Throughout history, we've used art to get a glimpse into the era in which it was created. Music, plays, cave paintings, pottery shards - all of them have been used by anthropologists to interpret the lives of it's makers.
Thousands of years from now, I think our descendants will use film to get a window into our society. For the last half century, the movies Hollywood has made have suited the moods, hopes, and fears of a nation.
The Manchurian Candidate railed against communism.
The Green Berets served as pro-Vietnam war propoganda.
Serpico rallied a nation against police corruption, and
Rocky IV gave America a victory over Cold War enemy, Mother Russia.
Patriot Games grappled with the IRA at a time when Ireland was weary of unrest. The television show
24 alone has run the gamut of villains pulled from real life danger zones, from the Balkans, to China, to the Middle East.
That's a pretty long list of enemies, plucked from leading news stories that put fear into Americans over the last few decades. It's so long, you'd think we'd be in danger of running out of countries to attach bad guys to!
Well, I think that' last statement is becoming fact. Check out the tagline for the new Clive Owen movie,
The International.
They control your money.They control your government.They control your life.
And everybody pays.At first, judging by the poster, it looks like a pretty cool action/chase flick. Until you realize that the bad guy is....
The bank.
Yep! The same bank where I stand in line behind senior citizens who talk to the tellers for far too long is now the big bad guy in a major Hollywood action picture.
Now, in this age of mortgage crises, bank failures, and bailouts, it's pretty smart for Hollywood to give the masses a villain like this that nearly everyone has had an issue with at one time or another. I hope there's a scene in this film where Clive Owen gets upset about service fees before letting a couple of punches fly.
But really. Can you imagine pitching this movie to a studio exec, even a year ago.
Studio Exec: Sounds GREAT, Frank! Lots of shooting! Explosions! Chase scenes! So tell me! Who is the main villain behind this action masterpiece!?!Frank, the Writer: The banks!Studio Exec: ... And these... 'banks', they're, like, run by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, right?Frank, the Writer: Sigh, I knew I should have gone to grad school!This movie comes so close on the heels of the bank collapses, that I'm willing to bet it actually was originally shot with Middle Eastern villains, and after the economy went in the toliet, they simply redubbed the voices with the words "Bank" in place of "Iran", and "Service Charges" in place of "Terrorist Attack" to make it relevant.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, meet the latest 21 century bad guy!
Currently playing: Mickey and Sylvia -
Love is StrangeCurrently colouring: Marvel Masterworks: CLASSIFIED!
Proudly in my third Cola free year!
What could Dolly Parton POSSIBLY have to say about the new president and economy that would make this worth watching...?
