MovieChat Forums > The Counselor (2013) Discussion > The Bolito as a Token of Progress

The Bolito as a Token of Progress

posted 3 years ago by Fandango (534)
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The Counselor paints a bleak view of modernity and human relations. Everyone is an object, "replicable, replaceable, disposable," and this interpersonal distinction is highlighted rather clearly with the bolito. The bolito is a depersonalized weapon of destruction, making it the ultimate tool for death in the modern landscape. It requires no mastery or training, and its hyper-violent execution stands in contrast to, say, Anton Chigurh's captive bolt stunner, which is a tool meant to kill with a minimal level of suffering.

The bolito is symbolic of the unstoppable and indestructible force of modernity, and a testimonial to the decaying nature of the interhuman relationship. Its mechanized element removes the user from a sense of agency previously the domain of the individual (i.e., conventional weapons) and negates moral choice. There is an attenuated sense of accountability in its use, leaving no trace of its perpetrator, and bulwarking notions of modern digital anonymity.

Beyond the veneer of progress, one can view the bolito as a symbol of depravity and social inadequacy, shining a light on the grimmer side of technological innovation.

[–] twinA (4921) 3 years ago

September 11, 2021 Saturday 11:05 PM ET

There's an old Jewish saying that goes something akin to "When a man fires an arrow from his bow, attempting to murder another man, yet misses, is still guilty of [intended] murder due to motive".

From these words we can gather that no matter the weapon or the method, nothing brings truth to form more than the conscious act because it is a reflection of our character.

In due patience, I would like to explore this topic here further when my time allows. I am reminded of the penetrating words of the enigmatic Charles Baudelaire and the bold gusto of Heinrich Heine, whom of each personally dealt with the emotional turmoil and distancing brought on by rapid industrial expansion encapsulated by the dramatic urban lanscape.

~~/o/

[–] Fandango (534) 3 years ago

From these words we can gather that no matter the weapon or the method, nothing brings truth to form more than the conscious act because it is a reflection of our character.

We can see that the bolito is not only the culmination of "closed potentialities" (i.e., Westray's death), but of the suffocating grasp of progress alongside social alienation.

"The wire cuts through the carotid arteries and sprays blood all over the spectators and then everybody gets to go home."

[–] twinA (4921) 3 years ago

September 15, 2021 Wednesday 12:00 AM ET

In 'The Counselor', all of the people never actually try to really communicate with each other. Their conversations, though insightful, do not address their need for one another. Despite all their interactions and shared dialog, they also do not care for each other either. It is not true contact since knowing people deeply also involves actively caring about them too.

They are shut out, with no love greater than the world they live in. Because of this, they are incapable of grasping the wisdom that humanity, in the context of their personalities, cannot foster a love without redemption. If the way we live is a testimony of sorts, we must live as if our lives matter, that one can't say to others, "Do as I say, but don't do as I do." Living by example would mean not just living for ourselves (as everyone does in the film), or the world, but believing in *Love itself.

EDIT: (Sept. 15, 2021 Wed. 1:05 AM ET)

*Not the kind of love that is based on feeling but which is life-giving

~~/o/