I watched the entire movie in a hurry last night, and to be honest, I was a little tired. Or rather disappointed, because this movie could have been better.
Let me talk about the rating, 7.3/10. The five-star rating is purely for BC. It is the first time as the main producer of a film to build the entire film team alone (find the director, determine the male lead, find Jodie, and promote STX, later Also because I couldn’t find anyone to play Stu in person), I still had a bad cold during the acting process. I did a good job and worked hard for him. There is a problem with the aesthetics of editing.
The best part of the whole movie is the performance, no kidding. Whether it is Tahar or Jodie, any nomination or award is well deserved (of course, Oscars have always been unfriendly to Muslim actors). BC is considered to be a stable play, but the role is basically reduced to a tool person, there is no place to shine and play space. Xie Lin is even more miserable. Her role has almost no sense of existence... The film photography, especially the middle section, can be seen to be quite outstanding. The small techniques used are also very good. The torture, interrogation and other shots are all 1:1 frame ratio, which creates a grainy feeling. There is also the oppression and constriction presented by photography. It is well done, and it is slightly brilliant above the satisfactory. It can be regarded as a bright spot.
Some people think that the three branches are a bit too much and the degree of completion is not high, but in fact, if the film is only used as an artistic film of a partial genre that pursues commercialization, the narrative degree is actually very high, and several conflicts are also very delicately designed. But especially the online skirmish of Nancy lawyer played by Jodie, how can I say it, I feel a bit regretful. I can feel the tension, but nothing else. Resolve the conflict as soon as you lift your appetite, or just jump to another branch, and still fail to reach a certain point of tension emotionally. Stu's branch line was quite appetizing in terms of the early conflict design, but unfortunately, it ended rashly in the end. It may be more sensitive to some of Stu's own experience and dialogue. The film needs to consider the box office and evaluation in the United States.
The protagonist mo's branch line is very good, almost full of highlights. Tahar's acting skills are very good, and the photography is also very good. Although the screenwriter stretches it, she doesn't stretch it according to the original writing. The torture scene is really one of the highlight moments of the film. This branch really pushes the mood and atmosphere to the extreme in that place. But it is a pity that there are too many flashbacks in the branch line of mo, which makes this only branch line with almost no slots become a little messy, not as brilliant as it should be.
Then let me scold the screenwriter and edit. Screenwriter, your key plot conflict, Nancy's line is really too weak and almost irreversible, I look at it and feel smooth except for Teri being tripped and falling apart except for the scene where the crowd is surrounded, almost purely by sister Jodie. Acting skills are supporting... Stu's line is too anticlimactic. There are so many things that can be digged into this character, such as the naval training in the movie (what is Stu's attitude toward this?), Stu's friend died 911 and now that he publicly said that he can't attack this person, how did his friend's wife react? Stu finally stated that the title of the article was "The Conscience of a Colonel", so how did he react to the collapse of what he once trusted? When he asks for MFR, his purpose may not only be to convict, but also to convince himself that this person has not been abused and that he is a terrorist.
What the movie hits directly refers to the torture and disregard of human rights by the U.S. government and the U.S. military, so they highlighted the innocent mo and the human rights lawyer Nancy, but they did not say that they could not fight their conscience and betrayed the army to him. What end did the people of the task finally get. As a person who can become a military prosecutor, a navy pilot, Stu has experienced special anti-torture training and is a confidential member of TS/SCI. In fact, he should have something to highlight. The movie just goes by, "Stu retires from the navy"-believe me, shoot the thing behind this line, and tell each branch an ending, this movie will be more impactful. The screenwriter did not write.
However, the original intention of this film may not be the case. After all, this film is still going to win the "Free America" awards, and Guantanamo is still using it.
As for the editing, it's so bad that it's obvious to all, except for the torture stream of consciousness. Such a good performance was really wasted. Considering that BC is the person who reviews the editing, I doubt his aesthetic first.
Finally, let's talk about feelings.
I haven't watched the subject of prisoner abuse before, and the impact of this movie on me is huge. Especially the part where it was filmed without evasiveness. As a cleanliness addict, I almost vomited out when I saw a shit lens. The filming of the hypnosis period was excellent, and the actors were even better. This movie should be rated R, right? No warning is a bit caught off guard. The last speech in the court was very touching. There has never been a promised land in this world, and there is no promised land of fairness and freedom.
At the same time, the religious color in this movie is also very interesting. Mo gains strength by praying. Although 241 has been mocking his prayers, but in the end he did not persuade him to give up praying. And mo prayed repeatedly in key places such as confession and confession. His prayers are extremely religious. And Stu—the character that the director has always nicknamed Trump—is also a devout Christian. I saw my friend’s wife in the church, and the final choice was made with the help of the church eulogy. Everything was like a divine enlightenment. In a sense, I think this is declaring the true meaning of religion-guiding human kindness, sympathy, forgiveness and conscience, and is also creating a reconciliation between Islam and Christianity, trying to bridge the gap and tell everyone about religion. All go to the same destination by different routes. Of course, this idea itself is very interesting, considering Benedict's current status as a Buddhist, it is even more interesting.
On the whole, a successful commercialized art genre film does not have very high artistic achievements, and its presentation is not deep enough, and its spreading angle is quite wide. There is too much meaning in the movie, and maybe Benedict has the heart to cater to the market.
———— I am the dividing line————
The following are some of the thoughts caused by the movie. It has nothing to do with the movie's own methods, shooting skills, etc., you can go around directly if you don’t want to watch it.
The indignation of the American people in the movie is actually very easy to understand. They are afraid of terrorist attacks, and they are likely to have relatives who lost their lives on 9/11. After the 911 plane crashed and destroyed the World Trade Center, everyone was in danger and panic all day long.
Fear is always easy to turn into anger, or even irrational anger. Public opinion on the Internet has proven this point countless times. In this movie, the public has the same anger. The government and the military are well aware of the anger of the people. In addition to quelling the anger, they also want to prove that they are not doing nothing. So they have to find criminals, track down the culprit, and do not hesitate to use all extreme means; and for all prosecutions, they seek the death penalty.
This is why the United States has tracked Osama bin Laden for a full ten years.
But at the time, shortly after 9/11, the U.S. government was helpless. They can't find that "recruiter". But they need to find someone, push it out, and calm the anger of the people. They found Slahi, a perfect "scapegoat". If they find a member of the CIA to be the prosecutor, perhaps this matter can be dragged on; but they have found Stu. Stu is a perfect candidate in their eyes: military background, experienced special training, experience as a lawyer in a military court, loyal to religion, the United States and the military. Most importantly, Stu's friend died on 9/11 and actually died of blood loss. many.
In other words, Stu does not possess fear-which allows him to handle this matter better; but Stu possesses anger, hatred and sadness. Anger, hatred, and sadness are the best things for the military to use. They can ask Stu to seek all possible evidence and nail Slahi to death. Stu also repeatedly said I'll make them pay, that kind of hatred and sorrow is always silting up, even if he finally publicizes Tanamo’s sins, he still says that if he finds slahi in any suspicion, he will still kill him, even if he knows him. It will never be possible to set foot on a military court in this life.
Slahi. How do you say this person. I am grateful that the movie did not beautify him—because he did, really, joined al-Qaeda and trained in al-Qaeda. If it were not for his attachment to life in Germany, he might really become the backbone of Al Qaeda and become a real terrorist. But he finally left. He wanted to return to his life in Germany, with his wife and his children, watching the football game and drinking, and besides the Quran and skin color, he was in line with ordinary Germans. There is no difference. But he failed to go back, he became the chosen one—of course, the meaning here is the chosen scapegoat. He just happened to be selected, of course it was not purely just right. It can be said that he was only confessed by another person-that person was telling lies, but that person wanted to save his life.
After all, we have all seen from the movie what the so-called special project is all about.
Under the cruel torture, everyone's personal and free will can be crushed. Slahi is not that exception. No one even has the right to blame him. Remember 241? The silent self-choking in the movie speaks for itself. Who knows how he died? No one knows, except for the person who killed him. No wonder Nancy burst into tears when reading Slahi's letter, no wonder Stu was so shocked that she stood up and paced the room and could barely continue reading. No one can carry a special project. Nancy's shock came from her humanitarianism. She even went to Guantanamo once after reading the information, and did nothing except a conversation, a conversation "I care about you". This is not hypocrisy, this is basic goodness. Stu may be someone who can kill people without blinking, but he also can't stand this happening to someone who may be innocent. Of course Nancy is far more kind than Stu, after all, Nancy felt that this detention shouldn't exist from the beginning, and Stu felt it didn't matter.
slahi. It's actually hard for me to talk about him because I don't know where to start. His memories, those flashbacks—although I said the editing made the story messy—are really sad. The peaceful life, joyful, and even a little comfortable football-loving teenagers under the religious permeation, like to listen to the sound of the sea-the image of slahi becomes very real, very close to everyone's life, just like every ordinary person. In Guantanamo, he can also have fun, play football, make jokes, and learn English. Really, it hurts my chest. The beast-like roar he later showed, the distrust of everyone, the kind of defense and vulnerability...Tahar played too well and it was too sad. Being imprisoned in Guantanamo for no reason did not destroy him, but the special project destroyed him.
"See you later, alligator." 241 said to him before he died. This sentence may mean farewell in a sense.
Slahi said this during the first meeting with Nancy, and also when he got the habeas corpus.
He thought Nancy would never come again. He thought that the habeas corpus meant farewell to this hell on earth.
Of course he left Guantanamo later, but those experiences and traumas will always be with him. This is a lifetime event.
Of course, as a fan of Benedict, I always pay special attention to Stu. In the film, when Stu talked with the general and asked whether the general had abused prisoners, the general suddenly asked him what he said. Stu replied that everything was in a mess after those few days passed.
The general asked him...You must not like the days in the green camp, do you?
I reasonably speculate that that place is actually the place where special forces, especially pilots, who may fall into the opponent’s territory after a crash, are trained in anti-cuffing. This kind of training is actually nothing more than repeating their torture among their own soldiers. One of Stu's friends has been alienated, and after experiencing this, he can also implement it to others. Stu has experienced it, but Stu hasn't taken it for granted.
So if this army is cruel to people, it's mostly because they are cruel to themselves.
They are able to torture others because their empathy was destroyed when they were tortured.
To put it bluntly, how many Stu are there? Nancy is a lot, Slahi, and a lot.
Maybe I will continue to write after reading it a few more times, so let's put it here first.
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