{Theory]The reason why ' the good guy ' becomes 'bad guy'

Actually, having watched this film several times the "good" guy... considered the Prisoner, was a heartless killing machine whose only goal seemed to be the death of others. He was a killer... whether as a Samurai upholding the law or as a Prisoner in the modern times, he was a brutal slayer. The "Bad" guy... the wizard... continuously revived people from death, offering them a chance to work with him. Possibly even offering redemption. All he wanted to do was open a portal to another world... it was never stated whether he wanted to do something evil or something good. A man who waited lifetimes to perform the ritual that would bring two worlds together may seem "evil", but the whole film supports the theory that they never switched roles. The wizard was "good" and the Prisoner was "Evil", all from the very beginning. The "Good" may have even been trying to redeem the evil in the Prisoner by offering him a second chance.

Well, here's my take: whoever wins the fight, since the fight always does happen in some way, becomes evil and immortal while the other one becomes good. The roles shift, but the loop continues. Like it has been said, "There is just a pro- and anta-tagonist", not "set-in-stone" roles.

{Tip]Don't put spoilers in topic names.

"Put a warm rug in the car. It's cold outside when you have to go about naked." - The Invisible Man

I don't think the main character ever was a "Good" guy. More to the point, the Villain never really did anything overtly evil. He was trying to open a portal to another world, to gain a sacred power, and he just spent the past several decades waiting for these two to be reincarnated for another chance. Yet, throughout the whole film, all he ever talks about is how terrible some people are and how he wants to give them another chance to do something.

Next time you watch the film, think about him as the Hero and alot of things make an odd sort of sense.

One of the things I love about this movie is how you can watch it over and over again and get something new each time.

We know this isn't true now, but here's what I initially thought.

At some point in the movie, the "good guy" says: "These days, the world is full of people who are better off dead." That's not really something a criminal would say, but rather a lawman filled with despair.

Also notice at the end, the "good guy" says: "There's nothing left to destroy in this world."

The "bad guy" in the movie is definitely bad, even at the end I'm sure he still is. However, I think that the "good guy" lives by a justice code that is completely deranged. He is so filled with despair that he convinces himself that the world is going in the wrong direction and every human is to blame. Even his sidekicks in the end look brainwashed, as if he wanted to enforce his way of thinking on other people. He probably caused the apocalypse that we see at the end.

yin yang/zoroastrianism-ish cycle. good vs bad, players reverse, repeat.