MovieChat Forums > Revolver (2005) Discussion > Revolver movie full explanation

Revolver movie full explanation

posted 13 years ago by jurijamore
18 replies | jump to latest

This is not my explanation, it is writen by a person from russian site kinopoisk.ru I only translated it, sorry for mistakes. This is the best explanation you can find, everything is explained, no plotholes.

Ok, here we go, lets start from the biginning.

Jake Green is criminal. From the very beginign of the film we know, that he was sentenced for 7 years in prison, we dont know why, but it doesnt matter.

Now carefuly, the beginning is the end of a movie, Jake Green walks out of prison, it is the only real moment in movie. Then we can read ''two years later'', the thing to understand is, not two years after he left prison, BUT two years in prison, so he got 7, after 2 years he uderstood something is wrong in his life, he need to reborn and became a normal person.

So basicaly this film is about person, who understood his mistakes, and begin a fight to became new person, so when he came out of prison, he is not a criminal anymore. Everything that is shown in movie is methafor for his fight inside his soul. Everything happens in prison. For example.

Jake Green- main character.
Machaa, Lord John- Jakes dark side, but he is not his main enemy.
Zach, Avi- Jakes good side, only they could help Jake reborn.
Sam Gold- greed, Jakes main enemy.
Sorter- he is indicator, in the begining he is on Macha side, but when jake begins to win, he moves to good side.
3 Eddies- some kind of seducers, it was there fault that Jake became in prison.
Other charecters are shown only to create some plot, they dont really need to mean something, or you can find meaning by yourself.

Now about subplot

1. Casino conflict- after two years of prison Jake begin his fight, he needs overcome his greed, to never return to prison.
2. Falling, shooting, virus- Jakes good side(Avi, Zach) start helping him in his fight, virus is self-deception, so it would more easy to start resist.
3. Jake story about his past- self analysis, to understand his past mistakes.
4. Jake begins to give his money- a methafor for pawns in chess, you need to give them up to your enemy, to get advantage in future.
5. Heroin- Jake steals heroin from Macha, he eats important figure in chess.
6. Trying to return money- they failed, because the game is started and pawns cant go backward.
7. War- Macha start war with Jake, Jake understands there is no virus, the battle begined, so he dont need no more self-deception, there is no way back, he should fight with his dark side.
8. Sam Gold- Avi and Zach explain that Jake main enemy is Sam Gold, his greed and thirst for money.
9. Check in chess game- Jake gives his last money to charity, he already understood how to win his enemy.
10. Checkmate- Meeting with Macha and lift scene, Jake understands that while he is exposed to greed(Sam Gold) his dark side manipulates him(he hears inner voice), but when he overcome his greed, he start to control his dark side(Macha starts to hear voice)
11. Panic- Macha understands he is lost, trying to do something, sends people to Jakes brother. Jakes dark side try to reestablish control over Jake.
12. Sorter- he is indicator, now when Jake won, Macha cant control him.
13. Final- Jake meets Macha, Macha Jake dark side suicide. Jake won, the end. Now we can return to beginning the film, Jake went out of prison, he is new person, not a criminal anymore, he will never come back to prison. Happy end.

[–] ewfleming-616-650888 13 years ago

I like this. Just saw the movie for the first time today. I think too Sorter represents the part of Jake that was a line that could not be crossed. It could have been that the little girl was a child, it could have been that she was family. It was Sorter who really did the shooting of bad guys that Jake couldn't do when his gun was really empty on the shake down of the Chinese guy.

[–] True-South 13 years ago

This is brilliant. I like that Sorter is an indicator, I would never have guessed it. I was bummed when he was shot (just because he's such an awesome BAMF) but it makes sense now - Jake doesn't need him anymore, now that his good side is winning.

Brilliant explanation. Love it.

[–] nickgraf1114 13 years ago

so your saying that everything that happens was all in his head? yeah i dont think so buddy, this is the kind of explanation for people who cant, or dont want to know what the movie is really about.

[–] caelanefc 13 years ago

And what was it really about then?

jump the cheeseburger

[–] psdhart 13 years ago

from wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(2005_film)

Avi attempts to get Jake to understand the nature of the ego. He tells Jake "the greatest con that [the ego] ever pulled was making you believe that he is you." This is seen to be the 'ultimate con', in that no-one wants to sever their connection with their ego, because they refuse to challenge their own life-long investment in it. In the end, Jake also steps off the proverbial chess board by making a conscious effort to reverse everything his ego tells him to do. This is seen to be the truest and most fundamental application of the Formula. The characters of Jake, Zach, Avi and Sorter (Mark Strong) are seen to ultimately reject the ego's 'rules'. The character of Dorothy Macha is seen to succumb to them.

[–] JW-30 10 years ago

Wikipedia may be a very popular site, but in the end that is just another guys interpretation, edited by a couple of others. It aint gospel, as they say.
(And pity the kids who rely on wikipedia alone for their school research tasks.)

I think the explanation by jurijamore is at least as good - no, actually, is better than the one you quoted.

But then, an even better one may exist. Let's hear it.

--
Please. Accept the Mystery.

[–] kick4gwar 12 years ago

I hate this review, and I agree with nickgraf

[–] osasigutri 11 years ago

Although this explanation still doesn't make sense. This is the only plausible explanation (in some way) that this movie had in the forums.

[–] srinath_r_htanirs 10 years ago

No. If you'd bothered to find, there's Guy Ritchie's commentary giving an insight and there are several others that make more sense and are closer to a 'correct' explanation in this forum. For example, a few others say that Sam Gold is ego and not greed as pointed in this thread.

[–] ars89 11 years ago

Absolutely TRUe : Here One trivia

The letters in "revolver" match the arrangement of chess pieces on the fist and last rank of the chessboard.

[–] jurched 11 years ago

Is Macha not to be considered a real person, then? He is the only other character in the film to have a voiced conscience. Macha doesn't start talking to himself till later in the film, once his situation is getting out of control.

If he was the psychological dark side of Jake, he wouldn't be talking to himself in his mind.

[–] ratnikh-143-999627 10 years ago

If this theory of the film is to be believed then it would follow that we would hear Macha's thoughts, since he is Jake.

Macha, as Jake's dark side, wants control but it is gradually slipping as Jake becomes less afraid of who he was and gains acceptance of who he wants to be.

When we hear Macha we are hearing Jake's dark side trying to maintain control through fear; utilizing coercion, intimidation and violence. As Jake gradually overcomes his dark side we hear his dark side slipping.

Macha crying and begging, "fear me," is the ultimate concession. His dark side equates fear with respect and realizes it has lost. That is why Macha simply stands there crying even though he could have very easily shot Jake. Macha, the dark nature of Jake, has been overcome and is then ineffectual and utterly powerless.

Without fear you have no reason to fight yourself or harm yourself.

It may also be notable that the Dorothy and Macha both have roots meaning "Gift of God." This could indicate the Fall of Man (or original sin) which Jake had to overcome to in order to earn his redemption while in prison.

[–] dunker56 10 years ago

Yeh i think this is wrong.

Begins with him in jail, then 2yrs later is actually 2yrs after his release from jail. Pretty sure the film explained how after he got out he lost/got stolen everything he had before he went in (note in the car etc), it was the cellmates/black devil looking player and fat italiano dude. BUT... they taught him well to get him back on top quick smart, hence his 2yrs later he has some money/power again.

TBH i stopped reading after i read some replies thinking all this was in his head, that's lameo version... not true.