The Bodyguard (1992 film) = Finished
Added 2018-10-20 19:35:01 +0000 UTCThe Bodyguard is one of the best examples I've seen of a movie mirroring the perspective of its protagonist to artistic effect.
Kevin Costner's bodyguard places priority on his job to the detriment of his feelings and personal life. As a result, a movie that's ostensibly a romance is far more about protective measures, sightlines, and shootouts than simmering romantic tension. In fact, I'd argue this shift in focus lends the latter element authenticity it wouldn't have otherwise.
Several people die. Our two leads don't end up together. Yet the conclusion, where these two capable, fully-realized people with idiosyncratic lives and personalities walk back to their starting points satisfied with the connection they made, is a happy one.
Not bittersweet, somehow.
Happy.
Their connection was valid, regardless of length.
The Bodyguard depicts the reality of celebrity in a surprisingly lucid and terrifying way to this day. The letters and barely-sanctioned obsession beneath the glamour of the red carpet. The fear.
Come to think of it, so much of this movie is about what's beneath. Beneath fame. Beneath the jobs we wear like identities. Beneath the facades of our central and supporting cast. There's a resonance.
Depth begging for a connection that, if we're fortunate, and can get out of our own way, we just might make.
