Anyway, before I get distracted, a look at some crucial scenes before Preston’s eventual rebellion that hint to us that he may have experienced emotion, even as a Cleric. I can’t confirm this but am fascinated endlessly by the ambiguity in the storytelling. Perhaps I’m just easily amused.
In the first of such scenes Preston witnesses Partridge commit a sense offence. The two are in the backseat of a car, Yeats poetry volume protruding from Partridge’s pocket (seized after busting an art ‘stash’) and Preston says something about the raid reminding him why he does the job he does, to which Partridge replies:
“It does?”
Pause.
“It does.”
This subtle speech inflection and the Yeats volume prove more than enough to confirm his hunch later.
The second scene is a dream sequence. (I won’t go Freudian, but there: I’ve said so you have to consider it... shudder.) Preston is reliving the arrest of his wife for sense offences. She kisses him as she is dragged out. Preston and his children can do nothing but watch.
Later, when Preston has ceased taking Prozium, he watches filmed footage of her incineration, and turns his head as she walks into the booth. Does this indicate he’s just committed a sense crime? It does spur him to try and halt the incineration of a woman, Mary (played by Emily Watson), arrested by him who incidentally was also Partridge’s lover.
Notice that she walks into the booth after the red vinyl cape is removed from her, yet when the booth is closed, we see a close-up of a hand, clutching at red vinyl – is this Mary’s hand or that of Preston’s wife? Mary supposedly walks into the booth wearing a black dress. It may just be a continuity error.
It astounds me that this film isn’t more popular, really. It might be because it’s largely made in Europe, or because a lot of the main characters are played by non-American actors (I checked this out on IMDB and Wimmer states he chose such actors deliberately, in the DVD commentary), or is it that the soundtrack is practically non-existent unlike all that bombastic John-Williams stuff? Some soundtracks really bash it into that you should feel ‘sad’ at point A, or ‘elation’ at point B of the narration, and so on.
Article comments
1 - Catana
Sadly underrated film. Worth watching on many levels.
2 - reggie von woic
yeah, just for the action. Once you watch the movie more than twice, you lose all the respect you had for it.
This movie reminds me of Commando and how Arnold finishes off everyone single handedly.
"...tread carefully, because you step on my dreams.." -Yeats
3 - vanillafluffy
I enjoy this movie for all the reasons you've mentioned--it's eye candy from the cast to the sets to the stunts. All that usually serves to distract me from the gaps in narrative and the unanswered questions. I won't enumerate because that would spoiler the film, and it's a good one. Yeah, it owes a lot to other source material, but it also offers its own interesting take on post-apocalyptic Utopia.
4 - Snarkattack
Thanks for the comments, people! This is actually my first piece here *bites nails*.
Yeah, even I can appreciate the Commando thing. Plus, you've got to love a film that can feature a poem and wicked action scenes that make the Matrix look like Playschool.
Just for reference's sake, the poem by Yeats is called 'He Wishes For the Cloths of Heaven' and according to my massive tome of his poetry, from my good old lit days, it was the type of poem that would make a woman run from you (i.e. you wouldn't be able to woo her with it).
I rather think the opposite!
5 - lg
This is a pretty solid flick--definitely worth checking out.
6 - Snarkattack
Please note, dear readers, that although I first saw this film on cable TV, it is the DVD I am reviewing, even if there is little mention of the features on the DVD.
When writing the review, I rewatched the film in DVD format, and then as stated with the director Wimmer's commentary.
Just clarifying, wouldn't want to mislead or confuse anyone.