#1 ·
I watched that film based on true events for the second time yesterday. It is truly staggering to witness how a man—a real man, in the truest sense—is treated when he finds himself surrounded by nothing but a herd of mindless cattle 😠
But the most egregious part was the sheer apathy; nobody cared. In the end, they finally gave that poor girl a name and a surname just because otherwise, she would have remained anonymous forever. Not a single superior officer wanted to hear a word about it, and frankly, I am glad he managed to push far enough to send those three idiots and his questionable friend Diaz straight to the brig. The worst part is knowing there are undoubtedly thousands of similar cases that will never see the light of day. To me, this serves as a perfect profile of the average soldier, and indeed, of humanity at large. Personally, I know plenty of lowlifes who would view reporting such behavior as an act of betrayal, regardless of the fact that these men raped and slaughtered that poor soul. It seems only the chaplain actually bothered to help.
As for the film itself, it is excellent. Sean Penn is consistently superb in roles involving fractured psyches, and the Morricone score complements the pacing beautifully.
It stands as mere proof of how many people are shallow, malicious, and limited—people for whom a human life carries zero weight. I certainly don't know how I would fare in the shoes of young Michael J. Fox, or whatever his name is, but given my own mental instability, I likely would have opened fire on them all the moment they started assaulting that poor woman 😠
If they hadn't killed her, I am certain he wouldn't have reported them.
Why am I even writing this? Because human injustice and malice grate on my nerves. It irritates me when I ask for Jane, only to have some jerk at a beachside bar pour me a bitter, undrinkable glass of tap water just so he can squeeze a few extra dollars out of me. It irritates me to see people willing to step over corpses and sell their own mothers for a quick buck, but what I witnessed in this film is perhaps what strikes the deepest chord of resentment. It is easy to lash out and gloat over someone weaker.
Someone once said it perfectly: if you want to see what a person is truly made of, simply give them power.
But the most egregious part was the sheer apathy; nobody cared. In the end, they finally gave that poor girl a name and a surname just because otherwise, she would have remained anonymous forever. Not a single superior officer wanted to hear a word about it, and frankly, I am glad he managed to push far enough to send those three idiots and his questionable friend Diaz straight to the brig. The worst part is knowing there are undoubtedly thousands of similar cases that will never see the light of day. To me, this serves as a perfect profile of the average soldier, and indeed, of humanity at large. Personally, I know plenty of lowlifes who would view reporting such behavior as an act of betrayal, regardless of the fact that these men raped and slaughtered that poor soul. It seems only the chaplain actually bothered to help.
As for the film itself, it is excellent. Sean Penn is consistently superb in roles involving fractured psyches, and the Morricone score complements the pacing beautifully.
It stands as mere proof of how many people are shallow, malicious, and limited—people for whom a human life carries zero weight. I certainly don't know how I would fare in the shoes of young Michael J. Fox, or whatever his name is, but given my own mental instability, I likely would have opened fire on them all the moment they started assaulting that poor woman 😠
If they hadn't killed her, I am certain he wouldn't have reported them.
Why am I even writing this? Because human injustice and malice grate on my nerves. It irritates me when I ask for Jane, only to have some jerk at a beachside bar pour me a bitter, undrinkable glass of tap water just so he can squeeze a few extra dollars out of me. It irritates me to see people willing to step over corpses and sell their own mothers for a quick buck, but what I witnessed in this film is perhaps what strikes the deepest chord of resentment. It is easy to lash out and gloat over someone weaker.
Someone once said it perfectly: if you want to see what a person is truly made of, simply give them power.