I really enjoyed the movie. Good plot, tense, and Spacey’s acting was fantastic.
But I was very let down by the ending. I just don’t get it. Not at all. I am turning to the TM in hopes of a better explanation than what seems obvious.
My take: Guy shot his g/f, released Buddy and either made a deal with him or was taken under his wing - he was given a promotion and continued to work with Guy.
WTF?! Why is this not in either Buddy’s or Guy’s character as given in the movie. Guy, maybe I can understand; catching a seemingly cheating girlfriend, he alread snapped, so maybe I can accept that he offed her. Maybe. But Guy? I just don’t get it. First off, I can’t accept any ‘deal’ or new relationship that would keep Buddy close to him. If Guy snapped once, what would stop it from happening again? Buddy was a smart man, I can’t believe that he would feel safe with Buddy running around. Buddy went wayyyy off the deep end- not just a bit mad, but psychotic. So given the presentation of the charachters, I don’t see Buddy keeping Guy around for ol’ time’s sake.
A deal? A guarentee from Buddy that he would work with Guy? Bull. Buddy is portrayed as a coniving shark, always looking out for the zero sum game. What benefit could he have from keeping Buddy around? What benefit would he gain from honoring any type of deal? His life? Sure, I can believe he’d say anything at the moment, but as soon as the police showed up, why would he not turn on Buddy? Any statements he would have made, even if they directly contridicted Buddy’s would at the very least keep Buddy in jail for the short term. And at trial, what motivation would Guy have for lying? I can see Buddy going away for a looong time.
So I am left with a problem with the ending. Anyone else out there have a better explanation to the end? Did I miss something? Was Buddy so moved by the experience that he mended his ways and became partners of sorts with an unstable, violent, sadistic Guy? I just don’t get it. I’ll now “shutup, listen and learn” to whatever the TMs can offer. Thanks.
Rhythmdvl
Good flick. And I thought the ending was quite good as well. The reason that Buddy kept Guy around was that he had won out over him. Guy ended up as soulless and cold as Buddy. Willing to do anything to climb to the top. One of the phrases that was repeated in the movie was “What do you really want?” What Guy really wanted was to be where Buddy was, and Buddy was aiming for the top spot. It’s no coincidence that first Buddy, and then Guy, lost the one thing that kept them human: The women that they loved and were loved by.
Is there a chance that Guy would snap again? Not really. In the scene at Buddy’s house, Guy reached the core of his desire and finally admitted what it was he really wanted. Armed with that self-knowledge, it would be detrimental to his desires to snap again. His fight wasn’t with Buddy, his fight was with his own desires.
The two can now work together because they both understand perfectly what each other is. They are both now sharks. Cold and vicious.
As has been said many times before, “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”. Neither of these characters has friends, only enemies. And they keep their eye on them. Witness Buddy’s deferential treatment to those higher up in the studio. Behind their backs, he hates them. But they’re useful to him, and so he curries their favor. Much in the same way that Guy now curries Buddy’s favor.
The two are like peas in a pod by the end of the movie.
I found Buddy to be a more sympathetic character than Guy from the beginning. Buddy paid his dues to attain his position; he knew what he had to sacrifice and did so. Guy was a whiny shit who was having trouble understanding the notion of working your way from the bottom.
At the end, I found Guy to be the darker character. I mean, Buddy didn’t kill anybody, did he? Buddy was just playing the game, a game that he had grown over time to be very good at.
Years later, here’s your reply. Thank God I read your post. I thought I was going crazy. I agree 100% with what you said. The ending is illogical. And so is th entire movie. It is bullshit. It doesn’t work. So years later (20) we see what kind of crap Hollywood puts out. Also significant is the realization that there are alot of humanoid zombies out there who LIKE crap like this movie. I cannot fathom how to share my time on earth with them.
I’m going to close this since it’s over 12 years old. If anyone would still like to discuss the movie, though, feel free to remake it (in the correct forum).