MovieChat Forums > Strange Days (1995) Discussion > Did you ultimately understand this film ...

Did you ultimately understand this film and what was going on in it and why anything happened the way it did?

posted 4 years ago by TheMan18 (13015)
8 replies | jump to latest

For instance, what is the deal with all the visual technology in this movie and why do so many criminals leave their acts recorded? What was the deal with those two corrupt and evil cops and why were they after the hooker and later Ralph Fiennes' and Angela Bassett's character and why did they shoot and kill that rapper? Why did Fiennes' friend turned against him and what was the whole deal with the coming millennium etc?

[–] sslssg (34211) 4 years ago

I think that the reason why so many criminals recorded their acts was so that they could relive them and get the rush from it, and perhaps also they were paid to do so, so that their experience could be sold to others who wanted to feel the rush from it.

As for why the cops killed Jeriko One, it had to do with the fact that they were corrupt, and Jeriko One had anti police songs that were a huge hit. They had an opportunity to kill him so they did. They were after Iris because she witnessed it, and was wearing the gear so not only did she see it with her eyes, but it was recorded for anyone to see if it got out. Lenny ended up getting the recording from Iris, which is why the cops were after him and Mace, who also saw the recording.

It's been awhile since I've seen it but I think that while Max was Lenny's friend, he was also was just a killer. I don't think that he turned against him so much as he was just done with his constant yearning for Faith, who wasn't faithful to Lenny or Philo. He was just not a nice guy.

The big deal with the coming millennium was just that. It was a big year, and although they didn't predict y2k bug or anything at that time, when it came in actual time there were people who thought the world was going to end.

[–] Druff (1796) a year ago

> perhaps also they were paid to do so, so that their experience could be sold

That was my immediate assumption.

[–] pjl69 (2647) a year ago

"As for why the cops killed Jeriko One, it had to do with the fact that they were corrupt, and Jeriko One had anti police songs that were a huge hit. They had an opportunity to kill him so they did."

I didn't see it that way. It was just a heat of the moment type of thing. Emotions got heated and so the other one of the cops shot him. The rest of their story was just to cover their tracks and ass.

[–] sslssg (34211) a year ago

It has been a couple of years since I made that comment, but I do think that's what I mean when I said that they had an opportunity. I mean they did know who he was after they made the stop. I don't think they hunted him down or anything. It was heat of the moment. I do think it was probably inspired by Rodney King. I think that the cops knowing who he was and that Jeriko was egging them on was a big factor in why he was shot.

[–] pjl69 (2647) 4 years ago

Pretty much. An excellent movie. Bigelow should have won the director Oscar for this one, not The Hurt Locker. But as usual, the reward comes late and for the wrong movie.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

i couldn't get through this movie

[–] bobbydallas (8511) 2 months ago

i just watched this... it's a super-long and tedious piece of crap.
the kiss between Mace and Lenny at the end was the cherry on top of the pile.

when in the heck was this romance implied ?!
too many questions not enough answers, and Max the killer twist was obvious and stupid.

[–] KutWrite (1302) 12 days ago

Yes, I feel I understood it, but I stopped caring about 10 minutes into it.
I skipped to the end and still feel I wasted 20 minutes.

I felt generous giving it a 6 on IMDB. Won't make a difference, but I had to leave an imprint, however small.

A waste of some otherwise very good actors.