Memento Review, directed by Christopher Nolan, 2000

The film Memento uses a main thriller convention by being centered around a crime. The crime is introduced to the viewer right at the start with the polaroid image of the dead man.

As soon as the music starts the audience already feel the suspense. The long notes of the strings are slow with a sense of sadness which subtly builds up suspense.
Another psychological thriller convention used is the unreliable narrator. The voiceover used as a stream of consciousness gives the viewer an insight into the psyche of the protagonist. The protagonist is talking to himself in third person and seems confused and unstable. This ambiguity highlights his unpredictability and the use of the voiceover, camerawork and music let the audience empathise with the protagonist.
The protagonists perception of reality is unstable and the sense of a flashback adds to this and confuses the audiences sense of time. The reversal of time is not immediately understandable which disrupts the viewers sense of continuity.
The close-up on the protagonist's eyes is another psychological thriller convention which links to thriller imagery. Eyes are a frequent motif in psychological thrillers and this is no exception. The rapid eye movement and blinking adds to his sense of instability.

Another micro element used to highlight the protagonist's instability is the mise-en-scene. When we see the hand holding the polaroid, we see a small glimpse of the tattoo, which could imply the protagonist's dangerousness.