MovieChat Forums > Robot & Frank (2012) Discussion > Weird feeling at the climax scene

Weird feeling at the climax scene


Hi guys,

I had a very weird feeling at the scene, where Robot tells Frank about his next job:

"After you wipe my memory things can go back to normal and you can continue planning your next job."

- What did you say? - Frank

"Remember Frank, your next job."

"You deal in diamonds and jewels, the most value by the ounce."

"It's not too late, Frank. Don't give up."

"Lifting that high-end stuff, no one gets hurt."

"Except those insurance company crooks."

- There is a hidden a message in this scene, help me guys to grab it and define it.

My first feeling was that there is someone else, who is steering this robot and wants the jewels. But it's not that. It's like he is talking with himself. Robot said impossible things, that could never be said by a robot.

Another thing is I think he didn't want to wipe the robot's memory, because of his own problems with memory.

In any case, this film is amazing. I didn't even imagine, that Susan character was who she was.

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I agree with some other meanings people have said, that the robot tried to convince him to do it in a selfless act. But also I think that he realized that the robot "knew too much" and that there was a reason he always worked alone. So whether he realized he was being manipulated or not, he had to deactivate him. This is similar in some heist movies when one character has to kill his partner at the end (because hes a cop or whatever).

I really liked this movie because it did not anthrapmorphise the robot. I had no emotional feelings for "robot". They didn't even give it a name! It was simply a tool, similar to how you can be friends with a car and develop a relationship with it. Most movies such as wall-e, or AI, you end up feeling sorry for non human actors, so I thought that this was a very mature take on human-technological relations.

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There's something else interesting in that dialogue:

"After you wipe my memory, things can go back to normal..."

Which is essentially the opportunity he has—to forget the past and reclaim a "normal" life with his family. Even though for so many years, he's been more focused on "the next job" than on the people in his life, so much so that he's lost his family and replaced them with technology.

"It's not too late, Frank. Don't give up."

And he doesn't.

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Strong feelings from a tender film, read about my thoughts here:

http://alphashadowsblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/robot-frank-review/

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Reading everyone's responses really helped me organize my own jumbled thoughts and confusion over this climax scene.

I agree most with the other posters' thoughts about how both Frank and Robot know how to manipulate people. Frank, for example, when he manipulates Hunter while pretending he's on his deathbed. Robot, for example, early on in manipulating Frank to feel sorry for Robot in failing in its mission and being sent back to the factory and getting its memory wiped (Frank is sensitive about memory loss, so he felt bad for Robot). The difference in their manipulations, to echo the other poster's thoughts, is that Frank's manipulations are for purely selfish reasons and Robot's manipulations are selfless.

Frank also seems to think of Robot like a son. This sentiment came across to me when he was bonding with Robot and telling Robot about how he regretted never being able to pass on lock-picking to Hunter. That said, in the end scene, again echoing another poster's thoughts, Frank shares that he is proud of Hunter for doing better for himself than his old man.

I think that in the climax scene when Frank agrees to wipe Robot's memory, it's a mixture of these above factors... Frank thinking of Robot like a son and realizing that Robot is no better than a jewel thief like himself; Frank realizing how innocent that Robot is and how Robot does nothing but to try and help Frank; and ultimately, Frank realizing how selfish he has been and resetting his priorities along with resetting Robot's memories. In the end, Frank does a selfless act and presumably gives the riches/spoils to his children to enjoy.

Whether that is indeed what's under the tomatoes is up for the viewer to decide. What the children might ultimately decide to do about the stolen loot (enjoy it, give it up to the authorities and incriminate Frank, etc.) is also up for the viewer to decide.

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AthanFrost, I was thinking of starting a new thread to discuss what will happen with the ill gotten gains. But your post easily opens that discussion here.

It is a conundrum of what can be done since as long as the loot is buried in the garden there it is at risk of the police or the neighbor's detective trying to dig up the property. If the family sold the house it also puts it at risk from the new owner.

Hunter was vocal that he would turn Frank in if there was loot in the brief case. So Hunter should also feel that way about digging up the tomato field. Personally I do not think Frank should have given the note to Hunter rather than Madison or Jennifer.

Once the family digs up the prize they now need to hide it forever for Frank to be safe, and them not charged as accessory to grand theft. So the logical thing is to get rid of the diamonds, etc... Madison acknowledged that she is aware of how to sell stolen items, probably through a "fence." Seems Frank would have been safer giving Madison the location note.

Then the multi-million dollar sale, even to a fence, would generate hundreds of thousands even at 10 cents on the dollar. So the question becomes how they use the money without running into the same tax evasion issue that caught and sent Frank to prison.

Last option is to try and return the jewels to the hated neighbor. That would really get Frank mad. And could prompt the neighbor to try harder to prove Frank did it since he does not sound like the grateful and move on type.

The movie ending leaves the simple impression that the family is now well taken care of when Frank says

Have fun.
But it is anything but a simple conclusion for the future. Perhaps they can ask Robot (hero of the film) for a solution since he had the foresight to get Frank to clear his array memory just in time to avoid prison.

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Just to comment on the actual theme of this thread, clearing Robot's system, Robot is forward thinking right from the moment he advises Frank in the car that he is the loose end that will trip Frank. Frank did not want to wipe his memory for all of the reasons suggested in the thread:

Frank had befriended Robot and had loyalty to him

Frank could relate to Robot's plea to not have him sent back to the factory and being reset. Even if the Robot confessed it was manipulation, it still is hard for Frank to accept that responsibility.

And in the end Frank apparently did lose his friend in that they never gave the Robot back or got him another one.

 Unexpectedly GREAT MOVIE! 

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