A genuine thriller is a film that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when a character is placed in a threatening situation, a mystery, or escaping from a place which escaping seems impossible. Life can usually be threatened if the main character is unsuspectingly or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation.
Thrillers mostly take place in ordinary suburbs/cities. Though sometimes, they may take place completely or to a certain extent in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, Polar Regions, or the high seas. The heroes in most thrillers are frequently ordinary citizens unfamiliar to danger. However, more common in crime thrillers, they may also be "hard men" used to to danger, like police officers and detectives. While such heroes have traditionally been men, women lead characters have become more and more common.