A western and a shooter

February 10, 2008 · Filed Under Movies 

Last week Netflix delivered the next two movies from my queue. The first movie I watched was Shoot ‘em Up. I’m a big fan of Paul Giamatti and was really looking forward to seeing it. I was really bummed that I missed seeing it in theaters. After getting a chance to watch it, I’d have to say that I’m glad I didn’t pay full price for it. Yes, there were some decent action scenes, but the story line was pretty lame. Not to mention the fact that they do the one thing about shooter movies that just drives me absolutely crazy. I’ll explain.

Why is it that when the hero is being chased he can run at full speed, throw his arm back and fire off two rounds and kill both people chasing him who were both firing dozens of rounds from their automatic weapons that never even graze the hero? Even if only by accident or ricochet he should at least be nicked, right?

Ahh well, it was at least entertaining…

Next I watched 3:10 to Yuma. I had heard some good press about it and then Todd mentioned that he loved it. I’ve enjoyed some great movies on Todd’s recommendation so I figured I’d give this one a shot. Just Wow! The movie is fantastic. I can’t really say that I’m a big fan of westerns, but this movie is fantastic. The characters in the movie are more than one-dimensional stereotypes of good guys and bad guys in the old west. The bad guy is mean enough to run his crew of hired killers, but at the same time he’s cunning and charming.

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    I think one answer to your question is: the story wouldn't be worth telling if the drama didn't involve some sort of tale-telling technique that made the unbelievable palatable. Besides, if the hero was nicked (in the general run-of-the-mill good-guy case), he would be disabled and that would slow him down, then he'd be found by the bad guys, and/or ultimately be tracked and killed ruthlessly: he wouldn't be a "hero": he'd be a "dead hero."

    I just watched Live Free or Die Hard - talk about a hero that gets nicked, brutalized and down right abused (as a character) and stays alive to claim the title. 16 Blocks (again with the ultimate beat-me-up good guy actor, Willis) is another example of the hero getting the better of a beating/bullet.

    Heroes are those characters that achieve a level of greatness through the lucky/skilled shot or effective "drop" on the bad guy, against all odds and for a good cause in the eye/ear of the viewer/listener. Heroes are just "good guys" until they survive the story and claim the title, of course, bestowed on them by the viewer/listener. Especially in action flicks.

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