Political Thriller Conventions

A political genre in a thriller film is one that is set against the background of the political power struggle. The conventions for this vary amongst the other genres. There is many variations of the narrative, usually they involve someone, the protagonist character being given political power while their opponents, the antagonists try and stop them from getting it.

Differences we have identified:
- Can feature innocent people becoming drawn into the political world.
- Characters aim to prove innocence.
- Location tends to focus on different cultures and countries.
- In some cases the use of another character as a helper who provides the protagonist with something useful.
- The use of false heroes, someone we think is the good guy turns out to be the opposite.

An example of a film that portrays this genre is The Contender made in 2000. This features a woman who is nominated to become Vice President following the death of the previous. During the process she becomes a victim of vicious attacks on her personal life resulting in stories from the past being spread, leaving her indecisive to fight back or refuse to comment.