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Apt (2006)

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Movie

Se-jin, a young woman who lives in an old apartment in a Seoul suburb, amuses herself by observing...

David McK (3557 KP) rated Now You See Me (2013) in Movies

Feb 6, 2022

Twisty turny mystery thriller about a quartet of stage magicians, who use their skills and talents to perform a trio of impressive and highly publicised crimes (robbing a bank, draining the account of corrupt individuals etc and redistributing their targets wealth), all the time being chased by both an FBI agent and a magician debunker (ummm ... two separate people, just to be clear).

It's flashy stuff, with little in the way of substance, however, and an ending you can see coming from about a 1/3rd of the way through.

Still might watch the sequel, though!

Kudos

No Exit (2022)

6.3 (4 Ratings) Rate It

Movie

A college student, on her way home from visiting her mother, gets stuck with a group of people at a...

Insidious (FBI Thriller, #20)

Catherine Coulter

6.5 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Insidious is the twentieth thriller in #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter's FBI...

Mystery Thriller Suspense Book series

Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Hero Mask in TV

Jul 5, 2020

Hero Mask

2018 | Action, Animation, Crime

7.5

(2 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

Great storytelling, James Blood is an action hero personified, great action sequences grounded in reality instead of over the top was cool (0 more)

Kinda full of clichés and not the most original (0 more)

Part Crime Mystery Part Sci-fi Thriller - 6/10

Hero Mask is a sci-fi action thriller anime series written and directed by Hiroyasu Aoki and animated by Studio Pierrot; with character designs by Takahisa Katagiri and music by Hisaki Kato.

James Blood is an officer for the elite "Special Service of Crime" (SSC) division of the Capital Police Department in London. After Monica Campbell, Crown Prosecutor, suddenly drops dead mysteriously and an enemy James thought dead goes on a rampage at a police station, the SSC begins to investigate. James teams up with Sarah Sinclair, a subordinate of Monica's, to uncover the truth behind who's involved in a ever growing conspiracy including a powerful paramilitary corporation, escaped prisoners who were executed, and masks that give their wearers superhuman abilities.

Hero Mask is in no way a perfect anime, but that didn't stop me from enjoying a lot of what it had to offer. It is full of cliches and might not be the most original but I thought the story telling was great and the way it unfolded over the 15 episodes was done quite well. James Blood is an action hero personified. As I watched I felt like I was watching an actual action thriller. Critics complained about the action being slow but to me it felt more grounded in reality and believable instead of over the top. Also I really liked the way the whole mystery and investigation unfolded piece after piece and how it all came together. The animation was top notch and what originally drew me into viewing it as well as the concept. I wouldn't recommend this to the average anime fan but if you are looking for a crime/mystery plot, then you shouldn't write this one off. I give it a 6/10.

Kudos

Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Before the Fall in Books

Mar 15, 2018

Before the Fall

Noah Hawley | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.4

(7 Ratings)

Book Rating

The description of the book (who crashed a private jet killing nearly everyone on board) makes it sound like another twisty-turny thriller along the lines of "The Girl on the Train", and while the central mystery does have some surprises and keeps one wanting to read, this is actually a much smarter book than that. It is far more interested in human nature, what makes each of us what we are, how we cope with tragedy, and how our minds can jump to make conclusions that aren't there. It even manages to dig into themes like art, the recent financial crisis, and the 24-hour news cycle. All of the characters are interesting and very well written. Everything seems entirely believable and the book is full of moments of genuine emotion. Those looking for another trendy "thriller-of-the-month" might be disappointed, but anyone looking for a truly great novel, possibly one of the year's best, should pick this up.