Too much unnecessary cruelty shown towards dogs. Keeping his dog under the porch, yelling at him and the other dog, and of course the dog fight scene. I mean what's the point? It had nothing to do with the main story. I hate it when movies do stuff like that. Just leave the animals alone. It made it almost unwatchable for my wife.
shareI mean what's the point? It had nothing to do with the main story.
God, another idiot who gets all teary and sensitive if a dog suffers in movie, but if a kid gets abused and beaten up then it is fine and his wife is ok with it. 'it made it almost unwatchable for my wife' Oh, really? it reminded her of her little chihuahua Mimi? How sad, how dare they? there there.
shareFirst of all, all this talk about how it's an accurate portrayal of the South of how people use and treat their dogs, just completely pisses me off. You don't get a dog to chain it up and just leave it there. How would you like it if someone did that to you? Some other person said the dog wasn't innocent because it killed people, wow... All dogs are innocent it's the owner's fault if a dog kills or hurts someone. Yes, even pitbulls. Why can't some of you people just realize that animal abuse bothers others. Some people get disturbed by Michael Myers slashing someone to death, or maybe by demonic possesions and exorcisms, and some people can't stand to watch any kind of harm happen to an animal. It's just the way it goes. I guess my point is that in most horror/thriller/drama type movies that are trying to build up a character as evil or mentally disturbed, they like to go the old cliche' of showing them abuse animals in some way. It's just an old boring concept. You can show that in other ways. Mostly I hate it, because I have to fast forward through all of that kind of stuff.
Quick example - We were watching the movie 187 on demand, and somewhere towards the beginning of the movie it shows one of the main characters at home with her dog. My wife said, "that dog is going to get killed by someone." And sure enough the dog got hanged later on. It's just annoying that I have to prepare myself to fast forward through movies where something like that could happen. Anyway, I think I've sort of made my point I guess. Oh, and yes we do happen to have a chihuhua, lol. Thanks for calling me an idiot though, I appreciate that.
For Christ's sake, don't let your wife watch Shawshank Redemption. In the mess hall scene, the animal rights rep on the set had to stop the production to make sure the maggot that James Whitmore feeds his (contraband) bird wasn't harmed. Presumably, they found a compromise, so they shot around him actually feeding it to the bird, but still......the unspeakable cruelty is strongly implied.
shareYou men on here are all total idiots.
shareHow many times have you complained about "too much unnecessary cruelty shown towards humans"?
Which films, specifically?
I'm getting tired of people trying to make that human animal comparison. People get bothered by different things. That's the way it is. Just because someone doesn't like seeing animals being tortured or killed, but is not really bothered by seeing it done to humans, doesn't mean a damn thing, other than they're an animal lover. To my wife a dog, cat, etc... is just a sweet little innocent creature and anything bad that happens to it just gets her depressed. On a side note she doesn't really like watching torture movies either. She likes more of the spooky sort of Horror films. Anyway, why does it bother you guys so much that people love animals and don't like to see them get harmed? Yes she knows it's fake, but it's still that image that gets stuck in her brain. Ok that's it. I don't know how else I can make my point.
sharePeople get bothered by different things. That's the way it is.
Just because someone doesn't like seeing animals being tortured or killed, but is not really bothered by seeing it done to humans, doesn't mean a damn thing, other than they're an animal lover
to my wife a dog, cat, etc... is just a sweet little innocent creature
Anyway, why does it bother you guys so much that people love animals and don't like to see them get harmed?
I don't know how else I can make my point.
I'm not trying to "hide behind my wife". Let me take her out of the equation I guess. I personally am not really bothered by seeing animals or humans get killed and tortured in movies. I can handle it. What I don't like, is the animal cliche' in movies. Where the movie is trying to build up suspense or make someone seem sinister because they are killing and torturing animals. I just think it's overplayed, overused, boring.... That's my main complaint about it. That's not what this movie is doing, I get that. I just thought you could take the dogs out of this movie and still get the same exact story and feeling out of it. Just my opinion obviously.
shareThose animal abuse scenes were totally unnecessary. That was a nasty hateful character with no redeeming value and the whole film was pointless.
People have protection under the law and choices and animals do not. BIG DIFFERENCE.
The dog scenes worked well in this movie. Joe loves his dog and does not think he is abusive. The dog also loves Joe.
Wade doesn't consider himself as abusive. Gary's mom probably doesn't consider him abusive either. She loves him and her kids. Gary knows it is wrong but can't change her mind.
Joe feels that it is wrong when Wade hits Gary and takes his money. He almost intervenes and stops himself. Maybe he was raised to believe that it wasn't abusive and that he shouldn't intervene with another family.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
Humans get choices in life. Humans are responsible for their own actions.
I could list a whole bunch of movies I regret renting/buying because of all the unnecessary violence towards humans. I could but I can't be bothered and you're not really interested. It's just this "but what about the poor humans" argument that gets me. Yeah it's a real animals world huh?
Keeping his dog under the porch, yelling at him and the other dog, and of course the dog fight scene. I mean what's the point?
Wow, you must be a gang banger and I think I know your race. Because all of you types treat animals like crap. You are disgusting.
shareI'm white and I'm not a gangbanger. And I don't treat animals like crap. I'm not defending the way Joe treated his dog. I would never condone the mistreatment of animals. I was simply explaining why dogs were treated this way in the film and the purpose it served, i.e., to show what kind of man Joe was. Obviously, he was not a very good man and that tortured him. He was one of the most interesting characters of 2014. Easily my favorite. But, no, I do not condone the way he treated his dog. I'm simply explaining what purpose it served in the film.
shareIt is you who is disgusting, you racist pig. I am that "type" and I treat my little dog like a baby. How could you even say that on the board of a movie showing white people treating their dogs that way?
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I agree but people like that down south in these real small town act and do that stuff. They are the definition of white trash and don't even speak the English language it seems like. I've heard foreigners with better English than how these hicks speak in this. I'm not saying all southerners but in these small backwood towns it's like being in a different country or something. It really is strange.
THERES NO ROOM IN MY CIRCUS TENT FOR YOU. !!!!
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I live in the small town south and see these abusive *beep* everyday with their chained dogs. I hate them in real life and don't want to see that crap in my entertainment.
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I gave the movie an extra star because the GSD died. Man, I hate those a$sholes.
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I agree with you and your wife. I was disturbed enough to see how he chained up his dog, but when he sicced his pit on the other dog and let it kill it while he screwed the whore who did nothing as well, I mentally checked out and wanted to turn it off. Why would someone make a movie about an idiot like that as the hero?
Those scenes were totally unnecessary and made me hate that character.
I would not have even financed, or directed, or produced, or acted in a film with scenes like that.
As far as the dumb people on here making comments about people on people violence, I admit hell no it doesn't bother me because people have choices and laws to protect them and animals don't.
I live in Arkansas and have to watch the ignorant people here (like illegal Mexicans) chain up dogs in the county and the authorities won't do anything, so hell no I don't want to see that kind of nasty *beep* in films. It is very upsetting. I admit I like animals more than most people, and a lot of people are stupid and get what they deserve. Sorry that's my view.
Thank you, reece-deborahj. I agree 100%. I'm so tired of being attacked for speaking out against animal cruelty. I have no use for people who have no compassion for animals. They are innocent victims.
I live in New York and in the midst of this brutal Winter with temperatures below zero, people leave their dogs chained outside. Of course, I call and report them and nothing is done.
As far as the character of Joe being a hero. Give me a break! He was a drunken, violent, animal abuser who got a 15 year old "trashed" and allowed him to drive. Some hero.
Speaking out against "REAL" animal cruelty is a noble thing, but COMPLAINING about animal cruelty in a film makes you look a moron that can't distinguish between reality and fiction.
shareLook, I love animals. I don't like to see them harmed. And I think people who mindlessly abuse them are hateful, and wrong. You should cause nothing or no one needless suffering if you can avoid it, and should actively try to be at peace with most everything. I would hate to see someone hurt any one of my cats I have owned, or the dogs. I understand completely.
BUT.
These whole arguments are kinda stupid. They are animals, not humans. Innocent, sure? Why not?
But the innocent lions and cheetahs starve in the Savannah all the time, they get mauled, and maimed and murdered all by themselves without humans.
Do you think they would really fair much better without humans?
Get rid of all the humans on the planet, transport all the pets outside, and I would be shocked if even 10% end up surviving the base population. Many of them simply aren't bred for that kind of survival.
The natural world, and animals can be vicious. Guided entirely by impulse, and not consciousness. Stop making it all rosy. It is so dang hypocritical. Animals inflict much worse on each other on a daily basis. Do you think if your German shepherd was about to starve to death, do you really feel that instinct that drives him wouldn't ever let him kill a family baby? Our forefathers poured blood and sweat and heavy hands to domesticate those pets you love today. Otherwise, they would still be mean even to you.
Violence to humans should be an entirely different standard, and people should not hesitate to be able to kill their pets for food like the eskimos, or other natives would do if they situation so demanded it for their survival. For those who feel differently, I would consider their actions foolish. And if it threatens more than their own lives, I would say they even betray their own kind. Which is the worst offense of all.