the black robed figure? (spoilers)
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Edward_de_Vere — 11 years ago(October 06, 2014 07:39 AM)
When I first watched the movie, I also thought it was Louis Cyphre minus the beard, but on a later viewing, it didn't look like DeNiro's face to me. Furthermore, we first see the black robed figure mopping up blood at the black church when "Harry" (Johnny) is talking to Cyphre, which meant that it couldn't have been Cyphre in the robe, at least not in that early scene.
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GravityCakes — 11 years ago(October 08, 2014 02:18 PM)
I just watched the film today (been awhile), and it is definitely DeNiro (as noted by others, he is clean-shaven). What may be throwing you off is that the figure earlier in the film is clearly being played by a stand-in who is much smaller physically than DeNiro (especially in the earliest scene). Watch it again and freeze the image at the reveal. There is no question that the "reveal" is DeNiro. It may not make perfect sense for the reasons you state but it is DeNiro all the same. I have always thought that this film is supposed to work like a nightmare with a lot of image repetitions, and these image repetitions don't always make sense on a narrative level.
"On Pet Rescue today, the clever stoat keeps everyone on their toes in Somerset!" -
thomas-begen — 11 years ago(October 10, 2014 08:07 AM)
Good point, GravityCakes. I don't think you can overthink or try to over-rationalize the events that occur in the film. It's possible Lucifer appears only to Johnny, even though Johnny struts right past Lucifer at the "reveal," as if we didn't already know DeNiro was Lucifer. We should, if we were half-conscience during our viewing.
It's also possible Lucifer wasn't present when the detectives entered the hotel room. In the end these are mere speculations which I don't think need to be worked out in order to understand the movie's basic themes. That said, it's a very troubling film and it's too bad more are not made like this. -
Edward_de_Vere — 11 years ago(October 10, 2014 03:42 PM)
t's possible Lucifer appears only to Johnny, even though Johnny struts right past Lucifer at the "reveal," as if we didn't already know DeNiro was Lucifer.
There was already a reveal of Cyphre as Lucifer at Madam Zora's apartment (glowing eyes and all), so if that was indeed Cyphre clean-shaven in the black robe at the last murder scene, it wasn't intended to reveal his identity.
In the end these are mere speculations which I don't think need to be worked out in order to understand the movie's basic themes. That said, it's a very troubling film and it's too bad more are not made like this
Not to mention the fact that DeNiro hasn't done a decent film since around the time this movie (or perhaps
Heat
) was made. -
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thomas-begen — 11 years ago(November 28, 2014 02:38 PM)
I agree DeNiro is really stinking up the industry at this point, but "Goodfellas" is a classic whether anyone likes it or not. "Casino" is also great in it's own way but I'm much less moved by it. Plus Sharon Stone is unbearable.
Maybe English isn't your first language, maybe not. But my point of putting "reveal" in quotes was to mock the very idea that the "reveal" was reveal. I think anyone who was really engaged with the movie would have reached the conclusion that Louis Cyphre was Lucifer early on and that the glowing eyes were unnecessary, especially on the baby.
In any case, I was mocking the idea of calling the image of a clean-shaven DeNiro a reveal in the first place. -
HATheLaughingManHA — 10 years ago(August 17, 2015 04:36 AM)
You're an idiot
Think back to when you see the robed figure. Now think to when Louis is eating the egg saying it represents the soul (ie Your soul belongs to me), the black robed de Niro is setting all this up to ensure that Harry goes crazy and is executed for the murders where by his soul now belongs in hell to lucifer. It's not hard to figure out -
Edward_de_Vere — 11 years ago(October 10, 2014 03:35 PM)
I just watched the film today (been awhile), and it is definitely DeNiro (as noted by others, he is clean-shaven). What may be throwing you off is that the figure earlier in the film is clearly being played by a stand-in who is much smaller physically than DeNiro (especially in the earliest scene). Watch it again and freeze the image at the reveal.
Yes, that's partly what threw me off, together with the fact that we see Cyphre and the robed figure mopping blood either in the same scene or within moments of one another in the black church.
I'll have to watch the scene again on freeze-frame, can't seem to find it on Google images. -
HATheLaughingManHA — 10 years ago(August 17, 2015 04:38 AM)
http://www.factualopinion.com/.a/6a00d83455e40a69e201a73df316bb970d-popup
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Itsmedrooms2 — 9 years ago(November 27, 2016 01:29 AM)
I thought that the figure in black was Satan's/Louis Cypher's minion, a lower ranked fallen angel. The minion was responsible for Evangeline's murder, as we see Louis Cypher take Harry's gun from Margaret's apartment. So it was either Lucifer himself or his minion (who looks like Lucifer) who killed Evangeline.