TALK ABOUT MOVIES

2004 Talk About Movies
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Contents © 2004
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

TALK ABOUT MOVIES
November 2004

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Directed by Tony Scott. Starring Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken. 146 minutes, Color, 2004, USA/UK, English/Spanish. Available at Blockbuster Video. Scenes of intense violence.

Matthew: At the outset, Creasy asks Ray, "Do you think God will forgive us for what we've done?" And Ray says, "No." Creasy regrets his life as an assassin; that's why he's a drunk. But he still reads his Bible. That's why he lost me when the old man in the apartment said, "In the church, they say to forgive," and he answers, "That's between them and God. I'm just here to arrange the meeting." At that moment, he was just a lost soul -- not even tortured, just despairing.

Ernie: It goes back to his personal contradiction -- he's a Bible-reading killer. He's trapped in a world that deals in death. And in some way, his reaction to the death of an innocent has an element of justice to it. It's a step up from killing for money. He's nowhere near forgiveness among men on earth; he thinks he's so far gone that only God can help him, and even God probably won't. So why not mete out some justice?

Matthew: He was maybe coming out of his despair when he started loving the little girl, but when he lost her, he just reverted back. She wasn't just a particular grace, she was grace itself. Without her, he was lost.

Ernie: She was what, seven or eight? Sort of synonymous with purity. She really loves him, even though he's not lovable. She's like the water of Christ's grace, bathing him.

Matthew: He washes in her swimming pool after each killing.

* * *

Matthew: When the woman at the club gives him the other kidnapped girl, he spares the woman's life, even though he said he'd kill everyone involved.

Ernie: It's a humanizing element. When he's working on the corrupt cop, he's enjoying his violent artistry. But by the time he's got The Voice's brother and pregnant wife, he just looks like the whole revenge mission is weighing on him -- it's agony for him.

Matthew: Now that he's started to become human again, the killing is taking its toll, even killing him. The bullet in his chest could be symbolic of that. And just the fact of her existence derails him from his mission.

Ernie: And despite all his years of murdering people, he's able to commit the ultimate act of love.