Adrian Brody has as much talent as a lot of young actors and it won him a well deserved oscar, but this movie tried to squeeze him into a hat that wasn't fitting his head and the end result is a ackward setup, with performances carrying the film to make it enjoyable to watch, but very much so flawed from the beginning.
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Many people say that adrien brody was unbelieveable in this role because they cant see him as mean or hard, but I think thats the point. Jack isn't supposed to be mean or hard, simply a misguided man who doesnt know what he wants in life. This is shown by the fact that he falls in love with claire and feels remorse when she tries to kill herself. Jack has a heart, a huge heart that loves claire to bits, and if Jack was truely a mean character he would never be able to make the change that he does in the end.
I personally think adrien brody did amazing in this movie and was perfect for the role. Adrien Brody perfectly portrays a troubled man who is trying to find happiness in a world he really doesnt belong in.
P.s. I love this movie!
It is a fact. Bona fide and classified. -The Jacket
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The character and Brody seemed realistic enough to me. What seemed unrealistic to me was the way they tried to tie together the ending on a bright note. Yeah, I think in their situation... that was a "bright note." Especially the words of wisdom from Pam Greir to Brody while still in hospital bed. Seemed a little hokey, but not completely unbelievable... I've met tough lady cops with a maternal side.
For a similar, yet far more realistic film see "Panic In Needle Park" with Al Pacino. It involves drugs obviously, but for the story between a man and a woman that has a similar dynamic... it rings more truthfully. "Panic" starts off with the woman's life going downhill though...
In this film, maybe Jack and Claire have more of a chance because drugs are not a part of this story... not even much alcohol which is unusual. Plus, even Jack has an intellectual side that means he's not without passions other than crime. But then again, we don't really know how their lives are supposed to turn out. It seems like the story we all want to see come true but seldom does.
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No but maybe- I doubt she would be able to pull her life together again after he stayed in the picture. It was one thing that she was sent spiriling downward, and then recouped... but remember he was in jail until he called her at the lab and she was working. Sorry, but that just was portrayed as a destructive relationship and there's more of a chance that it would have brought her down than him changing his personality. I can't imagine that the fact that he was a minor criminal was their only difference. What about the fidelity issue?
That love conquers all stuff is part of the fairy tale in that story. I find the plot more believable if I imagine Jack changing because of what happened to him in jail, and maybe that was the point, and fate brought them back together- I don't know. Like they had to go their separate paths with their own suffering for a while before they could be together again with any positive note. It is a story after all. Most people want a good story, they don't necessarily want to see what happens in reality all the time. I guess I like movies that are a little more gritty. That's just the dark side of me! So to each her own I guess.
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bj kuehl-
Yes, I found many parts of it believable. What I didn't like was that I felt that the film's ending was a little too simplistic and "romanticized" even for a love story. For this kind of love story anyway. I guess I wanted them to show the trainwreck, not the delusion (or the hope if you want to call it that).
Yet, when all is said and done- you are probably right in that the film is not all that unrealistic if you are looking at their vantage point as lovers rather than the veiwers'.
About your story- wow, interesting that you should share that. There are too many of us out there I guess. Similar tale here, so I wasn't just talking off the top of my head either. We didn't marry, just stayed together for a long time. For some reason, I didn't learn anything at first. Did this with not one, but two very similar relationships. The second was hell. More than a decade of my life and then some recovering from the wreckage, emotional and otherwise. I'm glad you survived yours too. There's too much that can go wrong when things are... well, all wrong.
he acted awesomely. hes total man candy for the women. he plays it cocky...
but it doesnt mean he really fit the roll. in attempt to make him look like a hustler they made him look like a downtown LA player pimp.
adrian's acting is superb, marvelous. He plays his role much better than expected. I disagree completly with the person who posted the first comment.
jaundi
Adrian Brody as a Tough guy?
He looks too much like a skinny diseased big-bird with its feathers plucked.
I think the point of the character is that he is really a regular guy playing the role of a heavy... He's really just an average young guy trying to make it the best way he knows.
shareby JosephRobinson414;
"Adrian Brody has as much talent as a lot of young actors and it won him a well deserved oscar, but this movie tried to squeeze him into a hat that wasn't fitting his head and the end result is a ackward setup, with performances carrying the film to make it enjoyable to watch, but very much so flawed from the beginning."
I agree that Brody doesn't come across that well as a Robert De Niro / "Taxi Driver" style tough guy but I think there were more problems with this movie than just that.
The basic story in "Love the Hard Way" reminded me of an old style romance / fantasy.
- The dashing robber becoming crazed with love.
- The higher class woman who stoops to a life of crime to join her lover and then becomes self destructive to create jealousy.
This would have worked better in a more romantic setting (Europe 200 + years ago).
Putting "Love the Hard Way" on the streets of modern New York made the story look ridiculous.
And the dialogue often seemed too clever for New York wise guys and cops. Again, another reason for a more romantic setting.
Considering all that, I don't think any actor could have done much better than Brody in this film.
BB ;-)
it's just in my opinion - imo -