Whether we like it or not, the display of violence is a fundamental tenet of cinema. Whether it is the comic-book style violence of superhero movies, or the more realistic, gritty brand of violence found in films like Saving Private Ryan, or even First Blood, the prevalence of violence in films is more common than say, romance, friendship or familial disharmony. That’s because violence transcends genres; it can be comical (Shaun of the Dead), it can be stylized (John Wick), or it can be overly choreographed to such a degree that it looks like a dance (the first two prequels of the Star Wars saga). There is perhaps no other act, as malleable as the display of violence in cinema.
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Perhaps one of the most respected directors of his generation, Quentin Tarantino, has built cinematic classics on the backbone of violence. The Bride from Kill Bill, in her trademark yellow jumpsuit stained brown with dried blood, or Cliff Booth slamming a woman’s face over and over in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, are just a couple of examples of gratuitous violence in a career full of similar instances. There’s no doubt that his films can be extremely violent, but I do believe they are more than just shock value. Violence can take on many forms, and in certain examples of cinema, violence is a character, as important as any other. Allow me to explain.
In Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino constructed a World War II tapestry, woven together with violence. The depiction of mass genocide and Nazi regime would be impossible without at least the threat of violence undercutting every scene. The Kill Bill movies are all about exacting vengeance from cruel, violent people. Even Once Upon A Time In Hollywood used violence to swerve viewers, where spoiler alert, the Manson Family was used as a red herring to threaten and introduce violence in unexpected ways. This analysis or even the use of violence is far from perfect, but it is difficult to deny that violence is almost anthropomorphized in a Tarantino film. This is a tactic that has been employed in more recent films, most notably the John Wick franchise. The style of violence used there, is emblematic of an underworld that is the other side of the coin called the ‘real world’. It exists, and is inextricably bound to our world, but unknown to most at the same time. The style of fighting, billed by same as ‘Gun-Fu’, reflects the world that John Wick inhabits. The violence in these films is meant to elicit sporadic responses, building to eventual catharsis when the credits roll.
But this isn’t the case for all films. Some employ a different brand of violence, I don’t know quite how to term it, but it feels like the kind that keeps you on edge till it’s over. This has been seen in the later Rambo instalments, which traded the protagonist’s humanity for his ability to murder faceless goons in a number of ways. You see this on TV as well, in shows like The Walking Dead, where the introduction of big, bad Negan in Season 6 and 7 bordered on violence that inflicted misery on viewers still affected by on-screen violence. This brand of violence, when unchecked, eventually gives way to exploitative violence, or as its sometimes called, ‘torture porn’. Films like Hostel or A Serbian Film seek to push the viewer, by displaying acts of violence that transcend what one might expect in commercial cinema. Violence becomes the driving force, or even the ‘MacGuffin’, that gets the entire plot moving. When the film’s plot depends on acts of violence, drawing the line becomes a distant memory. These films certainly have an audience, there are people who would call themselves rabid fans of Rob Zombie’s films, that exist for violence and gore.
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Whether we like it or not, there is something tantalizing about violence in cinema, that encourages filmmakers to push boundaries and develop new styles of exhibition. The crossover between sex and violence has bred an entire sub-genre, that of the erotic thriller. People swoon over the rough sex of 365 Days, randomly thrown in to justify a flimsy plot. The 50 Shades series served to misrepresent all of BDSM culture, belittling it to sex dungeons and wooden acting with occasional choking and spanking. Going back before that, films like Basic Instinct or Wild Things existed to tantalize and scandalize, weaponizing sex, but still somehow managing to belittle and objectify the same women who wielded their bodies as a weapon.
Violence in cinema is inescapable, and odds are that we will see it manifest in myriad ways as the decades pass us by.
This was a bit of an experimental piece for us, and a departure from our discussions on wellness and mental health. But our reaction to violence, in its many forms, can often by telling of our mind-set, wouldn’t you agree?
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If you’d like me to talk about more stuff like this, or even discuss other brands of violence in cinema (erotic, superhero, familial, comedic), then show this piece some love. Share it with a friend, drop a like and hopefully enjoy reading it!
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