An antihero is a central protagonist of a piece of fiction who does have the typical qualities of a hero. These qualities are things like bravery, humility, kindness etc. and instead have qualities like cowardice, selfishness and brutality. A classic cinema example would be Han Solo, or at least Han Solo at the beginning of Star Wars, certainly not a “bad guy” but after money, kills people without it troubling his conscience and pours scorn on the idealism of others. Luke Skywalker is a good example of a traditional hero – honest, noble and idealistic. An anti-hero will usually have a good aim but use methods that your typical hero would refuse to do, Deadpool was a recent example where the title character explicitly pushed away from the hero label, leaving a trail of bodies in pursuit of his aims.

Breaking Bad

In recent years antiheroes are becoming more and more common and their “anti” hero status becoming more and more extreme. Breaking Bad gave us one of the all-time great anti-heroes in Walter White, the seemingly pleasant and mild chemistry teacher who upon diagnosis of cancer decides he needs to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible to provide for his family once he has died. So he starts making crystal meth. Now the goal of providing for his family is laudable, and at first, he is not concerned with treating his cancer, but helping those he loved. Walter’s anti-hero behaviour certainly crosses into just plain villain territory, with much debate as to when that happens, as well as making and selling an illegal and dangerous drug Walter kills people, uses violence and intimidation, works with truly terrible people who do terrible things. Throughout the show, Walter repeatedly states that he is doing this for his family but in the final episodes, he confesses that ultimately it wasn’t about that, that it was for him, for his ego. This could mean he was never an anti-hero – always a villain.

Loki

Both in film and television Loki is a villain who has been gradually pushed into anti-hero status. In Thor, Loki conspires against his brother and father and is charming but clearly a villain. In Avengers his goal is simply to take over Earth, classic villain behaviour. But perhaps simply because of the character’s charm and Tom Hiddleston’s excellent performance fans really took to Loki and slowly but surely been pushed away from outright villainy. Looking at the tv show Loki the character clearly adopts more traditional heroic behaviours, in caring for others and not simply looking out for himself.

Why Do Audiences Like Anti-Heroes

The ideal of the movie hero, say various depictions of Robin Hood, is not something that really exists in reality. And often even movie heroes are boring. It’s telling that in the recent Marvel films, it was Iron Man, the sarcastic, hedonistic, cynical character who became the leader, over the far more traditional hero of Captain America. Even the best of people in reality and complicated and flawed and audiences want to see that in characters (at least some of the time). Two types of heroes from classic cinema are “cowboys” in Westerns and police officers who are often seen as daring, brave, loyal and decent people. But immediately people recognise that both of these archetypes are complicated, the days of assuming police officers and the organisation as inherently noble are long gone, and to say the world of cowboys is morally complicated is a vast understatement. Also, they can be more interesting and fun, Deadpool is fun, and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is fun.

Like so many things in culture, these things are trends and at some point, audiences will yearn for more typical heroes. One of the nadirs of anti-heroes was Dexter, not for the performance of the actors but for choosing someone so utterly reprehensible as the anti-hero, often worse than the “villains” he targeted. It’s hard to imagine getting any deeper into the barrel of a character not possessing the traditional attributes of a hero. Perhaps soon we will the trend change and heroes become more obviously heroic.

Also Read: The Evolution of Female-Led Superhero Films

The post Beyond Good and Evil: The Allure of Anti-Heroes in Modern Cinema appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

What’s Going On?

Jimmy McGill is a struggling lawyer whose office is based in a backroom of a nail salon, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Despite being open to playing with the truth and pulling a few tricks Jimmy is essentially an honest lawyer. Jimmy’s brother is also a lawyer but one held in high regard for his ability, intelligence and integrity. Jimmy’s close friend is Kim Wexler, another lawyer who works for the prestigious firm of Jimmy’s brother. Then there is Mike Ehrmantraut, a retired cop who moves to the area to be near his daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Two of these people are major characters in Breaking Bad: Jimmy has reinvented himself as Saul Goodman who is publicly a dodgy lawyer and privately launders money for drug cartels. Mike works for one of the major Albuquerque drug kingpins and is extremely effective and reliable. Kim does not feature in Breaking Bad in any way. Better Call Saul follows the course of their lives and how they change, how Mike’s desire to provide for his granddaughter erodes his principles, how Jimmy’s misfortunes and encounters push him further away from honesty and how Kim’s connection to Jimmy shows her other possibilities.

Chuck

One of the defining storylines of the show is Jimmy’s relationship with his brother Chuck. The elder brother is a hugely successful lawyer and has his own law firm – HHM – and a lot of his life has been spent bailing Jimmy out of trouble. However, at this point, Chuck cannot work as he has been self-diagnosed with electromagnetic hypersensitivity, where being around any electromagnetic field causes intense pain. Chuck rarely leaves his house which is entirely devoid of electrical devices. Jimmy goes to enormous lengths to keep Chuck supplied with food, ice, fuel and other essentials. This condition is not recognised by the medical establishment and is presumed by most people in the show to be more a psychological problem. Their relationship is in a constant state of flux of hate and love, contempt and respect and who has the more power.

Mike

It is odd in a way that for a show named after one of the characters perhaps the most interesting character is not Jimmy but Mike. The exceptionally competent, unflappable Mike who takes on jobs for criminals is already brilliant but the emotional depths that are explored are extraordinary. Mike is motivated solely to help his family, namely his daughter-in-law, Stacey, and granddaughter. Two scenes involving Mike are worth highlighting – the first, when Mike reveals some of the secrets around his son’s death to his Stacey it is gut-wrenching and completely unexpected. The second is when Stacey convinces him to go to a grief support group and an exchange between him and another group member is unforgettable. On the surface, Mike is tightly wound and unemotional but there is much going on deeper down.

Kim

There have been actual threats of rioting should Kim Wexler die in the upcoming season of Better Call Saul. Many fans believe Kim’s death is coming and this is what finally pushes Jimmy into full Saul Goodman criminality. Kim is not in or even mentioned in Breaking Bad, presumably because the character did not exist at that time and the Better Call Saul prequel has to resolve why this is – and it’s not unreasonable to think a tragic death for Kim could be the explanation. At first, Kim is utterly averse to the shenanigans Jimmy gets up to and makes sure she is always at a safe distance from them. Eventually, Kim becomes more and more involved essentially becoming a partner in Jimmy’s schemes, or rather Jimmy and Kim’s schemes. Even when Jimmy’s involvement with drug cartels is revealed Kim stays by his side. Where Jimmy is sneaky and manipulative, Kim is fiercely intelligent and determined. Through sheer force of will Kim succeeds.

Saul Goodman, Slippin’ Jimmy and Charlie Hustle

Jimmy McGill’s story in Better Call Saul takes in betrayal, ambition, crime, revenge, love, hate and more. It is a show which is as engaging as when dealing with drug cartels and legal problems with overcharging retirement homes. Jimmy’s ingenuity, creativity and eccentricities are as endearing as they are destructive and even self-destructive. To Jimmy lying is like an automatic reflex, it’s not that he can’t succeed in doing things the proper way but to him, everyone can do that.

Jimmy has earned three nicknames in his life. He earned the first name, Slippin’ Jimmy, for his skill of slipping on pavement and claiming compensation. The second, Charlie Hustle, he got from working in the mailroom at HHM as he never stopped working, always had ideas, he got things done. The final “nickname” is Saul Goodman, how we know him in Breaking Bad and this maps Jimmy’s life quite well – small-time crook, enterprising schemer and outright criminal.

This article has barely touched on the genius of this show and the wonderful array of characters featured in it: Don Hector, Gus Fring, Nacho Varga, Howard Hamlin, all I can say is watch it, it’s one of the greatest shows in television history.

Also Read: Netflix and The Science of Recommendations

The post The Best Show On Television Is Back: Better Call Saul appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.