i say forget about forgive and just move on
December 21
Five Favourite Movies, day 3
Grosse Pointe Blank
This film works for me on so many levels, it's kind of ridiculous. I mean, obviously, it's absurdly pretty and has a fantastic soundtrack, and, considering it's about a professional hitman, it's hilarious.
But it's so much more than that.
There's the debate about the morality of killing for money. Why is it okay for Martin to kill people for the army or the CIA and get paid for it, but not for him to be paid by other people or governments? Why do the government agents have to wait for him to attempt to kill his target before they can make a move, when that puts the target at risk, and that's what they're supposed to be preventing? Why do professional killers need to have a guiding philosophy to be able to do their jobs, when they're just doing their jobs? Is the realisation that those philosophies are bullshit what sparks Martin's breakdown, or is it some moral core he didn't believe he had?
Which ties in beautifully with the quarter-life crisis theme that also runs through the film. It came out when I was at uni, and that's when I first remember seeing articles about quarter-life crises. Maybe it was a thing before that, but meh. I mostly think stuff like that is crap. Your life is what your life is at any given moment and it can change in a heartbeat. The idea that you need to be a finished article at any time in your life, especially some arbitrary point like 10 years after leaving school, is horse manure.
One of the things I like most about this film is that it agrees with me on that. Don't like your job? Quit and find another. Unhappy in your career? It's never too late to find a different one. Worried about all the crap in your past? It's already happened, face forwards.
How's your life?
In progress.
Five Favourite Movies, day 3
Grosse Pointe Blank
This film works for me on so many levels, it's kind of ridiculous. I mean, obviously, it's absurdly pretty and has a fantastic soundtrack, and, considering it's about a professional hitman, it's hilarious.
But it's so much more than that.
There's the debate about the morality of killing for money. Why is it okay for Martin to kill people for the army or the CIA and get paid for it, but not for him to be paid by other people or governments? Why do the government agents have to wait for him to attempt to kill his target before they can make a move, when that puts the target at risk, and that's what they're supposed to be preventing? Why do professional killers need to have a guiding philosophy to be able to do their jobs, when they're just doing their jobs? Is the realisation that those philosophies are bullshit what sparks Martin's breakdown, or is it some moral core he didn't believe he had?
Which ties in beautifully with the quarter-life crisis theme that also runs through the film. It came out when I was at uni, and that's when I first remember seeing articles about quarter-life crises. Maybe it was a thing before that, but meh. I mostly think stuff like that is crap. Your life is what your life is at any given moment and it can change in a heartbeat. The idea that you need to be a finished article at any time in your life, especially some arbitrary point like 10 years after leaving school, is horse manure.
One of the things I like most about this film is that it agrees with me on that. Don't like your job? Quit and find another. Unhappy in your career? It's never too late to find a different one. Worried about all the crap in your past? It's already happened, face forwards.
How's your life?
In progress.