A gangster movie.
It is about the fighting among American gangs in the 1930s. The protagonist, Coklin, participated in the First World War and personally felt that the rules of human existence were broken, and hundreds of people were killed. So he stopped being a rule-abiding person, calling himself an outsider. But his father is a policeman. This is kind of ironic. He was arrested for robbing the bank, and his father went to bribe and threaten the prosecutor, but he was only sentenced to three years. Before he was released from prison, the old man passed away and the second generation of officials had no support, so they had to join a gang organization, starting from selling illegal alcohol, suppressing other gangs, bribing the police, and quickly controlling the illegal market in Tampa. In the end, he fell out with the gang boss and fought in the streets. After the victory, he retired.
Some love stories are indispensable.
This film was released in 2016. But it perfectly reproduces the American weather in the 1930s. Ballrooms under neon lights, bars on street corners, Dodge cars passing by, men's bowler suits, women's pleated skirts, turntable sniper rifles that fire. It really reflects the life and character of the characters at that time.
Hollywood has made many gangster movies in decades, most of which just promote violence to stimulate the senses. In addition to the usual killing scenes, the difference in this film is also the character's thinking about society, life, and destiny. This scene almost runs through the entire movie.
Coklin’s first lover, Emma, commented on his father who was a police officer: “He belittles me as if my family is not human. I’ve been witnessing people like your father all my life, with their top hats and coldness. Hands. In fact, we are no worse than you."
The daughter of the police officer that Corinck had a crush on did not succeed in the interview. She was frustrated and took drugs. After being forced to detoxify, she said to Corklin with emotion: "From this experience of putting your soul into God, you know me Have you learned anything? This is heaven, and I'm already in it, because I messed up everything."
After experiencing these right and wrong, Coklin realized: "Breaking the rules is not enough. You need to be strong enough to set the rules yourself."
The film’s shooting skills are also much higher than those of ordinary gangster movies, capturing many beautiful scenery in Florida. Beaches at night, peaceful lakes, and paths through the palm trees. The sea-crossing bridge overlooked from above is intoxicating.
It can be seen that the director strives to create an atmosphere different from traditional gangster films in this film. Despite these thoughts on fate, wise dialogue, and romantic scenery, the film still looks thin on the whole, with some shots. More deliberate design, less fluidity. Lack of the aura depth of "The Godfather".
In any society, in addition to the laws and rules of the country, there are some people who are more convinced of the "dark rules" that have not been announced to the public. The country’s legal rules follow the development of society’s civilization, focusing on future development to restrict people’s behavior. Respect is the survival, freedom and safety of all members of society. These "dark rules" are much more traditional and popular in the bottom society. They believe in ensuring the safety of individuals or certain circles of power.
I used to go to the market in a small town in Henan a long time ago. There was a fortune teller and a stall selling fake medicine on the side of the road. Overhear the conversation between the two by accident. "How is the business?" "Where can it be better? Earn five or six yuan a day." "There will be a collection in Mengzhuang tomorrow, will you go?" "No, I want to try my luck in Shandong." "It's good, Tianxia Langren is a family, and everywhere they go, they are staying for two cents."
It was very strange to hear such words for the first time. "The world ronin is a family" is a dark rule. It means that people who walk up the rivers and lakes, whether they know each other or not, should take care and support each other. When nothing happens, you can get along with other members of the society in harmony. Once something happens, the unlucky ones are those "non-ridiculous people."
The country’s laws and prevailing moral concepts require people to not infringe on the interests of others while protecting their own freedom of survival and development. The dark rules of these gangs are for their own fame and fortune, and they can harm others unscrupulously. These dark rules are the laws of the jungle, which are more primitive and animalistic.
In "The Godfather", Brando said: "Everyone has his own destiny." Everyone wants to live a good life, but the choices are very different. Born in a wealthy family, he has always enjoyed more educational resources, and he naturally treats his own life more rationally. And the education that those at the bottom have received since childhood is that "life is a gamble", "the strong is king" and so on. So there are gamblers who stake their lives.
In the final analysis, changing your destiny cannot be done by yourself, but by social development. Social progress can create more opportunities for those who wish to change their destiny.
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