MovieChat Forums > Spoorloos (1988) Discussion > This is what should have happened

This is what should have happened

posted 17 years ago by kurtblirgrusom
26 replies | jump to latest

The main character should have kicked the villains ass when he was offered the sleeping-coffee and forced him to drink it himself. After that he would put him in the trunk, drive to a hotel and torture him for a few days. The villain is tough and has a pretty good imagination, but when faced with torture he would eventually break. After he had revealed the girlfriends grave the protagonist would tie him up and call the police.

Of course the best thing to do would be to lock the villain in a tight small space to exspose him to his worst fear (he had claustrophobia) but the main character didn't know that...

[–] olivet47 17 years ago

But that would have been inconsistent with the theme of fate.

[–] kurtblirgrusom 17 years ago

Yes. Maybe. I'm just trying to come up with suggestions to an alternative ending.

[–] garyahampton 17 years ago

You may be missing the point of the story. His doom is sealed by the fact that he cannot exist without fully understanding exactly what happened to his girlfriend, even though this may mean his ultimate destruction. It's the ending in this form that justifies the whole story. It is very close to the source novel, which takes us through the existential agony of the lead character, which is only relieved when he endures the same fate, sating his guilt. It is an exploration of the pat statement "Curiosity killed the cat"; although we know we could be burned, we have to seek out the truth.
It's interesting that the American remake alters this ending completely because the film studio didn't think a US audience would understand or tolerate this bleak ending. I think it's a serious mistake to assume Americans couldn't figure this out just because they are treated like idiots by Hollywood.

[–] RazorSharp89 17 years ago

This is how it should have ended.

Rex wakes up in the coffin, and screams. It then shows Raymonde and Saskia sitting on deck chairs drinking tea. They point and laugh at the grave and say "Got him!". Then they high five.

The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not a man.

www.myspace.com/103760822

[–] kurtblirgrusom 17 years ago

Haha, i liked that last comment.

But seriously... wouldn't you try to torture it out of him?

[–] Notaninterestingname 17 years ago

Probably. But who can really tell how they will react in such an extreme situation, unless they are facing it themselves?

Anyway, since this is a film about obsession, Rex could hardly have reacted any other way. He HAS to know, whatever it takes, and that's why he suppresses his initial instinct to beat Raymond up after the first few punches.

[–] JudgeX 17 years ago

It's obvious that no one would follow that path of actions...

From the point where we see that Rex can overpower the guy, it should have been a short trip to the police station to start an investigation...

If not, because there's no evidence, then torture/force him to take you to his house, threaten to hurt his family until you get truth.

Simple.

[–] Stryker-X 15 years ago

Rex hits like an absolute p*ssy b*itch. That became apparent outside his apartment block.

[–] Miss_Sui_Generis 13 years ago

That's when and why I lost all patience with this film.

[–] skockoa 13 years ago

I agree that Rex torturing a guy would be unrealistic, this is a normal guy, not violent and even if he could physically do it I don't think he'd have the guts to go all the way, a few punches but that's it.
Anyways he says him self that he doesn't hate the guy and doesn't want to punish him, he just wants to know the truth. It makes it even harder then. If he was pissed then maybe but torture someone to satisfy curiosity not really, how ever great that curiosity may be.

But anyways to stay on topic...
A decent alternative would be, to me at least, the part in the end just before Rex drinks the coffee, he runs around a tree like a mad man, at that point instead of going for the car/coffee, he makes a run for it in the dark.
Raymond realizes he lost his psycho mind game, up to now he thought he could control Rex, keep him curious enough to sit tight and do nothing, knowing that eventually he would have to kill him cause Rex knows way too much and would never give up hunting him.
Like, when they were crossing the border, he told Rex if everything went fine at the border he'd tell him the whole truth. So at that point Raymond was still worried. When they crossed it safely he knew Rex won't be able to do much to change his fate (maybe he really did have a gun or some other plan B), on the highway alone in the dark...

So Rex escapes, Ray chases, Rex sees that he was gonna die, and what happens then I don't know...I prefer a gloomy ending, at least partially. Rex lives, Ray goes to jail but never talks for example,...
...
or Rex goes to jail cause later on he accidentally gets Rays daughter killed in a car crash, but he finds out the truth and is at peace in jail, while Ray is depressed but free, his wife leaves him etc...

But anyways I figure a LOT of people in real life would choose to run- no matter how obsessed with knowing the truth they are, fear is a strong motivator. You know, it's easy to say, I'd beat him up, I'd torture him, I'd do this do that but in fact you're looking at a probable killer, and not any killer either, this is the guy that probably killed your girlfriend, and now he's got you in his car in the middle of nowhere, at night and wants you to drink a sleeping pill? Helloooo. Self preservation?

I run. Tomorrow I think about what I'll do next, I know everything about this guy, he isn't going anywhere.

[–] Drooch 7 years ago

I think Ray is sufficiently insane and controlling that he would never reveal the whereabouts of Saskia's body. If Rex went to the police or whatever else, Ray's need to overpower him and always 'win' would mean he'd do anything to deny Rex the closure he craves. He'd go to his grave, let alone prison, just to fúck with Rex.

[–] Drooch (5333) 4 years ago

That said, if Rex had run to the police, it’s very likely that an investigation would have yielded the answer he craved. Ray’s claustrophobia would have been revealed to Rex, who already knew that Ray wanted to do the worst thing he could imagine to another human being. Combine this with Ray’s mysterious mileage and regular visits to the new house, and a picture would emerge.

This makes his decision even more galling, but he couldn’t risk not knowing and it’s as if he was always fated to become that second golden egg.

[–] minuetteg 14 years ago

>>>>>>>>>> by - kurtblirgrusom on Tue Jun 26 2007 07:32:36
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haha, i liked that last comment.

But seriously... wouldn't you try to torture it out of him? <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Kurt,

That kind of action would need time to improvise. Put yourself in Rex' shoes:

1) You never expected a guy you've been hunting for 3 years to turn up at your doorstep, but he DOES;

2) You notice a gaggle of kids in the corner of your eyes, and realise maybe he deliberately chose a Saturday morning) and some of those kids may know Rex and feel obliged to squeal when the cops come to investigate a man disappearing;

3) Your hear him coming off like a hard-nosed psycho, even in the way he takes his beating without asking for the slightest mercy, and THEN makes a string of threats deterring your unprepared ass from taking any action.

What the *beep* can you do? Not to give the grimy little hoodlums on IMDB any ideas, YES there are a few ways around this situation to his advantage, but Rex is a peaceful guy abruptly tossed into a completely alien situation.

Si hoc non legere potes tu asinus es!

[–] barbarossa4188 15 years ago

Lol, Raymonde was married.

"Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything."
Stalin

[–] catlebrity 14 years ago

Either that or show his hand coming out of the ground a la Carrie.

----
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[–] Sarcinelli86 13 years ago

@RazorSharp89
Best end evah!
You should've written the script.

[–] merskur 10 years ago

"But that would have been inconsistent with the theme of fate."

Not necessarily. The whole idea of fate can be twisted to any degree, and you could argue that the OP's suggestion would be consistent with fate by the same logic that made him drink the coffee. Which is why the idea of fate is useless in the first place: If you act the way you don't feel is "right", how can you know you're acting in opposition to fate? Maybe it was your fate to act in the opposition of fate? Like I said, useless.

[–] YoSafBridge 15 years ago

My goodness you people have watched too many Hollywood movies. Sure Rex could (barely) overpower Raymond...but really? Torture? He didn't have that in him. He's just a normal (albeit slightly deranged by this point) guy, not Dirty Harry!

Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity

[–] JellyFish19 14 years ago

Rex should have spent some time training with Pai Mei.

[–] LifesWonderful 14 years ago

As much as I would have wanted Rex to beat the killer's ass, the movie would not have been the same. That was the effect it was supposed to have on you. And I don't think Rex would have been able to torture someone, that's more for sadistic people.

I saw blood and I saw stars all in the backseat of your car.
http://weheartit.com/LifesWonderful

[–] Zoomorph 13 years ago

But that ending would be completely unrealistic and would turn this marvelous film into standard hollywood junk.

- Rex would be unable to administer torture, even on the man who killed his lover, especially since they've developed such a relationship.

- Rex will do anything, including die himself, to find out what happened to her.

- Raymond is already risking getting caught or killed by contacting Rex, that's hardly his primary concern.

- Raymond is much smarter than Rex. He already understands Rex, he is being benevolent and giving Rex a chance to try and understand him.

- Raymond would unlikely crack under torture to Rex knowing that there's nothing to be gained by giving up the information, and that Rex cannot risk never finding out.

~ Observe, and act with clarity. ~

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] franzkabuki 12 years ago

Watching it, I sort of toyed with the idea that in the end, the Dutch guy would just vanish, as far as the audience is concerned, the same way his girlfriend vanished before. Would have put the viewer in the same shoes, facing the same torturous unknowingness that ate away at this dude. I still don´t think it´d have been a bad idea.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] coolbrett 11 years ago

the Dutch guy would just vanish

yeah that's a great idea. He could get hit by a car or something right in front of Rex. And it would end with Rex being devastated that he will forever remain oblivious. It would keep some people happy knowing the bad guy died, and others happy who like unconventional unhappy endings.

[–] Drooch 7 years ago

No, the poster's suggesting that Rex vanish to give psycho Ray a taste of his own mediecine - never knowing when his carefully constructed veneer of a normal life will be shattered by the reemergence of Rex and some police.

It's a nice idea that would have a place in a different film, but this film is perfect with the ending it has.

[–] rezakazemi2 8 years ago

Your text proves beautifully that the movie has worked completely. It has made you angry. It is the power of drama that invites a viewer to make another possible scenario, with such accuracy.