The essence of an M. Night Shyamalan film rests many times where the filmmaker is in his own head and where that path might take him. With ”Trap,” there is a weird essence of dual personality not unlike his lead character Cooper (played by Josh Hartnett) who begins the movie taking his daughter to a concert. The irony is the way it is built.

The aspect of the hitman genre has to move with the concept of a knowledge that, for some, this is a job like any other. It requires finesse with intelligence and a morally dubious countenance. With "Fast Charlie", Pierce Brosnan takes on the role of Charlie Swift, a smooth if reflexively loyal triggerman with a sense of the elegant but not as much the smooth but he does his best.

The essence of class structure and immigration is a discussion that permeates a lot of society. The angle is also based in perception and perspective. The new film "At The Gates", starring Noah Wyle and Miranda Otto, positions itself as a thriller but, in more ways than one, it is about rights, tendencies and the imbalanced scale of equality that still permeates society.

The approach to a thriller depends on perspective. The consequence of action usually depends on the efficiency of concept and the relationship of the protagonist to the audience. In David Fincher's "The Killer" written by Se7en's Andrew Kevin Walker, it takes both perspectives.

Jealousy can bite in a context of misery but the way "Fair Play" moves the game is undeniable, truthful and murky at the same time. It takes an older story of love in the workplace compounded by competitiveness and ups it for the new era.

The aspect of wanting a better life can be reflexive depending on what is willing to be sacrificed. With the throughline of "The Origin Of Evil", the basis comes on the conception of what becomes psychopathic behavior and where does it completely cross the line (there is one very good barometer). Laura Calamy as the lead Stephane does so from almost the inception in her very existence in terms of her disassociative behavior.

The aspect of a vampire debating the textures of life from a very geographical point of view is unusual but with a director like Pablo Larrain, like Jim Jarmusch and Abel Ferrara before -- directors known for different kinds of films —- taking a swing at this idea/genre can produce both interesting results but also missed opportunities.

The basis for "The Equalizer" is in its name. The concept of quid pro quo despite an end game that is very finite. When we last saw McCall (literally in the middle of a storm), the idea was that the wolf will always be hunting. What is interesting in the forward plot of "The Equalizer 3" is the essence of human nature, including compassion, especially for a hit man in the time he finds himself.

The context of horror depends on expectation and what one thinks of the path going in. With "Barbarian", even with the influx of how the trailers built the film up, it is about the misdirect and perspective of the audience. But the idea revolves in how it plays out. This usually has to do with structure and the intensity of what the reveal is.