I also was befuddled! I didn't come up with scenario 1 though and that would be the best ending I think although the fil
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blushift4 — 9 years ago(December 31, 2016 12:28 PM)
OK, a lot of people don't really pay attention to the numerous holes in most movie plots, because the cinematography, acting, and general storytelling taking place in any 'good' movie will distract us from perceiving the holes. I often don't notice them myself.
But, since you mentioned The Matrix (a movie I enjoyed myself), take it for an example. What kind of reality does it paint? One where holes like these
http://www.movieplotholes.com/the-matrix-plot-holes.html
make sense?
The first one listed: Trinity tells an agent to 'Dodge this', while pressing a gun to the Agent's head. Since the reality painted by the movie is that Agents can dodge bullets, and bullets in this reality apparently move with the same speed as they do in real life, how is the Agent powerless to dodge this bullet, especially after Trinity pauses long enough to say her line before pulling the trigger? The answer is simple, because they wanted to make the scene 'cool' and have Trinity say something bada$$ before shooting him. Reality in any movie really doesn't have any relation to anything that can be called 'real'. Even the reality set up by movies themselves are constantly manipulated in ways that don't make sense and are never explained, it's the nature of imagination and storytelling.
Your view of movie reality seems a little skewed. I don't say this as an insult, mine is, too (along with everyone else). But, when you demand a certain sense of reality from one particular movie, while giving many others a pass on this same requirement, I wonder how you are selecting movies that you feel 'make sense based on the reality each film paints'. I will agree that there are some movies that simply push the 'willing suspension of disbelief' too far for me to really enjoy them, but Under Suspicion is not one of those.
Movies are all BS in numerous ways, the only thing that makes a movie worthwhile is the story itself, how entertaining it is, and (for me personally) whether it makes you think about it after the credits roll. Under Suspicion certainly does that. -
jambawala — 9 years ago(December 31, 2016 11:26 PM)
blushift - I agree with your first point. 'Good' films (apostrophes because this is subjective) often dazzle us enough with high-quality story-telling such that plot holes cease to be.
I checked out the movie plot holes link you posted for The Matrix. ALL of the 'plot holes' feel like desperate reaches to me. In the very example that you describe, i.e. the "Dodge this" moment, Trinity has her gun pressed right against the Agent's temple. The whole point of her posturing with that catchphrase was to demonstrate there was little the Agent could do from that distance. The reality demonstrated by the movie up to that point is that Agents can dodge bullets given the right circumstances, not a blanket, 'All Agents can dodge bullets all the time'.
Even the major and super plot holes listed in your link are overly presumptuous at best. One plot hole totally ignores the intense emotions that a character is experiencing in a life-or-death moment and another plot hole assumes too high a level of scientific knowledge of the dystopic universe that The Matrix is set in.
If a film doesn't make sense while you're watching it, there's one of two reasons, in my opinion. Either you 'didn't get it' or the film is 'not good'. Again, the apostrophes signal the subjectivity at play here because in a way, both sentiments may be the same to the individual viewer. Keeping that in mind, I can say with no hesitation that at no point while watching The Matrix did I say, "Wait - this doesn't make sense." Or, to use this thread's title, "What the heck was that all about??". You can bet I said that a few times after I finished watching Under Suspicion.
After I watched Under Suspicion, the fact that certain plot contrivances made no sense to me compelled me, and others, to write about them on IMDB. For The Matrix, you had to google "The Matrix plot holes" to find any plot holes. Just between us, this point alone indicates a differential between the two films.
Bringing it back full circle to your first point, I get the feeling that you genuinely consider Under Suspicion to be a 'good' movie, which (paraphrasing your thoughts) may have allowed you to overlook certain gaps that others found noticeable. Like I mentioned earlier, this is a film with a powerful premise and a powerful cast and I felt shortchanged by the plot contrivances. I'd love to know why you think this is a good movie and bridge the gap between me and this film so I may possibly appreciate it more. -
blushift4 — 9 years ago(December 31, 2016 12:38 PM)
Oh, as to Henry's fondness for young girls, he admits to this himself in a scene where he is questioned near the end of the film and is backed into a corner over the huge number of photos of young girls they found in his collection.
He says something to the effect of, "So what if I find young girls attractive, a lot of men do, I just have the guts to admit it."
I remember this specifically because I just saw the movie yesterday, which is what drove me here to the discussion board for the film (never saw it before).