Dropping the truck on a helpless victim unable to move, even if he is a villain. Ebert didn't like that. What do you think? Do you see his point?
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I did sixty in five minutes once...
I loved it. It was a terrific twist in a film where she had little to no acting role, and played a traditionally wimpy housewife. It made the film very memorable to me.
shareIt was great, he got what he deserved. Poor Deke no longer has a bad example father to look up to. Lol
shareEveryone discuss about Ebert without the text, so let's start with his exact words:
"I'm recommending "Breakdown,'' but I have a problem with the closing scene I
mentioned above. It involves a situation in which a villain is disabled and powerless--
yet a coup de grace is administered. There is (or was) a tradition in Hollywood
thrillers that the heroes in movies like this kill only in self-defense. By ending as it
does, "Breakdown'' disdains such moral boundaries.
I noticed, interestingly, that no one in the audience cheered when that final death
took place. I felt a kind of collective wince. Maybe that indicates we still have an
underlying decency that rejects the eye-for-an-eye values of this film. "Breakdown''
is a fine thriller, and its ending is unworthy of it."
One thing I agree with him, most people understand, at least in the moment of the scene, that kill disabled guy is overall wrong. But I didn't understand his criticism about the moral of the character. I disagree not about the values of the act itself discussion that I encouraged, but the fact he think the unmoral act of the wife is good reason no to include it in the movie.
For me, I understand the wife completely, she was cheated, kidnapped and beaten by despicable people. Even if we not accept the rape theory (I personally was convinced the rape theory was true) they buried her alive in the fridge - this's by itself one of the most horrible crime I can think about. Who can blame her?
"It involves a situation in which a villain is disabled and powerless--
yet a coup de grace is administered."
Ebert. What a pussy.
I'm not a fan of gratuitous violence but this was entirely justifiable and deserved .
Also not the first time.
Platoon and Lethal Weapon 2 spring to mind.
Who says the heroes have to be heroic at the end? The turmoil and torture that couple suffered could have changed them from nice, trusting couple into bloodthirsty road savages like their tormentors. It’s like a form of Stockholm Syndrome only it backfires - instead of sympathizing with your captors, you emulate them and become like them. Isn’t that the theme of this film? Watching an everyman Joe type guy dig deep into his primal soul to unearth the instincts to fight for the survival of himself and his wife?
shareI am a little confused about your statement "bloodthirsty road savages like their tormentors". It's extremely excessive statement. The car chase and the struggle at the end was all self defense. What were they supposed to do? Surrender and die? The last act was the only unmoral act and it's was revenge for what was probably had been a kidnapping and brutal rape.
On the other hand, agree with your point about Joe adopt animalistic mode to survive. As you said, the theme of the movie involved around the primitive instincts of the human race. We are no different from animals when it comes to our survival. Overall I am agree without your conclusion but put them in the same level is not right.
I am glad to see people love and comments about the movie.
It's really amazing movie.
I was just being creative and hyperbolic with my words. I just meant they had to become like them, for a bit, in order to defeat them.
shareJustice is served
shareWho gives a fuck what Ebert liked... HeLpLeSs vIcTiM.... please. Would that cunt have been so gracious and "sympathetic"? three-pounds-of-pure-tit didn't think so as she's the one that dropped the rig on that fuck. After their shenanigans, I wanted to see the blood spray from the truck squashing his ass. That's the beauty of this film - it truly makes you hate the bad guys. Films like Star Wars, The Dark Knight and other films make the bad guys "cool" in some way. This film just makes them pure skunk-cunt-drippings.
shareIt was an awesome ending to a great movie.
shareConsidering that he tormented, tortured, and killed others as a means of business, I'm okay if the victims exact revenge. He may survive and be unable to move, but in the end, our heroes were responding to a threat in an emotional state.
shareI do see his point.
"The best revenge is not to be like them". ~ Marcus Aurelius
The instinct to kill, to seek revenge is strong, and not succumbing to this takes a certain strength.