I understand why a lot of people dislike the serial killer plotline, but I believe it was there to serve as more than ju
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Malice
craino — 14 years ago(April 22, 2011 11:17 PM)
I understand why a lot of people dislike the serial killer plotline, but I believe it was there to serve as more than just a red herring.
In addition to revealing his sterility, I believe the point of the serial killer plotline was to show that Bill Pullman is not this helpless and mild-mannered schlub he appears to be. He seems like he'd be a pushover, and then he really takes it to Tobin Bell. He later says "he could have killed him".
I think the whole idea here was that up until that point, the audience underestimates the character, just like Nicole Kidman does for the entire movie. We however see that he is a little bit stronger than we might have been led to believe.
I also thought it was a little bit of foreshadowing when Nicole and Alec are walking on the beach and she says "Don't ever underestimate a genius with a chip on his shoulder." She's referring to Alec, but I thought it to be a reference to Bill Pullman being a little bit tougher and capable than she thinks. -
puirt-a-beul — 13 years ago(July 01, 2012 04:44 PM)
Yeah, you're probably right, craino, though it still seems to me that plotwise the serial killer misdirection served no purpose other than to make the police test Pullman's character and conveniently find out he was sterile.
There were a few distractions going on for me around the scene with Tobin Bell in the basement. Did he turn out to be the killer, or was that subplot just shuffled aside?
You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment. -
Minerva_Meybridge — 13 years ago(December 26, 2012 01:23 PM)
This was just a poorly written screenplay. Why would the police need a sample of his sperm? DNA testing has been in use since 1985. They could have swabbed his saliva. The serial killer was a subplot that went nowhere. And what if she had given him the money? Where would the police case have been then? And what about Alex Baldwin's body? All of the characters behave like idiots. And why the hell does Gwyneth Paltrow keep getting murdered in her early pictures? In Seven she got her head lopped off. I mean, apparently no one likes her. No one sympathizes with her for Jennifer Aniston having stolen Brad Pitt from her like everyone weeps for Jennifer. Oh, and why, when Bill Pullman knocks out the killer doesn't he tie him up? Didn't he ever watch a horror film where the killer is shot ten time, stabbed and bludgeoned and still gets up with the strength of ten men? Dumb movie. Total waste of time.
PS. Loved the house on the edge of the cliff. That was the only cliffhanger in the film. -
ShannonTriumphant — 13 years ago(March 30, 2013 08:41 PM)
I hope you're kidding about that house! It sure wasn't a real one in Massachusetts! Since it was listed on "Nauset Heights", this would put it on the Cape, which only has high sand dunes.
Good point about the DNAI think part of the serial killer plot was to let Andy know he is sterile. But it also pushed him, along with his anger over Tracy's treatment of him, and his inferiority complex about Jed, into pushing back at the cons and criminals ruining his life.
I love the scene in Dennis swanky office when Andy shows up, bruised and cut and Dennis asks what happened. He swaggeringly replies, "I beat the beep out of a deeply distubed serial rapist" and the threatens Dennis himself. It works, because he is then able to find out about Tracy & Lilianfield/Jed and "Play the Game".
I love this film, and despite a few flaws, was far more brilliant that the garbage being churned out today!
She deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die. -
siobanphotogirl — 12 years ago(June 13, 2013 02:37 AM)
Hmmmm how come no one ever says "What goes around comes around" when talking about Jennifer Aniston losing Brad Pitt to Angelina Jolie after stealing him from Gwyneth Paltrow???? Oh that's right! Because she didn't!
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ldarrisa-1 — 12 years ago(January 30, 2014 04:29 PM)
the whole point of the serial killer storyline was to get Andy to do a sperm test that was to prove him sterile!! Otherwise he would never found out!! It was for story development more than character development- how else would he have found out he was shooting blanks??