MovieChat Forums > The Crazies (2010) Discussion > Russell.... (spoilers)

Russell.... (spoilers)

posted 14 years ago by Ilovejakeg513
33 replies | jump to latest

Ok, so I had seen this when it first came into theaters, and I re-watched it yesterday, and I had a theory about Russell.

So, we never clarified whether or not Russell was for sure sick. I mean yeah, he was acting out of the ordinary, but in this situation, I would be really paranoid just like him. I can't say I would have flipped out on my partner (David) and threaten to shoot him, but he is trying to keep people safe. Like when they were driving and Becca starts to cough, I would honestly have felt the same way as Russell, I wouldn't want her around me..

But anyways, those were really the only serious signs of him becoming crazy. And unlike Bill or Rory, Russell responded normally when people spoke to him. Bill just said the same thing over and over, or he never said anything, just like Rory when David told him to put the gun down and all.

But anyways, I was just wondering if they really knew if Russell was sick. I mean, when they actually (sort of) clarified it as a group, after David punches him, yeah, he was bleeding from the nose. BUT!!! Rory and Bill were only bleeding from ONE nostril, and Russell had blood coming from BOTH, and ALSO, David had just punched him... he probably should be bleeding from the nose.

And I think the idea of him being the deputy (or w/e) started to get to his head. By the way he acted in the beginning, he seemed like he liked shooting the people. (Not in a bad way) He just felt cool about it, I guess. He had that attitude through out the beginning when they first started. And yeah, he was good with a gun, because he did save David a few times.

So I am wondering if maybe he wasn't sick, and the whole situation just started an epic paranoia in his mind, and also to the fact that none of them had slept, eaten or drank anything in a while, and David punched him, that didn't help.

So yeah.... sorry about that, I just thought about that as I was watching.

any thoughts??

[–] TemporaryAgent 14 years ago

He was sick. His nose was bleeding, just like the rest of the infected.

[–] Ilovejakeg513 14 years ago

I know that.

BUT, did you notice in that scene that we saw the bleeding right after David punched him... AND both of his nostrils were bleeding, when we saw Rory and Bill, only ONE of their nostrils were bleedings..

AND Russell was coherent the whole time....

[–] TemporaryAgent 14 years ago

Both of his nostrils were bleeding because he got hit in the face.

And don't forget, people reacted differently to the infection. Peggy was capable of speaking and setting up a trap.

[–] The_Devil_Himself 14 years ago

i guess maybe it is one of those things that is left to the viewer to decide. i think he was sick but i do find it plausible that it could've just him coming apart from everything that is going on. maybe his role as a deputy allowed him to keep himself focused and slowed the effects.

Brandon
My weight only stirs the ground

[–] Ilovejakeg513 14 years ago

Yeah, it's hard to say.

I think the whole situation just kind of got to him, and he didn't exactly become nuts, just very paranoid.

[–] tammytkspr 14 years ago

This is what makes this movie a step above the rest, in that we are still talking about something over a year after the movie's release. This is Apocalypse Now all over again. To this day, you got to ask yourself, was the General a nut job who went AWOL, or an extremely crafty soldier that was biding his time in bringing all of the enemy into one spot so a singular bomb could extinguish them.

I don't think Russell was sick. Everyone else we saw that was sick, was in a very much zombie stage, and Russell was never there. He was very coherent, and I'm not buying that he had a stronger will power than the rest.

PUNK ASS DECEPTICONS

[–] Ilovejakeg513 14 years ago

Exactly ^^

[–] ross2782 14 years ago

He was sick. He wasn't as sick as Rory and Bill because, well, they were exposed sooner, and therefore were sicker (the infection was further along). We know this as fact thanks to the scene where David and Russell check on the path of the water and find that the first house in the whole town it reaches is Rory's. Russell also laments about his house being close to the source of the water. And the blood coming from his nose was the ultimate cue that he was, indeed, infected, and would eventually become just like Rory and Bill.

[–] jrap276 14 years ago

I didnt think he was sick I thought he was just actually losing his mind because of the entire situation. Otherwise why wouldnt he just right out go after the sherif and his wife, everyone else went after ppl they cared for. Also agree he was bleeding cause he got punched.

[–] MJforever16 14 years ago

I think that was the main point of this character... For the well-being of his character to pose as one of the biggest horror movie questions of all time.

It might be obvious to some, but I'm just going to throw this out there.
Yes, Russell's nose was bleeding. Yes, that is a sign of one being infected.

But obviously the filmakers wanted the viewers to finally come to the conclusion that "if you have a nose bleed and act weird... You're infected."

That's the thing. Tim O.'s character punched him in the face beforehand, definitely causing his nose to bleed.

SO that way... No one will ever know if he was actually infected or not.

And I noticed this from the beginning: Russell acted odd from the beginning, sometimes defying the Sheriff's orders, but getting back in line right away.

"Kickin' in the front seat, Sittin' in the back seat, Which seat can I take?"

[–] Noir-82 14 years ago

I didn't believe that he was sick either. He was very cognitive and all his actions thus far have been in the interest of self-preservation. (or maybe anger in the case of the gov't official in the SUV).

To me here's the breaker: The movie started suggesting it back at the Sheriff's home when Russell put 2 extra bullets on each bodies that attacked the Sheriff and the wife. However, although it was not seen by the characters (other than Russell) the film made it clear to the audience that the bodies was still alive and the 2 extra bullets by Russell was to completely neutralize the threat.

As for the gov't official scene, the movie already indicated that the gov't officials and military no longer discriminated between infected and non-infected and we do see a few scenes where even non-infected people were attacking the military in response. It's not that far of a reach for the viewer to think Russell holds the same sentiments with regards to gov't officicals and military.

As for the bloody nose, it's convenient that it just so happened to start after a good decking by the Sheriff.

[–] Ilovejakeg513 14 years ago

Exactly ^^

And if I was Russell, I would have shot her a few more times too, because she was still kind of moving...

It won't hurt just to make sure...

[–] agent_yellow 14 years ago

My initial thought when first seeing the movie was that Russell WAS NOT crazy.
But...
- How do you explain why he went rogue from obeying the David's orders when he basically did everything the sheriff told the deputy to do in the beginning?
- How do you explain the weird way he acted right after David punched him on the highway? (babbling about the "monster catfish"- I still want someone's opinion on that!!)
Just food for thought, I think his character really makes you think and there are solid arguments on both sides.

[–] TemporaryAgent 14 years ago

There would be solid arguments on both sides if there weren't external signs of infection.

But there are and Russell's nose was bleeding, like the rest of the infected.

[–] arvid00013 14 years ago

Russell was sick in my book.

People react differently to illness. One person might have all the symptons while another person might have one or two. Some people get it hard with symptons but recover in days. Others will get a mild version they fight for two weeks.

Some people have total immunity to all known strains of HIV. Other people have a half immunity, and won't test positive for 10 or 20 years.

Most cases in the movie, people had a nose bleed. Some infected might not get a nose bleed or get a really bad nose bleed. The punch could've sped up the nose bleed, or made it worse.

Police are trained not to waste ammo. Only in horror movies do you shot the bad guy repeatively and it makes sense to. Why waste the ammo on those two when a bludgeoning would have sufficed

[–] arvid00013 14 years ago

Russell shoots 5 times, doesn't that seem a bit excessive?

[–] ScarletSevera 14 years ago

But also, when Russell flips the car over and David is talking to the FBI officer (right before Russell shoots him), David says "its been 3 days and we're still ok" or something like that and the officer says "if you don't have it by now then you wont ever get it". Sorry if those aren't the exact words, it's been awhile since I've seen it :)

[–] TemporaryAgent 14 years ago

He already had it by that point.

[–] agent_yellow 14 years ago

Agreed. He had it early on in my opinion.
When you're crazy- you act on your impulses/what drives you the most and you take that to the next level. Could it be that Russell had previous military experience?
After the the group gets out of the school and they see the lady wandering in the parking lot, Russell says, "I'm no world leader, but I had plans." -- Clearly this means he had ambition to go on to bigger and better things (military? sheriff one day?). I think that explains why he was all gung-ho about killing the crazies.

[–] earthTObella13 14 years ago

i agree, the incubation period was 48 hours, it's either you're dead or you have it.

Jeff- "You gave him six months! Six months! People get more for fvcking parking tickets!"

[–] Strazdamonas 13 years ago

Point 1: they were walking for what looks like at least 24 hours high on nerves and it could be he started to get paranoid and cracked.
point 2: he wanted to prove he wasn't crazy. a rare unrelated memory isnt typical of crazy person.

--------------
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for enough good men to do nothing.

[–] bangbang240 14 years ago

But anyways, those were really the only serious signs of him becoming crazy.

I had doubts as well but what really clarified it to me was when Russell shoots the guy that was in the roll over accident while he was being questioned by the sheriff. I was thinking that that was so out of character for him.

[–] walking_bread 14 years ago

Agree...
Russell displayed twisted logic when causing the Black SUV to crash. That was their ticket away from the disaster. To make a bad situation worse, he shoots the agent. The agent may have been able to get a chopper or another vehicle to get them the heck out of there.

One scene where Breck Eisner definitively proved Russell was infected -- after being punched by David and while laying in the road, there's a quiet moment where he is gazing at a cloud-covered sky. It's the scene of the sky with no narrative that's the piece of the puzzle that doesn't fit. Why else would that scene be placed in the film.

I also had doubts about Russell being infected, but after watching again, IMHO, these prove he was a goner. Russell was a true hero for saving the lives of the sherriff and his wife multiple times. Russell was a great guy and it was a bummer for him to get sick.

[–] luv_to_shop 14 years ago

I still don't know what I think about whether he was sick or not. The only thing that makes me think that he might be sick is so subtle that it might not really mean anything, but who knows: At the beginning of the movie at the Sheriff's Department right after David shoots Rory, Russell begins to say something like "Remember last summer when I caught..." and is then interrupted. Later on in the movie after David punches him in the face, he says, "Remember last summer when I caught that huge bass?' It seemed so out of place and it seemed strange he would say that after he just threatened to shoot his friend. It also reminded me of what Bill did when he saw David's wife at the Dr's office and said "She worries too much, I'm fine" and then says it again a couple seconds later.

[–] rawsir 14 years ago

Russell was totally infected. He was bleeding. He was talking crazy at times. He threw the road spikes out for no reason, then shot the "agent" just for the hell of it. He then takes all the guns and starts firing for no reason. He jumps out at the soliders without a loaded gun.

[–] Mr_Blonde3 13 years ago

Russell in this film reminded me of Roger in the original DOTD. A cool character that didn't deserve to die.

I believe he was infected though. It wasn't just the blood, he was also getting dark circles under his eyes. He looked more like crap than David and Judy. Pale, sweating, etc.

And then, because the rifle is "Heavy", he discharges the rounds, then realizes it's useless empty and dumps it? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

I love to love my Lisa.

[–] Kuato_and_George 13 years ago

I don't think he was sick and that the situation was getting to him. He was becoming paranoid and stressed.

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[–] awdell90 13 years ago

i always thought he was more logical than the rest of the lot

as far as him wanting to ditch the gun. the man is tired. theyve been up for a long time, with little time to rest. he discharges the rounds so that no one else can use the gun. he doesnt want to drop a loaded gun on the ground that someone could use on him. its just him being cautious.

as far as the flipping the suv, which is more logical? pointing a gun at a speeding (and most likely bulletproof) vehicle and hoping that it would stop (as the sheriff wanted to do)? or using a spike strip to disable the vehicle and possibly get some supplies.
although it was a bit suspicious when he shoots the agent but i chalk that up to him being pissed

he sees the body still moving, he shoots it again. these infected just attempted to kill 2 of his friends.

the only other factor that would convince me is his appearance. although the nose bleed was caused by getting punched in the face (which should be obvious to anyone) he did also look like *beep* was it from being infected or being worn out. i dont know but its not enough to convince me.

[–] zwarriorz 13 years ago

He was bleeding from his nostrils because he got punched in the face. That's all I interpreted from that scene.

There was nothing wrong with him. He just started becoming paranoid following all the events that occurred to the point he couldn't communicate with David.

He also saved David's life a few times which suggested he's straightforward about what to do to survive.

It's just a disappointment he gave 'in' to his fears and ended up sacrificing himself to save the other two. But then how many people could endure if they were in *his* position? You could argue that David remained steadfast because he had a pregnant wife to look-after (i.e. an inexcusable situation).

Russell was a decent character.

I am a monster for real - just not *evil*.