works). However, this type of plot twist and revelation would not be as hard hitting for the audience if it wasn't for the non-chronological narrative structure, which is perhaps why Nolan does this, and why this film is so critically acclaimed, because we can empathise more with the protagonist. Nolan's portrayal of the Batman universe is also often applauded, and apart from the Joker, everyone has an agenda. Unlike previous incarnations, the characters are dark and realistic, and is more than likely done to stay close to the source material, but also because the previous Batman instalments (Batman Forever, Batman and Robin) were panned, not only because of their poor story-lines, but also because the characters had no depth and were aiming at children. Comparing the Tommy Lee Jones version of Two Face with Aaron Eckhart's, we know what the latter's motivation is, and what turned him from promising attorney, (Gotham's 'White Knight') into a man who depended on luck to make choices, but the former seems like a slapstick pantomime villain with an unrealistic mask. This character progression is seen in both of Nolan's films (apart from the Joker, but this ties in with his portrayal in the graphic novels), and none of the heroes are 100% good (much of Gotham's Police Department are corrupt) and the villains are not always truely evil (Ra's Al Ghul wants to make the world better, and trained Bruce Wayne, but believes humanity is the cause of its pain).

This type of character, flawed heroes and '3-Dimensional' villains (I.E. not the stereotypical Bond villain who only wants to take over the world) are one of the key conventions in most thrillers and so should be an idea seen in my final product.