In fact, to understand the theme of this film, we must start from the end of the film. The appearance of Dan Evans allowed Ben to see the rare justice in this world, the beauty he yearned for, but all this was destroyed by his accomplice Charlie. The sympathy for each other is a force of justice that draws Ben Vede and Dan Evans closer, allowing them to understand each other and achieve each other's redemption.
What did Ben Vede think? Why did he kill his comrade at the end? What does Dan Evans mean to him? In fact, to understand the theme of this film, we must start from the end of the film.
Justice is a power, but justice comes at a price. The price is high, at the expense of your interests, your family, and even your life. Human beings will be punished for their own sake. Ben Vede knows that justice is a good thing, but he also knows that people will not abandon their own interests and lives for this. Justice is an unattainable dream for people. But he was wrong. The appearance of Dan Evans allowed him to see the rare justice in this world, the beauty he yearned for, but all this was destroyed by his accomplice Charlie. So, for this rare justice, Ben Veder shot and killed all his accomplices, yes, it was for the rare justice. The sympathy for each other is a force of justice that draws Ben Vede and Dan Evans closer, allowing them to understand each other and achieve each other's redemption.
Dan Evans' life sucks. After returning from the Civil War, he had a broken leg. In addition to the bad weather, his family was heavily in debt. A retired combat hero was unable to make a living. He was oppressed by the government and even protected his wife and children's property. No. He had no choice but to use his cherished hero medal to pay off his debts, but the mayor ignored it. This annoyed the honest man. He picked up the gun and rushed into the tavern to find the mayor to settle accounts. What he resisted was fate, and what he resisted was life. It was at this time that he met Ben Vader, the leader of the robbers who also rebelled against life.
Ben Vader is a notorious leader of robbers, murderous and ruthless. The fierce appearance of Ben Vader actually has a gentle and righteous heart. It wasn't the first time he saw Dan Evans in the tavern. The first time he saw Dan was after robbing a silver car. Dan took his sons to ask for the scattered cattle. At that time, in Ben's eyes, Dan was a father who worked hard for a living and a courageous herdsman. In the tavern, when Ben was captured by Dan's clever design, he admired the man not only for his courage but also for his cleverness. Thieves have their own way. Just like Dan's son William said, Ben still has some kindness in his heart, because he did not kill the detective who was guarding the darts and the Evans father and son, and returned the horses and cattle according to the agreement. This is because he feels that these are all justified, just as he shoots his own men. Rather than saying that he has kindness in his heart, it is better to say that he yearns for justice and fairness in his heart.
More than once in the film, the instinctive memorization of Bible verses is shown, and he also likes to draw. These all imply that Ben’s heart is longing for justice and good things. Unfortunately, the Bible’s words and good things are things that can’t be realized on paper for Ben. Therefore, he never had confidence in this real world, and he always acted according to his inner principles. So he can kill the vicious guards without hesitation, kill the detective who insulted his mother; he can also save everyone from the Indians and the railroad bullies. The biggest difference between him and Dan is that his behavior is not based on the norms of society, but the norms of people's own hearts.
In fact, Dan is very contradictory to Ben's approach, both disgusting and envious. He hates it because, according to social norms, he is a robber who does all kinds of evil; he admires it because, according to his conscience, what he does and kills should be done. Along the way, he was reluctant to talk to Ben Duo, in fact, because he could not refute many of the facts that Ben said, and he did many things that he wanted to do but was afraid to do. Ben said that he was unwilling to do good things because the beneficiaries often made him feel like Jesus, which actually implied that Dan had been deceiving himself with the values of the society, making himself believe that this society still exists There is a lot of justice and goodness that does not exist at all. What he appreciates is Dan's urge to stand up to protect his family and his wife, not his complacency, his subservience to society and culture, and his reluctance to associate with himself.
In Ben's cynical eyes, what's the difference between a policeman and a robber? The police and the government have not done justice, they even killed Indian women and children, what qualifications do they have to judge themselves? Besides, what they do is nothing more than survival, for profit, and what is the difference between them and robbers. Just $200 can disarm the police and make the townspeople go crazy and rob prisoners. There is no justice in this world.
When everyone bowed their heads under violence and was tempted by profit, Dan felt calm in his heart. He finally recognized the justice that Ben had been telling him that there was no such thing in the world, and he used this to ask the mayor for settlement expenses and was willing to escort the prisoner to the car alone. He proudly told his son, "You have grown up, and you also have a sense of justice in your heart that makes me proud, go home to take care of your mother and brother, remember that your father has done something that no one else dares to do... ... Return this medal to my mother, and tell him that this medal tells me what justice is!" The son finally understood why his father had been enduring the oppression of life, it turned out that he had a dedication to justice in his heart! What makes a person fight to the end without hesitation? This is the power of justice!
At this time, Ben really understood Dan. It turned out that he was the rare justice in this world, and this was what he longed for but was disappointed and couldn't find. It was actually his honor to be arrested by this man, and he didn't dare to do it himself. For this rare justice, for the remaining goodness in this world, he was willing to cooperate with Dan to escape to the train. From then on, there was no more separation and no secrets between the two. Dan was completely liberated from the oppression of the world, admitted Ben as a robber friend, told him the mystery of his broken leg, and sacrificed for his son; Dan sees the justice he seeks but doesn't believe in. In this brief moment, Ben saw hope and redemption in life. But Dan Evans still fell, which made Ben hated. He not only killed his accomplices, but also wiped out the sins for Dan and killed his own transgressions. This allowed him to stand in front of William at trial. The righteous William may not have figured it out and thought clearly, but the hero cherishes the hero, he did not pull the trigger in the end.
The entire film makes the audience struggle between the righteous and useless hero Dan Evans and the evil robber Ben Vede, at a loss. It is not until the end of the film that we firmly see that Dan died for justice. This is justice. And fighting, it turns out that both of them are heroes! If we also have a heroic courage and a righteous heart, I believe we will make the same decision as William. Because such justice is so rare!
Everyone loves to hear good over evil, heroic stories. But in the face of reality, such people and such things are really rare. But it is precisely because there is such a rare justice among human beings that we can see the hope of life and have the confidence to fight! I guess that's the charm of all hero stories!
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