Vincent's Inferno
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A very hard watch, similar to Passion of the Christ. Probably won't want to watch it more than once every few years but the first time through is well worth it. Needless to say, but it's not family friendly by any means. But if you're fascinated by the dark underbelly of society, and want to be entertained by it without the clichรฉ Tony Montana tragic story arch, or a glorification of degenerates, then this is the film for you.
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Well, there is a karma element to the plot, but it's for the especially bad guys. Because at the end, Vince Vaughn's character serves as the hand of God by absolutely DESTROYING (in the most satisfying way possible if you're a male viewer) the untouchable Mexican cartels. So the main theme, without a doubt, is a very Christian one. The code for the phone at the end is 777. Obviously that is symbolic of God and referred to as an "angel number." But the less obvious one is Cell Block 99, which inverted is like 666.
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Basically, the film is showing the audience, ( through amazing cinematography and color choices), that God is always with Vince's character. It goes from blue to green, to red/orange. And even when they are in the depths of f**ked up scenarios, God is there with them. For example, when Vince's wife is kidnapped and being examined for the abortion torture by the Korean dude and George Soros lookin' guy. God works in mysterious ways as they say. But also, I think the green can represent money/greed/being Earthly minded, because when Vince and his wife decide to return to the criminal world for money, their house is full of a blue (sky/heaven) filter and they comment that they need new "green" curtains. So, is the Dante's Inferno -esque journey the husband & wife take into one torturous scenario after another comeuppance for their sins? Or was it God's plan to serve righteous justice to the Mexican cartel, Korean abortionist, and Soros guy ? Idk, that's for a Christian apologist to answer, or the start of a great convo with whomever you watch this with.
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But that leads me to the other minor subplot that seems to be very Libertarian. There are several lines of dialogue that point out how corrupt the Prison Industrial Complex is and depict the (Statist) police forces as being motivated by sadism and not actual justice. Which is why they were working with the cartel and letting him chill during his prison sentence. And is also why, despite Vince dying at the end, you feel completely satisfied as an audience member. There is closure because you feel like Vince's suffering was part of God's plan and the shrug the chaotic neutral prison guard gives him before he kills him is how we all feel. You'd be more upset if Vince could get away with all of that murder and torture. It wouldn't be a just world. Ya know? Suddenly, at the very end, all of the cringe and torture porn scenes you struggle through make sense. Just like in real life when you look back on seemingly negative events in your own life that were required for the current pleasure you now enjoy.

Back to the Libertarian themes: the red arm bands were unmistakeable nods to nazis. Personally, I'm not much of a Libertarian anymore and any nazi parallels feel overdone, but I am still sympathetic to the anti-police sentiments portrayed so I can dig it. It adds some depth to the film instead of some cuckservative rightwing propaganda.
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Furthermore, the Korean guy, the Soros guy, and the racist White drug dealer were all very realistic. For the first time in many years, I could suspend disbelief and get immersed in a plot without some token anti-stereotype like a Black doctor deus ex machina that saves the day in a Chinese town. However, aside from the artsy cinematography, the realism of this film makes the gore hit hard.

Prepare yourself for a doozy and buckle up, fren.

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MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW!
Click to reveal screenshots of color symbolism for analysis.

Apr 13th 2022
This review was posted from the United States or from a VPN in the United States.
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