WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ENDING MEANS?
BY KILLING HIS BEST FRIEND,BO BECOMES A MURDERER HIMSELF WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING WHY.HE JUST WANTS TO PREVENT HIS ALMOST CERTAIN KILLING BY THE POLICE AND HE PREFERS THAT ROY IS WASTED BY HIS OWN HANDS.WHY IS BO SEEM DISTANT COMPARED WITH ROY THROUGHOUT THE FILM?COULD THIS BE WHY HIS ACT SEEMS SO SHOCKING?
The ending puzzled me as well, but it was hard to understand Roy's motivation throughout the whole film anyway. I guess it was Bo's way of finally striking back against Roy, when previously he obviously had a lot of problems with Roy's violence. I don't think we can read too much into it -- it's just the filmmaker's choice, as were the other killings. I didn't get a lot of insight into any of the guys' motivations.
shareI believe it is Bo's character development that presents the complexity,in the end,since Roy is the more focused-on person in the movie and Bo rather remains in the shadow.Violence is the bond that ties these two together and also,what will separate them dramatically.Roy-as you can understand by watching his confession on their way to L.A.- clearly states that he feels like acting violently in the way that Bo would(only that Bo is apparently less determined to).So,his actions throughout the film can be seen like alleged fulfilment of his friend's inner wishes.Only after the hooker's killing,does the conflict between the two occur.Because it is the first time that Roy-while Bo is having sex with her-feels abandoned and lack of purpose(isn't the scene where he throws a bottle to the wall and says "sorry",so powerful?).The fact that the most calm person between the two is the one that ends his friend's life is the whole point.Maybe Bo was afraid of the police and what would happen to them,maybe he felt that his friend needed more help than he could give him;the fact remains that violence has passed onto him as the means of finding a way out.He still loves his friend("I'm your best friend,Roy"is his last word before he shoots him)and the outside world will never understand what really went on inside these two boy's heads.That's one powerful anti-violent message that the film is worth seeing for.Hope I helped you.
That is a very thoughtful response, gressos, and it makes perfect sense! It's a powerful statement about how violence initially united Bo and Roy, but ultimately ended their relationship because they had nowhere else to go. Thanks very much!
shareyou know, i always wondered how roy (had he lived and was taken in by police) would have handled the pressures of hard core prision life, roy seemed bulit and kinda of tough, but i dont know how he would have handled the rapists, gangs and 10 times bigger guys than him , i think bo would have definalty been somebodys kid .. but prison would be a real challenge for roy since he had so much rage and anger, he would hav eplenty of challenges in prison..
what do you all think of how roy would do in the big house...
That' a good question.
I guess he would be considered tough guy after beating up some other inmates,but let's not forget that troubled personalities usually end up kiling themselves.They turn their own rage and anger against themselves after reaching a certain point(remember what Travis Bickle attempted to do right after everybody was dead?He was just lucky enough to have no bullets left)
he would still have a hard time.. lets see, he beat up a little gas station guy. hit an old lady, beat up a little woman.. i think he would have went on anyone though. i dont think he would have backed down, but he would have real challenges in jail...
shareI definitely think Roy would have had a tough time in prison because he had a tough time with people in general and rules in particular.
Even though he was always the perpetrator rather than the victim on the outside, in prison the rules are different. Roy would have to form alliances, and I don't think he would be good at that. Failing this, he'd have to be on guard all the time.
He was a strange character indeed. He lacked any kind of personality. He was uneducated, we seen he couldnt read very well for an 18 year old. He didnt exactly come from the greatest loving backgrounds either.. But he was in excellent shape, he didnt know how to really talk to people other than bo, and their languge consited of the F bomb every 10 seconds.. Kinda surprised how this dude afforded that car and gas seems he didnt have any kind of job..
Yeah, prison would have been a wake up call for this nut for sure. And he would have gone to a california prison, i hear they are really tough..looks like he would have a hard time. Dont know if he would back down to the being someones kid theory though.. He might not give in to that...
Roy's view of homosexuality is a matter
that is not clear enough within the movie.
He sure looks like he hates gays.
But before he attacks the guy from the club,he starts to touch him erotically
in order to seduce him to his death.
Infact,he is the one who accepts the guy's invitation to his house.
Why didn't he just push him away but went all along just to revenge him
after the episode of sexual harassment in the gay club?
This is a sign of inner conflict.
So,it would be interesting to think how would he react
against gay propositions inside prison.
i wonder if his dad ever got off that chair? ha ha ha
shareThat was one of the top powerful scenes of the whole movie,wasn't it?
sharewonder if roy had a part time job, or where he got money for lunch at school, his dad had to somehow provide for him in some kinda way...
shareBased on the film,I don't think Roy has any kind of job himself.
His father is obviously retired from his factory job and living from retirement money or maybe Roy's mother-which she is stated as distant and separated from her family-provides something.
yeah. mom said in the card she was coming. well, she didnt , no big deal..
so, yeah, some behind the scenes stuff we dont know of... i always thought if he went in the army like he was thinking. how it might have changed him..and kept him out of some trouble
Great thread for an EXCELLENT film. Bo would of had the worst time in prison I think, he would of had alot of big dirty rapists after him and if I was Bo at the end of the film I would of shot myself than go through all that...
shareYeah. bo would definatly had a hard time in hard core prison. No doubt. Roy, on the other hadnt he not of got shot, who knows how he would survived in prison. You seee, roy probley never had a real challenge in his life, but in prison you got many challenges there.. GUYS bigger, badder than roy could ever be.. But i still think he would have done better than bo...but they both would have hard times..
shareI think Bo knew Roy was evil and was never going to stop killing so he decided the only way to stop him was to end his life. It's been 20yrs since I've seen this film but I remember thinking that it was pretty awesome. I wonder if it is on DVD somewhere?
I think it was after the murder of the woman that Bo had sex with,was that he fully understood the complexity of Roy's pathology.Not only did Roy kill innocent people without hesitation,but he also refused to accept the fact that his friend could have a private moment of pleasure excluding him.Until then,he just went along saying to himself ''it's my friend who does this to please my inner wish''(like he explained himself to Roy before they get to LA,that he wanted to kill people who bothered him).But his final act ,in my opinion,indicates something far more bitter,as I have already said in this post.Bo uses violence and considers it a means of getting things done-remember how he quotes Roy's phrase during the couple's killing.He was not that different from his friend,after all.And this is exactly the most powerful statement of the film.
Yes there is the Anchor Bay edition which is the best in terms of transfer and extras.
As far as R2 is concerned ,I just saw an edition in Amazon co.uk but I am not positive about the manufacturer or quality,better check.Same applies for R4 edition,also.
Thanks!!
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