MovieChat Forums > The Good Neighbor (2016) Discussion > In court scene, they say accused...

In court scene, they say accused...

posted 8 years ago by kennyamac
10 replies | jump to latest

James Caan and a decent closing song over the end credits can't turn a turd of a movie idea into something thats not a turd...
Boring found footage type movie, predictable, and just not interesting... gotta wonder why James Caan got roped into this...
do yourself a favour and avoid this movie.

Spoiler...
Also, in the court footage the policeman talks about when he first met the "accused"...of course he didnt meet the accused, he met the victim... but they couldnt say that or it would have given away the ending in the first twenty minutes...

[–] trombleykyle 8 years ago

They also acted like James Caan would put an axe in the back of the cops head at one point, but we knew better because they showed the cop on stand..

[–] Hancockenstein 8 years ago

yea good idea bad execution.

Plot hole - Aspect of a film that is misunderstood or missed while using your smart phone.

[–] Cheena71 8 years ago

Haha! I love your signature!

That is all.

[–] balducci2 8 years ago

"Also, in the court footage the policeman talks about when he first met the "accused"...of course he didnt meet the accused, he met the victim"

Incorrect. He meant the accused. You are confused (which may be what the director wanted) because of how the scenes were strung together. In one scene, the officer is there because of the burglar alarm. In the next scene, he is giving testimony about the night Grainey committed suicide, when he entered the home with his weapon drawn. The dialogue makes that clear:

> And how did you first come into contact with the accused?

< I was the first officer to respond to the scene that night.

> Officer Palmer, would you please describe for the court...

< Exactly what you saw when you entered 614 covered bridge road?

> After responding to the call, I canvassed the house.

< I entered through the open front door with my weapon drawn.

[–] s1obberbone2 8 years ago

"Accused" is the correct term - referring to Ethan and Sean.

It seems you were fooled -as the director not only wants, but as he warns us at the beginning.

The film opens with a voiceover informing us of a scientific study in which the participants are led to believe something will affect their "routine", but the only thing affecting the routine is their perception of reality.

The "routine" in movies has been normalized by having sequences presented to us in a linear fashion, so when we see the sequence of Officer Palmer responding to Grainey's house alarm is followed by his court testimony about meeting the "accused", we allow ourselves to believe the "accused" refers to Grainey.

However, Palmer's testimony says when he "first" met the accused he entered the house through the open door, gun drawn, and saw the accused standing over a body: In the sequence we just saw -when Palmer first meets Grainey- none of those events happened.

It is clear Palmer is referring to someone other than Grainey when discussing the "accused".

However, it seems the voiceover warning us about how we create our own false narrative works on some viewers.

[–] cynderbar 8 years ago

Yes I totally agree! The whole movie runs a lot deeper than people are giving it credit for. It is a little slow but the payoff is in the ending. All the threads tie together then.

[–] ldddhunter 8 years ago

I just HOPE Sean has NOTHING to do w/Ethan EVER AGAIN! His parents both had their arms around Sean pulling him away from Ethan meaning they don't want anything at all to do w/the "mastermind sick-fu!" that he is and Sean was easily led by Ethan's "master plan" b/c he had his OWN "evil agenda" - all b/c "the GOOD Neighbor" helped Ethan's mother when she came pounding on his door for help b/c her husband was becoming violent which I take that he was hitting her... so yeah the POS went to jail and this was Ethan's revenge but Sean not knowing all this went along thinking it was some "scientific test on a living person" - so yeah Ethan really screwed Sean over by not telling him the truth in the very beginning and Ethan is loving his "new fame" but Sean turned his back on it. I mean either way what they did was so freaking illegal, once he saw that bell - I was like oh hell this is a "true special item" to him. I had a feeling his wife died of cancer for some reason early in the film I figured she died w/cancer and/or an car accident. But ETHAN especially should go to HELL !! Sean was wrong as well but he at least feels sympathy towards what they did and the outcome.

[–] Cheena71 8 years ago

After watching to flashbacks or footage, I felt foe Sean. He recognized they'd taken it too far but figured if he told someone, Ethan was right, his fingerprints were on the equipment.

Ethan?? I don't think he ever realized the damage he'd done!! Since he wasn't severely punished, he'll probably do something similar in the near future.

[–] biziguy22 8 years ago

He used 'defendant', not accused. FYI.

[–] joeypsychotic 8 years ago

"...of course he didnt meet the accused, he met the victim..."

...and then he met the accused. Not exactly rocket science.