When this series appeared, I loved the innocence of it and the various struggles of Dr Murphy with his being on the spectrum and his human actions and struggles with interpersonal relationships. Now, it has turned into another dating scene and this episode was ruined by what I witnessed at the end of the show. I'll not be watching another episode. Sorry. I didn't tune into this show to get this sort of Hollywood writing on my large screen TV.
Reviews
8 Reviews
This Is What Quality TV Looks Like In Every Possible Way
25 January 2019
Sometimes an event occurs that when it is over, you just sit there dazed in amazement. This episode "Songbird Road: Part One" is one such event. Often TV shows will rely on sex or violence to boost ratings. But "This Is Us" takes a different approach by creatively weaving a story of a family through the decades and then telling that story from the perspective of different family members from their life lens as children and then as adults.
This episode is the epitome of outstanding story-telling. The story is excellently told using different time lines, amazing acting (even secondary characters), perfect scripting, and phenomenal camera work. Yes, the adjectives are appropriate!
If you want a lot of action, if you want laugh tracks and silly comedy, if you want blood or thrills, this series and this episode are not for you. But if you value a powerful drama that displays the human condition in its natural form.... with the struggles, emotions, achievements, failures and victories.... then you will not find a better series anywhere. This episode "Songbird Road: Part One" is the Mount Everest of TV drama. It is hard to imagine that any TV drama could be any better than what was shown and achieved in this particular episode!
This episode is the epitome of outstanding story-telling. The story is excellently told using different time lines, amazing acting (even secondary characters), perfect scripting, and phenomenal camera work. Yes, the adjectives are appropriate!
If you want a lot of action, if you want laugh tracks and silly comedy, if you want blood or thrills, this series and this episode are not for you. But if you value a powerful drama that displays the human condition in its natural form.... with the struggles, emotions, achievements, failures and victories.... then you will not find a better series anywhere. This episode "Songbird Road: Part One" is the Mount Everest of TV drama. It is hard to imagine that any TV drama could be any better than what was shown and achieved in this particular episode!
Westworld
(2016–2022)
Living In A Prison Of Your Own Sins
3 October 2016
Westworld is a mirror that reflects the debauchery of it's guests as reflected by its treatment of the hosts and the designs of it's makers. Well heeled guests are treated to their dreams by entering into their own arcade world of the Wild West where they can drink, gamble, kill, or fornicate at will. We are led to assume that this is merely a pay-for-play virtual reality atmosphere, but hints of a more ulterior motive are given and we will need to see how the writers of this series unveil the backstory and unravel the future story as pioneers of their imaginations in a world of their creation within a world of the created.
Westworld is beautifully crafted. The scenic vistas of the southwest are contrasted with the sterile laboratory of the gods of the game. The disparities of the game in the West and behind the scenes among its creators are remarkable, but also we discover the similarities. Westworld leads the viewer to believe that the game is played by the hosts living in their Groundhog Day existence of loops with guests who visit and alter the play within specified programs. But as we view the series, we wonder if the real wildness of the West is not really what is occurring behind the scenes with the creators as the hosts are programmed, tweaked, rolled-back, repaired, etc. Perhaps the real wild west is in man's future as we tempt our own fates and discover that we live in a prison of our own sins.
This is a layered series with writers behind the scenes of Westworld portraying a story of designers who create a world for customers. The first episode places us as a god between the worlds as we set a foot in each and travel the cowboy trails to discover who is who and what is what. And in the first episode, we view the horizon and are introduced to both the beauty and the darkness...truly this is both the best of times and the worst of times portraying mankind's future. HBO has introduced us to a world that represents our future and our past. Choosing to use the setting of the wild west was well played as it enables the introduction of both the romance and the griminess that represents the best and worst boundaries of mankind.
Expect this series to flourish. The writers have opened up many doors enabling the series to develop in a myriad of different directions. Saddle up, grab your Colt SAA pistols, and be alert for dangers as we travel the trails of this brave new world where boundaries will be built, boundaries will be challenged and boundaries will collapse. Along the trail, we will discover the heroes, the villains, and the victims. A sci-fi puzzle such as this could not be more exciting!
Westworld is beautifully crafted. The scenic vistas of the southwest are contrasted with the sterile laboratory of the gods of the game. The disparities of the game in the West and behind the scenes among its creators are remarkable, but also we discover the similarities. Westworld leads the viewer to believe that the game is played by the hosts living in their Groundhog Day existence of loops with guests who visit and alter the play within specified programs. But as we view the series, we wonder if the real wildness of the West is not really what is occurring behind the scenes with the creators as the hosts are programmed, tweaked, rolled-back, repaired, etc. Perhaps the real wild west is in man's future as we tempt our own fates and discover that we live in a prison of our own sins.
This is a layered series with writers behind the scenes of Westworld portraying a story of designers who create a world for customers. The first episode places us as a god between the worlds as we set a foot in each and travel the cowboy trails to discover who is who and what is what. And in the first episode, we view the horizon and are introduced to both the beauty and the darkness...truly this is both the best of times and the worst of times portraying mankind's future. HBO has introduced us to a world that represents our future and our past. Choosing to use the setting of the wild west was well played as it enables the introduction of both the romance and the griminess that represents the best and worst boundaries of mankind.
Expect this series to flourish. The writers have opened up many doors enabling the series to develop in a myriad of different directions. Saddle up, grab your Colt SAA pistols, and be alert for dangers as we travel the trails of this brave new world where boundaries will be built, boundaries will be challenged and boundaries will collapse. Along the trail, we will discover the heroes, the villains, and the victims. A sci-fi puzzle such as this could not be more exciting!
The Profit
(2013–2021)
Fascinating Study of Business & People
28 September 2016
Marcus Lemonis takes the viewer on an excursion of behind-the-scenes business dealings. He is the proverbial fireman of small business owners as he is invited by the owners of those struggling/failing businesses to come and offer his guidance and help.
Typically, he does an introduction of the business, a overview of the business's market, strategies, successes, and failures. Like a doctor who reviews the patient's ailments, Mr. Lemonis then offers a diagnosis and a cost for his cure. Typically the cost of the cure means that he injects some of his own capital investment, and in return, requires a percentage of ownership and initial control over the decision making.
Once the owner and Mr. Lemonis make a handshake deal, he begins the process of interjecting his ideas and taking the owner(s) to meet specialists to assist with their particular business. Mr. Lemonis's black book is full of a virtual who's who of business contacts that most business owners would dream to possess and to know. Using his skills and contacts, Mr. Lemonis on The Profit demonstrates how a sinking ship can be made to float and once again sail....most often with lower costs, higher sales and distribution, and larger profit margins.
It is fascinating to see the variety of troubled businesses, but also to see how despite this variety, often the problems are very similar. Mr. Lemonis's techniques and his business savvy are well-known and he is highly respected for this. However, it must be said that perhaps equally as important and equally as skilled is Mr. Lemonis's people skills which often come into play as he strives to lift the business from the red into the black.
This is one of the very few shows that my wife and I enjoy watching together. She loves watching a variety of reality shows which don't hold my interest and I have a love for shows such as Undercover Boss or The Profit which spotlight business choices and decisions and their results. I may not always agree with Mr. Lemonis's choices, but his results are remarkable. Each show is similar and also unique. Unlike a well written mystery that often has a happy ending, this show also displays the underside of failure due to toxic people and not every episode ends with a predictable success.
You should watch at least 3 shows before you form an opinion, and in doing so, I believe that you will find viewing the series "Profitable". Highly recommended.
Typically, he does an introduction of the business, a overview of the business's market, strategies, successes, and failures. Like a doctor who reviews the patient's ailments, Mr. Lemonis then offers a diagnosis and a cost for his cure. Typically the cost of the cure means that he injects some of his own capital investment, and in return, requires a percentage of ownership and initial control over the decision making.
Once the owner and Mr. Lemonis make a handshake deal, he begins the process of interjecting his ideas and taking the owner(s) to meet specialists to assist with their particular business. Mr. Lemonis's black book is full of a virtual who's who of business contacts that most business owners would dream to possess and to know. Using his skills and contacts, Mr. Lemonis on The Profit demonstrates how a sinking ship can be made to float and once again sail....most often with lower costs, higher sales and distribution, and larger profit margins.
It is fascinating to see the variety of troubled businesses, but also to see how despite this variety, often the problems are very similar. Mr. Lemonis's techniques and his business savvy are well-known and he is highly respected for this. However, it must be said that perhaps equally as important and equally as skilled is Mr. Lemonis's people skills which often come into play as he strives to lift the business from the red into the black.
This is one of the very few shows that my wife and I enjoy watching together. She loves watching a variety of reality shows which don't hold my interest and I have a love for shows such as Undercover Boss or The Profit which spotlight business choices and decisions and their results. I may not always agree with Mr. Lemonis's choices, but his results are remarkable. Each show is similar and also unique. Unlike a well written mystery that often has a happy ending, this show also displays the underside of failure due to toxic people and not every episode ends with a predictable success.
You should watch at least 3 shows before you form an opinion, and in doing so, I believe that you will find viewing the series "Profitable". Highly recommended.
Adrenaline Rush....But Don't Bet On Any Believability
9 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I like to watch Homeland, I really do. It has intrigue, suspense, unpredictability, and action. This episode will not disappoint and is one of the better episodes of the series and is full of octane. I won't go into a lot of detail about this episode, but what I do want to mention is my disappointment with the writing in the series that is such bad fiction, that it is not believable. It is so bad, that whenever I watch an episode, I think...that would not happen over and over. To enjoy fiction, you have to believe that something is possible, even if it is merely fiction.
So basically what has gone on during the past few episodes is what appears to be lack of common sense mixed with contradictions. Let me list a few to illustrate, but each episode is replete with such things and this is just a sampling for you to consider:
1. The ex-director of the CIA travels to a hostel area of the world as a private business man without any escort? Are we to assume that he had no intelligence value and was not at risk of capture? Are we to assume that he would never have any value as a trade in hostage negotiations? I am watching Homeland and I ask "what is Saul doing there"?
2. When Saul is captured and is seen next to Haissam Haqqani, Carrie calls upon a drone to blast Haqqani knowing that her friend and former boss, Saul, would also be killed. Quinn steps in and refuses to allow this to happen. Later, when Saul is trying to evade capture and attempts suicide, Carrie leads him directly into Haqqani's men so that he would be captured instead of him taking his own life.
Is leading the ex CIA chief to the hands of terrorists something that would happen in real life? Yes, Saul was Carrie's mentor, boss, and friend....but is this really how the US intelligence system works? If this were an unusual circumstance, would the person be allowed to remain at their post afterwords? Haqqani allegedly was like Bin Laden and so he would have been an extremely high value target.
3. When it is believed that the embassy is at risk and that Haqqani may be entering the embassy via a tunnel, it is visiting Lockhart who calls out the security protocol to the staff. This would not be in keeping with standard procedure and with normal chain of command. Lockhart didn't even know what documents to secure or even that there was a "safe" to take the "list of assets" to. But what fun to watch the writers make such things up as this!
4. When the transport is hit a few blocks from the Embassy, all but 2 marines are sent to assist. Can you imagine this happening for real unless the Americans are assured of safety of the embassy staff and diplomatic (classified) documents. In trade-craft, one of the early lessons that one learns is the value of diversion.
The marine left behind that is with Quinn only has a sidearm. When he and Quinn surprise and kill 4 of Haqqani's men, they run right past the dead bodies snatching only a radio, do not even take any of the AK- 47's or ammo, and proceed to search for Haqqani with only their handguns and half empty magazines.
5. The marines scurry to the ambush site using what appear to be family automobiles instead of military vehicles or some sort of secure diplomatic vehicle. Upon arrival, and knowing that the convoy vehicles were blown up using RPG's in an ambush, they do not even look around to secure the site resulting in them taking hits from snipers. The writers would have us believe that the US military is this poorly trained to enter a site where multiple RPG's have been used and then never look to the buildings nearby?
5. When Fara is being questioned by Haqqani about her being a Muslim and working with the Americans to "kill Muslims", he asked her if her family knew about this (betrayal). She confirmed that they did....but this is contrary to what anyone would do knowing that the terrorist Haqqani would then go after her family. In earlier episodes Fara was very protective of her family so this was another contradiction.
6. Lockhart opens the safe to save a few hostages believing that Haqqani would accept this "family jewels" containing a list of all US assets in Pakistan and then not hurt anyone else. The logic of saving a dozen lives while giving your enemy a hit list for him to execute the dozens of assets and putting everyone standing in the safe at risk of death or capture....this just escapes me. If anyone is that naive, please do not let them enter into the field of "intelligence" for this looked like a bunch of children playing checkers against Haqqani's master chess game. Would people in top posts actually be this naive? The writers would have us believe this is so.
Anyway, I like to watch spy thrillers and Homeland is fun to watch. I just wish that the writing could allow less plot holes, contradictions, and irrational thinking of the serious players. If you like to watch this genre of shows or films, it is hard to turn off your brain when such shortcomings in the writing continues to turn up. If you like to be entertained and do not use your mind, you will really like this series and this episode. I give it an 8, but wish the writing could reflect something closer to reality as good fiction truly can be executed to be believable with some effort.
So basically what has gone on during the past few episodes is what appears to be lack of common sense mixed with contradictions. Let me list a few to illustrate, but each episode is replete with such things and this is just a sampling for you to consider:
1. The ex-director of the CIA travels to a hostel area of the world as a private business man without any escort? Are we to assume that he had no intelligence value and was not at risk of capture? Are we to assume that he would never have any value as a trade in hostage negotiations? I am watching Homeland and I ask "what is Saul doing there"?
2. When Saul is captured and is seen next to Haissam Haqqani, Carrie calls upon a drone to blast Haqqani knowing that her friend and former boss, Saul, would also be killed. Quinn steps in and refuses to allow this to happen. Later, when Saul is trying to evade capture and attempts suicide, Carrie leads him directly into Haqqani's men so that he would be captured instead of him taking his own life.
Is leading the ex CIA chief to the hands of terrorists something that would happen in real life? Yes, Saul was Carrie's mentor, boss, and friend....but is this really how the US intelligence system works? If this were an unusual circumstance, would the person be allowed to remain at their post afterwords? Haqqani allegedly was like Bin Laden and so he would have been an extremely high value target.
3. When it is believed that the embassy is at risk and that Haqqani may be entering the embassy via a tunnel, it is visiting Lockhart who calls out the security protocol to the staff. This would not be in keeping with standard procedure and with normal chain of command. Lockhart didn't even know what documents to secure or even that there was a "safe" to take the "list of assets" to. But what fun to watch the writers make such things up as this!
4. When the transport is hit a few blocks from the Embassy, all but 2 marines are sent to assist. Can you imagine this happening for real unless the Americans are assured of safety of the embassy staff and diplomatic (classified) documents. In trade-craft, one of the early lessons that one learns is the value of diversion.
The marine left behind that is with Quinn only has a sidearm. When he and Quinn surprise and kill 4 of Haqqani's men, they run right past the dead bodies snatching only a radio, do not even take any of the AK- 47's or ammo, and proceed to search for Haqqani with only their handguns and half empty magazines.
5. The marines scurry to the ambush site using what appear to be family automobiles instead of military vehicles or some sort of secure diplomatic vehicle. Upon arrival, and knowing that the convoy vehicles were blown up using RPG's in an ambush, they do not even look around to secure the site resulting in them taking hits from snipers. The writers would have us believe that the US military is this poorly trained to enter a site where multiple RPG's have been used and then never look to the buildings nearby?
5. When Fara is being questioned by Haqqani about her being a Muslim and working with the Americans to "kill Muslims", he asked her if her family knew about this (betrayal). She confirmed that they did....but this is contrary to what anyone would do knowing that the terrorist Haqqani would then go after her family. In earlier episodes Fara was very protective of her family so this was another contradiction.
6. Lockhart opens the safe to save a few hostages believing that Haqqani would accept this "family jewels" containing a list of all US assets in Pakistan and then not hurt anyone else. The logic of saving a dozen lives while giving your enemy a hit list for him to execute the dozens of assets and putting everyone standing in the safe at risk of death or capture....this just escapes me. If anyone is that naive, please do not let them enter into the field of "intelligence" for this looked like a bunch of children playing checkers against Haqqani's master chess game. Would people in top posts actually be this naive? The writers would have us believe this is so.
Anyway, I like to watch spy thrillers and Homeland is fun to watch. I just wish that the writing could allow less plot holes, contradictions, and irrational thinking of the serious players. If you like to watch this genre of shows or films, it is hard to turn off your brain when such shortcomings in the writing continues to turn up. If you like to be entertained and do not use your mind, you will really like this series and this episode. I give it an 8, but wish the writing could reflect something closer to reality as good fiction truly can be executed to be believable with some effort.
Band of Brothers
(2001)
Battles Lost, Battles Won...and Two Wars
20 June 2014
For the 70th anniversary of D-Day, I pulled out the DVDs and decided to watch BOB for the 3rd time. Frankly, this is not an easy series to watch and doing so dredges up emotions that don't often surface. That said, the series is a jaw dropper. I am at awe as to how these men could fight in a serious campaign....and then another, another, and another. Just when you think it is bad for them....it gets worse.
But through it all, you can come to love these young men and come to appreciate their deep love for their compatriots who they trained along side and then fought along side. It was excruciating to watch as many of my favorites got wounded or killed and I can't imagine what it must have been like for these heroes who had to deal with losing many of their close friends on a regular basis. War truly is hell! It is easy to understand how these men became very close after the war. When you depend on each other for your very lives, it is a trust walk of the highest order....and nothing compares to that in ordinary life. Thus, the 506th regiment of the 101st airborne have a deep affection, respect, and love for one another that can't be earned any other way except via teasing death many times during the war.
It is important to note that while these heroes fought the Germans, they actually fought to liberate all of Europe, including Germany. I have seen a couple of negative comments from German reviewers on this site, but the men of Easy Company helped to end the war and remove a tyrant of all the people giving the German people a freedom that they would not have realized under a Nazi government.
The second war for Easy Company was when they returned home after the war. At that point, they had to ponder the many friends that they had lost, the emotional scars that seemed endless and without understanding to those who did not serve, and trying to adjust to a life that did not require them to be on high alert 24/7. Fighting as they did in Europe was unfathomable and many that were wounded would hurry back to the front lines to fight alongside their friends. It is hard to imagine such a driven attitude in today's society of easy living.
If you get a chance, you should really watch this series a minimum of two times. The first time to experience the battles and the various emotional hurdles of Easy Company. The second time to really gather a deep and sincere appreciation for the price that these men paid for what we enjoy today. It has been said that the price of freedom is not free....and the men of Easy Company give those of us who never picked up a gun in battle an idea of the price of this freedom. It was an expensive purchase, but I am grateful for someone paying the price for me.
But through it all, you can come to love these young men and come to appreciate their deep love for their compatriots who they trained along side and then fought along side. It was excruciating to watch as many of my favorites got wounded or killed and I can't imagine what it must have been like for these heroes who had to deal with losing many of their close friends on a regular basis. War truly is hell! It is easy to understand how these men became very close after the war. When you depend on each other for your very lives, it is a trust walk of the highest order....and nothing compares to that in ordinary life. Thus, the 506th regiment of the 101st airborne have a deep affection, respect, and love for one another that can't be earned any other way except via teasing death many times during the war.
It is important to note that while these heroes fought the Germans, they actually fought to liberate all of Europe, including Germany. I have seen a couple of negative comments from German reviewers on this site, but the men of Easy Company helped to end the war and remove a tyrant of all the people giving the German people a freedom that they would not have realized under a Nazi government.
The second war for Easy Company was when they returned home after the war. At that point, they had to ponder the many friends that they had lost, the emotional scars that seemed endless and without understanding to those who did not serve, and trying to adjust to a life that did not require them to be on high alert 24/7. Fighting as they did in Europe was unfathomable and many that were wounded would hurry back to the front lines to fight alongside their friends. It is hard to imagine such a driven attitude in today's society of easy living.
If you get a chance, you should really watch this series a minimum of two times. The first time to experience the battles and the various emotional hurdles of Easy Company. The second time to really gather a deep and sincere appreciation for the price that these men paid for what we enjoy today. It has been said that the price of freedom is not free....and the men of Easy Company give those of us who never picked up a gun in battle an idea of the price of this freedom. It was an expensive purchase, but I am grateful for someone paying the price for me.
The Hunt
(2012)
Finding His Way In The Forest
3 September 2013
Here in the small town where I reside, our local newspaper had a recent headline that a beloved teacher was suspected of improper contact with a student. The article was complete along with his picture and I felt that this teacher's life was over as he knew it whether the information was accurate or false. I felt that I would withhold judgement pending an accurate and a detailed investigation, but I know that others would not give the teacher this courtesy. Human nature is an interesting thing to observe and we often get trapped in our own snares with comments such as "I really can't tolerate judgemental people".
Recently I saw another Danish movie "The Hijacking" and was so impressed with it, that I sought out this movie as it was also a highly regarded project. I'm glad I did. The movie reflected the idea of a rush to judgement and all the implications of how society reacts when information is inaccurately reinforced.
The title of the movie, "The Hunt" is symbolic of Lucas's hunt for justice, but also feeling like the hunted. It begins with friends at a hunting camp drinking & celebrating but this hunt is all a metaphor for Lucas's life. Perhaps it was best expressed when his son got a family heirloom hunting rifle and it was said that now he was old enough to find his way in the forest. "The Hunt" is really about such a journey and the forest was thick with assumptions, accusations, hatred, betrayal, and a host of other thorns, briars, branches and such things to trip up the journey. Having felt like he was being hunted through a community's narrow rifle scope of understanding, Lucas's idea of hunting is ultimately altered....and believably so.
Vinterberg does a masterful job of story telling and in such a way that we hear a morality tale. Yes, many times the information we are told in the news is correct. But what if it isn't? What price is paid by the victim and his/her family? If you want to watch a movie that is different from the typical Hollywood variety and gives you reason to search more deeply before believing what you see and hear, watch "The Hunt" and see if you would find your way through the same forest that Lucas traveled. Few of us would be able to do so....
Recently I saw another Danish movie "The Hijacking" and was so impressed with it, that I sought out this movie as it was also a highly regarded project. I'm glad I did. The movie reflected the idea of a rush to judgement and all the implications of how society reacts when information is inaccurately reinforced.
The title of the movie, "The Hunt" is symbolic of Lucas's hunt for justice, but also feeling like the hunted. It begins with friends at a hunting camp drinking & celebrating but this hunt is all a metaphor for Lucas's life. Perhaps it was best expressed when his son got a family heirloom hunting rifle and it was said that now he was old enough to find his way in the forest. "The Hunt" is really about such a journey and the forest was thick with assumptions, accusations, hatred, betrayal, and a host of other thorns, briars, branches and such things to trip up the journey. Having felt like he was being hunted through a community's narrow rifle scope of understanding, Lucas's idea of hunting is ultimately altered....and believably so.
Vinterberg does a masterful job of story telling and in such a way that we hear a morality tale. Yes, many times the information we are told in the news is correct. But what if it isn't? What price is paid by the victim and his/her family? If you want to watch a movie that is different from the typical Hollywood variety and gives you reason to search more deeply before believing what you see and hear, watch "The Hunt" and see if you would find your way through the same forest that Lucas traveled. Few of us would be able to do so....
A Hijacking
(2012)
Interesting Study In Human Psychology
2 September 2013
It is often said that the jailer becomes a prisoner too. For as he watches the prisoner, he also becomes a prisoner since he cannot leave his post.
In this movie, we find that that all the parties are prisoners. The obvious prisoners are the crew, but then we have the Somalis who are guarding them. The negotiator, Omar, who declares himself a non-pirate and a middleman representing communications with the Somali pirates said that he cannot leave until the ransom is paid. On the other side, we have the family of the crew who is helpless in the ordeal. Then we have Peter, the self-assured CEO of the Danish shipping company who has chosen to negotiate with the Somalis. He may seem less of a prisoner at first, but as time progresses, we see that he is also in a cell of a different kind. He cannot afford to lose focus, he cannot afford to lose his cool, he cannot afford to offer too much money lest it backfire, and he has to keep his shipping board members satisfied and give comfort to the families of the crew. The real surprise is in who gives Peter the key to free him from his cell. Perhaps the final symbolism is at the conclusion in seeing him get into his car and drive it out into the streets. We see the garage door slowly open as Peter's car leaves and then it slowly settles back down afterwards. A prisoner has just been set free and the movie watchers never doubted this would happen, but we wondered when and how.
The movie is a masterful game of chess played over a period of weeks and months, but with the stake of human life if an error is made. The stress is overbearing on all parties and the movie watcher waits to see if anyone cracks first. All of this is heightened by poor communication with language, distance, and technology failures and as the conditions deteriorate with the progression of time. Additionally the relationships shift. The Somalis are the feared enemy in one scene, like comrades in another, and then feared again in yet another. The shipping company is slow to come to terms and you wonder who is friend and who is foe with lives hanging in the balance.
If you want to see a gritty movie from a dual vantage point, then consider "A Hijacking" a treat. It is not Hollywood predictable. Highly recommended!
In this movie, we find that that all the parties are prisoners. The obvious prisoners are the crew, but then we have the Somalis who are guarding them. The negotiator, Omar, who declares himself a non-pirate and a middleman representing communications with the Somali pirates said that he cannot leave until the ransom is paid. On the other side, we have the family of the crew who is helpless in the ordeal. Then we have Peter, the self-assured CEO of the Danish shipping company who has chosen to negotiate with the Somalis. He may seem less of a prisoner at first, but as time progresses, we see that he is also in a cell of a different kind. He cannot afford to lose focus, he cannot afford to lose his cool, he cannot afford to offer too much money lest it backfire, and he has to keep his shipping board members satisfied and give comfort to the families of the crew. The real surprise is in who gives Peter the key to free him from his cell. Perhaps the final symbolism is at the conclusion in seeing him get into his car and drive it out into the streets. We see the garage door slowly open as Peter's car leaves and then it slowly settles back down afterwards. A prisoner has just been set free and the movie watchers never doubted this would happen, but we wondered when and how.
The movie is a masterful game of chess played over a period of weeks and months, but with the stake of human life if an error is made. The stress is overbearing on all parties and the movie watcher waits to see if anyone cracks first. All of this is heightened by poor communication with language, distance, and technology failures and as the conditions deteriorate with the progression of time. Additionally the relationships shift. The Somalis are the feared enemy in one scene, like comrades in another, and then feared again in yet another. The shipping company is slow to come to terms and you wonder who is friend and who is foe with lives hanging in the balance.
If you want to see a gritty movie from a dual vantage point, then consider "A Hijacking" a treat. It is not Hollywood predictable. Highly recommended!
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