Steamy Streaming: Thrillers
From Gone Girl to Cruel Intentions
At PROVOKR, we like a little spice in our romance. When we’re not watching movies like Some Like it Hot or Showgirls (we have varied tastes, deal with it!), we enjoy an edgy thriller here and there. From the exploitative to the dangerously intense, we’ve got you covered.
Body Heat
Most people don’t know this, but a long time ago, William Hurt was sexy. Most young people know him these days for his role as “Thunderbolt” Ross, the militaristic curmudgeon from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he used to be quite the looker. Don’t believe us? Check out Body Heat, in which he trades blows – among other things – with Kathleen Turner, who also looks a bit different these days than she did back in 1981. These days, she’s a tough-as-nails no-bullshit badass broad, but in Body Heat, she’s a glamorous femme fatale with legs for days. Lawrence Kasdan is best known for his work on various Star Wars movies and his mega-blockbuster, The Bodyguard, but don’t overlook Body Heat; it shows off his versatility and understanding of the language of film noir.
Mindhunter
Sometimes, we just need to look at people who are more messed up than we are. They don’t come more screwy than the villains of Mindhunter on Netflix. Loosely based on the exploits of famed FBI profiler John Douglas, who spent his whole career learning to understand the battered psyches of dangerous men. His findings continue to influence the way the FBI chases serial killers and other chaotic madmen. The series is produced by David Fincher and stars Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany as the agents who study the men who common sense would dismiss as insane or evil. It’s easy to shrug one’s shoulders and say something is “evil” and only holiness can protect us; that’s why man invented God and the Devil in the first place. It takes a certain nerve to be willing to confront evil, find out what makes it tick, and truly understand what drives a human being to commit inhuman acts.
Gone Girl
Speaking of David Fincher, he is the first and best name in the realm of realistic thrillers made for adults. From Seven and Fight Club to Zodiac and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the man refuses to dumb down his work. If the lowest common denominator can’t keep up, he’s happy to cut the rope and leave them behind. His refusal to compromise has earned him a legion of dedicated fans, and his army only grew with the release of Gone Girl, based on the novel by Gillian Flynn, who also wrote the film’s screenplay. Boasting an all-star cast including Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Missi Pyle, Sela Ward, and more, Gone Girl was a standout entry in an increasingly rare breed of film; a dramatic thriller for grown-ups.
Cruel Intentions
At PROVOKR, we love two things: sexy exploitation and Hollywood adaptations of classic French novels. Cruel Intentions is both! Based on 1782‘s Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liasons) by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Cruel Intentions updates the setting to a 1990s modern day New York City private high school. It’s a little bit ridiculous, and more than a little bit exploitative, but it’s elevated by its commitment to its own eccentric aesthetics and a slew of future stars in key roles. Seriously, take a look at this cast list: Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Selma Blair, Joshua Jackson, Eric Mabius, Ryan Phillipe… Even Tara Reid is in this movie! It’s Tara-riffic!
