MovieChat Forums > Drifter (2017) Discussion > Stylish, but ultimately left me confused

Stylish, but ultimately left me confused

posted 6 years ago by ps48 (64)
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Very cool characters, very cool style. Every character was unique. The lighting, camera work, scenery, acting, were all great.

(spoilers)

My only complaint is that I felt like the movie didn't know what to do by the end. I'm sure the ending was totally intended to be bleak -- I wasn't expecting any kind of "drive off into the sunset" ending -- but some kind of small resolution would've been nice I think.

What I mean is:
For one, he killed the girl, and I'm not sure why? I'm not sure why he didn't even TRY to aim for the guy instead, and at least make an effort to avoid hitting her. If he missed, then yeah she might've gotten stabbed, but I think she would've preferred being stabbed by a fork than shot in the stomach.

Secondly, he chose to spare the old guy. Why is that? Did I miss something there? That old guy is the whole reason his brother died. If the old guy never slashed their tire, then their brother wouldn't have died. So... why didn't he kill him? The argument can't be made that he was just a "helpless old man" who was forced to do things by the leader guy, because that wouldn't explain the tire scene. That old guy clearly WANTED to strand the two characters there.

Third, there was some other random young guy at the table that got up and left during the dinner scene. Who was that? That was his only appearance in the entire movie. What the fuck? Was I hallucinating?

Fourth, he dropped the revolver in the end. Why not keep that thing, since he plans on leaving and walking out into the desert?

If it's going to end so grim and bleak and kind of unexplained, it at least would've been cool to see him grab some ammo and a knife or something before he wandered off. To just imply that he's going to be ready to defend himself -- this time, on his own -- when he inevitably runs into more crazy people. Instead he just kind of "walks off sad" with all of those things I mentioned left unexplained. Unless I just didn't pick up on certain things?

[–] redban (5183) 5 years ago

I think he left the old man out of mercy. With the crew dead, that old man is mostly harmless. And the old man was just eating. He wasn’t threatening him at that moment.

Remember in the earlier scene, Dominic was about to shoot the third carjacker (who wanted to just take the car and leave). Miles then said no, making Dominic tell the guy to take off his clothes and run (no matter that Dominic shot him after). There was also the earlier convo in which Dominic told Miles that he needs to learn how to take care of himself (ie fight and kill). The insinuation is that Miles doesn’t want that life; it isn’t his personality.

By sparing the old man, the idea is that Miles is supposed to be merciful and good in a world filled with violence and savagery.

It might also be why he dropped the revolver. He isn’t a fighter.