Before watching this film, if Reiner had the kind of passion for "The Expendables", desperately trying to the end or the idea of "Kicking the Sky" The expectation of ingenuity and ingenuity is destined to be disappointed. Although the main plot of "Black Gold Murder" is a crime of high IQ, the shots are streamlined, and the narrative is in place, the audience will feel procrastinated and incomprehensible. This makes the film only won 8 million US dollars in the box office in the first week of North America. For such a film with a strong cast and a well-known director's reputation, it is simply a waterloo. This reminds me of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" in 1982. The film's box office in the first week was only 6.15 million US dollars, and the word-of-mouth was polarized, and the market was declining all the way. Eleven years later, "Blade Runner" was permanently preserved by the National Registry of the United States and became a national collection. What's interesting is that the criticized content of these two films is almost exactly the same.
The storyline of this film is very simple. Counselor couldn't stand the temptation to participate in a drug cartel business with Reiner. The drugs were shipped from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to the United States. Unexpectedly, Malkina, Reiner's lover, hunted the cicadas, instructed the killer to use a wire to kill the motorcycle rider responsible for transporting drugs and hijack the truck loaded with drugs. Westray, who was also involved in it, informed Counselor that the disaster was imminent and planned to withdraw. After a turnaround, the truck was recovered by the drug cartel. Malkina and Westray exchanged news. It turns out that Westray was Malkina’s internal correspondent. The two talked not speculatively and broke up. (Note that Malkina made the second call about drug dealing. The film did not specify the person who was talking to her, but We should note that when Counselor met Westray for the first time and asked Westray and Reiner if the women shared with Malkina, Westray paused before denying it. This suggested that Westray and Malkina had a connection. When Reiner and Counselor were hunted down by drug cartels, Westray was defrauded by Malkina of the account password and killed. It can also be seen that Westray and Malkina have a very close relationship in this business. Therefore, the person speaking with Malkina should be Westray. This is a defense of Ruth from Counselor. Conspiracy to frame the beginning). And Malkina should arrange another person during the transaction (Malkina answered when Westray asked you know the whereabouts of the truck: I know where the truck is going. I always did.), 20 million eventually fell into Malkina's pocket, Westray was killed by Malkina. Counselor became a suspect because of bail for the drug rider, and together with Reiner became a scapegoat for being hunted down by a drug cartel. Laura was brutally killed by a drug cartel because of Counselor's escape.
Before cutting into this movie, I must first emphasize one point: Ridley Scott is an artist who considers his words carefully. Every scene and line he describes in the movie clearly serves a specific theme. Ridley Scott's movies have no cecum.
Hou Xiaoxian once said that each director can only make one movie in his life. His movie may have a wide range, but the angle is fixed. I deeply agree. If we watch Ridley Scott's movies seriously, we will find that as early as 1979, in "Alien", he had already expressed deep and sharp thinking about human instincts. The same feature is also obvious in "Black Gold Murder".
The first hour of the film was filled with various descriptions of sex. Counselor and Laura had sex for 6 minutes. Laura bluntly expressed her desire for sex. She hoped that Counselor would touch her and dry her with her fingers. Reiner told Counselor about Peterson's cousin in the unfinished nightclub. Of course, the most shocking thing was that Malkina got on Reiner's Ferrari. In addition, there are some details that are full of sexual hints. For example, Malkina patted Counselor on the ass when he saw Counselor, Malkina and Laura were chatting naked by the pool, and Laura told Counselor that he was on the phone for the first time. She wanted to have sex with him when they met in the parking lot.
The performance of killing in the film is more three-dimensional. Malkina's appearance is on a rough grassland, and her big cat is hunting hares. Her deep eyeliner and light blue eyes formed a sharp contrast, and she told Reiner: Truth has no temperature. We noticed the leopard tattoo on Malkina's body. Her jewellery is not delicate and delicate, and her cocktail is blood-red, and all the details clearly show a wild woman. A total of 8 people died in the film (Reiner, motorcycle rider, Laura, Westray, 3 killed in a gun battle on the road and welcome to America soaked in an oil drum). 3 of the 4 main actors died were beheaded. This is a way of killing with primitive meaning. The film made a special description of them, they were motorcycle riders, Westray and Laura. The motorcycle rider was beheaded by a wire that accurately calculated the height, and his head was in a different place. Westray was strangled to death by Bolito. It is worth noting that when the police arrived to deal with the body, Westray's head was placed above the reproductive organs. The picture here is close-up, and the director's intention is self-evident. The process of Laura's death has not been photographed, but we can know from the previous conversation between Counselor and Westray that she was crying in front of the camera, and a man with a mask walked into the room and cut off her head... Reiner's death itself There is nothing to discuss. The highlight is that after Reiner's death, young people living in poverty nearby robbed him of his finances. At this time, two cheetahs came out of the car and scared away the predators. This scene resembles the day-by-day performance of the weak and the strong on the African savannah.
Sex and killing are human natures that are undeniable and difficult to get rid of. From Darwin to Freud, from biological evolution to psychological exploration, we continue to prove that we are not more advanced than those wild animals. This is also the root of all greed, coldness, desire, and cruelty. As the drug lord in the film said: "You are at a crossroads now, you want to choose, but the choice does not exist, you can only accept. The choice was made a long time ago." Instinct, according to Christianity, this is the original sin of man.
Ridley Scott appreciates human nature, although it is cruel, but it is very real. In "Alien", Ridley Scott expressed this appreciation through Ash's words: "I admire the purity of it (Alien). It is a strong man of survival. It is not influenced by conscience, regret and morality." In "Black Gold Murder" The ending film director once again expressed the same view through Malkina's words: "The elegance, beauty and pure heart of predators can not be found anywhere. There is no difference between their nature and actions, and hunting is their duty." Malkina's words did not end there. She went on to say: "Of course we humans are another matter. The weakness of the human heart forces us to a desperate situation." We have seen the other side of human beings or human society. Modern civilization is different from human beings. The other side of instinct-hypocrisy.
Viewers who think the film is procrastinating must be puzzled by the dialogue between Counselor and the diamond merchant when Counselor was buying diamonds for Laura at the beginning of the film. It seems to be completely irrelevant to the main story, and lines that seem to point to unknown take up a lot of time. This dialogue is the most difficult part of the whole movie, catching it will choke the throat of the whole movie. I don't know where to start, but I will try to explain it clearly.
This conversation is very hierarchical.
The first level is value (to be precise, the price measured in money). The diamond merchant told Counselor: "What you are looking for in diamonds is not the advantages, this is a vicious business, we only look for the shortcomings." This is a strong contrast, the beauty of diamonds and the viciousness of business, this radiant Beauty is used to deal with money in a fastidious way. Beauty can be purchased, and the beauty of red diamonds is so rare that it is even more valuable than belief. This passage is very realistic and true. In fact, the drug trade throughout the film and the killing of US$20 million ignoring "moral issues" is the clearest portrayal of this reality.
The second layer, the stolen God. The elderly diamond merchant talked to Counselor about the Semitic culture. He said: “There is only Semitic culture in this world. Before that, it was Greek culture. After that, it didn’t.” The traditional Greek culture believes in gods and the heroes who give them power are warrior. The Semitic culture believes in God, and the hero of the Jews is a person who believes in God, Moses and Jesus. Compared with the earlier Greek culture, the Semitic culture is a sublimation. Its belief in God comes from the sufferings that this nation has experienced over the centuries. If Greek culture is more inclined to respect the unknown world, Semitic culture is closer to the salvation of the soul. The country that expelled the Jews, whether it was Babylon, Macedonia, Ottoman or later Nazi Germany, was destined to perish. This is not a curse of a nation. It has nothing to do with magic. In essence, it is an expulsion of God. In the process, humanity is annihilated and the country is withdrawn. In this logic, we can understand why diamond merchants say that people only believe in God, and this God is only the God of the Jews, and there are no other gods. There is also only in this logic that we can understand why the West has stolen God, and how God can be stolen. Because what Westerners or modern civilized society needs is God as a symbol to "forgive" people's sins and whitewash peace. They reject the dialogue between the soul and God, and they reject the suffering that produces God as a nation. Without those blood and fire wars, without the wandering life, the cross in the church, the priest whom people confess to, the God who forgives sin is like a tree without a root, a water without a source, and only represents the human nature. That's nothing more than hypocrisy and cowardice.
Now we can further explain why the opening sex scene is so procrastinated. It describes not only the relationship between Counselor and Laura, their lust, but also the hypocrisy of people.
Counselor: Tell me something sexy.
Laura: I want you to touch my clothes up.
Counselor: But you didn't wear it.
Laura: What does this have to do with that? You like me saying this.
Counselor: I know, but it needs to be realistic. Tell me what you want me to do to you.
Laura: I want you to touch me.
What Laura really expects in her heart is the direct caress of her lover, and what she is talking about is another imaginary romantic and decent picture. From the conversation, we can see that Counselor also likes this kind of "decent" love words, and he also clearly knows that these words have no "realism".
Look at the conversation between Malkina and Laura by the pool. Malkina learned that Laura was a church lady, so she asked her: Has the priest asked you about sex?
Laura: He won't ask, but you should have no reservations about the priest.
Malkina: All the dirty things you have done, you have to pretend that you won't do it again, do you?
Laura: I think so.
...
Malkina: This world is strange. I mean your world.
Laura is a decent woman, which is very obvious in her clothing taste, home environment and language behavior. However, such an elegant and decent woman is indeed very "nasty" in sex with Counselor. The guilt of this will be forgiven by God through her confession to the priest. Yes, "God" is so casual! This is indeed a strange logic, which is incompatible with Malkina, who advocates nature. So she went to church. Malkina's curvy dress is in stark contrast with other old and conservative women in the church. This is a collision between human nature and social morality. From this perspective, it is very interesting!
Father: Are you a Catholic?
Malkina: No.
Father: Then I can't forgive you.
...... (Don’t doubt, this string of ellipsis really means my speechlessness ==)
In the course of the dialogue, the priest defied the image of kindness and tolerance. He was narrow, arrogant, impetuous, and ridiculing, as if he had encountered something unreasonable. This is also the consistent attitude of human moral principles to human nature. But when Malkina (nature) asked straightforwardly: Do women tell you about their sex? Every woman who comes to confession will tell you that she commits adultery or fornication, so you must have a special view of women. The priest (morality) panicked. He began to avoid, began to resist. He told Malkina: I can't talk about it. You really must leave. If you don't go, I will go. It was a monster that the priest clearly knew existed but didn't have the courage to admit it. It was an existence outside of the laws of "God". So he fled.
In this contest, morality seems to be noble and glamorous, but in fact it is fragile and vulnerable. We should not forget that morality is the most basic principle that sustains human society.
The third layer is not inferior to eternal insignificance. Compared with the short life and perishable beauty of human beings, the eternity of diamonds is enviable. People use diamonds as women's jewelry not only because of its dazzling luster, but also because of the expectation that women's short and fragile beauty can be maintained for a long time. Therefore, the diamond merchant said frankly: "Although it is not available, the desire to be as long as a diamond is not a small wish. To make the one you love more beautiful, you just recognize her fragility and this fragile nobility." It is worthy of our attention. Yes, he used the word "noble". Why is this fragility noble? There is no explanation in this passage from the Diamond Merchant. But when Counselor suffered extremely painful consequences for his greed, the drug lord told him: "Life cannot look back. But to those who know that there is little left, death has a different meaning." This is exactly the same as the Jewish God. . After experiencing the suffering caused by greed and ignorance, talents learn to reflect. Mr. Feng Youlan said that this kind of reflection is a reflection on life. On this basis, life has different meanings from the ultimate care. The value of life transcends its fragile existence and polishes its noble light. Therefore, "We swear to the darkness that the shortness of life will not compromise us, and we will not be smaller because of this."
The three paragraphs of the Diamond Merchant are the epitome of the whole movie, human nature-moral hypocrisy-soul nobility. , It runs through the whole story from beginning to end.
The world in Ridley Scott's eyes is terrible. From birth to death, human beings suffer from the temptation of instinct and the shackles of hypocrisy all the time, struggling to survive in the cracks. During his escape, Counselor learned that Laura had been captured by a drug cartel, but he had nowhere to call for help. After being clearly told that there is no hope, he is still willing to use everything he has to save Laura's fate. The drug lord told Counselor: "Speaking of sadness, the general rules of trading do not apply, because sadness is beyond value. People are willing to hand over the whole world, just to relieve their inner sadness, but sadness can't buy anything, because sadness is not worth money. "Human sorrow cannot be measured by money, nor can it be denied by hypocritical moral laws. However, it is so strong and strong enough to subvert all established laws of human beings, but grief comes from the brokenness of love and hope. Lost.
In the film, Laura asks Malkina: "I know you think my world is simple, but does it hopefully be such a bad thing?" Malkina: "I don't know. I can't advise you. You should be careful with your own affairs, angel , You may not be able to achieve what you want." Love and hope are the angels in people's hearts, and they support people's survival. Compared with human nature, it appears naive and naive, and compared with hypocritical moral principles, it appears so beautiful and pure. Carrying hope is not necessarily a good thing, it may not be realized, but we cannot bear the consequences without it. The owner of a small hotel in Mexico said to Counselor: I don’t believe that death is meaningless. But my family is all dead, and the one who makes no sense is me. By this time, Counselor still did not give up Laura. He showed Laura's photos to the shopkeeper, which is the meaning of his existence. However, the next morning he received the CD from the Reaper. The "HOLA!" tone was so frivolous, but it shattered all the remaining hopes of Counselor. He cried out loudly, "Oh, God! God!" while crying, but the God who could save him was never in the church. His pain and helplessness are like the hardships experienced by the Jews who were expelled more than two thousand years ago. I believe that the God who is constantly repeating in the mouth of Counselor at this moment is real. "The extinction of all reality, even if people die, can't accept this concept. However, in such a domineering despair, you will find the ancient understanding that the sage stone is always disgusted by people and is buried in the soil." At the moment, what filled my heart was the compassion for the inescapable destiny of mankind, the shock of the attachment to love and hope for mankind. It felt like a candlelight that flickered in the night breeze. It felt so small, so warm and so warm. Very cherish.
After watching the entire movie, I was surprised to find that the entire movie did not mention Counselor's name, not even once. If this is accidental and happened in Ridley Scott's movie, do you believe it? For Ridley Scott, there has never been a role that simply represents the character itself, and every role in his movie has been refined. They often represent a group, a type of value or a belief. If Malkina represents nature, Laura represents hope, Reiner represents greed, Westray represents the untrustworthy and fragile connection between people, then Counselor represents the person himself. Yes, he has no name, his name is human. He watched cautiously, he could not withstand the temptation of greed, he loved, he had hope, he maintained demeanor and decency, followed the superficial moral laws of human society, and at the same time he was timid and regretted the inevitable past. Sadness, and his cowardice finally pushed him into desperation.
I really like Du Lengding’s opening of the "Blade Runner" film review: "In 1968, God came to the earth. At that time, he borrowed Stanley Kubrick's hand to give us a gift: 2001: A Space Odyssey. In 1982, God came again. So we selected a representative to return the gift to the people of the earth devoutly...The gift is called Blade Runner, and the one who went to give a gift to God is called Ridley Scott." Whether it is in "Blade Runner" or "Blade Runner" or "Blade Runner" In "Prometheus", Ridley Scott stands in the middle of the crowd without any doubt, pious and stubborn, seeking questions about his own truth and origin from God, while "Black Gold Murder" is more immersed in the director's society , History, civilization and caring for human beings. It is not only thoughts but 77 years of precipitation in this movie. Now Ridly Scott walked closer to God, looking back at the people who were still confused behind him with eyes full of scrutiny and compassion.
May God be with us, amen.
PS Thanks for the mistakes pointed out by Liberty, I did confuse the staff of Desert Star with the people who wore blue overalls, and confuse the lawyer Hernandez with the drug lord at the same time. The text has been corrected.
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