Establishing Shot An enthymeme is a rhetorical syllogism that relies on one or more unstated premises assumed by the audience. In Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, Sharon Crowley and Debra Hawhee explain that enthymemes depend on premises drawn from shared beliefs or probabilities within a community. Because rhetorical argument operates in the realm of probability … Read more

In Memento (2000), Leonard’s fractured perception and the film’s nonlinear structure combine to determine what the viewer knows and when it becomes knowable.

In Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Danny uses video evidence and Terry Benedict’s own words to reveal what kind of man Tess has trusted.

In Jaws (1975), officials treat the summer tourist economy as essential, dismissing warnings about the shark as threats to stability.

In A Few Good Men (1992), the case turns on whether a Marine’s death was accidental, unauthorized, or the direct result of an order.

In All the President’s Men (1976), Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are under pressure to verify information from an anonymous source before reporting on the Watergate break-in.