Thriller: A Cruel Picture is a 1973 Swedish exploitation film directed by Bo Arne Vibenius. The main character, Madeleine, is sexually assaulted as a child and as a result becomes selectively mute. She grows up to be a beautiful young woman, but her inability to speak makes her vulnerable.
One day, while waiting for a train, she accepts a ride from a charming stranger who drugs her and forces her into prostitution. At first, Madeleine is forced to work as a prostitute against her will, but eventually she learns to harness her anger and frustration and becomes a skilled killer.
The stranger who kidnapped her is killed early on in the film, and much of the rest of the plot focuses on Madeleine's violent revenge against other men who have wronged her. She uses her new skills to kill her clients, taking their money and using it to fund her own personal vendetta against those who have exploited her.
The film was controversial upon its release due to its graphic sexual violence and explicit portrayal of prostitution, but has since become a cult classic. Its influence can be seen in movies like Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, which borrows heavily from Thriller's themes of female empowerment through violent revenge.
