Haven't seen the film, but do the leads pass off as villains? I mean, the Lupin gang are all classified as Anti Heroes, typically unscrupulous at worst.
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I don't remember them hurting that many people until like the climax, but was a trick so I don't know if anyone actually got hurt. They do steal ALOT of money though, and they are fugitives, so they could probably pass off as villains.
Ask me about my cat!
I question whether "Disproportionate Retribution" fits here. If the movie were depicted as the example was originally written, maybe. But that means taking Bradley's word that Strike was a "mediocre magician" as true, despite the fact that a) Bradley is the only one who ever calls him that and b) Bradley seems to look down his nose at all magicians because he likes feeling smarter than them. With that taken out, Bradley ruined Strike's career, indirectly caused his death, and continued on to ruin peoples' careers (and possibly lives) while showing absolutely no remorse. All of which makes his eventual retribution more satisfying than disproportionate.
It seems a little YMMV, is all I'm saying. Should it be moved?
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I agree with you, it is very much a matter of opinion.
However, my own opinion is that it was disproportionate. I do not believe that explaining how a magic trick could have been done, or even how it very likely was done, is a bad thing to do. If Shrike's career was ruined after Bradley publicized the techniques that he most likely used, well, that just implies that Shrike had a rather fragile career. It's not like people have a right to be successful at making money however they want. I might want to make a living at the fine art of fart ventriloquism, but if people aren't interested, then they aren't interested! Bradley was making fascinating information—which was not anyone's private information—available to the public. He didn't even have to steal it from Shrike, he probably just figured it out by buying a ticket to Shrike's show and observing. I wouldn't place any blame at all for Shrike's death on Bradley. It was the safe manufacturer, and Shrike himself, who were to blame.
I agree that it's more of a YMMV.
I think the key point is that Bradley showed no remorse for what he did, and kept on doing the exact same thing. If you yelled at a co-worker (or even a stranger), then find out that they killed themselves that evening, most people would feel guilty even though they had no way of knowing the person would die, or were at fault. The fact that Bradley has been doing this for 20 odd years, and likely has ruined many lives, but doesn't seem to give a damn makes what happens to him not disproportionate (at least in my opinion).
There's also the fact (as mentioned in the fridge section IIRC) that no one is forcing Bradley to expose them and by continuing to pursue the Horsemen he brings it on himself. If he had stop trying to expose them at any point the Horsemen wouldn't have been able to frame him for the theft.
Casting Gag: Batman's two closest assistants both fall for Batman Gambits. What do you think?
The Four Horsemen. Horsemen is somewhat of a homonym for "Horus Men". Could this be a case of Meaningful Name, in regards to the Eye of Horus?
Edited by Krazny