I think he actually cared about Eduardo, it's a key thing that makes him change in the 1st place! Since it's so focused on those events it's easy to forget they had a life before and beyong that.
I’ve always felt it was when #8 pulled out the second switchblade that was the most pivotal moment of the movie. It was then that the possibility that the boy could be innocent was established.
Torture isn't in the book. In the book, he was protected from harm by his white overseer. The producers knew that their intended audience doesn't read books, and are thirsty for things to be angry about.
Watched the movie again for the first time like 6 years and I gotta say. Uma Thurman looked so good in this movie. She was ahead of time with that look. Lots of women try to emulate today with the “egirl” look
Another theme is duality. Many of the one-liners begin with "There are two types of ____" in the world my friend." Thus the topic of pure good versus pure evil is made manifest.
This is definitely a film between good & evil in my view. Not that one can define good. Is anyone really good? And who decides? Everyone is capable of evil. Unless you are Jesus himself, I think what makes a person "good" is a man or woman who makes an effort NOT to do evil. Even in the little things. Even when no one is looking. Even when one could get away with it. Even in their own thoughts. That's about as good as a person can be, I guess. But any one of us could find ourselves ready to smash someone's head with a rock, like Sam Broden attempted to do, if our loved ones are threatened. Are you "good" then? That's one of the key questions I think this film is asking the viewer. I don't think it is accurate to refer to Nick Nolte's character as "an adulterer." At least not in the current sense. Although it is easy to look at him that way. I felt that way about his character through many viewings before I realized he wasn't presently involved in an affair during the events of this movie (at least not physically). He is charged with having been an adulterer in the past, but he is clearly trying his damnedest to fly right at the present time. His character deserves a bit more sympathy. At several points throughout the film we see Sam Boden trying to "do better" at life. He is honest to a fault. He even openly admits to his own transgressions & mistakes to everyone around him, including the mistakes of his past. When his wife overhears him on the phone, he confesses to everything that is going on with his co-worker, and doesn't lie about the fact that his colleague is infatuated with him, but that he has kept her at arm's length. His wife is angry because this brings up his past sins, but no actual infidelity was happening. Sam cares about their marriage. We can see throughout the movie that Sam is a man trying, with varying success, to keep his family together. He loves his wife and daughter, and makes time to spend with them; going to movies, having dinner, and talking heart to heart with them. Even when they're on the run from Max he brings up going fishing, to which they respond with "that sounds nice." Hardly a dysfunctional family here! There's even a subtle moment in the movie when, in an effort to be as fair and accountable as can be, Sam tells his wife to "Keep track of how many cigarettes I owe you," when he takes up smoking again. The Scorsese version may not depict the family from the first film, but they are nevertheless quite close, and more relatable. This family unit may have some fractures, but it's not broken. And like the family in the early version, they persevere through this ordeal. Sam is the anchor trying his best to hold them together, and to be a "good"man, even if he's a flawed one (unlike Gregory Peck's version of Sam). This is what creates such an awkward and fascinating moral dilemma with Sam's character. It is BECAUSE he doesn't want to step outside the law, both legally and morally, that we feel more sympathetic with his inner conflict. This is made all the more imperative to the Sam of Scorsese's version, because of his willingness NOT to repeat the sins of his past. That makes this inner struggle of his all the more dramatic. Lastly, I've seen Cape Fear many times over the years. I never once felt as though Max Cady was an "underdog," nor did I ever once feel compassion for him. What kind of sicko would? He's is in every way the worst thing a human being can be. Any amount of sympathy he can squeeze out of someone is only due to his ability to manipulate. He's soulless and without a conscience. The real moral question that NON-psychopathic folks struggle with during that particular scene (the one with the 3 hired thugs) is "would I go so far as Nick Nolte's character did to protect my family?" Again, this is the moral dilemma at the crux of this story: How far would a "good" person go to stop a monster? And are you still "good" if you have to breach your own moral/ethical/religious code to do so?
Only Vincent is out of bullets. Yeah, he could try to scrap fight Max and kill him and hand to hand melee but he’s be mortally wounded, he knows he’s done. But for whatever reason you’re saying it as if Vincent has a clip or bullets left but he’s completely empty. Mann even mentions this is the DVD commentary BOTH he and Max are out of ammo, it’s over. My knit is we should have seen that Max hit Vincent, him recoil or a hole in the shirt but we don’t know for sure leaving this ambiguity that doesn’t sit right with the rest of the film.
Vertigo is a great movie, but a depressing one. Moreover, Jimmy Stewart is not particularly believable as a desirable man whom women would want. Much prefer Notorious.
Despite its very long run time compared to modern movies, it held my attention. The violence is intense and daunting even to someone like me who usually claims to be fairly desensitised to that type of graphic display on screen. I always admire a story teller who is brave enough to make the main character unpleasant. Noodles isn’t just a villain from a legal perspective, he’s a very unpleasant person. A vile character. Yet we are compelled to watch him and to some extent care what happens next. It’s tricky to get that balance, and that’s why many movies wimp out and make the character a lovable rogue or a nuanced villain with redeeming characteristics instead of a Noodles character who kills without remorse and rapes indiscriminately.
This is my first time catching one of your videos. I like the way you reviewed this movie, thoughtfully, and excellant usage of the scenes and the amazing soundtrack.
