Any movies with a negative theme?

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  • Any movies with a negative theme?

    I thought about this while trying to fall asleep last night...are there any movie with a negative theme?

    Mostly all films, for marketability purposes among others, deal with positive themes, whether the outcome is happy or sad. But are there any that have a theme along the lines of 'violence is the answer' or 'greed is more beneficial than charity', etc.?

    I'm sure there aren't many, if any...but it sure would be interesting to see a negative theme played out logically.

  • #2
    Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

    Are you talking something like Blow, or are you thinking of something different?

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    • #3
      Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

      Originally posted by Jimny Wayne
      Are you talking something like Blow, or are you thinking of something different?
      Never saw Blow, so I don't know.

      But look at Scarface and how it's build around the concept that greed will destroy even the most powerful of men. I want to see something that's essentially the opposite of that...greed is good, violence is the answer, absolute power does not corrupt absolutely, etc.

      Terminator 3 might be close to what I mean. That movie tells us that our actions as humans are insignificant and a nuclear holocaust will happen regardless of what we try to do to stop it.

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      • #4
        Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

        Violence is the Answer: A History of Violence, Taxi Driver, Fight Club?

        A lot of 70's movies have a negative theme, turning the old "one man can make a difference" and "teamwork and friendship win out over talent" adages on their ear.
        Last edited by vmf; 08-06-2006, 12:49 PM.

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        • #5
          Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

          Originally posted by writerly
          Um, there's this thing called "film noir" well, the name pretty much says it all.

          They were the first films that went against the classical Hollywood narrative.

          And on top of that, they're really cool.
          I was looking for genre pictures, more or less. Sorry for not elaborating.

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          • #6
            Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

            The Dollers trilogy stand out in my mind. Particularly The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Everything anyone does in the film is motivated entirely by greed. It pays off for them too.

            Check out The Hitcher, also.
            Frosties are just Cornflakes for people who can't face reality.

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            • #7
              Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

              Originally posted by Cycstorm
              The Dollers trilogy stand out in my mind. Particularly The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Everything anyone does in the film is motivated entirely by greed. It pays off for them too.
              Nice one. I'll have to check it out again soon.

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              • #8
                Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

                Theme of fatalism - Lilya4ever.

                It basically gave the impression to the audience that the girl had no good choices to make in her life and that her fate had already been sealed once her mother left her alone to fend for herself.

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                • #9
                  Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

                  What about the original Night of the Living Dead?

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                  • #10
                    Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

                    "I Stand Alone" from Gaspar Noe.

                    This isn't the Howard Johnson's.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

                      I wouldn't think any film noir counts in this regard because they are essentually tragedy: a good but flawed man is led astray (usually by the femme fatale) and comes to a bad end. In a way, they're very moralistic and his fate is a just reward for straying from the straight-n-narrow.

                      I'd say A Clockwork Orange would be a good example, with an irredeemable antihero protagonist, a sociopath who ultimately triumphs against society.
                      "Forget it, Jake. It's Hollywood."

                      My YouTube channel.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

                        I'd second Clockwork Orange - very disturbing resolution.

                        Straw Dogs is worth a look, too.
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                        • #13
                          Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

                          Originally posted by Signal30
                          I wouldn't think any film noir counts in this regard because they are essentually tragedy: a good but flawed man is led astray (usually by the femme fatale) and comes to a bad end. In a way, they're very moralistic and his fate is a just reward for straying from the straight-n-narrow.

                          I'd say A Clockwork Orange would be a good example, with an irredeemable antihero protagonist, a sociopath who ultimately triumphs against society.
                          Ditto about noir. They seem to give the message of what not to do, and show the suffering results.

                          A Clockwork Orange...I dunno about that one. Seemed to give the impression that restricting human emotions was just as bad, if not worse than letting them take over. There's also the underlying commentary on society/govornment trying to control it's people with an undesired effect on those people as human beings. Sure, ultra-violence is bad, but sex and Beethoven are pretty good if you ask me.

                          To whomever said NOTLD...I suppose so. Seemed to say the same as T3 - no matter how hard you try to survive, you can't escape your fate.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

                            I'm not exactly sure what you mean by a negative theme, then. I took it to mean a theme that is the opposite of what society expects, with an upbeat resolution (so to speak...the bad continue to be bad and are rewarded in the end).

                            There's the first Death Wish, where Bronson's character goes on a killing spree eliminating those he presumes predators...less than human, yet uncaged by the liberal laws. In the end he's rewarded by not being charged with multiple muders by The Man (who are bound by the laws of society not to do the same), with the FADE OUT being of him as he cocks his finger at a borderline hoodlum with a grin (directed towards the audience).
                            "Forget it, Jake. It's Hollywood."

                            My YouTube channel.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Any movies with a negative theme?

                              Originally posted by Signal30
                              I'm not exactly sure what you mean by a negative theme, then.
                              The good the bad and the ugly is a good example. The movie shows us that greed is good and it will reward you, as will selfishness.

                              It's the antithesis of The treasure of the sierra madre, which shows how greed and selfishness will destroy people.

                              Or compare Terminator 1 with T3...your actions have meaning vs. your actions mean nothing; the former is a positive theme, the latter negative.

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