"I will find you...and I will kill you."
This is the tagline of Pierre Morel's 2008 film Taken, about a retired CIA agent seeking revenge on his daughter's kidnappers. The theme of espionage is prevalent throughout the film as protagonist Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) utilizes his "very specific skill set" (Taken 2008) to track down the men that have taken his daughter Kim and intend to sell her as a prostitute. Revenge fuels the plotline as Bryan travels to Europe, beginning his journey with a phone call to the kidnappers in which he famously states, "I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want... I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills... Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you." (Taken 2008) This scene exhibits both his ruthless pursuit of the villains as well as his love for Kim, who "[he] would sacrifice anything for" (Taken 2008). The father-daughter relationship mirrors that between Polonius and Ophelia. Though Polonius may often be harsh, the protectiveness he maintains towards his daughter reminds the audience that he cares for her nonetheless. Having discovered what he believes to be the cause of Hamlet's madness, Polonius is genuinely concerned and "sorry" that he had not quoted him with "better heed and judgement" (2.1.109).
Ophelia: I sometimes wonder how much Sir Polonius would sacrifice for my name. Would he lay down his life in place of my own? For after all he has become the source for Hamlet's madness. Hamlet, dear Hamlet, do forgive him. For though he commanded me to "repel [your] letters and deny [your] access to me" (2.1.107) he is truly repentful. I know father loves me as much as you do and would never act with foul intent. He meant not to "cast beyond [himself] in [his] opinions" (2.1.113) but to caution our courtship out of love when he commanded me to "not believe [your] vows" (1.3.126). Sacrifice he will commit and as we speak he goes to "seek the king" with your "ecstasy of love" (2.1.99-100) in our sake. T'is a godly blessing, his change of heart!
The quotes embedded above draw similarities between the paternal concern both fathers feel towards their daughters. Bryan Mills had been mistaken in allowing Kim to travel alone and Polonius's fault had been in forbidding Ophelia from interacting with Hamlet. However when the situation becomes severe, both fathers recognize their missteps and are determined to make ammends, with Mills directly seeking revenge and Polonius seeking out King Claudius with his theory. Both fathers declare their willingness to sacrifice for their daughters out of love as they embark on their respective journeys. However, while Mills is more confrontational in his pursuit of revenge, Polonius does not seek revenge but simply to make ammends. Mills' love for Kim may be seen as more consistent as, throughout the movie, he is unwavering in his stance. Contrastingly, Polonius oftentimes treats Ophelia in a condescending manner and utilizes a gender stereotype as well as age bias while speaking with her, making the audience question the true extent of his care for her.
No comments:
Post a Comment