MovieChat Forums > Johnny Mnemonic (1995) Discussion > In response to Johnny's line about the c...

In response to Johnny's line about the cure being worth a lot of money,

posted 14 years ago by Readyman45
7 replies | jump to latest

a movie critic once asked in response, "To who? The corporation that wants to hide it and do nothing with it or the people who want to give it out for free?" This is a very valid question. Who in this movie is in a position to gain any kind of monetary profit from the information in Johnny's head (the Street Preacher contracted to bring Johnny's head to the corporation doesn't count)?

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Neoblackdragon 12 years ago

Pharmacom may not want to release the cure for free but probably needs the data to release treatments.

[–] the_la_baker 11 years ago

Who in this movie is in a position to gain any kind of monetary profit from the information in Johnny's head

Any one with a lot of money to invest, or another pharmaceutical company. With the cure for NAS they could become extremely wealthy, and since technology wasn't going anywhere, they would have fresh cases of NAS to cure constantly.

[–] matt_shade 11 years ago

Maybe but, according to the movie, there is more money in treating NAS than curing it which means that another pharmaceutical company, if they chose to reveal the cure unlike PharmaCom, would make less money than now but more than anyone else. And that's only if PharmaCom can't patent the cure before them (which is possible since they literally wanted Johnny's head).

It's not nihilism if there's a question mark at the end.

[–] the_la_baker 11 years ago

Maybe but, according to the movie, there is more money in treating NAS than curing it which means that another pharmaceutical company, if they chose to reveal the cure unlike PharmaCom, would make less money than now but more than anyone else. And that's only if PharmaCom can't patent the cure before them (which is possible since they literally wanted Johnny's head).

Pharmacon was evil. Not the whole world. If EVERYONE was evil, there would be no cyber ghost guiding johnny(founder of Pharmacon), lowtechs, Spider(and the rest of the underground volunteer doctors), and Johnny himself(he was greedy and misguided, but redeemed himself in the end). Even that crazy Yakuza boss had a heart in the end. Finding a legit investor that wanted to make a cure would work. Also, he could patent it himself and sell it at a decent rate to people.

Unless Pharmacon got Johnny's head, they had nothing. The "defectors" sabotaged the mainframe and destroyed the data at Pharmacon. Johnny had literally the only copy. Pharmacon could claim it was theirs, but they would have to go public that they withheld the cure. Not a good PR move.

[–] matt_shade 11 years ago

You misunderstand me. I was talking about Johnny selling it to another pharmaceutical company, nothing else. Which would be gambling they choose helping people over profit. I suppose he could plan to spread the word of the company having the cure but how do you prove that claim?

I was basically saying the critic had a point. Just give it to the people who want to give it to the world.

It's not nihilism if there's a question mark at the end.

[–] fearless2003 10 years ago

"There is more money in treating NAS than curing it"

To PharmaCom. Not to other companies or individuals... Imagining being some lone wolf with the cure... you could sell it to some billionaire who has NAS and get reach real quick...

"And that's only if PharmaCom can't patent the cure before them (which is possible since they literally wanted Johnny's head). "

That would reveal that PharmaCom has the cure... that would be the end of PharmaCom is they don't release the cure...