Those who know a little about the history of American gangs, I believe they will not be unfamiliar with Al Capone (full name Alphonse Gabriel Capone), who became the boss of the Chicago crime syndicate at the age of 26 and led Chicago The gangster lasted for seven years, but was imprisoned for tax evasion. After seven and a half years in prison, Capone's physical condition deteriorated daily until he died in his secluded Palm Island mansion seven years later. .
The legendary life of this gangster has been written in various film and television works, but this "Capone" is very unusually selected for the last period of Capone's life, not so much. With gunfire flying, there are not so many sensual dogs and horses, a criminal who once dominated the world, in his old age, was entangled by the nightmares and guilt of the past, traversing his life, like a revolving lantern.
Spoiler alert
How to put Capone's old age on the screen, I think this is a question that the director has been thinking about for a long time. After Capone was released from California’s Terminal Island Federal Correctional Institution at the end of 1939 (previously serving his sentence in the well-known Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary or Alcatraz Penitentiary), he received several months of treatment at Union Memorial Hospital and then returned. He arrived at his mansion in Palm Island, Florida, where he spent the rest of his life.
Capone contracted a variety of xing diseases because of his young arrogance. Among them, the paralytic dementia caused by the late meidu made Capone mentally tortured. After experiencing stroke, pneumonia and other diseases, Capone He finally passed away in 1947, just a few days after he turned 48.
And this film, in order to make the plot more fulfilling, gave Capone, who suffered from physical and mental torture in his later years, two obsessions: one is his illegitimate son Tony, and the other is the $10 million he hid.
We don't care whether these two points are true or not, but the plot of the illegitimate child connects him with his family, and the $10 million he has hidden in private has made his doctors and government officials miss him countless times.
Capone married May (only 19 at the time) when he was less than 20 years old, and their marriage was even Fengzi. In the month of their marriage, they gave birth to their only child, Sony.
In the movie, Capone has another illegitimate son, Tony.
The guilt of not being able to support Tony became a nightmare in his later years. After receiving a call from Tony on Thanksgiving Day and saying coldly, Capone’s ill-fated illusion has always been the figure of Tony, the yellow balloons that appear constantly, the manslaughtered mother, and the figure of Tony who is dead. . When Capone no longer has any ability to take care of himself and is molested by the doctor to paint various paintings, he will try his best to draw the child holding the balloon. This child is a symbol of Capone's regret.
Of course the child finally came to Capone's house at the end. The father and son held hands. Although Capone could not distinguish the real from the illusion at this time, the huge boulder in his heart finally landed.
Although Capone was accompanied by his family in his later years, and his family took care of him in every possible way, but as the ending caption said, after his death, his family changed their surnames one after another, leaving Capone’s notorious surname in the past. middle.
Regarding the hiding place of the 10 million U.S. dollars, let the FBI staff watch outside Capone’s house day and night to eavesdrop and monitor. Of course Capone knew that someone was coveting the money, and he himself wanted to know where the money was hidden. Where is it.
Because of a mental illness, although he can remember that he had hidden the money, he couldn't answer where the money was hidden. So in Capone’s countless illusions, he and every one of them imagined it. The character dialogue is actually exploring his own heart or questioning himself.
The film gives a certain answer in an artistic way, that is, Capone sank the money into the water. Of course, no one actually found out where the money was hidden, and the film will not tell us the answer. We just follow Capone's insanity fantasy to go back to the past time and time again, relive the past, or fantasize about his own revenge, but all of this is fantasy.
So the money that he couldn't find eventually became the person who watched him, as well as Capone's own delusion.
These fantasies that Capone kept entering are actually a review of his own life. From 1925 to 1931, Capone was a well-deserved gang leader in Chicago. He started out with illegal brewing and gradually expanded his influence. Through charity, and maintaining good relations with the mayor and the local police station, Capone did a lot of evil things secretly, but on the surface it was still a glorious moment. This was probably when he entered the reception. scene.
The turning point was the famous Valentine’s Day massacre. On Valentine’s Day in 1929, Capone’s men dressed as police raided an opponent’s stronghold and killed seven victims who were unable to resist. It was reflected in the movie, and the process of the Valentine's Day massacre was quickly presented on the radio. This incident caused Capone's reputation to plummet, and it was also the beginning of Capone's continued arrests.
After 1929, although there has been no evidence of his murder, Capone was repeatedly charged for contempt of court and vagrancy, until he was sent to prison for tax evasion.
Whether these fantasies in the movie are self-blame, reminiscence, or both, we don’t know. At the reception, he seemed to enjoy the feeling of being watched again, but he was also at a loss and at a loss. Yes, when his subordinates brutally killed the informer, he also couldn't bear it. In the subsequent fantasy, he thought that the victim Johnny did not inform and forgave his behavior.
But on the other hand, he seems to be yearning for the glory of the past. He picked up the golden submachine gun and slaughtered the Quartet and eliminated the dissidents. No one can stop...
Perhaps this is the contradiction that the director is trying to portray, a kind of powerless reality and the omnipotent conflict in imagination, so in these past silhouettes, Capone’s previous image is quietly revealed in simple strokes, but in In the eyes of Capone, who is about to pass away, these can only be regarded as revolving lights in the dead time.
Tom Hardy gave a very outstanding performance. In his old age, Capone, on the one hand, has the fierceness of the heroic period, and on the other hand, he is confused and confused because of mental illness. From the beginning, he was embarrassed and tried his best to conceal himself. In the later stage, the whole person almost became a walking dead, and the cigar he was dangling was replaced by a carrot, and he was unable to resist the image, showing a dying Capone vividly and vividly.
But in any case, the entry point of this old age is interesting, but not necessary. Capone’s story is reflected in many film and television works, whether it is Capone played by De Niro in "The Selfless" or "The Atlantic Empire" "Capone", the story of Capone has long been told by countless people, and this one cannot conceal the overall plainness of the plot, even if two clues of illegitimate child and money search are deliberately added, spend 100 minutes watching Tom Hardy play dying The gang boss is also appreciating his acting skills at best, and the plot is really lackluster.
Speaking of which, I want to compliment the trailer editor of this movie. It's really amazing.
Can edit the trailer of this kind of plain and occasional movie into the kind of trailer that is almost popcorn-like, and connect the sporadic action scenes of the whole film into a generation of heroes' gunfire revenge. This editor is a bit powerful, and should be added more. Ten chicken drumsticks, and the misguided audiences, especially those who watched the gang action movie in anticipation, might be disappointed, but fortunately, there is also the prosperous beauty of Teacher Tang with heavy makeup.
Of course, if you think this is too ugly, it is better to review "The Dark Knight Rises".
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