At night, in the carriage, two drunks, in the wilderness, and the journey is unknown. The protagonist should kill them directly instead of letting the children pick up guns. The director hinted that the protagonist was suppressed by religious assimilation after he was in the United States, forgiving mercy or something, which led to the tragedy. In the second half of John’s outburst of killing and the departure of the mute girl, as well as the commander’s sentence "May the Lord have mercy on your souls", the director wanted to express that God will not save you, self-redemption.
The above paragraph is a short review written after watching the movie in December 2014, and it is now April 30, 2017. Watching this movie again after more than two years, I feel completely different. Two years ago, I felt that the male protagonist should shoot directly. It was really selfish and personal heroism. Killing in front of your own children, I believe that no one will be ready for this at any time. Although it is for the purpose of protecting the family, taking people's lives is an evil in the end. Just like the male protagonist's approach, most people with families will try to prevent their children from being exposed to the evils of the world prematurely, so he lets the children pick up guns. After that, the two drunks may be forced to get out of the car early, or to keep facing each other until the end, we don’t know, but the male protagonist asked the children to pick up guns instead of killing the two drunks, not out of mercy for their lives. It's the kindness of being a father to his children.
The first time I watched it in 14 years, I might be more inclined to treat this movie as a purely action movie, while ignoring the director and actor's portrayal of the male lead. There are three paragraphs that impressed me. First, the close-up of the male protagonist’s facial expressions when picking up his wife and children at the train station allows us to see the soft heart of a vicissitudes of man. The always cold face showed a delighted look when he saw his wife smiling at him. He seemed to be trying to hide, but he couldn't hide. Second, he did not cry when he saw his child's body on the road, nor did he cry when he found his wife. After taking them home, his brother comforted him. At this time, he finally broke down. Third, I saw my brother's body being dragged by their horse. What kind of mood would he feel when he leaned on a rock. His wife and children are dead, and the only brother who trusts and depends on each other is also dead. Now he is really alone.
The film also explains the coldness and toughness of the hero. He was a soldier, participated in the war against Germany, and has seen too many deaths and tragedies. Maybe he was not such a person before?
Finally, a little bit more ironically, when the 16-year-old boy in the small shop knew that the male lead and his brother were leaving the town, he said that the only two people who can use guns here are going to leave. Can only two use guns? Are the sheriffs of the town all dead? It's almost the same as the dead, because they never dared to resist. Not as good as the 16-year-old boy who volunteered to help the hero and take revenge together. Probably because young people always have a passion for blood, don't know how to be afraid, and don't know what they have to lose. Therefore, young people are always the easiest to be incited, and the easiest to rise up to resist, and are the group that strives hardest to change. Whether it's past, present or future.
Above, a little thinking and understanding after two years, looking forward to the next two years.
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