This is a 2014 movie. I heard that "The Avenger 2" will be released soon, so I looked for this film again to watch it.
The protagonist of the film, McCall, was a special agent in his early years and was very capable. For various reasons, he remained anonymous, worked as a porter in a supermarket, and lived a single but regular life. During the day, he is hardworking and helpful. In the eyes of the employees, he is a kind and lovable colleague who is taciturn. At night, McCall got up, a napkin, a tea bag, stylized folded, carefully into the pocket of his coat. Take a seat in a fixed position in the dining room, put the book aside first, take out the folded napkin, unfold it, and place the tea bag in the cup. Open the book and read. If there are no extravagances, he is this kind of ordinary person who has penetrated the essence of life and is content with the status quo. He lives like this day after day, plain but stable. Good. However, in American society, there are too many injustices, bullying, and darkness. The young prostitute he met in the cafe was insulted by the gang, the mother of his young colleague was burned at home because of late payment of protection fees, and the female supermarket employee was robbed by the gang. Makes McCall finally can no longer bear. He regained his former glory and fought against evil forces.
Although the story is old-fashioned, the director has put a lot of effort into shaping McCall's character. I'm less interested in the fight scenes after his rise, and more concerned with the foreshadowing ahead. In fact, this is the purpose of the editor. Although the film did not directly show his bravery in those years, we can imagine that a former agent with high martial arts has experienced countless swords and bloods, has a wealth of life experience, and has also experienced the unbearable pain of losing his wife. . After being used to seeing everything in life and becoming disheartened, no one knows how much courage it took him to make up his mind to retire and live a life of indifference to the world. In the face of injustice, he chose to forbear. However, his body still retains a cavity of blood. As McCall himself said to his friends: "I don't know why, why they hurt her I can't stand it, and sometimes I see someone hurt another person, someone you're almost a complete stranger to, and you get Draw your sword to help, because you have the ability." His friend said: "Because you are this kind of person, because you have always been this kind of person." In the face of evil forces, he did not take action immediately, but hoped to solve it by peaceful means, always giving those evil people a kind of choose. Of course, those gangsters who are used to bullying people can't accept this choice. Only after he couldn't bear it, did he make a decisive move, causing the opponent to die. The close-up at this point is aimed at McCall's eyes, from dull to anticipatory to explosive. Naturally leads to the final justice. It also uses violence to control violence. Compared with those clumsy two-pole melees, this film is obviously superior.
After the film was released, it received a lot of praise. People appreciate such heroes and look forward to having such heroes around them. For the underprivileged masses, they have nothing to rely on. On the other hand, it also shows people's complete disappointment with the government and the police. Can people expect the government to do something when they suffer injustice? Do people hope that the evil police in the film can stand up for justice? In this seemingly democratic and legal society, people are still "all on our own." Either willingly suffer humiliation, or fight hard. Although it is a little exaggerated, there is basically no police in the film, just clean up the mess after the incident. This may be the reality of American society described in the film.
McCall starred by Denzel Washington. The proportions are well grasped, calm and firm, and the acting is superb. Most of the scenes in the film are at night, with Ning Xin in a cafe in the dark, whispering conversations, faint lights, and sparse rain. The swaying light and shadow of the characters in the fight, the cold light of the dagger and the chain, and the close-up of the vigilant or panic-stricken faces further enrich the film's expressive techniques. Very commendable. However, a large number of fighting scenes cannot attract the attention of audiences who are used to watching such films.
There is a scene in the movie. McCall in a café, reading Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. After the frantic battle with the sea, the old fisherman harvested only the skeleton of a pair of fish. Perhaps McCall's actions were also influenced by the book? As far as I know, other writers Americans love are Mark Twain and Jack London. Perhaps this is the kind of character that Americans admire. The courage to not be afraid of the sky and not to shoot, regardless of the result, just look at the process. Believe in the law of the jungle. For the sake of faith, ditch the rules and add a little humor. In contrast, their ancestors, the British, were a model of rule-abiding and more gentlemanly. For example, after 007 murdered, he still couldn't forget his tie to dust off the dust.
In reality, many things have nothing to do with national character, but involuntarily follow the law. For example, when Cromwell was in power, even the king was killed, let alone all living beings. And in Rome during the Democratic Republic, Marius and Sulla each killed countless people. During the French Revolution, Robespierre died under the guillotine of his own people. It also proves that "at the beginning of the establishment of any regime, it has to take thunderous measures to deal with its enemies, and it is inevitable to hurt innocent people. This is a price that has to be paid." This has nothing to do with morality, it is just a law. .
There are other things to emphasize. I am writing my review, not a movie review. For a film review, the appropriate title should be: Comment on the pros and cons of "XXX". The title of the afterthought is: Let's start from "XXX".... This is what friends who have come across these humble articles of mine need to understand.
Pull away, stop.
My rating: 7.0.
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