Natual Born Killers and other controversial violent movies
laurence1870
Posts: 213 Forum Member
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Natural Born Killers is one of my favourite movies, but reading about the real-life crime it apparently inspired is shocking. My question is would you shun a movie because of such controversies? And should filmmakers hold any responsibility for the possible copycat crimes NBK and similar movies inspire?
In my view movies are a work of fiction and if someone can be so easily motivated to commit such atrocities then the blame lies solely on them.
In my view movies are a work of fiction and if someone can be so easily motivated to commit such atrocities then the blame lies solely on them.
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It's a case of life imitating art imitating life. Serial killers, etc. existed before these movies, NBK itself is a reflection of society, so I don't think such things should be held accountable, and that includes video games, tv, etc. I'd certainly not shun a movie because someone copied it in some way. Clockwwork Orange is one of my favourite movies, and that inspired copycat incidents which made the director pull the movie himself, but it never inspired me to go out and commit a bit of the old ultra-violence.
As you say, the blame lies with those who commit such atrocities. If it wasn't one particular movie that inspired them, it would have been something else. Just look at the Manson Family - Charles Manson was inspired by the Beatles White album of all things.
I suppose the whole issue simply springs from the power of culture, something that can only really be monitored rather than controlled. Look at the alleged role The Catcher in the Rye played regarding Lennon's killer Mark Chapman for instance.
After Clockwork Orange, a homelass man was kicked to death in similar circumstances to a scene from the film, and a girl was raped by a gang singing Singin’ in the Rain from a key scene in the film.
NBK does have the record for the most copycat crimes apparently:
Films that inspired real life crimes
Yes, that is defiityely a bigger problem, and actually the whole premise of NBK, the way the media turns these killers into stars, makes them famous, or at least infamous. I'd say that type of news coverage is far more responsible than any movies about the same subjects. Fact, especially when presented in a glamourised way, will always trump fiction as it's harder to dismiss or ignore when it's plastered all over the TV 24 hours a day in a rolling news format.
What real-life crime did it inspire
Tbh these people are just crazy/evil. Millions watch these films and don't commit violent acts.
The director was arrested and charged because the law thought that the people that died in the film died for real and not faked.
"Now Sid, don't you blame the movies. Movies don't create psychos. Movies make psychos move creative"
It's hard to reconcile whilst watching it that it was 'allowed' to be made.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3180319/Governor-weighs-parole-California-school-bus-kidnapper.html
There are two main factors here. One is the media, who will always desperately look for comparisons, similarities in such cases to films, music etc. Such is the case that if a particular crime resembles one from a movie, that link and comparison will be made even if the protagonist was not inspired by it. Because familiarity is key in such cases when reported by the media. A person being killed is not a front page news story, but a person killed in a manner that can be linked to a film is much easier to sell.
One of the most famous examples of this is the Bulger killing and Childs Play 3. No connection whatsoever, no resemblance to what happened in the movie, and only a tenuous link that the parents may have once rented out the movie at some point...but no evidence the boys actually watched the film. Yet the media went to town on it, so much so that there were bonfires of the video's being burnt.
The second factor is the mindset of the killer. Such people are disturbed individuals and at some point something is going to trigger them, and it could be absolutely anything. And of course blaming a movie for their actions is a way of trying to shift blame...it wasn't me guv, the film made me do it. Never works. And nor should it.
So this nonsense of blaming movies for the actions of others despite what they may claim, is just that...nonsense. Frankly if it were true, then every single one of us would be prompted to do the same after watching a film.
But we don't.
Nonsense.
I think that a copycat killer would always have killed anyway and if the event they reference - whatever that may be (NBK here) - didn't exist then they would have found another. I think NBK in your case only influences the method of the killer rather than acts as the motivating factor.
That's always been my general view on the issue of (e.g.) whether a lack of censorship causes crimes. Must admit I haven't read into the NBK case though.