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I do have one theory to follow up on flyingcowherder's post. Based on some other Cronenberg work and themes. He early on in his career always seemed to have some evolution on the cusp of happening to the human body as we know it. In Shivers for instance there is a new human being evolving that may eventually be the new earth.
Is Bianca Oblivion in fact worse then Videodrome? Is her idea of the "New Flesh" a world eventually all under the influence of hallucinations without death from brain tumor? (Oblivion suggests the tumor will evolve not to death but a new extension of the brain) Videodrome wanted to eliminate in their opinion weak minded social degenerates of the world and have a pure race of humans if you will (kind of the Hitler purity thing going on there). While Bianca and her father (idealist liberal thinking in a Cult sense taken to the extreme) may have wanted to change the entire world into hallucinating entities like a permanent LSD party. Certainly would be a evolution of the human race. Two radically different philosophies with Oblivion's side wanting the "New Flesh" for all humankind.
Without question this to me is a direct I'll call it homage to the staging of "Our Town" for television in 1977. It was setup the exact same way with a main street and houses drawn by lines on the stage floor and actors interacting with objects that weren't there like doors etc. It had a great cast of Hal Holbrook as the narrator (just like in Dogville), Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty, Robbie Benson, Glynnis O'Connor, John Houseman, and many other recognizable tv and film actors. Can be watched uncut on youtube as of 2021. I love Dogville a whole bunch more however for it's dark narrative and modern day talent.
1 hit book you could consider maybe a fluke. A Lifetime of them, mostly all turned into movies and a personal net worth of 400 million? Well that has to be the most profitable crap in history he is serving up.
He has come up with genre changing ideas all over the place. Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shining, all re-defined how school bullying, vampirism, and the classic ghost story could be told. The Stand is an opus to the end of the world. Think of the creativity in novels like The Dead Zone, and Firestarter. The fear of clowns and childhood fears in general carried with children to adulthood in the novel "IT".
I think the long and short answer is Grimes wanted Masters taken down so he contacted Chance and Vulkovich, but when he realized they probably were going to take the fall for the FBI agent being killed (as told to him by Vulkovich) he knew that plan was out the window. So he better inform Masters they were agents and committed the heist. Masters may have thought since they were doing this all rogue with no backup it would be an easy setup and exactly the type of calculated risk and setup Masters would enjoy. Masters buddy had a shotgun hidden and maybe the plan was to kill them right then and there but Chance a second sooner got the jump on them to make the arrest.
If Chance's so called girlfriend did know the Chinese Man was an FBI agent her motivation was to get Chance out of her life. So she was setting him up, but her character doesn't seem to hate him or does she? She has many reasons to hate him.
4 Reasons out of many many more the original is world's better-
-Geraldine Page
-Clint Eastwood
-Elizabeth Hartman
-Don Siegel
Tough Call for sure. I consider Coming Home one of my favorite all time films but would have to give the nod to Born on the 4th of July as the better made film. Every shot in that movie is a work of art. Golden Sunsets (that the crew waited for the perfect time to film). The musical Score. The Editing. Magnificent film-making creating moods of Childhood innocence and nostalgia, the tremendous heated landscapes of Vietnam, etc.
And it is a triumphant story as well. As the true life character finds a purpose for his life. Finds forgiveness. Redemption. Success. It's that old saying Hollywood couldn't write a better story. The true tale of a young man's journey through naive impressionable youth to grown man. The realizations of war and all it really entails like the killing of babies, and accidental friendly fire on one of your own men and that guilt. The impact of a young man realizing who is going to love someone who can't make love to them, have babies with them. This journey for Ron Kovic just goes on and on. One of the best character arcs in film really. It's a great companion piece to Platoon.
If you swim out far enough you would eventually reach the point of no return where you could not physically make it back to shore before your body gave out.
His character in his mind suffered from a lack of courage to be a War Hero. I hate to say it is courageous to die by drowning yourself but damn that would require an incredible amount of courage to do something like that. Also remember as many who fought war have said, there is a fine line between Courage and Stupidity. In his distorted mind as with most suicides there is I believe a sense of Heroism and Nobility by the act. Ancient Romans would have the opportunity to commit suicide if overthrown or found in scandel for instance. And we all know of the Japanese Romanticism with Hari Kari. Swimming off into the ocean has been portrayed in films before this one. One that comes to mind is a very old Frederick March movie. There is this romanticism and Heroism behind this act. The Dern character may have found himself at this decision without his wife ever having an affair in the first place.
From the outside looking in however we see it as a tragedy. Another Victim of the war. Jon Voight a victim of the war. Jane Fonda now a victim of the War. Her best friend and her suicidal brother played by Robert Carradine victims of the war. So a war that was fought half way around the world left in it's wake victims alive and dead. That's really the main message of this film. The movie is a tragedy for sure. In the broadest scope.
But is there any hope in the ashes of that war's impact? Sure there is. Jane Fonda and Jon Voight found true love and they have a chance to move forward. Her best friend Vie is now engaged (be it to a guy coming back from war mind you although his character never seems to be bothered by Nam and is described as tearing it up over there) and she has a future. Life will keep going for the survivors. What will they make of it?
I think the scientists of the future(present) original most realistic thing to settle for was to just get a sample of the virus, but when they found out who the target was they sent the Jon Seda Character Jose back in time to give Cole the gun to kill the David Morse character. Therefore stopping the virus before it ever happened and saving the world. Seems they had the ability to go back and try again as many times as they wanted so the next time they would simply kill off the Morse character before he ever released the virus or even thought of the idea if they wanted. Of course the Bruce Willis character would grow up normally but Madeline Stowe would be aprox. 16 or so years older then him. They might have hooked up by fate as she seems to recognize him vaguely when she first meets him. I believe this if from living through timelines over and over again (DeJa vu). Would she make this unknowing connection again if they ever caught sight of each other and would the age difference matter? Worse case scenario love between them is lost but the world is saved.