Top 40 Movies With Very Few Characters and/or Locations
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- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsHarvey KeitelTim RothMichael MadsenWhen a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.A large portion of this movie is filmed inside a warehouse with a handful of characters.
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsNicole KidmanChristopher EcclestonFionnula FlanaganIn 1945, immediately following the end of Second World War, a woman who lives with her two photosensitive children on her darkened old family estate in the Channel Islands becomes convinced that the home is haunted.The vast majority is set in one house.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsLaurence OlivierMichael CaineAlec CawthorneA man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.The very definition of limited characters and locations.
- DirectorDaniel MyrickEduardo SánchezStarsHeather DonahueMichael C. WilliamsJoshua LeonardThree film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.Set in the woods with 3 primary characters.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeJulie DelpyAndrea EckertA young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.The locations vary, but it is really about the two leads.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeJulie DelpyVernon DobtcheffNine years after Jesse and Celine first met, they encounter each other again on the French leg of Jesse's book tour.Sequel to #5 again find the two characters.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsSigourney WeaverBen KingsleyStuart WilsonA political activist is convinced that her guest is a man who once tortured her for the government.One of my favorite Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley movie.
- DirectorJames WanStarsCary ElwesLeigh WhannellDanny GloverTwo strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they're pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer.Most of the sequels follow the same pattern. Though this one is set in large part in one place with 2 main characters.
- DirectorJames FoleyStarsAl PacinoJack LemmonAlec BaldwinAn examination of the machinations behind the scenes at a real estate office.This has a few more locations but it still pretty much revolves around a limited number of characters and places.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsRay MillandGrace KellyRobert CummingsA former tennis star arranges the murder of his adulterous wife.My personal favorite Hitchcock.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeRobert Sean LeonardUma ThurmanThree old high school friends meet in a Michigan motel room to dissect painful memories from their past.Three characters. One room. You gotta have a pretty fine script to pull that off.
- DirectorVincenzo NataliStarsNicole de BoerMaurice Dean WintDavid HewlettA group of strangers awaken to find themselves placed in a giant cube. Each one of them is gifted with a special skill and they must work together to escape an endless maze of deadly traps.Has two sequels.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsJames CaanKathy BatesRichard FarnsworthAfter a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.A large part of this is set in one room with 2 actors.
- DirectorDavid SladeStarsPatrick WilsonElliot PageSandra OhHayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks it's his lucky night. He's in for a surprise.Ellen Page's best movie.
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsDavid StrathairnMary Elizabeth MastrantonioVanessa MartinezIn an economically devastated Alaskan town, a fisherman with a troublesome past dates a woman whose young daughter does not approve of him. When he witnesses the murder of his shady brother, he, the woman and the kid run to the wilderness.Has one of the best or worst endings I've ever seen. Not sure which.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsKerry FoxChristopher EcclestonEwan McGregorThree friends discover their new flatmate dead but loaded with cash.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsNicole KidmanSam NeillBilly ZaneAfter a tragedy, John Ingram and his wife Rae are spending some time isolated at sea, when they come across a stranger who has abandoned a sinking ship.The movie that made Nicole Kidman a star.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartGrace KellyWendell CoreyA wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.Another classic Hitchcock.
- DirectorOren PeliStarsKatie FeatherstonMicah SloatMark FredrichsAfter moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.Some people can't stand this style of films, like this, "Blair Witch", "Open Water" etc. I love them.
- DirectorJ BlakesonStarsGemma ArtertonEddie MarsanMartin CompstonA rich man's daughter is held captive in an abandoned apartment by two former convicts who abducted her and hold her ransom in exchange for her father's money.
- DirectorRené ClairStarsBarry FitzgeraldWalter HustonLouis HaywardSeven guests, a newly hired secretary and two staff are gathered at a manor house on an isolated island by an unknown absentee host and are killed off one-by-one. They work together to determine who the killer is before it's too late.Can't make a list like this without an Agatha Christie movie. This is the only one on the list actually. I like some of the other movies but don't like them enough to make this list.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsMichael CaineChristopher ReeveDyan CannonA struggling playwright invites a young writer to his home to discuss a script, but the meeting spirals into a deadly game of deception and betrayal.Another cat and mouse mystery thriller.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsSigourney WeaverTom SkerrittJohn HurtThe crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.I probably can't have a list like this without including this movie.
- DirectorTony PiccirilloStarsJames MarsdenScott SpeedmanSofía VergaraTom (Speedman) and Dan's (Marsden) one-night stand turns into an intense power-play between captor and captive.I saw this not expecting anything and in the end really enjoyed it.
- DirectorEli B. DespresKim RobertsStarsJeanette BroxMegan HenningAli HumistonThree high-school girls on a weekend getaway impulsively take a menacing trespasser captive when he shows up at their remote mountain cabin. Fueled by desperation and alcohol, they endure a long, terrifying night with their captive.This is another movie I didn't know anything about, watched it and really enjoyed it.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksHelen HuntPaul SanchezA FedEx executive undergoes a physical and emotional transformation after crash landing on a deserted island.WILSON!!
- DirectorJonathan LynnStarsEileen BrennanTim CurryMadeline KahnSix guests are anonymously invited to a strange mansion for dinner, but after their host is killed, they must cooperate with the staff to identify the murderer as the bodies pile up.
- DirectorRobert MooreStarsPeter FalkAlec GuinnessPeter SellersFive famous literary detective characters and their sidekicks are invited to a bizarre mansion to solve an even stranger mystery.A comedy in the same vein as #27 "Clue", a farce.
- DirectorLuis PiedrahitaRodrigo SopeñaStarsAlejo SaurasElena BallesterosLluís Homar4 mathematicians are invited to solve an enigma. Once there, they're locked in a mechanically shrinking room and given 1 minute to solve each puzzle via cellphone while also figuring out why they're there.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsJohn CusackRay LiottaAmanda PeetStranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rain storm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they're being killed off one by one.
- DirectorSimon BrandStarsJim CaviezelGreg KinnearBridget MoynahanFive men wake up in a locked-down warehouse with no memory of who they are. They are forced to figure out who is good and who is bad to stay alive.
- DirectorChris KentisStarsBlanchard RyanDaniel TravisSaul SteinBased on the true story of two scuba divers accidentally stranded in shark infested waters after their tour boat has left.Filmed in the same way as "Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity"
- DirectorWes CravenStarsRachel McAdamsCillian MurphyBrian CoxA woman is kidnapped by a stranger on a routine flight. Threatened by the potential murder of her father, she is pulled into a plot to assist her captor in a political assassination.
- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsSigourney WeaverWilliam HurtJoaquin PhoenixA series of events tests the beliefs of a small isolated countryside village.This got alot of mixed reviews when it came out because it was billed as a scary movie. It's not. It's a drama. Seen through those eyes, I think it is actually an excellent one.
- DirectorAdam GreenStarsShawn AshmoreEmma BellKevin ZegersThree skiers stranded on a chairlift are forced to make life-or-death choices, which prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death.3 people trapped on a skilift.
- DirectorBob OdenkirkStarsMichael BliedenStephanie CourtneyMatt PriceAward-winning comedy about a lonely young man who finds himself at a restaurant with two strangers and his best friend.Basically a group of people sitting around a table talking about various things. Yeah, doesn't sound all that great until I watched it and realized it *was* quite good.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsNicole KidmanPaul BettanyLauren BacallA woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town she finds out that their support has a price.This has got to be one of the oddest movies I've seen. If you can get past the fact that there are no sets, this is a really good movie.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaLee J. CobbMartin BalsamThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.Probably have to include this on a list like this.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsElizabeth TaylorRichard BurtonGeorge SegalA bitter, aging couple, with the help of alcohol, use their young houseguests to fuel anguish and emotional pain towards each other over the course of a distressing night.
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsColin FarrellKiefer SutherlandForest WhitakerPublicist Stuart Shepard finds himself trapped in a phone booth, pinned down by an extortionist's sniper rifle. Unable to leave or receive outside help, Stuart's negotiation with the caller leads to a jaw-dropping climax.Title says it all.