Conventions of Crime Thrillers and Physiological Thrillers

The conventions of a crime thriller are:

• suspenseful account of failed or successful crimes
• features - murder/robbery/shoot outs/double cross/scenarios
• can glorify the rise & fall of a criminal - often based on real people
• set in a large crowded cities to provide the viewer with an insight into a secret world
• characters have an ambitious desire for success or recognition
• rivalry between binary opposite characters is strong
• many locations - seedy & interior settings

The conventions of a physiological thriller are:

• The central theme of 'Identity' which can be mistaken identity, stolen identity, dual identity, doppelgangers, confused identity and amnesia
• The theme of 'Perception and Reality' gives the sense of seeing the narrative from the perspective of multiple characters
• The theme of 'Memory' can often involve the torture of an individual with a traumatic memory or specific last memory
• Another common convention used is an 'Unreliable Narrator'
• 'Technical devices' such as flashbacks and repetition in editing are common. 
• 'Imagery' — a close up of eyes are a frequent motif