When this film was first released in 1993 and I caught it on cable tv, I was 25 years old and though I appreciated Michael Douglas' performance at time, the film struck me as the tale of a loser who can't face up to his own shortcomings and finally lashes out at society to cover up his personal failures. What a lame-o, I thought.
Fast forward to 2021, after living in Los Angeles from 2015 to 2019, the collective strain of COVID 19, and at 54, facing up to my own middle-aged mixture of successes, failures, and dreams deferred, I now understand much better how slender is the barrier between walking the straight path, and putting up with all that life throws at you on one side, versus the gratifying abandonment of patience, and tolerance to resort to unabated retaliation against every perceived insult and inconvenience on the other side.
This movie serves as a more relevant than ever lesson in the importance of retaining your sense of self and adherence to the core values that were once so dear and clear. The descent into the role of "Bad Guy" can be deceptively swift and imperceptible and what was merely a darkly comic action thriller to me in the 90's is now a terrifying cautionary tale of a universally relatable protagonist.
In spite of the superb performances delivered by every, single actor in this production, the one character I take away is Vondie Curtis Hall's "Not Economically Viable Man." I haven't forgotten him; neither should you.
Fast forward to 2021, after living in Los Angeles from 2015 to 2019, the collective strain of COVID 19, and at 54, facing up to my own middle-aged mixture of successes, failures, and dreams deferred, I now understand much better how slender is the barrier between walking the straight path, and putting up with all that life throws at you on one side, versus the gratifying abandonment of patience, and tolerance to resort to unabated retaliation against every perceived insult and inconvenience on the other side.
This movie serves as a more relevant than ever lesson in the importance of retaining your sense of self and adherence to the core values that were once so dear and clear. The descent into the role of "Bad Guy" can be deceptively swift and imperceptible and what was merely a darkly comic action thriller to me in the 90's is now a terrifying cautionary tale of a universally relatable protagonist.
In spite of the superb performances delivered by every, single actor in this production, the one character I take away is Vondie Curtis Hall's "Not Economically Viable Man." I haven't forgotten him; neither should you.