Monday, March 7, 2016

Implied Violence


2.) An instance of implied violence is asserted within Mystic River during the scene when Jimmy aims his gun at Dave.  During this scene, Dave is on the ground pleading his old childhood friend to spare his life. Blood continues to spew out of Dave’s chest from the knife wounds, while Jimmy stands over his friend. As Dave looks up to Jimmy, the barrel of a gun is aimed at his head.  Once Jimmy pulls the trigger, the screen immediately fades to a bright white, as the sound of a gunshot is heard within the background. The impact of this event is that the audience is left on edge, mortified, and for some, maybe even angry. This may be referred to as dramatic irony because the audience knows that Dave did not kill the daughter of Jimmy, but Jimmy doesn’t have the slightest clue.  By not showing the actual murder of Dave, the audience is left at the edge of their seat, yet they now have the option to create their own conclusion of what happened that night. Leaving this scene unfinished allows the audience to use their own imagination to depict images of what could have possibly occurred after that gunshot. For some viewers, the respect for Jimmy, as a character, is lost, for he could have just simply fired the gun and killed Dave without hesitation. On the contrary, others may believe that Jimmy had fired the gun, but purposely missed and left Dave to bleed to death. The possible conclusions are endless, and multiple possibilities can be taken from this scene, but every viewer can assume that there was an obvious indication of violence.

4 comments:

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  2. Your explanation of the implied violence is valid and interesting. I never thought about Jimmy possibly missing while shooting Dave and leaving him to bleed to death. The screen turning white after the gun is fired definitely leaves the reader to decipher what happened with their own imagination. The director’s decision to not show Dave being shot could also possibly be due to the fact that some viewers would rather not see a disturbing, dead, and bloody body. Viewers are left to imagine and question the reality of the situation making it more intriguing.

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  3. When thinking of implied violence in the film, this instance did not cross my mind; however, its importance in undeniable. This moment occurs as the result of other instances of implied violence like the torture in the basement and the time between Dave leaving the bar and arriving home covered in blood. Dave's story not only begins with suggested violence, but ends full circle. He encounters violence that strips him of his innocence, executes violence because of his childhood experience, then falls victim to violence as his life ends—all unseen by the camera. This last violent act and the fact that it is implied makes the viewer not only think about the outcome, but reflect upon the tragedy of the moment and the murder of an innocent man.

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  4. The last gunshot scene is a very significant act of implied violence. The audience is left to make their own conclusions based on the observations they have made watching the whole movie. I found myself wishing that Jimmy had somehow missed Dave's head and that he would show up alive at the end of the movie. It could also be argued that Jimmy truly did believe Dave had killed his daughter, and had every intent on murdering Dave. Like you said, the possibilities are endless.

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