Plot Influences

I came up with the idea of a torture scene for our thriller while watching the film Marathon Man (1976, John Schlesinger). While I enjoyed the film immensely as it is a classic, the scene which left a lasting impression was the torture scene with the dentist drill. In fact, when asked what makes films such as Marathon Man, Reservoir Dogs (1992, Quentin Tarantino), Hostel (2005, Eli Roth) etc. memorable, people invariably cite the torture scenes.

In particular though, it was the execution of the torture scene in Marathon Man which stuck in my mind. Although no violence or gore is shown graphically, the very suggestion of the pain reaches the audience as the dentist drill is something which is suffered and feared by many. Therefore, the audience can ‘feel’ Dustin Hoffman’s pain.

I also liked the infamous ‘is it safe’ catchphrase used by Szell in the scene. Although we are aiming to use as little dialogue as possible, the psychological effects of the torturer saying something like this is worth bearing in mind when thinking of ideas to improve our thriller.

Part of the genius behind the scene is the slow pace created by the director. This means that when the torture finally begins, it is more shocking to the audience as they are brought out of their comfort zone. Obviously since we only have 2 minutes to make an impact on the audience, we will have to find a different way of creating a memorable scene.