"Murder by Knife": Night, Murder and Steppenwolf
Director: Michael Mann CastMark Ruffalo Genre : Drama Action Duration : 120 minutes
A legend of the dark night
This world seldom belongs to the night, and what is left to the night is often the remaining parts, such as injustice, fear of seeing light, sin, or even regret... So there is "Borrowing a Knife to Kill". Vincent, played by Tom Cruise, had a deep understanding when he came to Los Angeles, and we will suddenly realize after watching the movie, that should be the experience he has had since he came to this world.
It is said that there is no high or low, but there are black and white. Since the world is doomed to be against day and night, the profession is also doomed to be against black and white. But is this necessarily the opposite of good and evil? Because Vincent is a professional killer, what he did in the dark night is doomed to be a road of no return, and he will die.
The Chinese Sente in the film is very cool. Maybe this is Liang Tang's personal style, but the point of "Murder with a Knife" is whether it is because of Cruise, and also adds so-called warmth to this villain. He wanted to kill 5 people and succeeded in 4, plus 2 thugs and a few cops. What we see is his excellent skills and flexible and calm style, and we vaguely see the shadow of the robber Neil played by Robert De Niro in "The Line of Thieves", including his death in the end, there is no pleasure full of evil, There is only a sigh of infinite melancholy... The sky has gradually brightened, and the legend of this killer has been left to the night forever, making him give hope to others. At least the other protagonist of the story, Max, is because Vincent plucked up the courage to protect it. Beloved woman, otherwise he would put the female lawyer's business card under the sunshade mirror of the taxi, and occasionally fantasize for 5 minutes.
2. Peer Murder
Vincent "borrowed a knife" to target 5 people, and 4 of the successful ones were more or less related to drug crimes. The attack on the police is to save the driver Max, whose life has been unremarkable for 12 years, music is the hidden sustenance of his heart, and the island of the Maldives is as much a fantasy as his celebrity taxi business, and he never thought to realize it.
Vincent learned from his conversation with Marx as soon as he got in the car, so he used money to "borrow a knife to kill". This scene coincides with and contrasts with the previous scene of Max dealing with female lawyers. Max's mediocrity, optimism, kindness, etc., relieves the mentality of female lawyers in dealing with crime and fighting against their profession, but in Vincent's eyes, The world has become so indifferent that nothing matters. People are just a speck of dust in the world. Murder is a profession in an indifferent world. Vincent believes that there is no essential difference between a female lawyer and a female lawyer who drives a good car and goes to court. From the very beginning, Vincent predicted his end in his mouth. From here, Vincent was disappointed with the world, but after he regarded Marx as a friend, Vincent seemed to be silently changing him. This detail changed from him to The hospital's visit to Max's mother was reflected. Originally, it was to avoid a flaw in the way, but the chat with Max's mother was really cordial, so that Max took the opportunity to pick up the bag.
Director Michael Mann once said: ""Murder by a Knife" is a seemingly inadvertent accident, but it changed people's lives." This statement is not only about Max, but also for Vincent. On the night of walking all the way, Vincent's indifference began to change, and the ending of "borrowing a knife to kill" turned into using a knife to kill "self". Max inspired his courage in the debate with Vincent about his views on people and the world. Protected the woman he liked and found love, but Vincent died under Max's gun. This is not irony but redemption. To know that the screenwriter of the film is Frank Darabont, who completed "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Green Miracle", and the director Michael Mann himself, how can the subject be so childish? Although it is said that the film is based on Tom Cruise's handsome silver-white head, when he saw the sound of gunfire in the subway car at the end, Vincent's magazine fell to the ground, and Max walked to Vincent. The side said: "We are almost at the next stop..." Vincent sat on the chair and talked about the words he said shortly after meeting Max that the body would not be found in the subway, his chat at that time drowned himself prophecy! Max and the female prosecutor got off the subway, the sky gradually brightened, and Vincent's body was quietly left in the empty carriage, forever in the night!
3. Steppenwolf
This is not a grandstanding, the "wasteland" has been the cultural and spiritual home of Americans this century. The lone wolf has always been a symbol of loneliness and aggression, which was vividly shown in Dances with Wolves.
Steppenwolf is a watch-wearing work by Nobel Prize-winning writer Hermann Hesse. It has the feeling of the Western Diary of a Madman. Hesse considers himself the best work.
Vincent was originally a lone wolf. In the film, he and Max stopped in the street because of a murder quarrel, and a wolf crossed the street at the traffic light. At this time, the film played the episode "Shadowofthesun", and the wolf crossed the street for about a few seconds. , like an illusion.
The style of this film has restored the style of the director of "The Wire", with the smell of gunpowder but the point, a very oriental feeling. Even the lines mentioned "Book of Changes" several times, and both films also have a strong Hong Kong film style. The story is mostly night, with subtle but atmospheric music especially at the end, with opposing but closely related protagonists.
Michael Mann's Neil in "Pirates of Fire" has designed this superficial villain to be captivating, but after all, it is limited to the affection for brothers and women. "Borrowing a Knife to Kill" goes a step further. It is precisely this killer who gave Max, a taxi driver for 12 years, to change his ordinary life, regain his self and the courage to love, and dare to exist. Although it is a fierce and cruel way, in an indifferent world, what is not cruel? Life is important, but it is only after the contrast between life and death appears that Max and the mediocre people understand that living is the most valuable thing.
The meaning of peace is embodied by war, and this may be where Vincent's image goes further than Neil's. There is no woman to embellish his loneliness, and there is no sensational background. The loner is the hesitation after waking up in the world. This is the teaching of Lu Xun and other predecessors to future generations. The West is also the same world, so after Vincent met Max, he used the identity of a killer to leave a person like Max for the world. Hope, like the ending of "Seven Deadly Sins", Hemingway's famous saying "The world is beautiful and worth fighting for!" only agrees with the second half of the sentence.
Originally written in 2005
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