Box office is always the key to the success of commercial films.
There are three scenes in the film that left a deep impression on me: one is the swarming of journalists; the second is that after the male protagonist is suspected of murder, the lawyer accompanies him all the way; finally, when Danny leaves the municipal building in Sebbian's car, he is in critical condition. Don't forget to remind to wear your seat belt. Clearly, all three scenarios are associated with the rule of law in the United States. I always feel that in this era of highly developed information dissemination methods, when we talk about wanting to learn from the United States, we no longer need to go to investigate in person as in the past - of course, being there is still the best way ——We can use modern means, such as the most intuitive film and television works. As long as you observe the small details, you can still learn a lot of information.
For the first scene, I've seen it in a ton of Hollywood productions where journalists are like all-seeing insects. They have sensitive senses and act quickly. Once there is a sudden news event, they can always rush to the scene with a quick gun and short gun. In our country, however, this immediacy of journalists is often thwarted by public power. It is not difficult to imagine that if a major incident like the hostage-taking in the film also occurs in a Chinese city, I am afraid that some local governments will spare no effort to block the scene and prohibit the media from entering - just like the factory bombing in Nanjing, The recent Yichun air crash, etc. - the government has recklessly made acts contrary to the spirit of the Constitution and restricted the freedom of the press without any effective supervision of public power. What I saw in the film was a completely different scene: the rescue headquarters even relocated to the cruise ship by itself, just to avoid the media’s pursuit and interception, and never thought of using public power to expel them. I dare not say that American administrators have this kind of consciousness. I prefer to believe that this is actually the result of different supervisory systems.
Let's talk about the lawyer's escort throughout the process. According to the relevant laws of China, the lawyer's intervention should be after the criminal suspect's case has entered the stage of review and prosecution. That is to say, it is impossible for us to see Chinese lawyers appear beside the male protagonist as in the film when the case involved is still under investigation. What does this mean? Simply put, it is better to ensure procedural justice. In the opinion of most people, the reason why a criminal suspect is suspected must be that the public security organs have discovered clues that are unfavorable to him during the investigation process. After the public security organs identify a person as a criminal suspect, it is convenient for everyone to remove the word "suspect" from the criminal suspect and directly recognize him as a "criminal person". Lawyers defend the "criminal" and do everything possible to whiten the "criminal", which is against justice. This is a very common view, and in our country, which has always regarded lawyers as "litigants", it is very acceptable to the people who have not received more education on the rule of law. First of all, this involves a judicial principle of "suspected guilt never fails". The judgment of the court is authoritative, and we should not convict anyone in advance based on personal experience. That is to say, all those who are not judged are not guilty. Second, but we must understand that the justice of the judiciary is reflected in its ability to give criminal suspects the right to defend themselves. Lawyers, as professionals who are familiar with the law, are to give criminal suspects a fair opportunity to explain their reasons for defending themselves in front of prosecutors and judges who are also familiar with the law. Criminal law is never just for criminals, but for all citizens in this society. There is no guarantee that one day you and I will also become "prisoners under the order", and then it will be too late to think of demanding procedural justice. The lawyer can accompany the criminal suspect from the beginning, and can effectively supervise the illegal behavior of the police during the criminal investigation process, which can also prevent the occurrence of such situations as torture. We are always reluctant to see She Xianglin and Zhao Zuohai appearing one after another again, right? !
As for the third scenario, it seems to me that this is a good result of widespread civic education. I remember someone criticizing earlier that in Chinese film and television dramas, drivers have always stepped on the accelerator and left after getting in the car. I have never seen drivers or passengers remember to wear seat belts. I don't want to blame any individual citizen, because this is actually a problem caused by the lack of civic education in our country. Some people say that we have civic education, and the political classes in schools let people know about their political rights. Leaving aside the fact that such education is examination-oriented education, in my opinion, civic education should definitely not only include civil rights. It is not to let everyone know that they have the right to vote, and then when they are in their twenties or thirties, they may not be able to use it once, even if it is civic education. Instead, it should let the people know why they have such rights, what these rights mean, and what obligations they should undertake while enjoying these rights. Wearing seat belts is for personal safety, but it is even more mandatory by law. As a citizen, first of all, there is an obligation to obey the law. American elementary schools have civic reading books, and China should formulate the same reading books according to our actual situation. This is more immediate and urgent than all the flashy patriotic education.
The predicament of the male protagonist in the film is caused by greed in human nature, because those in power are blinded by desire and use their power to frame ordinary people. Such themes are often seen in Hollywood films, and seem to reflect the American public's growing distrust of the government. But even so, the operation of the US government is still a template that many countries should learn from, and the people's distrust has not caused social chaos and turmoil. I think it is this sense of distrust that can prompt the government to better improve the system, which is worth thinking about.
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