“I simple can’t believe this movie.” Kristl said when the credits started to roll. They were lounging on the couch in the garage turned movie theater. It had been isolated to keep it warm and made soundproof. However at times they felt little tremors when heavy traffic rolled past outside.
“Believe? What is there to believe?” Henry said, “It is a movie, not a religion.”
“Hmph.” Kristl said, “It just so overdone sentimental that I simply can’t connect to any of the characters. Even the great Paul Newman fails to touch me. The whole movie keeps on hitting the nostalgia bone without interruption. It invokes the mood of Schindlers List but basically has nothing to show for it. The main character is a killer and that is it. He gets chased by his former compadres because the son of the crime lord wants him dead because the hit-man’s son witnessed killing someone. He hits back. A lot of people get killed. End of story. Standard action flick.”
“You’re just grumpy because there are no women in it.” Henry laughed and he opened a can of Molson’s triple X. Drinking this beer was a sin he liked to indulge in at times.”Actually that is a bit of a pity…I mean Tom Hanks is an nice actor, but well.. A cute woman would have been nice.”
“Well that illustrates part of it. There are no women in it, no police, no humor and no love interests. It is a sentimental serious movie.” Kristl said, “The whole story is forced. Paul Newman who doesn’t to want drop his no good son despite the fact that he is a scumbag. Tom Hanks who doesn’t want to let go, even though he has a son to take care off. And the end was so predictable.”
“Well, it’s a nice action flick and a bit sentimental, but I like the way he outsmarted them all.”
“You know I saw Miller’s Crossing and that is just so much better. For instance in this movie the characters just don’t develop. The interaction between the father and his son are that they exchange some words and his dad learns him how to drive and shoot. And the only thing the kids seems to learn is: ‘thou shalt not kill’. At least not with guns.” Kristl continued.
“Ah well. But you have to say. The movie looked nice with the proper scenes and shots.I recall this shot where the camera is set up so it shows the boy sitting in a room on a bed and the father enters the house. It has almost the quality of a painting.”
“I agree, there are some beautiful scenes.”
“And there is a certain sadness in how the mob boss and hit-man end up as enemies.” Henry said,”The sadness of a father losing his son.”
Kristl nodded. “Well.. in a fashion. That part would have been nice, but it was so underdeveloped in the movie. It would have been a nice to have seen the parallel of the father son relation between Newman and Hanks and Hanks and his son. They could have left out Craig or Jude Law and given more time to the father son relations.”
“But if they leave out Graig it would have knocked out the bottom of the movie. There would be no conflict.” Henry said smartly.
“Well there is always a reason for a conflict. You just think up one.. ”
“And that from you!” Henry laughed and took another swig from his can of beer and then burped.
Pig, Kristl thought.
Merit Coba 
Leave a Reply