I’ve seen all three Equalizer movies, and Denzel’s role as Robert McCall had a profound impact on me – minus the dangers and fighting mob bosses, etc.
His lifestyle, personal philosophies, and other things embedded themselves in me to live an easy but rewarding life.
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I see what you mean about the benevolent hero thing.
The lead character from a movie that basically nobody saw but me called Mother Night. It’s a film adaptation of the Kurt Vonnegut novel starring Nick Nolte as Howard W Campbell Junior, an American playwright living in Germany before World War II who is enlisted by the CIA to stay in Germany and become as powerful and invaluable a Nazi as he can be to spy for the allies.
It’s always stuck with me. A single man selling his soul. Becoming a hated and vile enemy to his actual allegiance so that he can borrow as deeply into the machine of the enemy and destroy it from within. I’m a little old for something like that now. But I would have jumped at the opportunity.
I think Azula from ATLA kickstarted my obsession with dominant, competent, strong-willed, sadistic women.
Not a “lasting impact”, but I’m a sucker for Shaw Brothers (80s Kung Fu) films, specially when the main character comes from humble origins and fights for his beloved/friends/town. I love Wuxia films.
Wilddd OP. Robert McCall would have been a choice of mine too. Yesterday I was thinking about the one scene from the second movie where McCall threatens his old friend subtly with his family present. That level of presence and control is legendary
I’d also choose Tommy Shelby from Peaker Blinders. He’s cold, calculated, doesn’t trust easily, but loyal to the end. He’s not trying to lead but he ends up being the one people follow
Konstantin Levin in Anna Karenina. While everyone else in the book is spiraling over romances and ambition he steps back to reevaluate what is meaningful to him in his life and examines everything about himself. What his beliefs are, what he wants to do, why he loves his wife, etc. He’s all about living authentically and meaningfully according to his own values. He’s imperfect and never really finds a single answer, but he finds peace and meaning in his search.
Gintama anime. The show often talk about what it means to be a man or what it means to be a person.
John Rambo
Red, Shawshank Redemption.
Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in “To Kill A Mockingbird” was my introduction to moral courage in a losing battle.
Gilbert grape. In some way i cannot desribe looking at him was weird judment on myself
Mob/gangster films, like Legend, mainstream and cliché as that may be.
Specifically scenes where highly violent and murderous men can face off with one another in a verbal exchange and still maintain their calm, charismatic and cool composure; even when under the possibility of imminent death. When they demonstrate huge balls and then a mutual respect is established when real recognises real and both know they aren’t to be intimidated.
It influences me because I relate to maintaining composure and not allowing yourself to be rattled by somebody that’s testing you to see how you cope. It links with my fascination of human psychology and how social hierarchies are formed in our cultures.
Not movies and I’m dating myself hard here but He-man, Lion-O, Optimus Prime. Just good guys doing good because it’s the right thing to do.
I gravitated to anti-hero types in my teens and 20’s but have circled back in my old age. I want my good guys to be good guys.
Juror #8 in “12 Angry Men”