Films and Levels – 2. Last Hope

Synopsis

Let me present the plot chronologically (not as it is given in the film).

The American officer is raising two sons – the senior (shown as a child of 10—12 years) and the junior (2—3 years younger). Senior one is autistic. He is fast at solving puzzles, but the minor setback drops him into hysterics, emotional storm.

The family has a choice – to send a senior one in the cozy world of special hostel or? Father refuses option with the hostel and decides to bring up his sons by himself. His wife does not stand up and leaves the family.

Father’s career moves him from city to city, from country to country, and the boys move with him. On every new place, father finds a master of martial arts who teaches the boys to fight.

When – in one of the new father’s job place in America, local teenagers begin to scoff at the boys, the father lets the brothers out of the car “to punish the offenders”. Judging by the conversations in the car, the offenders will get broken hands (wrists).

As one who has studied the issue personally, I do not believe that autistic boy, as we know him on the flashbacks, could grow into intellectual adult person like Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck), as it is shown in the film.

But – suppose he could.

What is important for us?

First, Christian Wolff not only earns money as an accountant for mafia. He revenges the mafia persons who tortured and killed his good friend. (The feds actually left the friend without protection at the mercy of his former cronies.)

Second, Christian has time to inform feds, and makes them to take action. For example, in the case of a ship, which carried the Chinese illegals.

Third, Christian saves from killers his colleague Dana Cummings (actress Anna Kendrick). Along the way, he had to destroy a team of thugs and goes face-to-face with its leader. The leader happened to be his younger brother – Brax (actor Jon Bernthal).

Summary

Authors of the film believe that the world in general and America in particular, is controlled by maniacs – a good maniacs (Christian), unscrupulous maniacs (Brax) and strange maniacs (their father). In this film, a good maniac wins. Good?

Feds (FBI) sometimes help good maniacs. Sometimes they deceive common people. But they – on average – define nothing.

Christian, being autistic, must have very high levels 3 (the pursuit of goals) and level 6 (accurate calculation) very high. But his levels of 5 and 8 should be very low.

In the film, Christian instantly makes risky decisions (level 5) in difficult circumstances (fighting alone in the night against the gang), that seems to me quite impossible. I believe, that the martial arts are built on the “sense of the enemy” – that is, on the eighth level – and on “unpredictable actions” – that is, on the fifth level.

Strictly speaking, for the authors of the film, the psychological portrait of the hero is just a means to demonstrate the main thesis (which I personally do not agree) – that the world in general and America in particular are under controls of maniacs (see above)

IMHO

I personally hate the saga of Harry Potter. Little boy is forced to suffer under pressure of wild countless humiliations for the sake of “pedagogical expediency.” Really, wizards could find something better, could not they?

The main problem for Harry is how to keep a simple human dignity – first among domestic humiliation, then among a fame in the world of wizards. Finally – under the pressure of large and small forces of evil. Save dignity, no matter what! Indeed, the key issue of British history for each individual Briton.

Harry – and all around him – is highly concerned about how to look good in the eyes of others – but not of all people (muggles do not count), but the only decent (magicians). That is, for everyone – including Harry – level 4 is of great importance.

Newt Scamander is absolutely not concerned how he looks. What he thinks about is the others – animals, humans, wizards, muggles – everyone. Level 8 is the main point.

Level 4 (follow the rules) is not so positive in eyes of authors – sometimes it covers a villainy (Mary Lou by Samantha Morton). This is a radical change of the author’s point of view. I like this new position of J.K.Rowling much more.

Tina’s (Katherine Waterston) striving to comply with the rules (4th level) is facing her deeper motives (levels 6 and 8).

Synopsis

Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in New York and plans to go to Arizona for his zoo-magical affairs. But some circumstances are delaying him.

These circumstances involve a common man Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), two young attractive witches – sisters Tina and Queenie (Katherine Waterston and Alison Sudol), American Association of magician, and others.

Newt and Tina happily avoide the death penalty and expose the evil wizard Greendewald (Johnny Depp) pretending to be a good magician Percival Graves (Colin Farrell)

Summary

Especially disgusting are fanatics – like a fighter with the magic Mary Lou Barebone, which beats her adopted children.

Positively looking magician Percival Graves is not able to see in the boy Creedence his magical power – and this suppressed magic turns into a black tornado, carrying destruction all around.