MovieChat Forums > Con Air (1997) Discussion > Poe deserved to be convicted

Poe deserved to be convicted

posted 8 years ago by MikeHunt153
20 replies | jump to latest

He didn't deserve to got to prison, but he deserved to be convicted. The men were meters away from him and weren't threatening violence or walking towards him, so he wasn't in any danger at that time. He could've easily got in his car and drove off, which he was already about to do. But instead he decided to go fight them. He had no reason to fight them other than to look tough. He made a stupid decision and it had disastrous consequences. Anything can happen in a fight. If you're stupid enough to start one, you're to blame for what happens at the end.

[–] LexKim 7 years ago

Really that's how you feel. Sounds more like deep seated personal moral conundrum and or trying to attract attention by saying something so oddball. Yes, he could have gotten into car, yes, he could have ran back to bar and rang cops but we never make the best decisions especially when the safety of your closest is concerned. He is a trained killer and he reacted as he was trained. And wtf you taking about he did get convicted for his acts. But more importantly, he was a man who did everything he can to protect his loved ones. I will burn I have hell for eternity if it means my children with be safe and happy. And I mean every word.

[–] partisanfighter 7 years ago

LexKim, you hit the nail on the head. I served as an MP in the Army for 7yrs and would do the same to protect my loved ones......consequences be damned. If my actions keep my loved ones safe and alive their is no cost too high. I don't advocate mob justice or violence as the first and only answer to a problem, however in this day and age we should all be very aware of our surroundings and learn how to defend ourselves and others. As an MP we used to say: Assist, Protect & Defend. Clear and to the point; not looking for an excuse to fight/shoot/kill but when confronted with a situation involving danger to ourselves and loved ones there comes a point where words, hugs and "safe spaces" just don't cut it. If you add to that equation any number of X factors, especially response time for law enforcement... assuming you had time to call and talk, seconds can make the difference between you getting home to safety and being killed/raped/abducted. There are truly disturbed people who perpetuate unfathomable things just for kicks and "normal" people that simply look for a reason to fight or get drunk go home and slap their wives and kids around. I swear the things humans can do to each other. Sorry for the essay, I just feel like (and yeah this will sound naively idealistic) if we all watched out for each other that maybe down the road there would come a day when criminals would fear for their lives and safety if they were to try and victimize others due to the normality of people protecting/aiding those who are not capable of protecting themselves. I know it is highly unlikely to happen but maybe if we got it started on grassroots level it could at least act as some form of deterrence.

[–] jbollen1 7 years ago

Poe instigated nothing and had no duty to retreat. Police officers are trained to fire on any potentially deadly threat, which absolutely includes a knife-wielding assailant saying, "Take this!" Poe's prison term is a massive concession for the sake of protagonist sympathy and not a realistic outcome.

[–] strntz 7 years ago

Come on guys! The OP is clearly a troll. Let's not feed them or, like bears, they won't go away.

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men ~ F Douglass

[–] The LA Baker (799) 7 years ago

OP is absolutely right. This was not self defense at all, legally speaking.

It seems there are quite a few people have no idea how much they disagree with the law. They really should petition to change the self defense laws instead of going off on denial fueled flame wars.

Did those idiots ask for it? Yes.
Was it self defense? Nope.

[–] MaximRecoil (4054) 7 years ago

I believe the fight at the beginning of the movie was set in Alabama, and in 1997 it would have been debatable as to whether or not it was a case of self-defense (unlike your baseless proclamation that it definitely wasn't self-defense), because back then Alabama had a bullshit "duty to retreat" law (if the retreat could be done "with complete safety"). The debate would hinge on the "with complete safety" part, because there's no debate that Poe was threatened with a deadly weapon, and there's no debate that prior to that he was quickly surrounded by three guys who attacked first.

That leftist horseshit was done away with in 2006 when Alabama passed a "stand your ground" law, so under that law, it would have been an unambiguous case of legitimate self-defense, i.e., justifiable homicide. In 2013 it was broadened even more.

[–] The LA Baker (799) 5 years ago

You need to rewatch this film and read up on "duty to retreat".
Damn near everything you said was flat-out wrong.

[–] MaximRecoil (4054) 5 years ago

"You need to rewatch this film and read up on "duty to retreat"."

No, I don't.

"Damn near everything you said was flat-out wrong."

Your mere assertion is dismissed. Get back to me when you have at least one actual argument.

[–] The LA Baker (799) 4 years ago

Are you really this dense? Are you trying to troll? Did you actually watch the film?

"there's no debate that Poe was threatened with a deadly weapon, and there's no debate that prior to that he was quickly surrounded by three guys who attacked first."

Everything you just said is completely wrong. Go watch the movie(for the first time?)

Poe is getting in his car. His wife is already in the car. The jerk and 2 of his friends are STANDING BEHIND A FENCE TAUNTING HIM. His wife says to get in the car and go. He ignored his wife and then POE WALKS OVER TO THE THREE MEN AND CONFRONTS THEM. Once the men are losing the fight one of them pulls a knife.

Everything you said is absolute bullshit. If you want to make a point it has to have some connection to reality. Otherwise, you are just ranting about nonsense like a lunatic.

[–] MaximRecoil (4054) 4 years ago

"Are you really this dense?"

Comical Irony Alert

"Are you trying to troll? Did you actually watch the film?"

Your non sequitur is dismissed, simpleton.

"Everything you just said is completely wrong. Go watch the movie(for the first time?)"

Your mere gainsaying is dismissed, Slow Doug.

"Poe is getting in his car. His wife is already in the car. The jerk and 2 of his friends are STANDING BEHIND A FENCE TAUNTING HIM."

LOL at you using all caps for "standing behind the fence" despite it being utterly irrelevant. After they said, "Thought you might need a little help escorting your old lady home," all three of them immediately walked around the fence and were therefore no longer behind it, obviously.

"He ignored his wife and then POE WALKS OVER TO THE THREE MEN AND CONFRONTS THEM."

You're a moron; you have that exactly backwards. They moved toward him first and as he stepped toward them in response (which is a natural response to someone stepping toward you), they surrounded him, just as I already said.

Immediately after they surrounded him, one of them ripped the "fruit salad" off his military jacket, kicked him in the leg, pushed him to the ground, and then they started kicking and punching him while he was on the ground.

Then he successfully defended himself from two of them and the third one pulled a switchblade knife on him. In response, he struck the hand holding the knife and struck him in the face, which killed him.

Once again, "There's no debate that Poe was threatened with a deadly weapon, and there's no debate that prior to that he was quickly surrounded by three guys who attacked first." However, you're trying to debate it (lol), so I'll amend that to say:

"There's no debate [among people who aren't idiots] that Poe was threatened with a deadly weapon, and there's no debate that prior to that he was quickly surrounded by three guys who attacked first."

"Everything you said is absolute bullshit. If you want to make a point it has to have some connection to reality. Otherwise, you are just ranting about nonsense like a lunatic."

Comical Irony Alert: Part II

Also, your non sequitur is dismissed.

Also, see above.

Also, you + an idiot = 2 idiots.

[–] Stratego (29239) 6 years ago

I actually think he did deserve to go to prison. I really had no sympathy for him. I can't believe the morons in this thread who think it was okay what he did.

[–] George (605) 6 years ago

I one hundred percent agree with you my friend. If they weren't walking towards him, he could have easily drove away. If they saw that he just drove away, they would eventually leave him alone and find another more vulnurable victim to harm. I agree with you one million percent.

[–] Lampedusean (498) 5 years ago

Lotta paper tigers here. Rest assured the legend is in your mind only. Pffft..

[–] George (605) 4 years ago

I disagree. When you feel that you or your loved one is in danger, you might not make the best decisions, but you act purely instinctively. You don't have the option to weigh all the alternatives. You act purely instinctively.

[–] strntz (10797) 4 years ago

You know, I've only seen this movie a few times and it seems I always seem to pick it up after the opening scene. Well, here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtZNp-s90Cc

I didn't know (or forgot) that the three pieces of human shit were tormenting him in the bar and hitting on his pregnant wife. The three pieces of human shit then waited for him outside to ambush him. Yeah, he could have jumped in the car and locked the doors and screamed, but he did what most guys would do: stand his ground. If it were just me they were tormenting, I'd be inclined to leave. But those guys were also hitting on his wife. That escalates things.

The three pieces of human shit then jumped him without Poe even raising his arms. They had him on the ground and surrounded while kicking and beating him when Poe got his first shots in.

As someone above correctly said: "Poe's prison term is a massive concession for the sake of protagonist sympathy and not a realistic outcome."

[–] PaladinNJ (20309) 3 years ago

It actually was self defense. The guy he killed pulled a knife on him. He was convicted for manslaughter because one of the two who got away grabbled the knife making it look like Poe had killed an unarmed man.

[–] PaladinNJ (20309) 2 years ago

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