hero Jeff played by Lao Ji became the central character of the story because it was adapted from a memoir written by him. The photos of his wounded and rescued made him a media center. He was also the one who stood closest to the terrorist and eventually assisted the police in identifying the suspect. The story of this person is also very dramatic. The reason why he appeared at the marathon was to cheer for his "ex-girlfriend." The reason why the two broke up was because he used to break appointments or be late, and his girlfriend felt that he was very irresponsible. And this time his girlfriend ran a marathon, he really came to support, and he stood sadly beside the bomb [black line]. Obviously, the accident also caused the two to reunite. The support and help of his girlfriend also became the motivation to help him stand up again.
The film and "Patriot's Day" are both published by Lionsgate, and special attention has been paid to the selection of different angles. There is no overlap, but they become complementary. Last year's "Patriot Day" was about the entire process of chasing up the suspect. It was quite thrilling and more like a crime suspense film. And this film chooses the experience of small people to let people see the impact of this incident on ordinary people. This angle effectively avoids any content involving terrorists, without mentioning names, religious beliefs, race, or even 9/11 or other terrorist attacks. The advantage of this is that it avoids controversial topics such as "hate" and "retaliation", and highlights the theme of "Nothing you can do to defeat us". It can be said to be the most effective anti-terrorism method without hatred.
This kind of narrative angle makes it easier for the film to win the awards season, especially because it highlights a character that gives Jack Gyllenhaal a chance to play his acting skills. He shows Jeff's various changes both physically and mentally. It's very delicate and moving. I feel that many shots showing the whole body after amputation are likely to use substitutes, but Lao Ji’s performance is very authentic and credible. At one point, I thought it was because of the special effects that the legs were removed?
Special reminder: not an easy film to watch. There are real bloody and tragic scenes of the explosion in the film, as well as the wound treatment and recovery process of the actor after amputation. Many times it is very painful to watch. Therefore, it is estimated that many viewers will find it difficult to watch, and it is not expected that it will be the kind of movie that the public is vying to watch. It can only rely on word of mouth to get attention.
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