MovieChat Forums > Mean Creek (2004) Discussion > they didn't really kill him

they didn't really kill him

posted 12 years ago by crakatoot
12 replies | jump to latest

that always bugged me
it was like the film makers were to hard afraid to try and make this film really dark
when i first heard about it
i thought they hit him with an oar or stabbed or something
but no they just pushed him out of the boat
hell he practically fell out of the boat
i am fairly certain
had they gone to the police and said he fell out of the boat and drowned the cops would have belived them because that it is basically what happened

i told you not to stop the boat. Now lets go. Apocaylpse Now

[–] ravingmouse 11 years ago

That's just it for me. I don't see the moral quandary. I fell as if that took an important part of the movie away from me. If that wasn't set to work, I don't understand why people can't keep their mouths shut.

[–] BelleCBelle 11 years ago

Remind me to never go camping with you. "They just pushed him out of the boat." ??? Anyone with a moral code will say that is murder. I know the law says the act is murder; however, legally the degree would be arguable.

Human Rights: Know Them, Demand Them, Defend Them

[–] crakatoot 11 years ago

at the age most people know how to swim. Rocky just pushed him out of the boat, I don't think he thought the fat kid was gonna drown.

i told you not to stop the boat. Now lets go. Apocaylpse Now

[–] BelleCBelle 11 years ago

You have a valid point. I would have to watch the film closer to really catch what Rockey's intent was at the time he pushed the bully out of the boat. I enjoyed the writing of this film, the fact that there were no clear cut "bad guys" and "good guys."

I don't think the the girl is free from guilt, either. Once she knew of the plan, and she showed she knew the guys were serious (which was during the walk to the boat), she could have turned around and gone for help. But she didn't. She gave in to that poisonous peer pressure and allowed herself to be dragged along, all the while protesting her innocence with her posture, down-turned eyes and pouty mouth. When I was in high school, god - what pure hell, I knew vicious girls just like her. Her character was perfect. They all were, and played off each other so well.

Human Rights: Know Them, Demand Them, Defend Them

[–] crakatoot 11 years ago

yeah Carly Shroder was good in this. I love part of the boat when she says yes to playing Truth or Dare after the fat kid started talking *beep* She wanted to see punished just like everbody else.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] Martina_Helene 11 years ago

It was a conspiracy and that's a criminal act. They didn't intend to murder him but they conspired to hurt him (assault and battery http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Assault+and+Battery ) and that led to his death. They probably wouldn't have been charged with murder but manslaughter or at least conspiracy. They most likely would have been tried as minors although Rocky and Martini may have been tried as adults.
Accidental death is still death.
If they had good lawyers they probably would have gotten a lesser charge and eventually got off without a manslaughter charge.
But attempting to cover up his death brought their crime to a whole new level. Then Martini trying to escape wouldn't have helped either.

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/conspiracy

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4604197/

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] daryl-b-t 11 years ago

Except all that was going on at the time was an argument, not premeditated and if a bunch of kids go boating and one of them gets pushed in the river at some point it's not exactly man slaughter. Presumably no one even knew he couldn't swim, plus they tried to save him.

[–] Theshornwonder 9 years ago

Wrong. They intended to have him strip
Himself and jump in then leave him. There is no assault or battery there, certainly not enough for a criminal conspiracy. His falling out of the boat was an accident caused by him starting a fight. There was no crime committed until they buried te body and that was panic among kids, they came clean the same day. They'd likely get no punishment at all beyond mandated counseling, maybe probation for burying the body, that's it.

[–] Theshornwonder 9 years ago

Conspiracies still have to be criminal to be prosecutable. Their "conspiracy" was a prank.

[–] 9 years ago

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