Hutchinson - The Devil's Own

At the very beginning of The Devil’s Own, we see how important family is to Frankie McGuire, as he sets out to sea with his fisherman father in the opening scene. Unfortunately, in the very next scene, we see that family bond ripped from Frankie, as his father is gunned down right in front of him at the dinner table. Suddenly, Frankie’s whole world comes crashing down around him, and his Irish pride and desire for revenge flares deep within him. Cut to twenty years later, an older Frankie is now a hero of the IRA, shooting people, bombing people, and destroying families left and right – even members of his own team are dying for the cause. It isn’t until Frankie arrives in America that we see any real sense of human value and life bubble within him. By living with Tom O’Meara and his family, some of Frankie – or rather “Rory’s” – walls have come down. He has allowed himself to be taken in by Tom’s family, physically and emotionally. He attends Tom’s daughter’s confirmation, as a member of the family. At the after party, he is treated as just that, a member of the family. When Tom is asked to take a picture with Eddie, Tom grabs “Rory” and pulls him in, including him and solidifying his place in the family. Rory at first appears baffled, but quickly smiles and poses for the picture, enjoying himself. For the rest of the scene, Rory dances with the daughters and actively participates in the normal family function. He is no longer the cold, detached killer leading a secret gun-running mission – he is an accepted, fun, loving and beloved member of the O’Meara family. Finally, since the death of his father, Frankie McGuire has opened up and found a family. He is part of a common family occurrence. He has purpose, something worth fighting for, aside from his Irish Pride. The O'Meara family remind him of why he started fighting in the first place.

Hutchinson-Patriot Games

The idea of “family” drives the plot of Patriot Games, and presents itself in many forms: Jack Ryan’s family, which is threatened by Sean Miller; Sean Miller’s brother, who was shot by Jack Ryan; the relatives of the Royal Family, who Sean Miller tried to assassinate; and the IRA, whose members may not be blood related, but no less have a bond so strong as to be called family. There are three families that are the main focus of the movie: the Ryans, the brothers Miller, and the IRA. The Miller family is abruptly cut from two to one when Jack Ryan shoots Sean’s brother, Patty. It is this incident which causes Sean miller to go on a quest for revenge against Jack Ryan. Because Ryan took Miller’s family, Miller decides that the only fair thing to do would be to return the favor, and take Ryan’s family and send them to their final resting place. Miller’s goal really persists throughout the whole movie and forces it along – it is the main plot, overshadowing the political implications of the IRA. Because of Miller’s threat, Ryan is forced to reunite with his old, non-nuclear family, the CIA, in order to ensure the safety of his wife and daughter. All of the families of the movie are inter-connected, like the six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon thing. This connection causes a domino effect which ends up affecting more than just Jack Ryan and his family. The thing about family is, you mess with one, you mess with them all.

It is not wise to ignore the underlying cause for the chain of events that takes place in the movie: the extremist sect of the IRA, of which Sean Miller is a key player, has set all of this in motion by trying to attack the Lord and his family. The political problems between England and Ireland have forced the IRA to exist. Along the way, the IRA became too political, causing a split in the group into peaceful diplomats and radical extremists. The extremists attacked the royals, right in front of Jack Ryan’s family. This made him spring into action. Patty Miller shot at Jack, who then shot back, killing him. This death sparked an even deeper rage in Sean Miller, causing him to go on a vendetta for his brother. Familial ties are strong, and they cause people to do crazy, irrational things, just to ensure the safety of the family.

Hutchinson - Fugitive

The opening of The Fugitive sets the audience up for what’s to come in the movie. It is the moment that sets into motion a series of events that forces Harrison Ford’s character, Dr. Richard Kimble, to push the limits of the law, and his own personal boundaries, to find justice. The decision to make the opening scene of the movie in black and white does three main things. The first is that it clearly pays homage to the TV series on which it is based and has the same name. The TV show aired in the 1960’s and the first couple of seasons were in black and white, before the innovative color television. Secondly, the slow-motion black and white adds dramatic effect. In a movie shown entirely in color after that scene, it sets it apart, marking its importance to the film. Lastly, it gives the audience a glimpse, albeit a small one, as to who the killer really is. The killer is wearing a dark wind shirt type thing, not the tan jacket we see Kimble in. It gives the audience a chance to determine if they believe Dr. Richard Kimble is innocent or not.

This is the scene in which Harrison Ford really starts investigating and putting pieces of the one-armed man's involvement. The lighting is high-key over the entire image, signaling enlightenment, kind of like a light bulb going off. All Dr. Richard Kimble could remember was struggling with a one-armed man - a man who's other arm was prosthetic. In the opening scene, if you pay close attention, you can see that the perpetrator only fights with one arm. The flashbacks always sow the same thing: Kimble fighting with the murderer, struggling, and one arm being limp and lifeless, plastic. It's hard to determine the dominant of the picture, clearly the eye is drawn to Kimble, but is it because of what he is holding? It is brighter, and he is staring intently at is. It has significance to him and the film. As Kimble flashes back, the pieces of the puzzle get put together for the audience. His innocence, the truth, rests in the finding of this prosthetic arm, and the man it belongs to.

Hutchinson - Last Crusade

The Last Crusade is the final stage in the Indiana Jones trilogy (disregarding the catastrophe that came 20 years later.) In this film, Indy must finally make peace and overcome his daddy issues. It is also in this film that Indy goes through the three stages of knighthood: mercenary knight, indentured knight, and aristocratic knight.

Indy as mercenary: The mercenary knight is described as poor with very little armor and no real commitment to values or community concerns. He is only in it for “fortune and glory.” In the opening scene, we see Indy on a trip with his scout troop. This could be seen as Indy’s mercenary years. He is wearing a scout uniform, lost somewhere in the mountains (though he claims his entire group is lost and he’s right where he needs to be) with really nothing to aid him but his wits. It is at this time that he stumbles upon some men finding a valuable and old cross. Indy steals it and goes through this fast-paced, obstacle-filled chase scene just to bring it home to his father. When the cross is taken from him, he claims that he took it because it belonged in a museum. However, it seems that Indy really took it because, knowing his father’s love of history and historical artifacts, he wanted to win praise and acknowledgement (or fortune and glory) from his father.

Indy as indentured: The indentured knight has a full set of armor. He is bound to one lord and does his bidding. Donovan would seem to be the lord in question. As Indy leaves his office to escape the crowd of screaming students, he is picked up and brought to Donovan. Donovan then shows him a tablet that reads the exact location of the Holy Grail, even if a little vague. Indy is now an older, more experienced archaeologist and has already made a name for himself. He is no longer the little scout from the mountains. He has his full armor in his whip, hat, and extensive knowledge of history. Donovan gets Indy to agree to lead this already in progress quest by mentioning that his father, Dr. Jones Sr., has gone missing. It is Donovan’s history as a major contributor to the museum, and ultimately a desire to help his father that drives Indy to take this quest. He is doing all of this at the request of Donovan, and on his dime. His is fully at his command.

Indy as aristocratic: The aristocratic knight has already formed himself as well-established and important. He has the money and the fame, but now has to think of those he is responsible for. Indy has taken on this quest at the request of Donovan, but he comes to find out that Donovan has not only betrayed him, but also his father. It is time for Indy to step up and save the day. His oath to Donovan now forfeit, he can concentrate on his relationship with his father and finding the Grail together before Donovan can get his hands on it. When Indy finally gets to the secret Holy Grail hiding spot, the knight set to guard it recognizes him as the bravest, worthiest knight to take his place. This comes to fruition as Indy not only "chooses wisely" in picking the grail cup but chooses to save his father. He also knows that he is beyond "fortune and glory" and that the grail must remain. His father tells him to "let it go" and he concedes to his will. He is a full-blown knight.

Hutchinson- Temple of Doom

Throughout Temple of Doom, we watch Indiana Jones go on a quest for the sacred rock that was stolen from the village. It is clear from the beginning that Jones isn't searching for the rocks to help the people of the village but to find "fortune and glory" for himself. It is his mantra, always he says he is after "fortune and glory." Being a scholar, he doesn't actually believe in the sacred powers of the stone that were described by the villagers. However, he does understand the historical value, and he hopes that finding the stone will secure the fame and wealth he's been craving.

Fortunately for the people of the village (and the audience for that matter), Indy starts to develop a conscience. His journey brings about a change in him that finally breaks through in the scene on the bridge. The creepy priest guy gives him a chance to save himself and Shorthand and Willie if he gives up the stones. Naturally, Indy says no, but it's still unclear whether that's because he wants the stones, or he wants to return them to the villagers. It isn't until Indy and the creepy priest are dangling perilously from the severed bridge that Indy's change comes to fruition.

The creepy priest tries to take the rock from Indy's satchel, but Indy's belief brings the rock to life, burning the priest and sending him to his immediate doom. Indy realized that the priest betrayed Shiva, and that he had fallen (quite literally) from the faith. He saw the path the priest's actions had taken. He saw that there was more death than life, and more suffering than prosperity. He freed the children from the mines. He knew that he was their only chance for salvation. He knew that the priest took the stone, it would never end. Indy was the savior, and this realization brought belief. The belief brought the power needed to save the village's children. No longer is it just about Indiana Jones and "fortune and glory," it is about the communities and the people.

Hutchinson - Leia

Joseph Campbell describes the goddess as the woman who gives meaning or purpose to the hero's journey. Throughout all three Star Wars movies (IV, V, and VI), it is blatantly obvious that Leia is the goddess to both heroes, Luke and Han. Both men fall for her, and it is this burning love that drives them to defeat the empire. However, in Return of the Jedi, Leia’s role as the goddess is given new meaning. Luke now feels the need to defeat the empire for a whole new reason – he is trying to save his sister. Darth Vader had mentioned nothing of Leia when he revealed his true identity to Luke, implying that he had no idea about Leia. This gave Luke even more fervor, because now it was his responsibility to keep Leia’s existence secret. If the force ran strong in both him and his father, the force must surely be strong within Leia too, and he couldn’t let the Emperor try to capture her and use her for his own gain. Luke even goes off on his own to fight Vader, so that he can try to save him, but also so that he can end this war once and for all. Likewise, ever since Han and Leia declared their love for each other, she has been the constant spark that keeps Han going. When they land on Indore, and they all split up to find the storm troopers, Han freaks when Leia doesn’t return with Luke. He is determined to find her, even if it means putting their plans on hold for a while. This search ultimately ends in their being captured and brought to the Ewok village, where fortunately Leia is already residing. Han’s need to find Leia drives this string of events, which culminates in them defeating the Imperial Military, because the Ewoks have come to save the day. However, Leia could also be seen as the hero's temptress. In Return of the Jedi, Leia and Luke are the ones who save Han from Jabba. This has to be slightly jarring for Han, seeing as he is the one who usually does most of the saving. He also sees Luke and Leia together and comes to the completely wrong conclusion that they are in love. Part of his mind has to be thinking that while he was frozen, Leia left him for Luke. This is something he must overcome, because they have yet to defeat the Empire. Luckily for Han, though, Leia sets him straight.