Throwdowns > Closed

williewilliejuan said 02/19, 11:43 PM
I enjoy your regular paeans to Arnold as much as the next guy, but I submit that Predator's version of manliness is an anachronism. Real manliness involves plots and characters who embody the traits that make a male a "man". I will provide 3 movies that are more "manly" than Predator' all of which are better movies as well.

Example #1: Saving Private Ryan

This movie shows what it really means to be a man. A "man" isn't the guy with the biggest muscles. It isn't the guy with the biggest gun or the guy with the cheesiest quip. A man is the guy who knows what needs to be done and does it, even when the consequences are dire.

Let's look at the "manly" traits in this movie:

Courage: The ability to overcome ones fears, even if it means you may die.

Loyalty: Refusing to leave your group because they need you.

Sacrifice: Giving your life so a mother doesn???t receive a death notice for all of her sons.

In the movie, when Miller tells Ryan to "earn this" you know that he understands what it means to be a man. When Ryan asks his wife to tell him that he has led a good life, you know he took it to heart.

Saving Private Ryan is manlier than Predator.

williewilliejuan said 02/20, 01:46 AM
"Any scenes like this in Predator?"



Real men understand continuity. I kid???


If one were to believe my opponent, "manliness" involves running around in a jungle screaming unintelligible dialog in a pseudo-Teutonic accent. It's more than that my friends. Much more.

Example #2: The Shawshank Redemption

Let's review the "manly" traits displayed in this movie:

Hope: Andy (the protagonist) is wrongly convicted of a crime he didn't commit, but he kept hope alive. He refused to get institutionalized to prison and continued to seek for ways to acquit him of the crimes for which he was convicted. Real men don't quit just because the odds are against him.

Perseverance: Andy took 20+ years of chipping away at his wall with a rock hammer to earn his freedom. No one ever said that being a man was going to be easy.

Friendship: The real message of this movie was the power of relationships. Andy and Red forged a real friendship based on shared experiences. When they were reunited at the end of the movie, you knew that their friendship had saved both of them.

The Shawshank Redemption is much manlier than Predator.

williewilliejuan said 02/20, 09:27 PM
Finally, we come to the Holy Grail of manliness, the sum of all manly wisdom - The Godfather

It is the alpha and omega of "manly" movies. The Godfather contains quotable wisdom for all men with respect to almost any area of their lives:

Priorities: Clemenza shows the importance of priorities with "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli"

Marriage: Michael shows a man's role when he tells Kay "This is the one time I'll let you ask about my affairs."

Parenting: Don Vito shows how to parent with "I have a sentimental weakness for my children and I spoil them as you can see. They talk when they should listen"

Honor: Don Vito shows how to be a man of honor with "I swear, on the souls of my grandchildren, that I will not be the one to break the peace we have made here today"

Man's role: Don Vito shows a man's role in the world with: "I spent my whole life trying not to be careless. Women and children can afford to be careless, but not men."

The Godfather tells us all how we are supposed to act as men. No matter what situation a man finds himself in, there is likely a solution found in the wisdom of the film. The Godfather is much manlier than Predator.