MovieChat Forums > R (2011) Discussion > Some questions (spoilers, obviously)

Some questions (spoilers, obviously)

posted 8 years ago by phelpsg1
2 replies | jump to latest

Some things about the situation in this movie mystified me:

1. Why doesn't Rune just give stuff to Rashid when they meet in the yard, rather than do all that fuss with the plumbing?

2. Since the prisoners get private, unsupervised visits, it would be just as easy for the "ragheads" to get drugs directly. So why all the complications with them getting them through the other prisoners?

3. Do prisoners in Denmark really have large amounts of cash in their possession? (in the US, any cash is generally contraband in prisons). Or (my husband's theory) are the ultimate consumers of the drugs on the outside, with the prisoners just running the scheme? What drugs are we dealing with here, anyway? The quantities seem much too small for marijuana.

4. What is the motivation for Rashid's sudden "conversion," in spite of the fact that he's both about to get out anyhow, and already aware of the disastrous results of informing?

[–] bibabutze (6) 2 years ago

While this post was on the original IMDB-Board 6 years ago, you probably never read this answer. But anyways:

1. I think the movie doesn't really show, that the inmates would be far more checked by the wardens. Especially when they go to work. We just see them working in the kitchen and not how they get there - mostly there would be multiple checks if something is stolen from the workplace. (One time it is portrayed that the kitchen chef checks, if all knifes are brought back). You want the illegal stuff away from your body as quick as possible.

2. We don't know what security process the Visitors had to surpass, to be allowed to enter the meeting-room. But you can guess it is like a check-in on an airplane.
Otherwise: One guy is somehow able to get the drugs and hide it in his ass. Either he and his visitor are taking the risk or he has other privileges:
In Europe it is very common that prisoners are free to go outside during the day and only have to stay at night in the prison. Mostly to go therapy, work and get integrated back to society.
In Denmark 60% of all prisoners have this privilege. But mostly they are in special "(semi-)open prisons": only long sentences have to be in regular "closed prisons".

3. I was also wondering about that, because where i am from, the prisoners are also not allowed to have cash. But it seems that it is allowed ion Denmark to have money/cash: https://ep2022-dev.tunaweb.com/wp-content/uploads/Denmark-EN-prisoner-information-sheet.pdf
Also it wasn't so much money as you maybe think: 50 DKK is the smalles bank note and 7USD worth. In europe you pay easily 10$ per gramm marijuana on the street. The more you go north it is getting more expensive. I guess you could get easily 200 DKK for 1g Marijuana in prison.
Furthermore as it isnt really shown, it could also be hashish - which is much more dense and sometimes even more expensive: You can easily get 10-15g in one plastic-egg.

[–] bibabutze (6) 2 years ago

4. The version i watched didn't had subtitles, so i don't know what they was saying when - i assume - his mother and his brother has visited him.
My Guess: He and the main character were good guys and are getting close to each other.
Both characters shared the same destiny in their own circle and are very similar to each other.

Rashid has snitched the person, who respected him the most. Perhaps with same argument: "Im about to get out anyhow, and the other guys will beat the shit out of me every day, if i don't tell him how i get the drugs / bring him to the cold storage room ..."
He didn't thought that they would kill him. After that he felt guilty.
Yeah, a little bit cheesy - but im glad that they showed that both characters (and their circles) had their flaws and didn't stylized one side to be moral superior.