Thriller Tropes

The Villain

a)      Masterminds - This guy has too much money, too much time, too many minions to do his evil deeds, too many women at his beck and call and too many grudges for his own good. often his goal is to take over the whole world or annihilate it.

b)      The Government Guy or a group of government guys who are the picture of honor to the outside world but are busy brewing conspiracy, assassination or extortion cocktails. He could also be so high up in the government that he is not even bothering to cover up his tracks anymore and someone’s got to stop him.

c)      The Star – okay he’s the bad guy (evil) but we can totally understand why he’s doing everything he can and our loyalty is split between the villain and the hero.

d)      The Femme Fatale with a body like Madonna, a brain like Einstein and a heart of evil making men susceptible to her before she traps them in her web. Even the hero is a little bit enthralled by this siren.

e)      Double Agent – his playing both sides and has connections with the mob, the cops, the government and everyone that has a phone. And still no one has figured out who he is.

The Hero

a)      Ex-government guy who despite all the crap he’s gone through with the government is still patriotic to the bone. He or she is a loner with unsolved past issues. He may be forced to solve the crime with a team of people he doesn’t like or has no intention of working with.

b)      Mistaken identity by the villain has forced the hero into hide and seek mode.

The Plot

a)      Conspiracy – the initial crime can be incongruous, insignificant or high profile. It quickly degenerates into something much bigger than the protagonist thought it was and everyone is involved. The conspiracy can be intellectual, political, economical, religious, ethnic or alien.

b)      Psychological – the character cannot rely on physical strength or gadgets to beat the enemy but rather on using their brains. It involves a lot of mind games. Often the villain is extremely kooky. There may be a few hushed phone-calls, secret notes, find a clue at this time or someone’s going to get killed.

c)      Spy Fiction – there’s a professional spy or a not so professional one. There’s glamour, cool gadgets, blood and danger.