Elizabeth Heiter | Top 10 Mysteries and Thrillers Made into Movies

Always read the book before you see the movie. That’s my rule for any movie
that’s been adapted from a novel, because 99% of the time, I enjoy the book
more. Maybe that’s because it’s hard to distill a 100,000 word novel down to 60
or 100 pages of screen time. Inevitably, subplots come out, plots get
simplified, characters are merged. But sometimes, the movies stand up to the
books and even add something. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular
order:

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS – When this classic psychological suspense by Thomas Harris was made into a movie, Anthony Hopkins brought nuanced life to incarcerated killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. When I re-read the book, it’s Hopkins – in that famous mask – I picture as Lecter leads New Agent in Training Starling to serial killer Buffalo Bill. GONE GIRL – The book by Gillian Flynn that kicked off so many trends popular in suspense novels right now was a twisted glimpse into troubled minds, and Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike were perfectly cast. On screen, just as in the book, you can believe Nick Dunne might have murdered his wife, and it’s just as easy to believe Amy Dunne is a lot more than meets the eye. GONE BABY GONE – Dennis Lehane always writes about tough topics and he never shies away from the gruesome details. The movie wasn’t as graphic, but it was still emotionally intense, following two P.I.s as they track down a missing girl who just might be better off missing. CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER – Although you’ll really notice the outdated technology in this movie watching it now, the topic – a CIA agent trying to stop an illegal war sanctioned by the White House – is still relevant, and Harrison Ford is perfect as Tom Clancy’s well-loved character Jack Ryan. THE BOURNE IDENTITY – This Robert Ludlum novel was made into a movie more than twenty years after it was written (and sadly, released shortly after Ludlum’s death), so the Jackal (who’s an important part of the book) is absent from the movie, but the main plot – about a CIA operative with amnesia – holds. Matt Damon is so believable in the lead role that he helped it become a franchise.

DIE HARD – A movie I like to watch as part of my annual “Christmas movie”
tradition (if you’ve seen it, you’ll understand why), it’s one many people don’t
realize is based on a novel. But Detective John McClane taking on terrorists in
a high-rise building is actually based on NOTHING LASTS FOREVER by Roderick Thorpe.

KISS THE GIRLS – Based on one of the Alex Cross books by James Patterson, the
movie stars Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd, but my favorite performance is by
Cary Elwes, because he seems so normal and easy to overlook in the background
until you realize he’s the villain.

THE BONE COLLECTOR – Based on the Jeffery Deaver book of the same name, THE BONE COLLECTOR stars Denzel Washington as quadriplegic ex-homicide detective Lincoln Rhyme. Both the book and the movie do a great job of depicting a hero who has to rely on nothing but brain power to track down a killer. THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY – Based on the creepy Patricia Highsmith novel where the main character, Tom Ripley, targets and then takes over the life of another man, the movie stars Matt Damon. One of the best things about it is that you can empathize with Ripley, even as you’re creeped out by his slow transition into someone else. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Whatever version of the movie you saw (the Swedish or the American), Lisbeth Salander is a fantastic character worth seeing on screen as much as reading in Stieg Larsson’s book. Comment for a chance to win SEIZED by Elizabeth Heiter, which the Lansing State Journal called "a taut thriller that could be torn from tomorrow’s newspaper headlines....The Profiler series could easily be turned into a dandy television series."