What is so special about Hawthorne's soul that firs Simon wants it and then Gabriel come looking for it. I mean, I get that he was a
*** SPOILER ***
Korean War vet and he committed war crimes (cannibalism), but there are lots of evil people, so what makes Hawthorne so special? Just curious.
Of course everything in a fictional plot is a contrivance, but the Hawthorne character is one that seems particularly weak. We are just asked to accept that these angels have determined that he has the most evil soul in creation. To bolster that idea, the filmmakers give him a back story of cannibalism and ritual murder (I wouldn't call any of this a "spoiler" because knowing about it doesn't reveal the outcome of the story in any way). They could just have easily have said that little Mary has the most innocent soul in creation and therefore they need to destroy it. Either way, it gives the angels a critical objective to fight over and that's about it.
shareI don't know about you, but what they say about Hawthorne and the terrible things he and his men did during the Korean War sounds like he's one of the most evil people I've ever heard of. Look at the background in the old home movies. There are body parts all over the place and not only did he do this in hand to hand combat, he then ate the dead people. Sounds pretty evil to me.
shareHe also knows about war. As lucifer says "you talking monkeys know more about war and treachery of the soul than any angel ever will"
That is why his soul is valuble to either side.
Plus the fact that he was a general, and Gabriel needed someone to lead his army to victory. So he was basically an "evil" man who knew how to apply his evils to warfare.
For the record...the loyal angels were just trying to keep Hawethorne from Gabriel. They weren't planning on using him.
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When Thomas goes to the morgue about the angel w/ no eyes, they read a bit from the Bible that angel had with him. There were chapters in it that are not in the Bible we have now. Talking about the war the angels are fighting. The doctor guy reads a PROPHECY saying that the only way for one side or the other to win was to get the soul who eats other souls, therefore making them his (the Hawthorne guy was a cannibal, remember?) It explains exactly whats going on, but you have to listen VERY carefully. I thought this was an excellent movie. One of my favorites.
shareAlso the fact that this guy was a military tactician (the girl talking tactics all the time), and a veteran of one of the last periods of extreme war in this world up to the point of the movie.
So what still living soul on earth could have been responsible for as many deaths and as much brutality as this Korean War vet?
Maybe a Vietnam vet... but there isnt much difference in time frame.
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Plus he needed a guy who's death was relatively recent so that the soul was still fresh. No sense going out and getting Hitler cause Hitler would have been in hell already. So up to that point in time, Hawthorne was the most evil dude and the best military tactician who could help swing the balance of the war in Gabriels favor.
shareThere are alot of evil things being done by people, but very few people are truly evil. That's why Gabriel said that Hawthornes soul was rare, because Hawthorne was pure evil.
Also... I can kill you with my brain