Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I wasn't sure how to title the thread, but this thread was prompted by my husband's bewilderment at why I like "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II" so much when I hate violent movies. I can't stand ANY war movies or any movies that are frequently gory, but I can watch The Godfather I and II over and over again -- I probably have watched each of those at least ten times!
I am not sure what I am asking or what opinions I am seeking, but what other "violent" movies that go beyond the violence do you find fascinating? (And for "bonus points", WHY do you find them to be so fascinating?)
Last edited by katharsis; 03-13-2024 at 08:52 PM..
Interesting coincidence, as I'm currently reading No Country For Old Men for the third or fourth time and have watched the movie at least six times. Both are well done. I found the book narrative to be much more violent and offensive than the movie.
I enjoy movies & stories with deep plots and defined characters that devolve into inescapable chaos, the kind where everybody dies or gets sucked into the chaos and doesn't have a good outcome.
I don't like gore or flat-out violence either, but rather stories where there's some sort of plan or intention for gain or reward, and it all goes wrong.
Taxi Driver seems to be the most obvious answer. Known for its graphically violent climax, it's really more a study of a combat vet's struggle to re-integrate into society, made all the more difficult by the alienating and dysfunctional urban landscape that was 1970s New York, where it was sometimes difficult to spot the difference between "normal" society and "crazy."
Interesting coincidence, as I'm currently reading No Country For Old Men for the third or fourth time and have watched the movie at least six times. Both are well done. I found the book narrative to be much more violent and offensive than the movie.
I enjoy movies & stories with deep plots and defined characters that devolve into inescapable chaos, the kind where everybody dies or gets sucked into the chaos and doesn't have a good outcome.
I don't like gore or flat-out violence either, but rather stories where there's some sort of plan or intention for gain or reward, and it all goes wrong.
This is truly a coincidence, but I just ordered both the book and movie of No Country for Old Men yesterday after seeing the movie trailer on another C-D trailer! (I am a fan of both Tommy Lee Jones and Tess Harper.)
... what other "violent" movies that go beyond the violence do you find fascinating? (And for "bonus points", WHY do you find them to be so fascinating?)
EASTERN PROMISES. It is violent at times. In fact, it has one of the most brutal fight scenes I have ever seen in a movie. But it also has great characters. The hero sometimes has to do bad things. The bad guys are sometimes ... well, if not entirely sympathetic, then at least pitiable.
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL. A great noir detective story that is filmed bright and sunny. The three heroes actually all hate each other, but each has his own reason to keep chasing the case until they are forced to work together. This is the movie that made Russell Crowe a star, and he totally deserved it. I think it also won Kim Basinger a bunch of awards, and she is indeed fantastic in the movie. It's probably the best role she ever had. And despite being a rather grim crime story, it is surprsingly funny at times.
FARGO. Maybe the funniest black comedy ever made. It's hard to like the main bad guy in this movie, but he is never boring. The violence does indeed make you wince when it happens, but you'll find yourself laughing thirty seconds later --- sometimes at the very thing that just made you wince.
JACKIE BROWN. I still say it is Tarantino's best movie. Very dark and violent at times, but also hilariously funny throughout. And all the characters are so likeable --- the good guys, the bad guys, and those that fall in between. I remember when Ebert reviewed this movie, he said something like, "I want to hang out with these characters all day. I did not want this movie to end." Well said, sir.
THE DEPARTED. Violent at times, as are many Scorsese movies, but it is the characters that keep you watching. And one of the all-time great endings of a crime movie.
Interesting coincidence, as I'm currently reading No Country For Old Men for the third or fourth time and have watched the movie at least six times. Both are well done. I found the book narrative to be much more violent and offensive than the movie.
I liked the movie quite a lot, but the book is sheer genius. The movie didn't quite capture all the depth of theme and character that is in the book.
EASTERN PROMISES. It is violent at times. In fact, it has one of the most brutal fight scenes I have ever seen in a movie. But it also has great characters. The hero sometimes has to do bad things. The bad guys are sometimes ... well, if not entirely sympathetic, then at least pitiable.
I was thinking the other Cronenberg - Viggo film: A History of Violence.
This is truly a coincidence, but I just ordered both the book and movie of No Country for Old Men yesterday after seeing the movie trailer on another C-D trailer! (I am a fan of both Tommy Lee Jones and Tess Harper.)
Wow! And I'm sure you intend to read the book first, right? I always prefer to do it in that order, mostly as a curiosity over how closely the movie follows the book.
I have less than zero interest in war movies, but I do watch all the movies nominated for Best Picture each year. So I begrudgingly watched Hacksaw Ridge back in 2016. It was actually a very interesting story of a man who enlisted right after Pearl Harbor to be a medic in the Army, but as a pacifist, he refused to carry a gun. His refusal to carry got him court martialed, but the charges were dropped because his pacifism is Constitutionally protected. He ends up getting deployed and involved in the Battle of Okinawa.
Joker. And some of the best acting I've ever seen in such a role.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
