film studies promt #1

Rating: 10/10 (13 December 2016)

The symbolism of playing Russian Roulette is representing the horrors of war in its random, senseless brutality. All it takes is "one shot" to kill someone, or yourself. Being drafted into the war forces men into dangerous situations where they could be possibly killed. Its not a definite outcome, but a possibility, just like there is a possibility of the bullet being in the chamber when pulling a trigger. I think the director was trying to symbolize how the war can break people, and in particular, Vietnam left man shell shocked, and to the point where pulling that trigger might not be that hard anymore. I am not the kind of person who completely disagrees with war, I don't really have a view at all on it. However I do agree with the message that the director was trying to convey with its message about being drafted, or forced into a war that is not necessarily yours to fight.