Make Friends with Your Butcher

I know I don't post nearly as often as I should, but sometimes I just don't have the time to watch a movie and take notes. So here is a shortened version today.

Despite liking Leonardo DiCaprio, I don't always get around to watching all the movies he's been. Though I will embarrassingly admit that I have seen The Beach several times on cable. However, Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York has been playing on cable. I started watching some of it, but I'll say it now, I only made it about half way through. Instead of working with the first half of the movie though, I'll give you my take on the first battle: the one where L*** N***** d__s.

Okay, that was your fair warning to stop reading if you didn't want to ruin the first 15 minutes of the movie.

So Daniel Day-Lewis, The Butcher, and Liam Neeson, Priest, are waging this massive gang battle for control over New York. Maybe because Liam Neeson has played such noble characters as Robert Roy MacGregor and Qui-Gon Jinn or maybe it's the fact that he's wearing a priest's frock and carrying a huge crucifix. Either way, you automatically get the feeling that he's the good guy. Whereas The Butcher wears a leather apron covered in blood and wields cleavers and meat hooks...

They end up fighting one another after killing many people along the way. The Butcher kills Priest and everyone stops what they're doing. Really, if that's usually the case why don't leaders just fight to the death to begin with, but I digress.

My mom saw this scene through slitted eyes (the violence was a bit much for her), and commented something to the effect of, "what a bad man."

But in The Butcher's defense, he acted quite nobly. You can imagine how he's feeling after having defeated his foe: proud and accomplished and possibly sorrow at having killed a man? To his credit though, he allows his enemy's body to be treated with honor: "Ears and noses will be the trophies of the day. But no hand shall touch him." This coming from a man who later states that he places the heads of his enemies on pikes and marches them around town.

And even though I'm working past the realm of the first gang battle, and I might not understand the full implication of it, The Butcher does have a small shrine to Priest set up in The Butcher's hangout.

The Butcher just did what he had to do in order to protect the invasion of his country; a patriot. The Butcher is probably the equivalent of the present-day, border-patrolling minutemen that also have that anti-immigration feel to them. (Don't misunderstand me though, I'm in no way stating that I agree with The Butcher. Just trying to give you insight to his possible perception of things.)

In fact, you could argue Priest is more "evil" considering that he's a priest and has taken a vow to uphold the word of God. I'm not a devout Christian or devout anything for that matter, but I'm pretty sure that one of the Ten Commandments is "thou shalt not kill." Almost seems like doing bad things is more compounded for Priest by the fact that he promised not to.

So there you have it, The Butcher is a violent, yet noble man based on the first 15 minutes of Gangs of New York. Maybe evilness: 2.5 for not really knowing how The Butcher pans out.

Have You Had Enough Yet?

"How come you haven't posted anything?"

"When are you gonna update your blog?"

"Are you gonna write about this movie?"

ENOUGH!

But unlike Jennifer Lopez I can't just kill the source of my annoyance.

For those not familiar with Jennifer Lopez's 2002 movie about a woman who decides to fight back against her obsessed and abusive husband, Enough is a movie you should see just for the fact that Noah Wyle (yes, ladies, Dr. John Carter, or for the nerdy women, Flynn Carsen) plays a bad guy. As a woman, it's a scary reality that such men and relationships like that exist in the world. I don't know what men can take away from the movie except to learn Krav Maga in case your wife tries to kill you.

Like most movies, at the heart of it this story is about family and how strongly Lopez's husband, Mitch played by Bill Campbell, believes in the family unit.

What a happy looking couple. During the scene pictured above, Mitch asks Slim (Lopez) if she's going to give him lots of babies. Truly he is a family man. When he first holds his baby girl, his whole world is filled with only her. Despite the burden of a successful construction company weighing down on his broad shoulders, he turns off his cell phone and cuts off contact from a potentially profitable business deal.

Mitch does what he can to please Slim once they are married. She doesn't have to spend eight hours a day on her feet waiting tables at a small diner anymore. He is rich and successful enough that Slim doesn't have to work. He drove them around neighborhoods until she finally finds a house that she likes; a house that she can see them living as a happily family. She wants it, it's hers. Mitch is the one that makes it so. The fact that a family is already living in it and it's not for sale makes no never mind to him. Mitch provides for his family, no questions asked.

When Slim runs away with his child, Mitch goes to all sorts of crazy lengths to reunite his family. He still wants Slim and he never wanted to give up his daughter. He contacts Slim's friends to find her. Mitch even gets his cop friend (Noah Wyle) to help him track down Slim and his daughter so that he can bring them back home.

Now you might say, "wait, he tries to kill Slim. How is that preserving the family unit?" She was running around the country with his child. Slim clearly did not want to be part of his family unit. But as long as she was alive, Mitch wouldn't be able to have true custody of his daughter. Mitch would rather have his daughter with him and his wife dead than have his family just consist of himself. 2 > 1 is an indisputable truth.

As alarming as Mitch's determination might be, you have to agree that it's nice to be wanted, right?

Mitch is a man that is not afraid of commitment or the responsibilities of being a husband and a parent, while at the same time bearing all the financial burden of his family. So he suffers from an obsessive mental disorder, but when that obsession drives your determination to see things through, I think there's some applause due. Mitch Hiller: the ideal family man from a time when it was all right for husbands to hit their wives. Evilness: 2 for wife-beating because we live in a time when it is not legal or socially acceptable.

The Jesus of the Necromongers

The Chronicles of Riddick was playing on TV. Now I admit I actually like this movie, but it's well known that my taste in movies is somewhat suspect. It annoyed me though, when the commercials and editing took away from the movie. There was no other choice, I just had to watch the DVD. Despite the interesting sci-fi worlds and collection of colorful characters, religion and faith lie at the heart of this 2004 Vin Diesel movie.

For those unwilling to sit through this unexpectedly star-studded movie (c'mon, Dame Judi Dench graces the silver screen in this), here is a synopsis: the movie takes place five years after the events in Pitch Black. Riddick re-enters society to search out who placed the 1.5 million credit bounty on his head. As it turns out, he is part of a prophecy that foretells the downfall of the leader of the Necromongers, a traveling society of warring religious zealots on their way to their holy land. Those who wish to stop the Necromongers put their faith in Riddick. Along the way he runs a lot and kills a bunch of people, but is also reunited with Jack/Kyra from Pitch Black to help display Riddick's softer side.


Clearly, the movie wants you to believe that the religious leader, Lord Marshal, is the evil villain pointlessly exterminating whole worlds in his seemingly silly quest for the UnderVerse. However, I argue that Lord Marshal is no different from any other religious figurehead, such as Jesus, Muhammad or Buddha. The story of Lord Marshal was that he actually made a pilgrimage to the gates of the UnderVerse and came back half-alive and half-something else, along with the added bonus of being able to rip out peoples' souls, kind of like Shao Khan. He is no mere mortal, and his displayed paranormal powers raise him above his common man and place him closer to a prophet.

The reason for his annihilation of societies stems from the Necromonger religion. Lord Marshal is following his doctrine and trying to populate the UnderVerse with the use of such weapons as the Final Protocol. Similar to an atom bomb, as far as I can tell, it is responsible for the death of tens of thousands. But as long as what Lord Marshal orders is following religious doctrine, who are we to judge the ethics of his religion, especially one with so many followers?

And it's not like the UnderVerse is some intangible concept that resides in the pages of some scripture or the imagination of devout followers. UnderVerse is real as Lord Marshal had traveled to it and came back with some amazing powers as evidence. In my eyes this legitimizes this religion. It is not some mere cult of war mongers intent on dominating the universe. They truly are traveling to their promised land of the UnderVerse.

The Purifier, essentially a Necromonger proselytizer admitted to Riddick, “I've done...unbelievable things...in the name of a faith that was never my own.” You said it mister, haven't we all? Whether it be no meat on Fridays or having to wear your hair a certain way. Also something to note, he said “unbelievable” which is neutral in terms of morality. “Unbelievable” even connotes something that would instill awe in others, in other words, amazing things. Had he said “terrible things,” it'd be a different thing all together.

If you're having trouble seeing Lord Marshal as not evil, let's juxtapose him with Riddick. Riddick is still the typical apathetic antihero. He kneels to no man and lives life as he pleases without regard for the laws of man; he is a wanted convict after all. He has no ties to a homeland or people. Sure the Necromongers destroyed his home planet of Furya, but Riddick doesn't even remember his childhood or family as he was only an infant when it happened. He doesn't care about societies being wiped out by Necromongers. He only wants to kill Lord Marshal so that he can go back to living his solitary life.

A life of apathy is no way to live. At least Lord Marshal believes in something and has faith that he will accomplish his religion's goal of reaching the UnderVerse. Faith, determination and hard work are attributes of an individual to be commended in any society.

Can you really judge someone to be evil if they are adhering to the doctrines of their faith? What, just because Lord Marshal's religious acts go against those in your religious scriptures he should be branded as evil? But really, then it becomes an argument of “my religion is better than your religion and therefore I'm right and you're wrong,” which when you think about it is really immature. I'm pretty sure Lord Marshal would think any Jain to be evil as they prescribe to a life of non-violence and the protection of all living beings. UnderVerse isn't going to populate itself, you know.

Perhaps my understanding of the Necromonger way isn't completely accurate, but I didn't have much to work with...Maybe when Riddick 3 is released, all my Necromonger questions will be answered and I might revise my argument. But until then here is my verdict. Lord Marshal: a man of passion and determination. A true prophet of his religion. A soul-grabbing holy Half-Dead. I don't see evil anywhere in that description. Evilness: 0.5 evil (credit for his soul-stealing ability).

Someone Has Mother Issues...

Lately Kindergarten Cop has been showing on cable. How can anyone not like this Schwarzenegger classic? Especially with famous lines like, "Who is my daddy and what does he do?" or "Boys have a penis, and girls have a vagina." Probably where I first learned that important aspect of human physiology. However Schwarzenegger and little kids aside, I'm here to discuss the portrayal of Cullen Crisp, the misunderstood man who just wanted a family.

Crisp is just a simple man that wants his family back. He's willing to lie, cheat and kill to reunite with his family. What, you think that's wrong because he's breaking the rules of civilised men? But he's doing it all for his family...One could only wish more men were as devoted to their families as Cullen Crisp.

Once free from lockup, Crisp and his mother-something I'll address later-rush off for Astoria to reunite with his estranged wife and son. He goes about procuring a present for his son while Crisp's mother, Eleanor, purchases pharmaceuticals to ensure that Dominic, Crisp's son, grows up healthy and protected from disease. Crisp also visits Dominic's school to confirm his child's educational needs are being met (okay, that is arguable). But overall, Crisp seems like a caring and wanna-be-involved father.

Crisp finally introduces himself to Dominic, who had grown up with lies regarding his father's identity. In just that brief moment of peace in the health room, Crisp is full of paternal pride at the fact that he is father to such a smart and strong, young boy.

When cornered in the locker room by Kimble, Crisp threatens to kill his own son to get the upper hand, but it's an obvious bluff. Crisp knows that Kimble cannot do anything to endanger a hostage's life even though we all know Crisp isn't crazed enough to murder his own son. That's been his driving force for the past several years. Really though, there is no chance for Crisp after this point.

If Cullen Crisp isn't the villain in this movie, who is? Eleanor Crisp, his mother. Ha, you probably thought I was going to twist it around and blame Kimble. But yes, the true bad guy in the movie is Eleanor with her overbearing motherhood. Even though her own son is a hardened and grown man, she still plays a very active role in his life as the forever disapproving mother.

Based on their on-screen interactions, it is also clear that Crisp is still a child in the relationship. Like his mother, he is neatly dressed with his hair tidily pulled back in a ponytail. He wears a fully-buttoned dress shirt without a tie. Maybe I'm missing something due to a generational fashion gap, but that still looks like momma's boy fashion to me...

One could even argue that it is the desire of Eleanor for her grandson that drives Crisp to the lengths that he goes. Crisp desires her approval, exemplified by such moments as when he proudly shows the gift he procured for his son, like a little boy always searching for some praise from a cold mother. And if Eleanor wants her grandson, Crisp would try his best to make it happen if he thought it would make her happy.

Even until the end, with her own son shot dead in the locker room showers, she threatens Kimble for the whereabouts of her grandson, all the while shooting rounds off near Kimble's head. Realizing that Kimble doesn't know nor would he ever tell her, she resolves herself to kill him. And would have too, had it not been for Joyce bashing her with a baseball bat.

I didn't specialize in psychology, however it is clear that Cullen Crisp suffers from psychological and emotional issues stemming from his relationship with his mother. Yes he committed some evil acts, but that does not brand him as the evil villain? Not really, because honestly, what villain still hangs out with his mom? Cullen Crisp, momma's boy extraordinaire. Evilness: 3 Evil.

DK/Takashi Is Really Just a Softy

Maybe not the best quality movie to start off with, but I was watching The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift yesterday so this is what gets posted. A quick synopsis: this white kid from Alabama (Shawn) escapes to Tokyo after being involved in a reckless street race. Once in Japan, he soon gets sucked into the world of underground drift racing complete with a motley crew of friends (Han & Twinkie), wannabe yakuza (Takashi/DK), and of course a love interest (Neela).

Oh that DK, so evil and menacing with his dark themed wardrobe and gruff-guy glare. Right? WRONG! He just has a bad rep to start with because he's kind of racist and he's yakuza. Well, he's not really racist despite his derogative use of "gaijin" (foreigner) because he loves Neela who is definitely not Japanese. DK is also not really yakuza, not the "evil" kind at least. Sure his uncle (Kamata) seems to be some sort of underboss or high ranking gangster, and Han makes mention of DK's past of extorting small businesses. But, all you really see him do is race, sit around his office, count money, and get into fights with Shawn. Dude doesn't even have a crazy full-back tattoo like a dedicated yakuza.

Don't forget, this guy is the victim in the movie. What, don't believe me? Neela is the girl he "loves". They grew up together and while their relationship gives the impression of master and servant, he does seem to care for her and most likely spoils her with material objects (c'mon, like she really bought and paid for that RX-8 by herself?) although maybe only to the capacity in that she is his property. Neela herself even says at one point that he has changed, implying that he wasn't so jealous/violent in the past. Sure he might go about expressing his love in a completely bastard-like fashion, but he's really just overcompensating for the fact that he's afraid he will lose her, which he does. She leaves him for this newcomer Shawn who does everything he can to undermine DK's authority.

Moreso than the love story component, it is really Han's betrayal that leads DK to spiral out of control. Han is the one supporting DK's enemy, knowing full well that Shawn is DK's "kryptonite". Han is also stealing from DK, his business partner, something that Kamata has to point out to a shocked DK. When DK confronts Han about it with tear-brimmed eyes, Han mocks their friendship and DK's trust by saying embezzlement is part of the (criminal partner) game, as if DK is some naive child, which is not far from the truth.

Han, the protagonist's friend, in this case is the real villain. DK is just some naive thug that in the end has everything stripped away from him: family, friends, reputation, status. And it's all the fault of the white devil masquerading as some hero come to overthrow the evil tyrant. DK's evilness: 1 Evil.

What is this?

In stories where good and evil clash, do you find yourself siding with the villain? Most probably not, if you are a relatively normal individual raised with somewhat balanced morals. I, on the other hand, find the villain not unjustified in his actions, and sympathize with his dilemma that most people fail to even try to understand.

Every villain is the hero of his own story, so they say. I simply believe that everyone has a right to be vindicated.

This is Defend the Evil.