Refreshing change in moviemaking?

First, let me say: I'm a pacifist. I wholeheartedly believe that violence only ever leads to more violence. Call me whatever names you like, I'm secure enough in my beliefs you won't hurt my feelings.

That aside, I like violent movies. Being as I am of the male persuasion, I do possess testosterone, and I like to watch stuff blow up and guys beating the crap out of each other, if its fiction. No one gets hurt, I get entertained. So I liked this movie in that respect. The fights were cool, and like a good action movie, they helped tell the story.

Something occurred to me though.

A lot of movies, most movies in fact, and a sadly large percentage of action movies, try to promote the idea that "fighting isn't the answer" and "violence never solves anything." The hero is always reluctant to strap on a gun or get back in the ring, but some circumstance forces his hand, blah, blah, etc, etc...

This movie doesn't do that. At all. It doesn't ****ing apologize for what it is. Jake straight up tells Roqua: I have to fight. Its the only way this is going to end. He doesn't whine about it, or have to be pushed into it. Once its his family in the line of fire, he throws down.

I know this might start some huge political discussion, but this strikes me as a particularly neo-conservative theme. I'm pretty liberal, and most movies seem to be made with liberal themes. I agree with the sentiment, but it does get tiresome sometimes.

In what is probably indicative of the politics of left-leaning Hollywood, movies like this one are rare these days. I grew up in a more conservative household, and I was raised on old movies, including old John Wayne war flicks, where the main character doesn't see war as a political issue, but a moral one. I don't watch too many movies like that anymore.

I know the world would be a better place without violence, but I also know that we aren't there yet. I can have hope for that kind of world, but some people still only understand violence.

I realize this movie didn't win any awards (except "Best Fight" on the MTV Movie Awards), but I think it warrants another look from some people. People who disagree with it, like me. It reaffirmed my beliefs far better than any forced drama about the horrors of war, with soldiers coming home from war broken. It did that by challenging those beliefs.

Something far too few people are willing to let happen.

~P