What the fuck is up with 80's action movie stars? Has every single 80's action movie star totally lost his or her mind? Consider this evidence:
- Mel Gibson, star of such memorable 80's action films as Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2 and, um, Bird on a Wire, directs twisted, creepy psychological thriller Passion of the Christ. Wait...it's not supposed to be a twisted psychological thriller? Religious movie? Yikes...
- Brigitte Nielsen, star of Red Sonya, loses her mind on national TV, in between flirting awkwardly with Flava Flav.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger briefly becomes Governor of California, before being removed from office in disgrace a few months from now. I bet.
And now, Bruce Willis, star of my personal favorite 80's action film, Die Hard, has announced his own plans for a bizarre, alternate-reality vanity project.
From my favoritist collection of bullshit hate-fueled right wing screeds (and David Corn), Sleepy Time Jammies Media:
Die Hard star Bruce Willis is taking on two Hollywood traditions in his attempt, reported by the Timesonline Sunday, to make a pro-war feature film about United States involvement in Iraq. Willis is bucking a nearly unbroken skein of Tinseltown anti-war films that goes back to such Vietnam era favorites as Coming Home and Platoon. And the actor is doing it not with mainstream media source material, but basing his movie on the reporting of a blogger - former Green Beret Michael Yon. Chosen by Willis for his story is Yon's on the scene reporting of the heroics of the Deuce Four unit in Mosul, Iraq.
Francois Truffaut memorably said that it's impossible to make a truly anti-war film, becuase cinema inherently makes war appear intriguing, fascinating and exciting. But in another way, it's highly inaccurate to imply that Hollywood only has a tradition of making anti-war films. What about Mel Gibson's We Were Soldiers... from a few years ago? Or Saving Private Ryan? Even if those films are honest and mournful about the horrible cost of war, they still see the fighting itself as a neccessary, even vital, evil. I'd counter that other contemporary films and TV shows like Forrest Gump, Band of Brothers and Windtalkers present varying views of war that could be considered positive.
Still, this is a horrible idea. I understand that Bruce finds the War in Iraq to be of dramatic importance to long-term American foreign policy. I disagree, but hey, that's what it's all about. But making a stridently pro-war piece of propaganda based on the experiences of a blogger while the war is still going on? Inappropriate, man...Inappropriate.
The reason the glory days of propaganda films during wartime have ended is because people got savvy to that sort of direct marketing. Now, it seems quaint and dated to us, the obvious, bang-you-over-the-head techniques of films like Destination: Tokyo to drive up patriotism and sell war bonds during WWII. I'm hoping Bruce has learned that lesson as well, or he's going to be mighty embarrassed should this "project" ever get out of development.
Political opinions aside, why is creating a pro-war movie during a war inherently different from creating an anti-war movie? It seems to me that this could be a terrible idea, but it will not necessarily be one. From the brief description you provided (having not heard of this anywhere else)this movie may be told in a first person perspective. Depending on the specific subject matter, it may or may not prove popular for audiences.
ReplyDeleteFor example, recent polls indicate that the majority of Americans currently think the war in Iraq is a mistake. This is not to say that the majority of Americans wouldn't celebrate any part of that war. Personally, I believe that a piece focused on the takedown of Picka Hussein would play well with most audiences, as long as it didn't glorify the Bush administration.
Anyway, I think you may be jumping the gun a little bit. You may prove to be right in the end, but I think you cast judgement too early.
Beowulf
Honestly, I feel that it's inappropriate to make a popcorn fictional film about a war that's still going on, pro or anti-war. I'm willing to excuse the occasional anti-war film made about a war that's in progress, if the filmmakers feel that it's crucial the American public see the cost of war in order to end it more quickly.
ReplyDeleteBut a rah-rah, self-congratulatory film lauding American intervention in Iraq, backed by Bruce Willis? That sounds GOOD to you? Like an uplifting, positive project for all?
(And bear in mind, I didn't actually say the film would be BAD. I just said that it's inapporpriate, and I hope that Willis is going to be as measured as possible in his approach.)
I'll actually say I think the film will be bad, and not because I don't support the war. I don't, but that's not why I think the film will be bad.
ReplyDeleteThe more Willis is involved with his movies as anything other than an actor, the more they tend to suck. And the less they tend to bring in.
I direct you to his list of production and/or "writing" credits, which include the Crocodile Hunter movie, Hudson Hawk, and Hostage.
So, I really wouldn't worry about it.