I tried rewatching Law Abiding Citizen and had to turn it off. It turns out "Angry white man murders a surprising number of people of color in his quest for revenge against the system" isn't something I can sit through anymore.
See I get not wanting to finish the movie - however, I can’t remember that he even kills one person of color in the movie..
Maybe he doesn't, maybe it was more the way movie casts him as an adversary to Jamie Foxx and the mayor's office? I just remember feeling uncomfortable enough about the racial undertones to abandon my rewatch part of the way through
I tried rewatching Law Abiding Citizen and had to turn it off. It turns out "Angry white man murders a surprising number of people of color in his quest for revenge against the system" isn't something I can sit through anymore.
See I get not wanting to finish the movie - however, I can’t remember that he even kills one person of color in the movie..
He doesn't. It's not a great movie by any stretch but it's not some sort of whacked out white-power fantasy about killing people of colour. I'm not sure how anybody could come to that conclusion.
I think Alan Partridge made a reasonable impact in the states. Certainly American comedians seem to often hold it in high regard.
Slightly off-topic, but if you want to see a true life is stranger than fiction, then here's Harvey Goldsmith trying to improve a radio station full of Partridges
JacobkoshGamble a stamp.I can show you how to be a real man!Moderatormod
edited October 2020
Falling Down confuses people because it has a bit of subtlety to it - D-FENS starts off being furious about the indignities of everyday life that lots of us have experienced or can sympathize with (garbage commutes, the everyday coarseness and rudeness of packed spaces, "this burger doesn't look anything like the picture"), and he hurts some people who probably have it coming (like the Nazi shop owner), but the movie just keeps turning the screws tighter and tighter and putting him in more and more clearly indefensible situations to kind of lead us down the garden path to the realization that he's not the good guy of the story.
But some people don't really get that or think they're the only ones who spotted that the character's behavior isn't okay and assume the movie is endorsing what he does. And it's made more complicated and thorny by the fact that the character, while the bad guy, isn't the only bad guy; the movie isn't letting some of the shittier stuff in society and everyday life off the hook. It's not telling us "you're an asshole for being upset about your commute", so to those observers, that seems like it's not sufficiently black-and-white, unambiguous condemnation.
Idk how good it is or how well it holds up as it's been probably literal decades since I've seen it and it's a Joel Schumacher film which, you know, but it definitely has a cogent thesis
Jacobkosh on
+10
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
Law Abiding Citizen wanted to lure you in with a mystery and the answer to it was underwhelming
Instead of "somehow he built a tunnel system with every single prison cell attached", I think having people sympathetic to his aim out there doing the stuff would've made more sense.
I had a lot of issues with Law Abiding Citizen, but I didn't really feel like there were any racist overtones.
The opening attack with the murder / implied rapes was unnecessarily disturbing and we almost walked out at that point. It felt like it was shot as much to glorify the violence and get you to sympathize with Butler's character, but it was too obviously cartoon villain evil over the top for the seriousness of the scene. The opening of John Wick at least gave some motivation and some asshole being cruel to a dog isn't nearly close to murdering women and children.
And the premise that with eyewitness testimony Jamie Foxx / the justice system would just...let the pair responsible for a home invasion double homicide where a kid was killed walk? That's simply unbelievable. Even if the eyewitness / surviving family member wasn't a clearly intelligent well connected and well off person nobody is offering a plea other than maybe life in exchange for not seeking the death penalty.
That aside, the movie came through as a bit of a convoluted mess that didn't really hold up to more than a few seconds of thought. I don't remember it that well since I only saw it in the theater, but remember thinking it would have made a lot more sense if he had accomplices / allies.
+1
OrcaAlso known as EspressosaurusWrexRegistered Userregular
edited October 2020
Falling Down is darkly humorous and as Jacobkosh says, we can all relate to the everyday irritations and indignities of life. The main character is a villain masquerading as an anti-hero, but he's shining a light on an awful lot of structural problems in his rampage through the city, brought on by a fly, high heat, and LA traffic.
I mean, who hasn't wanted to just say "fuck it" and bail when you're stuck in the middle of a miles-long traffic jam? Or scream in frustration at some poor minimum wage employee at a fast food restaurant that's exploiting the shit out of them? Or, if you're divorced, just want to spend time with your children. But we don't because we aren't crazy people.
I don't know how it holds up either, but I remember enjoying it when I saw it.
Falling Down confuses people because it has a bit of subtlety to it - D-FENS starts off being furious about the indignities of everyday life that lots of us have experienced or can sympathize with (garbage commutes, the everyday coarseness and rudeness of packed spaces, "this burger doesn't look anything like the picture"), and he hurts some people who probably have it coming (like the Nazi shop owner), but the movie just keeps turning the screws tighter and tighter and putting him in more and more clearly indefensible situations to kind of lead us down the garden path to the realization that he's not the good guy of the story.
But some people don't really get that or think they're the only ones who spotted that the character's behavior isn't okay and assume the movie is endorsing what he does. And it's made more complicated and thorny by the fact that the character, while the bad guy, isn't the only bad guy; the movie isn't letting some of the shittier stuff in society and everyday life off the hook. It's not telling us "you're an asshole for being upset about your commute", so to those observers, that seems like it's not sufficiently black-and-white, unambiguous condemnation.
Idk how good it is or how well it holds up as it's been probably literal decades since I've seen it and it's a Joel Schumacher film which, you know, but it definitely has a cogent thesis
I think him saying "I'm the bad guy?" at the end is a little on the nose. But, it makes the whole thing work. I've never really seen anyone take this film in the fight club direction and idolize him. The movie makes it fool-proof by the end that you recognize that what he did wasnt good. It also has a pretty good rate of escalation and pacing to make you realize he's not a hero.
I think the movie has a pretty dark view of apathy in society. A lot of talk about the lies we are told, and the lies we tell ourselves. The involvement of children throughout the movie, and their innocence, and the lies they are told is a really interesting aspect, even if its on the fringes of whats going on. The movie even ends up with the cop lying to his wife about retiring.
The dumbest thing about Law Abiding Citizen is how Butler is some sort of murder engineer that can apparently murder anybody, anywhere, at any time. And that was just, like, his job.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
The dumbest thing about Law Abiding Citizen is how Butler is some sort of murder engineer that can apparently murder anybody, anywhere, at any time. And that was just, like, his job.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
I mean that's basically the Equalizer movies with Denzel Washington. He's government Jason, engineering gruesome murders for anyone unlucky enough to step in his way.
I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.
The dumbest thing about Law Abiding Citizen is how Butler is some sort of murder engineer that can apparently murder anybody, anywhere, at any time. And that was just, like, his job.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
I mean that's basically the Equalizer movies with Denzel Washington. He's government Jason, engineering gruesome murders for anyone unlucky enough to step in his way.
The Equalizer is equally bad in its autism = super powers way.
The dumbest thing about Law Abiding Citizen is how Butler is some sort of murder engineer that can apparently murder anybody, anywhere, at any time. And that was just, like, his job.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
I mean that's basically the Equalizer movies with Denzel Washington. He's government Jason, engineering gruesome murders for anyone unlucky enough to step in his way.
The Equalizer is equally bad in its autism = super powers way.
He doesn't have autism, unless that's in the sequel which I need to see at some point. If anything he'd have a mild form of OCD.
Maybe you're thinking of the Accountant with Ben Affleck?
I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.
I really enjoyed The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The mannered, robotic dialogue and disorienting camera work take some getting used to, but once the story really gets going, the tension and suspense build very well. Barry Keoghan is amazingly creepy, especially since you never really know if he's even in control of what's happening. I like horror movies that keep the true nature of the horror mysterious, I feel like a hackier writer would have been compelled to over-explain the curse as some ancient evil ritual or whatever, but this movie keeps it ambiguous and I appreciate that. In a way it's scarier not to know.
The dumbest thing about Law Abiding Citizen is how Butler is some sort of murder engineer that can apparently murder anybody, anywhere, at any time. And that was just, like, his job.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
I mean that's basically the Equalizer movies with Denzel Washington. He's government Jason, engineering gruesome murders for anyone unlucky enough to step in his way.
The Equalizer is equally bad in its autism = super powers way.
He doesn't have autism, unless that's in the sequel which I need to see at some point. If anything he'd have a mild form of OCD.
Maybe you're thinking of the Accountant with Ben Affleck?
The dumbest thing about Law Abiding Citizen is how Butler is some sort of murder engineer that can apparently murder anybody, anywhere, at any time. And that was just, like, his job.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
I mean that's basically the Equalizer movies with Denzel Washington. He's government Jason, engineering gruesome murders for anyone unlucky enough to step in his way.
The Equalizer is equally bad in its autism = super powers way.
He doesn't have autism, unless that's in the sequel which I need to see at some point. If anything he'd have a mild form of OCD.
Maybe you're thinking of the Accountant with Ben Affleck?
Yup! I absolutely was.
Its ok there were a lot of "lone man takes on world" movies, bound to get them crossed up.
I mean John Wick has a quirk to, he can only be happy while he's murdering someone horribly. Ok not happy, mildly undisturbed.
I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.
The dumbest thing about Law Abiding Citizen is how Butler is some sort of murder engineer that can apparently murder anybody, anywhere, at any time. And that was just, like, his job.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
I mean that's basically the Equalizer movies with Denzel Washington. He's government Jason, engineering gruesome murders for anyone unlucky enough to step in his way.
The Equalizer is equally bad in its autism = super powers way.
He doesn't have autism, unless that's in the sequel which I need to see at some point. If anything he'd have a mild form of OCD.
Maybe you're thinking of the Accountant with Ben Affleck?
Also the Accountant doesn't do the autism is superpowers thing.
After all the main character's brother is nearly as dangerous as the main character and it's all attributed to their crazy survivalist nutty father.
Are there any horror movies where the hideous killer goes about the usual killing but then stumbles across someone worse and is himself killed? The Friday the 13th movie where Jason fights Carrie comes to mind but is there something maybe less supernatural? The last Predator movie semi-fits where a Predator is hunted and killed by an even bigger Predator.
'No One Lives', with Luke Evans, might scratch that itch.
A group of more or less deranged criminals kidnap a man and woman, but...
...oh no, they check the couple's car and there's a girl in the trunk. Wait, could Luke Evans be even more deranged and dangerous than they are? Yes, he probably could!
The dumbest thing about Law Abiding Citizen is how Butler is some sort of murder engineer that can apparently murder anybody, anywhere, at any time. And that was just, like, his job.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
I mean that's basically the Equalizer movies with Denzel Washington. He's government Jason, engineering gruesome murders for anyone unlucky enough to step in his way.
The Equalizer is equally bad in its autism = super powers way.
He doesn't have autism, unless that's in the sequel which I need to see at some point. If anything he'd have a mild form of OCD.
Maybe you're thinking of the Accountant with Ben Affleck?
Also the Accountant doesn't do the autism is superpowers thing.
After all the main character's brother is nearly as dangerous as the main character and it's all attributed to their crazy survivalist nutty father.
It literally ends with Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters being established to teach autistic kids how to crime.
0
KetarCome on upstairswe're having a partyRegistered Userregular
The dumbest thing about Law Abiding Citizen is how Butler is some sort of murder engineer that can apparently murder anybody, anywhere, at any time. And that was just, like, his job.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
I mean that's basically the Equalizer movies with Denzel Washington. He's government Jason, engineering gruesome murders for anyone unlucky enough to step in his way.
The Equalizer is equally bad in its autism = super powers way.
He doesn't have autism, unless that's in the sequel which I need to see at some point. If anything he'd have a mild form of OCD.
Maybe you're thinking of the Accountant with Ben Affleck?
Also the Accountant doesn't do the autism is superpowers thing.
After all the main character's brother is nearly as dangerous as the main character and it's all attributed to their crazy survivalist nutty father.
It literally ends with Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters being established to teach autistic kids how to crime.
Nope. At the end it shows the neuroscience center that he was sent to when he was young and shows you who Justine is and that they met there. Also that he's now using some of the money he makes to fund the center. It's been around for decades and there's no implication that anyone other than he and Justine are involved in anything like what they've been doing.
The dumbest thing about Law Abiding Citizen is how Butler is some sort of murder engineer that can apparently murder anybody, anywhere, at any time. And that was just, like, his job.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
I mean that's basically the Equalizer movies with Denzel Washington. He's government Jason, engineering gruesome murders for anyone unlucky enough to step in his way.
The Equalizer is equally bad in its autism = super powers way.
He doesn't have autism, unless that's in the sequel which I need to see at some point. If anything he'd have a mild form of OCD.
Maybe you're thinking of the Accountant with Ben Affleck?
Also the Accountant doesn't do the autism is superpowers thing.
After all the main character's brother is nearly as dangerous as the main character and it's all attributed to their crazy survivalist nutty father.
It literally ends with Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters being established to teach autistic kids how to crime.
What? No it doesn't. It ends showing that he donated money to the treatment place he was brought to as a kid, and that the girl he met there is his assistant/handler person. I have no idea how you could've interpreted that as crime school or whatever.
The dumbest thing about Law Abiding Citizen is how Butler is some sort of murder engineer that can apparently murder anybody, anywhere, at any time. And that was just, like, his job.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
I mean that's basically the Equalizer movies with Denzel Washington. He's government Jason, engineering gruesome murders for anyone unlucky enough to step in his way.
The Equalizer is equally bad in its autism = super powers way.
He doesn't have autism, unless that's in the sequel which I need to see at some point. If anything he'd have a mild form of OCD.
Maybe you're thinking of the Accountant with Ben Affleck?
Also the Accountant doesn't do the autism is superpowers thing.
After all the main character's brother is nearly as dangerous as the main character and it's all attributed to their crazy survivalist nutty father.
It literally ends with Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters being established to teach autistic kids how to crime.
Nope. At the end it shows the neuroscience center that he was sent to when he was young and shows you who Justine is and that they met there. Also that he's now using some of the money he makes to fund the center. It's been around for decades and there's no implication that anyone other than he and Justine are involved in anything like what they've been doing.
Yeah it was showing who the other voice on the phone was, and what he's been doing with some of his money, helping kids not end up like him.
Like I imagine a treatment center for people with severe autism is probably not an easy place to stay well funded.
I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.
And its a reality show because you don't tell any of the cast that you're going to bury them all behind a wall, so the reactions are real.
Switch: SW-7690-2320-9238Steam/PSN/Xbox: Drezdar
+9
Munkus BeaverYou don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPAregular
Falling Down confuses people because it has a bit of subtlety to it - D-FENS starts off being furious about the indignities of everyday life that lots of us have experienced or can sympathize with (garbage commutes, the everyday coarseness and rudeness of packed spaces, "this burger doesn't look anything like the picture"), and he hurts some people who probably have it coming (like the Nazi shop owner), but the movie just keeps turning the screws tighter and tighter and putting him in more and more clearly indefensible situations to kind of lead us down the garden path to the realization that he's not the good guy of the story.
But some people don't really get that or think they're the only ones who spotted that the character's behavior isn't okay and assume the movie is endorsing what he does. And it's made more complicated and thorny by the fact that the character, while the bad guy, isn't the only bad guy; the movie isn't letting some of the shittier stuff in society and everyday life off the hook. It's not telling us "you're an asshole for being upset about your commute", so to those observers, that seems like it's not sufficiently black-and-white, unambiguous condemnation.
Idk how good it is or how well it holds up as it's been probably literal decades since I've seen it and it's a Joel Schumacher film which, you know, but it definitely has a cogent thesis
Yeah there’s the moment where he angrily attacks a bunch of old dudes on a golf course and yells that they should be ashamed for taking up so much good land and green space for their silly game
And then he beats the shit out of an asian store owner for charging too much for a soda
I tried rewatching Law Abiding Citizen and had to turn it off. It turns out "Angry white man murders a surprising number of people of color in his quest for revenge against the system" isn't something I can sit through anymore.
Thoughts on Falling Down?
Very different movie. Full disclosure, Falling Down is a longtime favorite of mine. Michael Douglas's character is having a breakdown - he's no super genius with a master plan. Law Abiding Citizen has direct conflict with POC throughout the movie (Jamie Foxx, the mayor, maybe more? I didn't finish my rewatch), Falling Down has three negative interactions with POC (store owner, gang, robert duvall's partner) two of which are at the beginning of his journey where Michael Douglas absolutely believes in being a racist shitbag, but part of his journey is realizing the real enemy isn't who he thought it was, culminating in him shooting someone for the first time (Duvall's partner) and realizing the enemy is himself.
I can certainly see people getting "angry white man power fantasy" from Falling Down and stopping there, but the character arc is a critique on that type of story.
Not to mention that Michael Douglas encounters a real racist shitbag and realizes he's nothing like him.
Falling Down confuses people because it has a bit of subtlety to it - D-FENS starts off being furious about the indignities of everyday life that lots of us have experienced or can sympathize with (garbage commutes, the everyday coarseness and rudeness of packed spaces, "this burger doesn't look anything like the picture"), and he hurts some people who probably have it coming (like the Nazi shop owner), but the movie just keeps turning the screws tighter and tighter and putting him in more and more clearly indefensible situations to kind of lead us down the garden path to the realization that he's not the good guy of the story.
But some people don't really get that or think they're the only ones who spotted that the character's behavior isn't okay and assume the movie is endorsing what he does. And it's made more complicated and thorny by the fact that the character, while the bad guy, isn't the only bad guy; the movie isn't letting some of the shittier stuff in society and everyday life off the hook. It's not telling us "you're an asshole for being upset about your commute", so to those observers, that seems like it's not sufficiently black-and-white, unambiguous condemnation.
Idk how good it is or how well it holds up as it's been probably literal decades since I've seen it and it's a Joel Schumacher film which, you know, but it definitely has a cogent thesis
I actually rewatched that in the last few years. It holds up really well imo. There's a lot about it that's very 90s in terms of aesthetic but it's not I think got anything that's problematic these days.
One of the things that I think frequently gets forgotten is that the movie doesn't just escalate the shit he's doing throughout the day to turn our sympathies against him. It also slowly reveals the kind of person he's always been. He's not a good normal person who just snapped one day. He's kind of a shitty person who just finally hit his limit. He's not a fucking nazi but he's also clearly already got anger problems. And the movie rolls out these reveals bit by bit as the film escalates. His wife left them, took their daughter and has a restraining order against him. He's lost his job like a month ago and isn't even commuting anywhere. He's got long-running anger issues. A bad day pushes him over the edge because he's already primed for it.
And in that way I think it's a surprisingly nuanced take on the whole thing. It doesn't present the things he's mad about as not being part of the enraging fabric of modern alienating life. But it doesn't treat him as being right either.
+6
OrcaAlso known as EspressosaurusWrexRegistered Userregular
Falling Down confuses people because it has a bit of subtlety to it - D-FENS starts off being furious about the indignities of everyday life that lots of us have experienced or can sympathize with (garbage commutes, the everyday coarseness and rudeness of packed spaces, "this burger doesn't look anything like the picture"), and he hurts some people who probably have it coming (like the Nazi shop owner), but the movie just keeps turning the screws tighter and tighter and putting him in more and more clearly indefensible situations to kind of lead us down the garden path to the realization that he's not the good guy of the story.
But some people don't really get that or think they're the only ones who spotted that the character's behavior isn't okay and assume the movie is endorsing what he does. And it's made more complicated and thorny by the fact that the character, while the bad guy, isn't the only bad guy; the movie isn't letting some of the shittier stuff in society and everyday life off the hook. It's not telling us "you're an asshole for being upset about your commute", so to those observers, that seems like it's not sufficiently black-and-white, unambiguous condemnation.
Idk how good it is or how well it holds up as it's been probably literal decades since I've seen it and it's a Joel Schumacher film which, you know, but it definitely has a cogent thesis
I actually rewatched that in the last few years. It holds up really well imo. There's a lot about it that's very 90s in terms of aesthetic but it's not I think got anything that's problematic these days.
One of the things that I think frequently gets forgotten is that the movie doesn't just escalate the shit he's doing throughout the day to turn our sympathies against him. It also slowly reveals the kind of person he's always been. He's not a good normal person who just snapped one day. He's kind of a shitty person who just finally hit his limit. He's not a fucking nazi but he's also clearly already got anger problems. And the movie rolls out these reveals bit by bit as the film escalates. His wife left them, took their daughter and has a restraining order against him. He's lost his job like a month ago and isn't even commuting anywhere. He's got long-running anger issues. A bad day pushes him over the edge because he's already primed for it.
And in that way I think it's a surprisingly nuanced take on the whole thing. It doesn't present the things he's mad about as not being part of the enraging fabric of modern alienating life. But it doesn't treat him as being right either.
Yeah, that's part of the slow burn. At first you identify with him. But as he goes further and further from simply leaving his car behind and the reveals about his past and present expose the kind of person who would snap and shoot up a store because he can't get what he wants. And you realize that no, he's not like you (I hope), he's actually a terrible person, and it's a pretty terrible society that together conspire to ratchet the tension ever higher until something has to break.
How has no one mentioned this movie freaky? It looks fucking amazing! I loved happy death day, part 2 was ok, and Dale and tucker vs evil was awesome! Looks like to be in this vein. Fuck covid or id probably have heard about this and be seeing it in theatres. + I totally vince vaughn
Ok, so I'm old. Somehow someway I fell in love with a beautiful younger woman who is 24. We're so alike, yet still generations apart.
Anyways, movies are just starting to now get into her childhood. Remaking them. What's weird is the witches remakes is getting to her, which is my childhood, and Also the craft, my teen years.
Anyways I had to laugh because my childhood has been rapded by hollywood with remakes and reboots. And I got to thinking, what are the top 10 reboots/remakes and the 10 worst that stole from our childhood nostalgia.
I got nothing to start out with. The witches remake looks all right, if I actually thought on it more it'd probably be easy to do a 10 worst. But I'm more curious in the 10 best.
RickRude on
0
OrcaAlso known as EspressosaurusWrexRegistered Userregular
that kind of movie is usually not my thing, but that trailer makes it look hilarious. I'd be down to watch it.
Posts
Fair enough.
He doesn't. It's not a great movie by any stretch but it's not some sort of whacked out white-power fantasy about killing people of colour. I'm not sure how anybody could come to that conclusion.
Slightly off-topic, but if you want to see a true life is stranger than fiction, then here's Harvey Goldsmith trying to improve a radio station full of Partridges
I think she's also genuinely insane. Her stint on Taskmaster was a thing to behold.
But some people don't really get that or think they're the only ones who spotted that the character's behavior isn't okay and assume the movie is endorsing what he does. And it's made more complicated and thorny by the fact that the character, while the bad guy, isn't the only bad guy; the movie isn't letting some of the shittier stuff in society and everyday life off the hook. It's not telling us "you're an asshole for being upset about your commute", so to those observers, that seems like it's not sufficiently black-and-white, unambiguous condemnation.
Idk how good it is or how well it holds up as it's been probably literal decades since I've seen it and it's a Joel Schumacher film which, you know, but it definitely has a cogent thesis
Instead of "somehow he built a tunnel system with every single prison cell attached", I think having people sympathetic to his aim out there doing the stuff would've made more sense.
The movie really does reek of story by committee.
The opening attack with the murder / implied rapes was unnecessarily disturbing and we almost walked out at that point. It felt like it was shot as much to glorify the violence and get you to sympathize with Butler's character, but it was too obviously cartoon villain evil over the top for the seriousness of the scene. The opening of John Wick at least gave some motivation and some asshole being cruel to a dog isn't nearly close to murdering women and children.
And the premise that with eyewitness testimony Jamie Foxx / the justice system would just...let the pair responsible for a home invasion double homicide where a kid was killed walk? That's simply unbelievable. Even if the eyewitness / surviving family member wasn't a clearly intelligent well connected and well off person nobody is offering a plea other than maybe life in exchange for not seeking the death penalty.
That aside, the movie came through as a bit of a convoluted mess that didn't really hold up to more than a few seconds of thought. I don't remember it that well since I only saw it in the theater, but remember thinking it would have made a lot more sense if he had accomplices / allies.
I mean, who hasn't wanted to just say "fuck it" and bail when you're stuck in the middle of a miles-long traffic jam? Or scream in frustration at some poor minimum wage employee at a fast food restaurant that's exploiting the shit out of them? Or, if you're divorced, just want to spend time with your children. But we don't because we aren't crazy people.
I don't know how it holds up either, but I remember enjoying it when I saw it.
I think him saying "I'm the bad guy?" at the end is a little on the nose. But, it makes the whole thing work. I've never really seen anyone take this film in the fight club direction and idolize him. The movie makes it fool-proof by the end that you recognize that what he did wasnt good. It also has a pretty good rate of escalation and pacing to make you realize he's not a hero.
I think the movie has a pretty dark view of apathy in society. A lot of talk about the lies we are told, and the lies we tell ourselves. The involvement of children throughout the movie, and their innocence, and the lies they are told is a really interesting aspect, even if its on the fringes of whats going on. The movie even ends up with the cop lying to his wife about retiring.
He's like a white-collar Jigsaw that the government contracts to kill people but then he goes Rambo on the justice system and never did that premise sound insane to the writers.
I mean that's basically the Equalizer movies with Denzel Washington. He's government Jason, engineering gruesome murders for anyone unlucky enough to step in his way.
pleasepaypreacher.net
The Equalizer is equally bad in its autism = super powers way.
He doesn't have autism, unless that's in the sequel which I need to see at some point. If anything he'd have a mild form of OCD.
Maybe you're thinking of the Accountant with Ben Affleck?
pleasepaypreacher.net
Yup! I absolutely was.
Its ok there were a lot of "lone man takes on world" movies, bound to get them crossed up.
I mean John Wick has a quirk to, he can only be happy while he's murdering someone horribly. Ok not happy, mildly undisturbed.
pleasepaypreacher.net
Also the Accountant doesn't do the autism is superpowers thing.
After all the main character's brother is nearly as dangerous as the main character and it's all attributed to their crazy survivalist nutty father.
'No One Lives', with Luke Evans, might scratch that itch.
A group of more or less deranged criminals kidnap a man and woman, but...
It literally ends with Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters being established to teach autistic kids how to crime.
Nope. At the end it shows the neuroscience center that he was sent to when he was young and shows you who Justine is and that they met there. Also that he's now using some of the money he makes to fund the center. It's been around for decades and there's no implication that anyone other than he and Justine are involved in anything like what they've been doing.
What? No it doesn't. It ends showing that he donated money to the treatment place he was brought to as a kid, and that the girl he met there is his assistant/handler person. I have no idea how you could've interpreted that as crime school or whatever.
I just thought of a new reality TV show idea:
CASKMASTER!
(Of Amontillado)
Yeah it was showing who the other voice on the phone was, and what he's been doing with some of his money, helping kids not end up like him.
Like I imagine a treatment center for people with severe autism is probably not an easy place to stay well funded.
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That sounds like a task they’d do on Taskmaster.
Yeah there’s the moment where he angrily attacks a bunch of old dudes on a golf course and yells that they should be ashamed for taking up so much good land and green space for their silly game
And then he beats the shit out of an asian store owner for charging too much for a soda
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Not to mention that Michael Douglas encounters a real racist shitbag and realizes he's nothing like him.
I actually rewatched that in the last few years. It holds up really well imo. There's a lot about it that's very 90s in terms of aesthetic but it's not I think got anything that's problematic these days.
One of the things that I think frequently gets forgotten is that the movie doesn't just escalate the shit he's doing throughout the day to turn our sympathies against him. It also slowly reveals the kind of person he's always been. He's not a good normal person who just snapped one day. He's kind of a shitty person who just finally hit his limit. He's not a fucking nazi but he's also clearly already got anger problems. And the movie rolls out these reveals bit by bit as the film escalates. His wife left them, took their daughter and has a restraining order against him. He's lost his job like a month ago and isn't even commuting anywhere. He's got long-running anger issues. A bad day pushes him over the edge because he's already primed for it.
And in that way I think it's a surprisingly nuanced take on the whole thing. It doesn't present the things he's mad about as not being part of the enraging fabric of modern alienating life. But it doesn't treat him as being right either.
Yeah, that's part of the slow burn. At first you identify with him. But as he goes further and further from simply leaving his car behind and the reveals about his past and present expose the kind of person who would snap and shoot up a store because he can't get what he wants. And you realize that no, he's not like you (I hope), he's actually a terrible person, and it's a pretty terrible society that together conspire to ratchet the tension ever higher until something has to break.
Anyways, movies are just starting to now get into her childhood. Remaking them. What's weird is the witches remakes is getting to her, which is my childhood, and Also the craft, my teen years.
Anyways I had to laugh because my childhood has been rapded by hollywood with remakes and reboots. And I got to thinking, what are the top 10 reboots/remakes and the 10 worst that stole from our childhood nostalgia.
I got nothing to start out with. The witches remake looks all right, if I actually thought on it more it'd probably be easy to do a 10 worst. But I'm more curious in the 10 best.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/563962/movie-remakes-that-are-better-than-the-original-films
Homeward Bound had a 1960s version?
It had Tony Todd!
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