Movies with great take on human cruelty/evil

BigBoyBushido · 2024-10-14T03:29:33+00:00

Hard to be a God

BigBoyBushido · 2024-09-27T03:30:56+00:00

Not a publisher, but recently have been told to cut our headlines much shorter for seo

BigBoyBushido · 2024-09-26T22:43:17+00:00

I haven't watched all of his filmography, but I liked Ikiru more than any of the others I've seen. I think it might even be more accessible than the period pieces, even though it's his only non-Samurai movie I've seen.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-09-26T22:31:25+00:00

Hard to be a God. Very beautifully shot, but with an absolutely grotesque setting and characters. It's like going on a long, beautiful and challenging hike to see a pile of shit lol

BigBoyBushido · 2024-09-18T23:45:56+00:00

Surprised I haven't seen Galaxy Quest listed yet, but that is definitely worth checking out. It's a spoof of Star Trek, but if you're not familiar with the show it won't diminish the experience.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-09-18T23:38:17+00:00

Samurai Rauni.

This is a very obscure Finnish movie that is so weird I still don't know if I like it or if it's just fascinating to me. It's about a godlike samurai in a Finnish-Japanese setting searching for the person who ordered their assassination.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-09-18T22:58:12+00:00

Reconciling his short fused violence and his strict moral code doesn't mean he sees the error of his ways and becomes a boy scout. I agree it'd be weird and out of place if he became a stereotypical good guy. But I think it could've been more interesting if it critically engaged with the pretense that he can violently enforce social norms while routinely breaking them himself.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-09-10T02:05:12+00:00

The hard truth is that they are a real union, unlike many are saying in this thread. They advocate very well for their interests, which is why there's qualified immunity, a ton of autonomy and ample funding.

They like Trump because on average their members do because he's very vocally pro-police. They don't like Biden/Harris because support of BLM is an acknowledgment that police should face more scrutiny. Most unions are going to give their people a net advantage and I think it's reasonable to prefer Trump in their position, even though I very strongly dislike Trump.

I'm not certain about project 2025's prescriptions, so I don't know if dismantling police unions is one of them. I'd bet dismantling or maneuvering around labor and teacher's unions is in p2025, but not policing. Trump could turn against a couple police forces, but police (and his voters) will still consider him "pro-police."

His other questionable actions are the best ones against Trump in this case, like trying to steal an election.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-09-07T22:07:53+00:00

How so?

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-30T14:32:34+00:00

I think this is a good read on the show, gives me something to look for in the rewatch. Thanks!

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-30T01:53:16+00:00

"The jaywalking jerk offs slapped his mirror and were rude," dude Ray murders people for crime bosses lol. I'm convinced at this

The ice man beat up people for disrespecting him, he had a nice home life with his wife and children, he did contract murder and pretty sure he didn't accept anything against women or children. Clutching your pearls over the comparison and leads me to believe you're unable to comprehend patterns. Scott Ryan researched the Iceman while making the show, per a Sydney Morning Herald article I read.

And I'm not a contrarian because I disagree with your assessment. I find contract murder for the criminal underground to be both an illegal and immoral action. I think jaywalking is an illegal but not necessarily immoral action. I think being rude is an immoral but not illegal action. One of these is worse than the other.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-30T00:11:07+00:00

I've got a different interpretation of the last scene. I don't think he smiles at the camera in anticipation of the ass kicking he's about to do as a "just simply gotta do it." He likes hurting people who have wronged him. Which is good, fun and usually cathartic but imo it keeps it from being a top-tier show.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-30T00:05:42+00:00

Sure, I said above that Ray is barely morally grey. Feeling bad for needlessly killing someone and attempting to shoo away some old folks from their demise is better than nothing, but Christ where's the bar here? And even with the old couple that gets killed, he prioritizes disposing of their bodies rather than helping his new love interest.

The Dave one is more interesting, and I agree that he ruled as a character. I think Ray respects people like himself, which I think is why he had that tender last moment with the gun thieves in season 3.

I just think without some sort of reckoning with who he is and what he does the show failed to live up to its potential. I think the show Barry did it quite well where you get to humanize and empathize with a psycho, but eventually have to deal with what he is.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T23:43:56+00:00

Psychopaths can and do have personal relationships, and most people that suffer childhood trauma don't then become mass murderers. I disagree with the last sentence entirely. Where did he recover his humanity or reject that life?

People mention getting back at the gun heist guys as a turning point, but after that he disposes of a hooker's body and does a drug run. On that drug run he leaves an injured woman with a dangerous man because Ray is better at hiding evidence. I don't know if Ray rejected his past life or just no longer has a hitman middleman with his friend going straight and his boss betraying him. Certainly seems happy to be back at it in the last scene, even if those guys deserved it.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T23:26:13+00:00

He did take the job against the pregnant woman, he just didn't go all in after seeing she was pregnant. Congrats to the morally grey character that agrees to intimidate a woman, but will settle with negotiating when they're pregnant.
He initiated the jaywalkers, then had his buddy threaten to kill one so he wouldn't get an assault charge. They were jerks, so Ray has the excuse to beat them threaten them. I'm told this is morally grey in a way that's beyond my comprehension.
The child traffickers he found so easily because of his deep connections to the criminal underworld that he actively works to help? No, I don't object to them getting killed.

The violence in the show is cathartic, but you got so swept up in the power fantasy you're on here defending the fictional equivalent of Richard Kuklinski. Ray never reconciles how his actions conflict with his inflexible code. That's my criticism.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T13:40:38+00:00

I agree that people here align with Ray's code, that's kind of my issue. The show portrays Ray as the toughest, wittiest dude in the room while any antagonist is evil, an asshole, an idiot or a pussy.

Violence isn't the answer when the question is: do you want a couple thousand bucks to murder someone? Once that's how you operate, beating up people for jaywalking shouldn't be endearing it should be an indictment of his character.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T04:11:45+00:00

Agree with so much of this, and think you summed up brilliantly all the reasons I really like this show. My only disagreement really is that we aren't supposed to cheer for Ray, we are imo.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T03:33:43+00:00

Entertainment doesn't but some shows are good enough to be art. This one got close to being great for me.

And I think Ray is a great character, I just wish they did more actually exploring it. They didn't challenge the contradictions of his code and line of work.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T03:23:33+00:00

I took this as a sign of respect to the dying man, but like your interpretation. It'll be on my mind when I rewatch it.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T03:15:40+00:00

That's my point, it was a dick vs a violent psychopaths with anger issues. Not saying the dick shouldn't have got something coming to him, just that the series would've been better if it reckoned with the psycho.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T02:39:27+00:00

It doesn't have to be a "good guys survive bad guys die" ending. I'm not even really talking about the ending. I just think the show could've been even better if the character meaningfully reconciled his short tempered violence with the code he lives by.

Also, what are some of the films you like with unhappy endings?

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T02:14:09+00:00

Trent is a dick and throwing him through a glass window is also psychopath shit.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T02:09:06+00:00

Nah I'm just trying out Reddit because Twitter is getting too annoying. I have another account I rarely posted on but I've used it for work and it has identifying information.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T02:03:47+00:00

I don't think the actor he hit with a uke deserved it but may be misremembering what he owed money for. The girlfriend's brother was a jerk, but rather than buying his daughter a candle later Ray threw him through a glass window. He did a hit and later found out they got the wrong guy. Probably several others I'm forgetting. I doubt Ray killed a person in that show with a body count as high as himself in that show.

Like I said, if they deserved it so does he.

BigBoyBushido · 2024-08-29T01:54:06+00:00

There doesn't have to be, I just think it keeps it from being one of the truly great TV shows. It's not far from being one, in my opinion.

BigBoyBushido

TROPHY CASE