A certain kind of film

treesparrow

treesparrow

The Living Force
FOTCM Member
Trying to find a Hollywood movie about the common or garden variety of psychopath in which nobody ends up dead seems quite a task( no surprise there I suppose.) The only films I can come up with (and have seen) are these -

ALL ABOUT EVE - With Anne Baxter manipulating all about her in her attempts to become a successful actress -using the pity ploy with great effectiveness.

DISCLOSURE - Psychopathic activity in a large corporation.

THE SHAPE OF THINGS - All about a college 'project'.

SHATTERED GLASS - Based on true events concerning a high profile magazine - discussed below in a diferent thread.

HUD - Paul Newman destroys his family.

WALL STREET - Michael Douglas -corporate raider.

I'm sure I've forgotten or overlooked other titles -can anyone else suggest a few. But remember no body counts!

Title thread ofcourse should be - A certain kind of film - not certian -unable to edit title.
 
I noticed you mentioned “Shattered Glassᾠ which was written by Billy Ray who worked with a director from Germany once by the name of John Schwentke, who picked up the job of directing a movie entitled, “Flight Planᾠ starring Jodie Foster.

John Schwentke, imho, is someone who cares about the dilemma we are all in. And, if you watch the DVD “Flight Planᾠ, he has a very interesting commentary included with the DVD where he speaks over the film and explains in a way that you can begin to understand the message being sent.

Peter Sarsgaard by chance also stars in “Flight Planᾠ who also stars in “Shattered Glassᾠ.

I recommend watching “Flight Planᾠ and especially the commentary section where John talks about the film and shares some insight. After the 911 event, the plan changed and so did the approach. In Germany, they have two things we seldom see in American film making. One is romanticism and the other expressionism.

_http://flightplan.movies.go.com/index_main.html

Interesting sound in the background, however, if you stay on the site, the sound may change.

A lot of messages in this film, and the ways that people sleep and follow like sheep.
 
treesparrow said:
Trying to find a Hollywood movie about the common or garden variety of psychopath in which nobody ends up dead seems quite a task( no surprise there I suppose.)
Click to expand...
Some that come to mind:

The Wicked Witch in Wizard of Oz

Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet

Kiefer Sutherland in Stand By Me

The Cobra Kai sensei from Karate Kid

De Niro in Cape Fear (did anyone die?)

The nurse in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Reese Witherspoon in Election
 
I thought the psychopath played byDennis Hopper got killed at the end of Blue Velvet; a inmate got smothered to death in One flew over the Cuckoo's nest and there was a death in the 1963 version of Cape Fear.
 
treesparrow said:
I thought the psychopath played byDennis Hopper got killed at the end of Blue Velvet; a inmate got smothered to death in One flew over the Cuckoo's nest and there was a death in the 1963 version of Cape Fear.
Click to expand...
The smothering death in Cuckoo's Nest was actually a mercy killing and not committed by a psychopath, just to clarify.
 
From Psychopaths Among Us:

[Dr. Robert ] Hare once illustrated this for Nicole Kidman, who had invited him to Hollywood to help her prepare for a role as a psychopath in Malice. How, she wondered, could she show the audience there was something fundamentally wrong with her character?

“I said, ‘Here’s a scene that you can use," Hare says. "You’re walking down a street and there’s an accident. A car has hit a child in the crosswalk. A crowd of people gather round. You walk up, the child’s lying on the ground and there’s blood running all over the place. You get a little blood on your shoes and you look down and say, “Oh shit." You look over at the child, kind of interested, but you’re not repelled or horrified. You’re just interested. Then you look at the mother, and you’re really fascinated by the mother, who’s emoting, crying out, doing all these different things. After a few minutes you turn away and go back to your house. You go into the bathroom and practice mimicking the facial expressions of the mother." He then pauses and says, “That’s the psychopath: somebody who doesn’t understand what’s going on emotionally, but understands that something important has happened."



I never thought the Kidman's character of Tracy from Malice was a true psychopath; however, her portrayal of Suzanne Stone Maretto in To Die For really fits the profile. I think the author got the films/characters confused. It happens.

All About Eve is a classic study of a psychopathic character. (The entertainment industry attracts them in droves.) The pity factor, using sex for manipulative purposes, and destroying the lives of those who befriended and helped her makes the character of Eve all the more chilling. The stage musical version based on the film tried to make Eve more sympathetic by giving her a song that relayed her 'abused childhood.' At that time, there was the belief that psychopaths could be redeemed and become 'normal.' The film just intimated such a past and that Eve may have been lying to gain more sympathy from her prey. Great movie. The ever cynical George Saunders was terrific...as was Bette Davis...who had to suffer, but ultimately survived, Eve's machinations.
 
Kupu_Kupu said:
Macaulay Culkin's character in 'The Good Son'.
Click to expand...
But he died in the end. The mother let go of him over the cliff, and he fell in the destructive power of the water.

That's funny, "The Good Son" is the first movie that I've watched as a kid which awoke me to the fact that there's someone like him out there. Out-right scary at the time.

Edit:

Is this task provided has to do with finding the film involving psychopaths without anyone else in the film being killed by them? Or, the psychopaths themselves are killed? I am trying to clarify the understanding of this task. Thanks.
 
Thats right. He did die at the end.

It was also my first film, that awoke me to the fact that there do exist people like that in the world. I guess that is why it immediately popped into my mind.

Zadius Sky said:
Is this task provided has to do with finding the film involving psychopaths without anyone else in the film being killed by them? Or, the psychopaths themselves are killed? I am trying to clarify the understanding of this task.
Click to expand...
I too need clarification.
 
Ari Goldberg from the HBO series "Entourage" stand out although not a film.

Hollywood still mostly uses the melodrama, the antagonist usually gets it in the end. So films without a bodycount are indeed a rarity!
 
In reply to posts 8 and 9 above, the aim was to try and find movies where NOBODY - therefore this includes the psychopath themselves - ends up dead, either directly or indirectly,as a result of the the activities of said psychopath. Hope this is clearer.
 
treesparrow said:
In reply to posts 8 and 9 above, the aim was to try and find movies were NOBODY - therefore this includes the psychopath themselves - ends up dead, either directly or indirectly,as a result of the the activities of said psychopath. Hope this is clearer.
Click to expand...
Thanks. That is helpful.

Then, Angelina Jolie as Lisa in "Girl, Interrupted" comes to mind. Though, she was considered to be "sociopath" but uncertain. More on this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl,_Interrupted

Cruella De Vil in "101 Dalmatians" (1996 non cartoon).

Lex Luthor in "Superman" movies (don't believe he killed anyone, just manpuliate people like crazy).
 
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999, Matt Damon)
tagline: "It's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody."

"(...)you are given the impression that he is nothing more than a shy, innocent, and intellectual young man who pretty much keeps to himself. However, this image is only visable for the first five minutes or so, and is virtually shattered once he accepts the offer to go to Italy in search of Mr. Greenleaf's son, Dickie. I was fascinated at how rapidly his personality altered (...)"


im not 100% sure that he dies but I really dont think he does.
 
Oh I missread your first post. Thought it was about films were the main psychopath-character didnt die :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Trending content

Back
Top Bottom