The two films 'Taken' and 'Limitless' both have different sub-genres. I will be analysing the different conventions in these films which make Action Thrillers and Mystery Thrillers so different.
 The Action Thriller 'Taken' has a narrative mainly based on crime and abduction of the teenage daughter (Kim Mills) of retired CIA agent (Bryan Mills). The abduction occurs when Bryan Mills, played by Liam Neeson, lets Kim travel with best friend Amanda around France. They both get taken by human traffickers In the 96 hour time limit, he had to race against time to find his daughter. The violent encounters with those involved on the abduction makes this film an Action Thriller. Throughout this film weapons such as guns and knives were used in almost every scene causing the physical conflict between the characters. The visual violence is a main convention of a Action Thriller. The title 'Taken' suits the narrative in a fairly obvious way as the narrative of the story revolves around abduction. The title emphasises the sudden taking of Kim Mills without telling too much. |
Mystery Thrillers do not usually contain physical violence. They are most likely to involve a secret situation between the characters. The Mystery Thriller 'Limitless' is about write Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) who discovers a top secret pharmaceutical drug which bestows him with superhuman abilities. He has a sudden power over situations within his social and financial life. He gets a hold of this power and steers his success in the direction he wants to head in. He soon discovers that the drug has lethal and lasting side effects including a 'trip-switching' where time moves with a non stop motion quality. Before long, mysterious antagonists pursue him. The title 'Limitless' suggests he has no limits. Within the narrative of this film, no limits is what he has after he takes the drug. This is not obvious until towards the end of the film. This title has been cleverly thought of as it is not something you would associate with a drug. It allows the audience to wonder what the narrative is. 
The four micro areas involved in the film are important as they should be suitable for the sub genre conventions. The music is one of the main ways in which the audience recognises the sub genre. In 'Taken' the fast pace music reflects the narrative as the protagonist is in a rush to get his daughter, Kim, back. It adds panic and realism to a dramatic scene. The diegetic sounds the audience hears also adds to the realism. These include sounds of footsteps and the ringing of phones. In the abduction scene, all these sounds are heard which make the action more thrilling. The camera shots that are used in this scene are also very effective. The close-ups of the human traffickers feet creates enigma, and poses the question... 'who are they? what do they want?'. When the camera shows the reaction shot of Kim, it shows the audience the extent of her fear making them scared for her. The mis-en scene is very important for films to have so it creates the right atmosphere and emotions to portray. The costume stays the same throughout the film for the protagonist. However, it is usual clothing that a male character would wear. This is because he does not want give too much away about his identity. This created enigma for the audience as they wonder what his job. The lighting used at the start of the film is bright. When Kim gets abducted in France suddenly the lighting changes to a negative tone. Doing this reflects on the mood of the sequence. With the editing, there was a slow motion used to give a lasting glance of the two girls, suggesting that something bad is going to arise. Also, a split screen was used between Bryan and his daughter Kim. This shows the audience both of their facial expressions and body language so they are aware of how they are feeling in that present time. It also contrasts the panic and paranoia of the protection from the dad and the fear from the daughter. 
The close ups used in 'Limitless' are usually key aspects of the film, which the audience will need to remember for the sequence to make sense. For example, a close up of the drug is used which plays a large important role in the narrative of the film. This creates enigma. After the drug was consumed by the protagonist, Eddie Morra, there is a pan of the room filled with smartly dressed, wealthy people which suggests his social life could change if he continued to take this drug. In clip there is a change in mood when he takes the drug. The non-diegetic music that is heard is much more relaxing which tells the audience the experience of the drug is relaxing too. This soothing music is meant to be parallel with how Eddie is now feeling. The cigarette prop for this character and the setting of his house with excessive amount of props insinuates that he is lazy and he doesn't look after himself. Between each clip, it changes very rapidly which is called short shot duration. This creates a dramatic, tense atmosphere and shows the audience his rapid change, reflecting his lifestyle. After Eddie has taken the drug, we see a fish eye effect on the camera lens. This changes the way we visually experience the clip, as we see it from his perspective.
These two sub genres are clearly very different in terms of conventions and techniques used for the film. However, what is similar about these to films are that they both use protagonists and antagonists. They both use the main male character as the protagonist and have more than one antagonist. The protagonist from each film leads the story through the audience from their own perspective. They both experience a number of life threatening situations which helps the audience and relate and feel sorry for the protagonist. 'Taken' has many antagonist who were involved with the abduction whereas 'Limitless' has only two antagonists. Both sets of these antagonists are stopping the main male character (the protagonist) from getting what they want or need.
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