The protagonist Ronnie is a healthy and lively child. He has been envious of the honor of the military since he was a child. He finally fulfilled his wish when he grew up, but when he returned to China with an injury, he found that those honors were only superficial phenomena, and the cruel truth and The aftermath of the Vietnam War would accompany him for the rest of his life. This kind of truth is unbearable for ordinary people. However, it is this stark reality that reminds people and sounded the wake-up call for reflection on the Vietnam War.
The main line of the article is run through three large-scale demonstrations. During the three parades, the identity, image and mood of the protagonists are all different. The young Ronnie was sitting on his father's body and saw everyone warmly welcome the veterans who returned to China in World War II. He was full of excitement. Looking at the medals of honor on their bodies, Ronnie had a goal to strive for. However, the noisy voices and brigade The crowd did not let Ronnie see the disabled and trembling hands of the veterans. This is also the foreshadowing left by the author. After watching all the films, you will know that it was the veterans after hearing the sound of firecrackers. The conditioned reflex, they have suffered deep wounds on their bodies, but the scars on their minds cannot be healed. It’s a pity that little Ronnie didn’t think of this, which also indicates that his dream will be serious. Follow the mistakes of these veterans.
Time is like water, life is like a song, in a blink of an eye, the Vietnam War was over. At this time, Ronnie was a retired soldier who was paralyzed from the lower body and lived in a wheelchair. After returning to China, he was disappointed. During the parade, he did not get the cheers of the people. With praise, getting Oder is just objection and swearing. He is sad. He thought that the scars from the Vietnam War, at least mentally, would be made up after returning to China, but he was wrong, he was both physically and mentally made by his beliefs. He not only has to face the huge shadow on his mind of shooting dozens of women and children in Vietnam and accidentally killing his own companions, but also needs to face the criticism and scolding of the anti-Vietnam War struggle from the domestic people. He is still a naive boy, but this Once, he saw the truth and saw the blood under the medal. The cruelty of the Vietnam War was expressed tactfully, and the persuasive meaning was even more profound.
Ronnie, who was gradually sober, was no longer naive. He was decadent and hated society and everyone. He was eventually exiled to Mexico for the rest of his life, but he did not give up. There, he met people who had the same experience as him. At the same time, the appearance of his former first love also had a great influence on him. New beliefs gradually grew, the light of life's hope rekindled, and Ronnie gradually became rational. It was this last parade that led to the birth of a powerful anti-Vietnam fighter. When the society and the people accepted his hunger again, Ronnie was full of energy and confidence, his mother's dream came true, and Ronnie could finally get on the podium to give a speech, but in another way.
Tom Cruise performed the protagonist Ronnie very well. He understood it in detail and psychologically. It was the same as when he came home and saw the picture of his former strong body, just a back view and Ronnie's melancholy and sadness can be fully realized through the dim expression reflected by the glass of the photo frame. Each of his movements is slow and rhythmic. Another example is the scene where Ronnie cursed the society at home and cursed his mother. It can make people feel that his spirit has reached an extreme level of collapse, and the negative effects of the Vietnam War are also more clear. Therefore, Tom Cruise's outstanding acting is also a key to my appreciation for this film.
The whole film does not depict many scenes of the Vietnam War battlefield. The short 15 minutes of footage is enough to explain the reason for the incident. The author does not want to impress people with the cruelty on the battlefield. This is the director's ingenuity. Therefore, the whole film The style is not bloody on the battlefield, and there are few gray skies, but the bright red, white and blue flag of the United States is enough to shroud the protagonist under the dark cloud of politics, the trauma of the soul, through Tom Cruise's superb The acting makes the audience feel resentment and sympathy from the bottom of their hearts. The film also rarely has a large number of soundtracks, but the same soundtrack for several groups of parades gave the audience different feelings in different periods, making the essence of the film gradually clear.
After watching this film, I have a profound understanding of the cruelty of war and its wicked and long-lasting influence. This reflective film about the Vietnam War is peaceful on the surface, but the world is full of crises and is about to explode. It has a great warning effect. At the same time, I was also impressed by a word in the movie - faith. A person should have beliefs, but what good will happen in the end if he insists on his beliefs like the protagonist? But people without faith also have no success at all. Perhaps, the protagonist would have a better life if he did not follow the teachings of his parents, and did not accept the goals and directions given to him by his parents, but the Vietnam War still happened, and history would not change.
The whole film not only gives people a strong impact on the soul, but also makes the audience think differently from various aspects. Therefore, I think this is the rare part of this film, and it is also in the anti-Vietnam War of many war themes. What makes the film stand out.
2007, School of Humanities, Northeast Normal University
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