Hollywood Justice vs The Bible

I’ve always hated Hollywood. But not for the reasons you might suspect. I hate the way they tell a story; the way they portray Justice, and the way their screenwriters arrive at what they evidently think constitutes a satisfying conclusion.

Here’s the set-up: Our Hero fights back against injustice for at least an hour of the 120 minute Movie, then finally gets into a winning position after around 90 minutes, and then faces the Final Showdown with the Bad Guy around 100 minutes in. It’s an almighty battle, but after approximately 110 minutes the Hero finally bludgeons the Bad Guy into submission.

PAUSE.

Now, if it were a Bible story, this would be the moment when the Protagonist simply chops off the Bad Guy’s head (I kindly refer you to the battle between David and Goliath; 1 Samuel 17). This, after all, is what the Antagonist would have done to him, had he won.

CONTINUE.

In Tinsel Town movies, this is the moment when “Hollywood Justice” is proudly delivered. In a dramatic moment of sublime victory, the Protagonist raises his Sword, and the entire Movie Theatre goes quiet. But then, just as we all wait for the Final Blow; the Strike of Justice, the Hero inexplicably (except in the mind of the unrealistic Hollywood Screenwriter, who has been conditioned to believe that this is how Justice is supposed to play out) lowers his weapon, and admonishes the half-slain Antagonist to never, ever, ever be bad, ever again. The cunning Antagonist agrees, where after the Hero turns around and starts walking away. Then (in a pattern more reliable than the Sun passing through the Gate of Morning) the Bad Guy raises his weapon to kill the misguided Hero, who just spared his life. By some miracle, the Hero survives this (100% foreseeable) cowardly attack and then, FINALLY, kills the Bad Guy.

Always leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Like you just watched something which originally held the Promise of a Good Story, only to be forced to watch the predictable Hollywood ending which spoils it all. In real life, if the Hero ever showed this kind of “Hollywood Mercy“, he'd be slain by the Bad Guy. EVERY. SINGLE. HERO.

Perhaps I should watch fewer Movies. Or perhaps someone should write a Story for a change that treats the Watcher to something real; something closer resembling the kind of Justice we read about in the Bible.