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20 years later, the movie "Total Recall" still kicks butt

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40hz:
One minor point: the human qualification in 'human evil' isn't a loophole. Morality only applies to human beings. You can't apply human morality to non-human entities. The evil wolf is only 'evil' in our eyes because he does us harm. But in a more universal scheme of things, he's only a hunter securing food and protecting his territory. So the wolf is no more immoral for hunting human prey than we are evil for raising cattle and eating hamburger.

Of course to a cow, we are evil in the same sense the big bad wolf is evil to us.

Evil is a big topic. For the purposes of what I'm talking about, Hollywood is only concerned about the evil we do to each other. The cosmic forms of evil are cut more slack because our moral standards do not apply to them.

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Re: Usual Suspects.

( One of my all time favs BTW! Great film.  :Thmbsup: )

Close, but no cigar.  :)  

SpoilerKaiser Soze sets up the entire scene to kill the one guy who can identify him. He succeeds in getting the Guatamalan informer. Unfortunately, a police sketch artist was able to work up an image based on the description given by a surviving Hungarian gang member who is over in the burn ward. An FBI agent interviews him over the hospitals objections which results in the sketch of Soze. That's how we conclusively know Kaiser Soze is Verbal Kint at the end of the film.

When Verbal says that the greatest lie the Devil ever told was convincing the world he didn't exist, he states what his goal is: to be unidentifiable to the point of where the police doubt he's real.

By the end of the movie, the police absolutely know he does exist - and they finally have his likeness. So despite the fact he escapes at the end, his biggest advantage is now gone. The implication is it will only be a matter of time before he's apprehended now that his cover is blown. And even if he still remains at large, he's lost the biggest advantage he once had - so he failed in his goal.

This is a classic "to be continued" even if a sequel never gets made.
   

40hz:
Re: No Country for Old Men.

Can't speak to that since I haven't seen it.

But after careful thought, I do know of one movie where evil does absolutely triumph: Chinatown. I bounced it off a few film buff friends, and they said that AFATK, Chinatown was unique in that respect. The ending was (and remains) controversial. There were major battles between Roman Polanski and Paramount Pictures to change the ending from what Polanski wanted to a more "happy ending" where good triumphed.

The fact that didn't happen contributed greatly to Chinatown's unique position in American film history.

The concluding: Forget it Jake! It's Chinatown. has got to be one of the most chilling lines ever uttered in a movie.  

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UPDATE: see my post further down. This was not the ending that was in the script when they started shooting...

    


  

Innuendo:
Can't say that I agree with you, 40hz regarding Usual Suspects.

SpoilerHe got away unpunished. You specifically asked for movies where the bad guys won. The police left standing with their collective thumbs up their butts qualifies. Sure, the points you made do compromise his position, but it is still a win. As the movie ends, he disappears with enough global resources to never be seen again and the authorities with no leads. None. The authorities know what he may look like, but they don't even have an inkling of a clue as to how to start looking for him. Therefore, it fits the criteria.

Chinatown was going to be another one I was going to mention. I've got a whole list over here if you have the desire. :D

Here's a few more:

The Wicker Man

There Will Be Blood

The Skeleton Key

P.S. And do see No Country For Old Men. The main Bad Guy in that movie takes being bad to a whole new level.

superboyac:
Usual Suspects blew my mind when I first saw it.  I still remember watching it:  i was home from college, and the premium channels (HBO, Cinemax) were having one of those free preview weekends.  It was late, like 2am in the morning.  This movie I'd never heard of came on, usual suspects.  So I was watching it and half falling asleep, but it started getting really interesting.  Then the ending came and i was blown away.  One of the most fun movie experiences ever.  My other top movie experiences were The Game, Jerry Maguire, and Gladiator.  not because of the movies necessarily, but the experience (I have stories for all of them).

I miss the days when going to the movies was really special and fun.  I know I sound one like one of those old geezer back in the day types, but I do miss that.  In college, there were always sneak previews of movies, and for broke college kids, that was really fun.  The anticipation, not knowing what the movie was about AT ALL, all the people...it was good stuff.

superboyac:
I personally didn't find No country for old men all that interesting.  I know I'm one of the few, but hey.  I also found it a little funny that No Country and There Will Be Blood turned into a whole rivalry for no apparent reason.  All of a sudden, you either liked one or the other.  i even wrote an article about it:
http://aram.dcmembers.com/nonsensical/miscellaneous/there-will-be-blood-vs-no-country-for-old-men/

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