Any one else feel really bad for harlan?

The guy scared me. Btw he shot her intentionally. You dont just pull a gun on someone, shoot them and say it was a mistake nimrod. Remember he was talking about how you have to cock that gun he was using? Man, edwards character really freaked me out.

how can you feel pity for him? he's psychotic and delusional. he almost murdered Tobe. it doesn't matter why he did it, he is a psycho.

Oddly, I liked Harlan more than Tobe or any of the other characters.

Credit goes to Norton for pulling off a tough balancing act. You just couldn't really tell if he was a well-intentioned delussional cowboy or someone who's really unhinged.

I agree and I felt likewise. He had his obvious character flaws but he was the most realistic, sensible, reasonable character. Obviously Tobe was young and infatuated with Harlan and Harlan, well, he was a freaking liar, which the movie made perfectly clear. The man lied and did NOT have Tobe's nor Lonny's real interests at heart. After all, who was there when Tobe woke up and spent so much time with her in the hospital that he had no idea that Lonny was even gone--the father or Harlan?

So, yeah, I agree that an underrated and misunderstood character is the father. The complexity is well-played by including so many character flaws in his personhood. David Morse did a good job.

I have little problem with his death (other than the fact that due process of law was not followed, but that's another issue altogether and may underestimate the anger the father felt).

I felt sorry for Tobe's father.

I understand that Harlan was a very charming sociopath, but also think that right from their first meeting, there was something unsettling about the pseudo-cowboy hanging around with a group of kids, so I totally sympathised with her dad. I thought that that last bit, right at the very end, was like a huge kick in the teeth for him.

But I don't think that's necessarily a weakness of the film. I think that was the intention. They could have made him a much nastier and unsympathetic character. He was harsh, but ultimately reasonable.

Am I'm just getting old? Maybe I'd have thought differently if I'd seen this when I was 15.

Ednalyn99, thanks for making a good point. I agree with your statement.

Maureen Adele Compton

heh this isnt a politics forum.i have some liberal views but mainly moderate overall. anyhow, i didnt feel at all bad for harlan.people who are nice and just over all convincing just dont get away with the actions they carry out (in my eyes)...a *beep* artist is a *beep* artist no matter what eh...

Yes - that's the genius of this film. He's a crazy messed up dude who kills people but he's so dang adorable us rescuer type people love him anyway. One of the big questions is: It's clear he's loopy, but to what extent is he also a con artist? In the beginning, I don't think he was a con artist - he was just mentally ill. Despite being delusional, he was absolutely so sweet and sincere in his love for Tobe, and kind to the little brother. He was a wounded boy who was severely in need of a loving family; the letter he wrote to his father where he was talking about Tobe and her family, and said something like "they have taken me into their family" just broke my heart. I could be wrong... was the "horse borrowing" part of his delusion or was he being a con artist? I think delusion, because he didn't try to sneak around and avoid "Charlie." He seemed to only slip into being a con artist towards the end, when he convincingly told the brother that Wade had shot Tobe... or was that more of his delusion?

Neo-cons live a black and white universe, they don't see the complex colours the rest of us do. To them it's just about good vs evil. They pine for the days of John Wayne or Wyatt Earp. Which is kind of Ironic, since Harlan lived that kind of unrealistic fantasy world.

I kinda feel bad for him. I mean he had no one, his dad didn't stick around for him, he was pretty much alone. If the dad had just cut him some slack (but honestly, the fact he was almost twice her age alone would piss me off enough to not have him around) everyone would've liked Harlan and none of that stuff would've happened. I don't blame the dad at all though. Harlan was just *beep* insane.

Oh btw, he didn't intentionally shoot her. The guy who said it was on purpose since he had to cock the gun and all...uh, well when you've been shooting those guns for awhile, you kinda cock it without thinking. Almost on reflex. Plus he tried to call 911. It's also not nice to be calling people nimrod just because they stated their belief or opinion on what happens in a movie.

Harlan had REAL problems and when Tobe finally realized that and wanted him gone, he acted as he naturally would--in his best interests and according to his unhingedness (yes, that's probably a new word). Tobe didn't play him because Tobe didn't totally know and understand him--she was completely swept off her feet (as, I am told, young people are wont to be).

We all want companionship but Harlan went about it the wrong way. Yes, I said it, it was wrong. The dude's end was acceptable--who doesn't want to find love and companionship?--but his means of achieving said end was wrong. When Tobe wised up and finally acted responsible, she got shot and Harlan's unhingedness fully revealed itself.