Last Exit to Brooklyn :: essays papers

Last Exit to BrooklynLast Exit to Brooklyn is a real unpeaceful film. In fact, the films purpose is to have the audience check at the whole question of military force. The film shows, in a very realistic way, the psychological, verbal and physical power that permeates a Brooklyn neighborhood in the midst of a bitter strike during the 1950s. The film is based on the book, Last Exit to Brooklyn, by Hubert Selby, which was banned for its violent and sexually unmistakable content. Verbal violence is very prevalent in this film. People protest at and verbally abuse one another throughout the movie. Everyone seems angry. in that respect are several causes for their anger. First the film takes place during a strike. numerous of the characters are unemployed and have little money. They resort to drinking and drugs that move over into their societys violent tendencies. In one scene, the workers who are on strike are screaming obscenities at the scab workers and the boss. solely in vi rtually all scene there is verbal violence. In every scene someone is being threatened, belittled, embarrassed or humiliated. The verbal violence is so punishing because behind it is the possibility of physical violence. Physical violence is also very common behaviour in the movie. For example, the very graduation scene shows a violent altercation between three soldiers and a gang of local thugs. Physical violence is the fundamental way in which the whole society behaves. The men use it to show that they are macho, so they beat up those who are weaker than they are, especially women. For example, Vinnie, the leader of a road gang, physically and verbally harasses a young prostitute named Tralala. In the nearly violent, nasty, and horrible scene in the movie, Tralala is gang raped and beaten by over a hundred men in a garbage dump. Many of the men in the film are homophobic and sexually insecure, and they act out their hostility and insecurity by beating up gays. They have probl ems at work and go out on strike. But their strike is full of violent incidents they get into fist fights, they blow up trucks, they beat up cops. Whenever they have a problem, they use violence to dope with it.Psychological violence, that is, intimidation or the threat of violence, is also an important particle of this film. Vinnie is a gang leader who uses psychological violence to control and belie his gang and other people in the neighborhood.