It’s 6:45 am and my cat’s looking at me with an accusatory, guilt-inducing grimace. I’m unsure what else I can do to make her happy, she has gourmet, she has it all. Anyways, after three days mostly asleep for some reason unknown to even me I arose and watched As Tears Go By, aware it was created by the same director as Fallen Angels (1995) beforehand.
This film brings up a lot of emotive points, primarily featuring a hardened assassin looking after his halfway crook younger brother, who is clearly seeking validation for himself in the eyes of either himself, his brother, or his more estimable colleagues. Which one specifically? Watch the film and find out for yourself, or be lame and ruin most cinematic experiences by going on Wikipedia beforehand like I used to.
With the elder usually having to get him out of trouble, familial loyalty and masculine pride are addressed in a succinct, entertaining way. However, it is nowhere near as stylistically presented as Fallen Angels, as could probably be expected, with As Tears Go By preceding it by seven or so years.
Thinking more into it, with the romantic associations of the elder sibling and cousin and an awareness that there are other members of their family existent at the time, the film begs the question of the worth of pride and reputation in a certain demographic in comparison to that which can be offered externally, be it love, redemption, or a whole new way of life.
Narcissistic – almost to the point of delusional assertions of criminal/violent prowess juxtapose scenes exhibiting purity and a chance of redemption for the lead, who is especially frustrating to watch as he remains bound to a brother that reminds me of Ziggy from The Wire.
As Tears Go By begs the question of what legacy will be left behind in one’s lifetime if not one of the most depraved criminality, should you not have any other avenues of what constitutes ‘success’ in this world and perfectly balances malevolence with romance, as I see is something of a trend where this director is concerned.
I didn’t think I’d be able to write much about this one as I watched it all the way through without a break and couldn’t think of anything all that profound but looking at it detachedly upon finishing it; this is both an entertaining and deeply philosophical film and not just simply another gangster movie, as many will likely regard this.
This flick’s high on my list so far, in terms of sheer entertainment value and its karmic prerogative. I’m honestly surprised about what I’ve philosophically surmised post-viewing and you might be too.
Watch it…
Sedlo