I'm not feeling well but that wasn't a good enough reason to abandon my task so, here goes a simple movie with a simple plot. The Commandments, according to Netflix:
It's pay back -- in spades -- when [an] exasperated and bitter man seeks vengeance against God by methodically breaking each of the Ten Commandments.
Primer
So a quick list for those not aware. The ten commandments are:
- Thou shall have no other gods before me.
- Thou shall bring no false idols before me.
- Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
- Honor thy father and thy mother.
- Thou shall not kill/murder.
- Thou shall not commit adultery.
- Thou shall not steal.
- Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
- Thou shall not covet your neighbor's wife (or anything that belongs to your neighbor).
Plot
This is a late 90s movie so there are 3 different story lines happening simultaneously.
Seth (Aidan Quinn) is in a bad place. His wife, Karen, is missing presumed dead, his house collapsed, he lost his job, got struck by lightening and his dog now has one leg that doesn't work. Needless to say, things haven't been going great, and he feels that God is mad at him; but that's besides the point, since he is mad at God too.
Seth is staying with his brother-in-law, Harry (Anthony LaPaglia) and his wife, Rachel (Courtney Cox), Karen's sister. Harry isn't exactly a stand up guy. He's a journalist chasing a story about the chief of police and his mistress. Oh, but he's sleeping with the mistress, making her his mistress, too. Rachel is cute but a little naive. She's a lawyer for a big company. Currently, she's working a case where an older couple accidentally got an extra $250,000 in their bank account and now the bank wants to press charges in an attempt to get it back.
Now that you have the backbone let me tell you a little more about Seth. He's Jewish and deeply religious, but with everything that has happened he felt it was time to strike back. He decides to systematically break all of the commandments, there by giving the middle finger to God.
Seth starts slow and easy with the commandments (1-5) but after a late not fight with Harry, things change. Seth can see the hurt Harry is causing Rachel, but Harry dismisses him, telling him to leave his righteousness behind until he's broken some of the big ones. So Seth does.
Harry has a collection of rare and expensive guitars that he loves more than anything, so Seth steals them, puts them in the mistress' house and goes to the police station to "confess". He says the three of them plotted to move the guitars and call it a robbery just so they could split the insurance money.
Things begin to devolve fairly quickly. Harry seeing Seth's quest as a personal attack. He can no longer be dismissive, he has to stop Seth.
Everything reaches a climax when Seth and Harry stand-off at a lighthouse at the peak of a storm. . . . but that's enough . . . spoilers.
Harry has a collection of rare and expensive guitars that he loves more than anything, so Seth steals them, puts them in the mistress' house and goes to the police station to "confess". He says the three of them plotted to move the guitars and call it a robbery just so they could split the insurance money.
Things begin to devolve fairly quickly. Harry seeing Seth's quest as a personal attack. He can no longer be dismissive, he has to stop Seth.
Everything reaches a climax when Seth and Harry stand-off at a lighthouse at the peak of a storm. . . . but that's enough . . . spoilers.
Thoughts
This is a simple movie. There are no multiple layers here, just a simple story about losing faith in the face of desperation and loss. References to God and a few biblical stories, but altogether, straightforward. It moves at a fairly fast pace, so that there really isn't any opportunity to get bored as there's always another plot point presenting it's self. It's also fairly predictable. Once I knew the premise and the characters, I could see how Seth would begin to commit all his sins.
During Seth's quest, he never really changes. Even though he is working to commit more heinous acts, in a way he's scientific about it. Removing himself from the actions he feels he must do. I could see how some might see this as a flaw, but I appreciated this nuance. It could be construed as a flaw because it seems as though there are no real stakes. Seth appears to be disavowing religion, but in actuality he's chasing it.
This is a simple movie. There are no multiple layers here, just a simple story about losing faith in the face of desperation and loss. References to God and a few biblical stories, but altogether, straightforward. It moves at a fairly fast pace, so that there really isn't any opportunity to get bored as there's always another plot point presenting it's self. It's also fairly predictable. Once I knew the premise and the characters, I could see how Seth would begin to commit all his sins.
During Seth's quest, he never really changes. Even though he is working to commit more heinous acts, in a way he's scientific about it. Removing himself from the actions he feels he must do. I could see how some might see this as a flaw, but I appreciated this nuance. It could be construed as a flaw because it seems as though there are no real stakes. Seth appears to be disavowing religion, but in actuality he's chasing it.
I enjoy Aidan Quinn as an actor and recognize he has an advantage. His eyes are a stunning blue and extremely captivating. The director took advantage of this. At every moment possible turn they do close ups of his eyes, having them penetrate into the soul of the viewer. I thought this was a little hammy. It wasn't the kind of movie that gained from using this technique over and over again.
Aside from some of the hokey religious themes, I though this was a pretty good movie to enjoy. (NOTE: religious themes aren't hokey, just the way they are used in this movie was laying it on a bit thick.) It's definitely a movie of its time. Keep in mind, that this is not a serious dramatic work. Stakes aren't as important as moving the plot along to its conclusion. Serious questions are asked, but I can't imagine anyone watching this, can really expecting a thoughtful answer. If anything this movie is not so much about religion, as it is about the transference of fortune.
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