I love movies but usually don't go to them alone. It makes me uncomfortable. Maybe because I don't
have anyone to talk to before and after or maybe I just feel like a loser sitting by myself (of course the
theater is dark so who can tell?). I did, however, go to see The Foreigner with Jackie Chan and Pierce
Brosnan. It’s about a Chinese immigrant to England whose teenage daughter is killed by a terrorist
bomb. The movie relates the man's quest for vengeance against the bombers while bursting into the
long-standing conflict between England and Northern Ireland.
have anyone to talk to before and after or maybe I just feel like a loser sitting by myself (of course the
theater is dark so who can tell?). I did, however, go to see The Foreigner with Jackie Chan and Pierce
Brosnan. It’s about a Chinese immigrant to England whose teenage daughter is killed by a terrorist
bomb. The movie relates the man's quest for vengeance against the bombers while bursting into the
long-standing conflict between England and Northern Ireland.
This movie is especially relevant to today's times since Great Britain's move away from the European
Union. The Foreigner brought home to me how precarious the situation still is in Ireland. How will the
relationship between England and Ireland withstand this huge change? Ireland is staying with the
European Union so all the complex trade and border crossing issues are going to have to be worked
out by people smarter than me.
Union. The Foreigner brought home to me how precarious the situation still is in Ireland. How will the
relationship between England and Ireland withstand this huge change? Ireland is staying with the
European Union so all the complex trade and border crossing issues are going to have to be worked
out by people smarter than me.
It also reminded me what a good suspense-filled story can do. My heart was still beating for hours
after I finished the movie. Reviewers said he was wooden but his portrayal made sense as his history
unfolded. Each small insight into his character, hinted at in the initial scenes, wove a tapestry of events
that shaped the man and drove him to react to his daughter’s death. That is the heart of a good story
- the behavior of the main character must be driven throughout to actions that seem to have no other
recourse.
after I finished the movie. Reviewers said he was wooden but his portrayal made sense as his history
unfolded. Each small insight into his character, hinted at in the initial scenes, wove a tapestry of events
that shaped the man and drove him to react to his daughter’s death. That is the heart of a good story
- the behavior of the main character must be driven throughout to actions that seem to have no other
recourse.
There is something ultra-organized and technical about writing suspense and mystery. Planning for
inclusion and exclusion of facts are integral to improving suspense (and to avoid giving away the
ending!). The story must be mapped out, keeping meticulous track of each fact, scene and dialog so
that it pulls the reader closer and closer to the solution but doesn’t quite get them there until the end.
The importance of a tightly-knit story, like The Foreigner, has to be honed to the bare essentials
(including misdirection) but with enough detail to make the reader think they can solve the riddle.
inclusion and exclusion of facts are integral to improving suspense (and to avoid giving away the
ending!). The story must be mapped out, keeping meticulous track of each fact, scene and dialog so
that it pulls the reader closer and closer to the solution but doesn’t quite get them there until the end.
The importance of a tightly-knit story, like The Foreigner, has to be honed to the bare essentials
(including misdirection) but with enough detail to make the reader think they can solve the riddle.
Then there is Logan. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine character has his swan-song that is filled with, not
superhero battles and world-saving events but one man saving one young girl. Logan’s reluctance to
help in the first half of the film truly sets the stage and creates suspense, waiting for the inevitable. He
must take action because we all know it isn’t in his nature to leave someone in distress.
superhero battles and world-saving events but one man saving one young girl. Logan’s reluctance to
help in the first half of the film truly sets the stage and creates suspense, waiting for the inevitable. He
must take action because we all know it isn’t in his nature to leave someone in distress.
Logan was suspense-filled not so much because of the writing but the established characters. Fans of
Wolverine know the backstory of this character and have certain expectations. To change a beloved
character due to age or story line is taking a gamble but for this movie, it works. Logan is older, slowly
losing the strength and regenerative powers that made him invincible. After years, he is mortal and
liable to be wounded so that he won’t ever heal. Logan had so much to tell and put into the story
because of his past, that the fundamental story was muddied.
Wolverine know the backstory of this character and have certain expectations. To change a beloved
character due to age or story line is taking a gamble but for this movie, it works. Logan is older, slowly
losing the strength and regenerative powers that made him invincible. After years, he is mortal and
liable to be wounded so that he won’t ever heal. Logan had so much to tell and put into the story
because of his past, that the fundamental story was muddied.
The Foreigner couldn't rely on audience knowledge to help tell the story but that is actually one of the
movie’s strengths. It all had to be told meticulously, introduced bit by bit to build suspense, curiosity
and care about the character. He cannot commit to the woman who has been his helpmate for years
and stops working in his restaurant because of his inner conflict. Still, even the little we learn initially
reveals a character that has no other choice but to seek vengeance.
movie’s strengths. It all had to be told meticulously, introduced bit by bit to build suspense, curiosity
and care about the character. He cannot commit to the woman who has been his helpmate for years
and stops working in his restaurant because of his inner conflict. Still, even the little we learn initially
reveals a character that has no other choice but to seek vengeance.
Logan, to me, seemed different from The Foreigner but actually it has many of the same themes. The
main character is on a journey (like all good story characters do) and that journey is filled with peril.
Logan spends much of his time avoiding involvement, to stay out of the situation - but can't. Why?
Because of who he is. As in The Foreigner, Logan is driven by his personality and experiences to be
involved, and to sacrifice much of himself in the process. Ironically, in each of these movies, neither
main character changes very much at the end but the world around them, the people around them, does.
These men make a difference to those they have influenced and that is their lasting achievement.
main character is on a journey (like all good story characters do) and that journey is filled with peril.
Logan spends much of his time avoiding involvement, to stay out of the situation - but can't. Why?
Because of who he is. As in The Foreigner, Logan is driven by his personality and experiences to be
involved, and to sacrifice much of himself in the process. Ironically, in each of these movies, neither
main character changes very much at the end but the world around them, the people around them, does.
These men make a difference to those they have influenced and that is their lasting achievement.
Violence and action play a huge role in the plot of each film. Both characters avoid violence until an act
of violence hurts someone or something they care about. Both make a conscious decision to be the
wheel that drives others toward success or failure. They know the consequences of their involvement,
shy away from it, but still take action.
of violence hurts someone or something they care about. Both make a conscious decision to be the
wheel that drives others toward success or failure. They know the consequences of their involvement,
shy away from it, but still take action.
It's been three years since these movies came out. Why am I mentioning them now? Because they still
resonate. They still speak to us about the power of a common man, a person who has to step back
into a former life in order to exact revenge or save a life. It is relevant because there are still times when
all of us at one time or another want to exact "our pound of flesh" but can't. We stop ourselves because
as much as we want to be as brave as the people in our movies, we live in the real world where the good
guys don’t always win.
resonate. They still speak to us about the power of a common man, a person who has to step back
into a former life in order to exact revenge or save a life. It is relevant because there are still times when
all of us at one time or another want to exact "our pound of flesh" but can't. We stop ourselves because
as much as we want to be as brave as the people in our movies, we live in the real world where the good
guys don’t always win.
AG Jerome
