Fight Club, Taxi Driver, and the Dawn of Red Flag Movies (Video Essay)

Фильм және анимация

In this video essay, we explore why films like Fight Club and Taxi Driver are often misunderstood and idolized despite critiquing toxic masculinity. Join us as we dissect the appeal of these "Red Flag Movies," examining what draws audiences to flawed characters and the implications of their misinterpretation. Engage with us in the comments and consider supporting our channel to help us create more content like this.
Fight Club and Taxi Driver are two fascinating pieces of American Cinema. They were both created as warnings against what we now call 'toxic masculinity' and are exemplary depictions of modern male loneliness, untreated mental health issues, and the American fascination for vigilante justice (according to two different outlooks on it created two decades apart).
On top of that, they are also commonly misinterpreted films that have been co-opted from everything from Mens-Activist groups, the Manosphere, and the Alt-Right. And they aren't the only ones; in fact, I like to call all of the films that could easily be swapped out in conversation for either of these movies "Red Flag Movies," which are films that were created as a statement about or warning against something and has, instead, become a symbol for it within the communities that it was trying to comment on.
In this video, I'll be taking a look at two iconic "Red Flag Movies" and try to figure out why people have misread them, and what can be done about that.
#videoessay #filmanalysis #filmdiscussion
Chapters:
00:00 - Opening
00:36 - Intro
02:47 - Taxi Driver
05:41 - Fight Club
06:40 - What do some people seem to get from these movies?
07:30 - How Taxi Driver and Fight Club prey on our love of happy endings
11:10 - Decoding their true endings
12:56 - Wish Fulfillment or: why people may have missed the point
18:14 - Hypocrisy, thy name is Travis and Jack/Tyler
23:59 - What do these characters and their movies say about the real world?
31:12 - Red Flag Content and Sisyphus
37:10 - What can we do about this (Closing thoughts)
42:17 - Sign Offs
43:35 - Credits
Citations/Suggested Reading:
Rambo, Taxi Driver, Joker: The Top 5 Most "Misunderstood" Characters Who Are Actually Garbage People Only Admired By Garbage People - Andy Wilson (Bleeding Cool)
Why are people massively understanding the opposite of what some movies are trying to convey? (e.i. the sigma community and American Psycho/Taxi Driver) - u/LilKosmos (Reddit)
It May Be A Red Flag If A Guy Is A Superfan Of Any Of These 20 Movies And TV Shows - Angela Andaloro (Buzzfeed)
10 Most Misunderstood Movies of All Time - Arthur Goyaz (Movieweb)
20 of the Most Misunderstood and Misinterpreted Movies Ever Made - Ross Johnson (Lifehacker)
How 'Fight Club' Became the Ultimate Handbook for Men's Rights Activists - Paulie Doyle (Vice)
Taxi Driver and the frightening truth about our current political climate - Stephen Puddicombe (Little White Lies)
America has a loneliness epidemic. Here are 6 steps to address it - Juana Summers, Vincent Acovino, Christopher Intagliata (NPR)
Click Here If You Want to Be Sad - Derek Thompson (The Atlantic)
As your social media emotions go viral, anger spreads the fastest - Helen A.S. Popkin (NBC News)
Fictional characters seem more real to lonely people - Emma Young (The British Psychological Society)
Violent Crime Rates Are Falling Steeply - Marian L. Tupy, Ronald Bailey (Human Progress)
Hollywood, Happy Endings, And Humanity - Olivia Schmitt (Strike)
Toxic Masculinity is misunderstood in media - Greta Knipe (Hudexporernews)
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief - Lawrence Wright
Socials:
Twitter: / niche_caesar
Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/nichecaesar
Media Obscura and Glaring Admissions (Podcast): pod.link/themediaobscura
Guppy Falls (eBook): a.co/d/isBwHfu

Пікірлер: 171

  • @NicheCaesar
    @NicheCaesarАй бұрын

    Hey y’all! I hope you enjoyed this video. If so, don’t forget to subscribe and all that junk so that the junk can beget more junk and the call to action can call to action. And don’t forget to name check a few red flag movies I may have forgotten to name over in the comments too and stuff! ✌️ Additionally, feel free to leave a tip or subscribe to my patreon if you’re so inclined, or to check out my two podcasts Media Obscura/Glaring Admissions if you wanna hear me talk about movies. It’s available on your favorite podcast player under the name “Media Obscura,” as well as on this channel.

  • @afrolund80

    @afrolund80

    Ай бұрын

    This is the 1st video I saw of yours. I was so excited to see someone talking about a phenomenon I have been aware of since the 2000's. I have since seen some of your other videos and have been equally pleased with your work. You've got a new subscriber. Thanks for doing such a great job! P.S. It was so important that you didn't cheapen this video. With a segway into a Better Help add. I was worried the whole time that it was going to happen.

  • @BrandonL337
    @BrandonL337Ай бұрын

    One example I'd include that applies to women is Gone Girl(2014) it's a great movie, but I've seen a lot of women that see the lead as this empowered girlboss type, and gloss over the horrible shit she thinks of other women (for one example)

  • @user-cf9st8hm6u
    @user-cf9st8hm6uАй бұрын

    Hmm. Even the writer of Fight Club pretty explicitly states that you're not supposed to identify with Jack/Tyler

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    You mean Chuck Palahnuik, the writer of the book? Yep. He even wrote two graphic novel sequels to Fight Club that made it even more clear to the people who missed the point of the movie

  • @ChristopherR1981

    @ChristopherR1981

    7 күн бұрын

    To me it was more like a warning...

  • @foolwriter
    @foolwriterАй бұрын

    I think both Vince Gilligan and Shawn Ryan have talked about the difficulty of writing anti-heroes on TV when the fans identify too strongly with the lead. For me, the ending of The Shield did a slightly better job of trying to point out that, hey, Vic was NOT the good guy here...

  • @NelsonStJames

    @NelsonStJames

    Ай бұрын

    Writing anti-heroes is hard, because the industry for the most part doesn’t know what an anti-hero is, and they write anti-heroes to actually appear cool. Prime example is the character of Rorschach in the Watchmen film. This is why The Punisher will never be able to fit into the MCU, and definitely not Disney’s MCU. There is nothing wrong with being on the side of an anti-hero as long as you understand you’re only on their side when they’re going against people worse then them, but that they are going to do things that you should be totally against.

  • @Tacom4ster

    @Tacom4ster

    18 күн бұрын

    Bojack Horseman deconstructed the Peak TV anti hero

  • @Lowco5
    @Lowco5Ай бұрын

    I seriously can't fathom how someone can see Travis as a role model, he's so clearly a deeply sick (in a sick society for sure) individual and i kid you not, i understood that at like, age 12..

  • @notjimmy6486

    @notjimmy6486

    Ай бұрын

    More baffling to me is how a lot of dudes idolise Patrick Bateman.

  • @jasonelek9202

    @jasonelek9202

    Ай бұрын

    ​@notjimmy6486 for real, that has always baffled me. Like, best case scenario the dude is completely imagining things, worst case scenario he's a psychopathic serial killer. Like, what's the attractive part here to people? Hell, even Bateman as a character (apart from being a murderer) is depicted as shallow, narcissistic douche canoe

  • @heathmcrigsby

    @heathmcrigsby

    Ай бұрын

    @@notjimmy6486 You wouldn't get it

  • @doasitellyouu

    @doasitellyouu

    9 күн бұрын

    It's because they're in desperate need for an identity. Though wording it as "role model" isn't entirely accurate, it stems from simply relating themselves to the character. They don't see it as positive traits to don, they're still aware that it's pathetic, unlikable, and just other general faults with the character that they identify with. But you see, they revel in the fact that it's an identity full of faults. They revel in the idea of being the "loser." Though it's less of just seeing a 1-1 relation in themselves and Travis (or other characters alike,) and more about *wanting* to see a relation between the two. "He who despises himself, nevertheless esteems himself thereby, as a despiser." Most people have a need to set an identity for themselves, a common example you see from most people online are the people who make a certain interest/hobby their main personality. It's just in this case, it's people attaching themselves to 'outcast' characters and the like. It's ironic the lack of self awareness there is in this mentality though, as likening yourself to these loner characters is actually so common. They like to think they're so alone, but millions of other people identify with the very same thing.

  • @the9thinning1
    @the9thinning1Ай бұрын

    breaking bad for sure

  • @TJMaxHeadroom

    @TJMaxHeadroom

    Ай бұрын

    the sopranos too

  • @majinvegeta6364

    @majinvegeta6364

    Ай бұрын

    Yellowstone

  • @nm7358

    @nm7358

    Ай бұрын

    Peaky fucking Blinders.

  • @terpsidance.

    @terpsidance.

    Ай бұрын

    The Red Flag with that one is specifically how they talk about Skylar

  • @marocat4749

    @marocat4749

    25 күн бұрын

    ​@@terpsidance.true

  • @lordvermintide4441
    @lordvermintide4441Ай бұрын

    Modern recontextualisation of these films is still off the mark, just overcompensating in the other direction. Society has identified toxic masculinity but has not yet found a direction it agrees on for positive masculinity, and feels uncomfortable with honest, nuanced explorations of the ideal.

  • @georgecisneros5281

    @georgecisneros5281

    Ай бұрын

    That’s because it doesn’t intend for there to BE any “positive” masculinity, as it doesn’t intend for there to be ANY masculinity at all (you know…being that it’s the kind of thing that tends to lead to slave revolts, and all.😉)!

  • @msjkramey

    @msjkramey

    8 күн бұрын

    People don't agree on positive masculinity because the very concept of masculinity/femininity is constructed. What one culture sees as masculine, another sees as feminine and vice versa. There is some overlap, sure, but the idea was never unified to begin with, so why expect positive masculinity to have more unity than older conceptions of masculinity?

  • @sifatshams1113
    @sifatshams1113Ай бұрын

    Here are some other great films that would fit this category: The King of Comedy (1983) The Heartbreak Kid (1972) In The Company of Men (1997) Mikey and Nicky (1976) Naked (1993) The Swimmer (1968) Modern Romance (1981) About Schmidt (2002) Five Easy Pieces (1970) Buffalo 66 (1998)

  • @Sidharthavicious
    @SidharthaviciousАй бұрын

    Fight Club did a great job at showing how small subversive groups can easily lose their values and succumb to group think. It taught me about how rebellion against one type of oppression can lead to another. The search for meaning can lead to dark places.

  • @StickNik
    @StickNikАй бұрын

    I see most of the identification or appreciation with these "red flag" characters and movies as an outlet for frustrations and carnal desires and aspirations, rather than actual role models that vast majority of people would really want to imitate in their own lives. The assassins you mention at the end are obviously not made to be as such because of a movie they watched or videogame they played, it just became an insufficient outlet that wasn't able to contain their issues.

  • @user-hm4yi7um9d
    @user-hm4yi7um9dАй бұрын

    I've come to sum up arguments like these as the difference between "you're missing the point" and "and you've lost the plot."

  • @tanookiplayer
    @tanookiplayerАй бұрын

    I haven't seen Taxi Driver yet but I've seen Fight Club a few times. Great film. The thing with a lot of movies & the appeal to them is that people can find different meanings to them despite what the creators originally planned out but that's also a double-edged sword especially when it comes to movies like Fight Club & 500 Days of Summer & TV shows like Breaking Bad. I remember seeing some people rooting for characters like Walter & Tom & hating on characters like Skylar & Summer even though we are meant to hate them & feel bad for Skylar & Summer. Maybe why some people relate to them might be a power fantasy (for both men & women) were we are tired of our jobs & just want to stick it to the man like some of these characters that actually do this.

  • @TJMaxHeadroom
    @TJMaxHeadroomАй бұрын

    cool video. saw fight club my freshman year at uni and it always stood out to me. Im not proud of it but I used to think it was so bad ass. I think it’s a phase that many boys go through but some get stuck with

  • @serv4619

    @serv4619

    Ай бұрын

    just own what you like dude lol

  • @boing7403

    @boing7403

    13 күн бұрын

    To be fair,it is a “badass” movie in the way it goes about the plot and the fight scenes.

  • @BioMedEd
    @BioMedEdАй бұрын

    I feel like the order some events helps with justifying/empathizing their bad actions. Seeing the events from their perspective versus seeing it justified via a flashback, can change how well the audience sees themselves in the character

  • @dillonwalshpvd
    @dillonwalshpvdАй бұрын

    I honestly find it hard to believe that people identify with these characters as strongly, in the way that is supposed to be scary, in the numbers that generally seem to be stated. I hear far more people talking about how crazy it is that people think Walter White is the good guy than actual people saying Walter White is the good guy… in fact, I can’t think of the last time I actually heard that, in such un nuanced terms. Just my opinion/perspective

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    I mean, I get that it’s hard to believe, but the video does also show articles/posts online about these movies and how people read them haha. Also someone did try to kill a president because of Taxi Driver back in the 80s Edit: swapped “shoot” for “kill”

  • @jommyscousinheandhim8456

    @jommyscousinheandhim8456

    Ай бұрын

    He didn't just try. He shot Reagan. He only failed as an assassin.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    Yes, yes, you’re right. Thanks for correcting me-I literally showed footage of it in the video lol, my mind must have slipped

  • @marocat4749

    @marocat4749

    25 күн бұрын

    I mean people defend eren from attack on titan, and that commits confusing end aside. Very strange to have arguments to go full . yeah But eren going there is well done I mean people can be weird about when he, yeah.

  • @dillonwalshpvd

    @dillonwalshpvd

    25 күн бұрын

    @@NicheCaesar I’m not trying to criticize you, man, your work is good, I’m just expressing how things look from my admittedly singular and therefore limited (like anyone’s) perspective.

  • @toycamera6112
    @toycamera6112Ай бұрын

    Wow! your commentary is really engaging. Thanks for the video! Dropping you a like!!

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the like!

  • @krisowrey7260
    @krisowrey7260Ай бұрын

    We need a deepi dive like this on how communities have sexually fetishized villains, especially from kid content. Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy come to mind.

  • @krisowrey7260

    @krisowrey7260

    Ай бұрын

    @@kasi4363 just a discussion about the phenomenon. it's not new i just never really see any discourse.

  • @afrolund80

    @afrolund80

    Ай бұрын

    What are you talking about? They're fictional and they've been hyper sexualizing female comic book characters since the ink 1st hit the pages, during the last century. Before any child who has adopted these characters as their own, were even born. It's not like they took the Frozen princess and turned her into a prostitute or something. These characters are like 80 years old in some cases.

  • @krisowrey7260

    @krisowrey7260

    Ай бұрын

    @@afrolund80 that's exactly what I am talking about. Also yes, there is a LOT of frozen porn.lmao

  • @DeadManWalking-e8v

    @DeadManWalking-e8v

    Ай бұрын

    My theory is it was only because of the Hayes Code animation being for kids became a thing. Betty Boop, one of the earliest cartoon characters made, was blatantly sexualized. Animation also served to tell stories we could not in live action. CGI in our Marvel movies are a modern trick to blend two different mediums in film. So in a NSFW context, we tend to desire what we can't have. I am a horrible writer with a speech impediment so I could never do a video essay on it lmao

  • @Sidharthavicious
    @SidharthaviciousАй бұрын

    Is it a red flag that I love Jet Li's hero but don't jibe with its "Sacrifice for your leaders" message? Honestly, my red flag is people who have red flag movies. Those people are probably judgemental pricks.

  • @marocat4749

    @marocat4749

    25 күн бұрын

    Its probably chinese aproved for nationalism? That bit, still great movie. Little big soldier too kinda? And its a great anto war dark comedy drama.

  • @Schmidtelpunkt
    @SchmidtelpunktАй бұрын

    40:35 For a moment I thought he taped Rollos to his ankle and totally bought into that being a fantastic idea.

  • @zachariahlacy2944
    @zachariahlacy2944Ай бұрын

    I think a lot of issue is that there's a general lack of positive male role models in modern media. So many depictions try to solve toxic masculinity by removing masculinity, because positive masculinity tends to be moderated versions of toxic traits and it's hard to show moderation in a movie.

  • @sophomorphia
    @sophomorphiaАй бұрын

    I had an interview for an art and design course today and much to my surprise I got in! 🥳 also I’m going to play some guitar and write something new

  • @jimmjimms
    @jimmjimmsАй бұрын

    rick and morty

  • @odmrlgplen4090
    @odmrlgplen4090Ай бұрын

    Other films for the list are (500) days of summer, uncut gems, and American beauty.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    Oooh all good additions to the list. 500 Days of Summer is a surprisingly subtle one since many fail to recognize that Tom is a pretty flawed, somewhat toxic guy for most of it.

  • @terpsidance.
    @terpsidance.Ай бұрын

    I needed to watch this video to find out the book fight club has sequels

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    They flew under the radar for most due to being graphic novel sequels to the book that got released in the early 2010s.

  • @Azrael__
    @Azrael__Ай бұрын

    I do like that you don't do what literally every other video essay type does and go on a dismissive narcissistic self-righteous rant about how "intellectually and morally deficient" you think the people who like these movies are. Seeing someone have empathy for people who are unhappy with their lives/the world, even if they express it in a way you disagree with, is nice.

  • @MAJ0R_TOM
    @MAJ0R_TOMАй бұрын

    It's just this 2024 edition of media literacy that can't handle reader interpretation.

  • @FencingMessiah
    @FencingMessiahАй бұрын

    I'm cool with this as long as we agree there are characters that if women identify with makes them suspect as well

  • @myboatforacar
    @myboatforacarАй бұрын

    I don't know, maybe I'm tired of being appraised as having negative worth as an individual by society. Maybe I'm getting tired if being told what it's okay to think or believe, even if (or perhaps especially because) I happen to agree. In other words, representation matters. Edit: Hypocrisy is normal human behaviour. Sad but true. We can't help but act out of our wounds; even if we turn sides in the battle, it's the same battle. I have seen it again and again. It's human. Also, therapy doesn't always work. Some people are resistant to it. I know I am despite several decades of engaging in it trying to get help. So no, it's not always a solution for the individual even if it "works" on a macro level, like any medical intervention. People are irreducibly complex. Saying a treatment is 85% effective doesn't imply that if you are given it you'll get 85% better. Furthermore, an important thing to understand about therapy is that, unless you're committed to the change it's offering, it won't work. Full stop. In any case, I'm open to a good faith discussion.

  • @darlalathan6143

    @darlalathan6143

    Ай бұрын

    Perhaps hypocrisy means that the hypocrite has impractical opinions or divided loyalties. Therapy sometimes fails because the therapist charges clients too much money, our society stereotypes neurodiverse people as movie villains, and mental hospitals used to torture and abuse their patients, especially if they were LGBTQ+ or alternative teenagers. Also, our culture's idea of mental health is based on neurotypical straight, white Christian men's desired behavior. Some therapists may think one is psychotic for acting differently from this model. Some patients, such as those with personality disorders never seek treatment because they believe they are mentally healthy. An 85% success rate for therapy means it cures most patients.

  • @myboatforacar

    @myboatforacar

    Ай бұрын

    @@darlalathan6143 maybe so, but even with an 85% success rate (which I just pulled out of the air btw), that's still 15% of people who are not resistant, and that's alot of people. It only takes one to do a terrible thing (or to be the protagonist of a movie, if you prefer). I guess I just have bad experiences with being told "get therapy" after being in it for a quarter century... I'm trying my best but it's not a panacea. I would argue that everyone has divided loyalties and impractical beliefs... ultimately it comes down to choosing the level of hypocrisy (often unwitting) one is comfortable working at. Basic shadow work. Generally agreed otherwise

  • @Sidharthavicious

    @Sidharthavicious

    Ай бұрын

    Another thing about therapy is you have to put in work as a patient and be open and honest. It can be like paying a personal trainer to chat with while sitting around watching youtube.

  • @danielbad5910
    @danielbad5910Ай бұрын

    10:05 min ! I see what you did there! Quite multi-layered. And probably the most sophisticated, most low-key way of calling someone a "dick" I have ever witnessed. Not bad kid, not bad at all!

  • @afrolund80
    @afrolund80Ай бұрын

    You mean those movies aren't about being a total bad ass? Was Michael Douglass the bad guy in Falling Down? Geez! I wish someone would've told me.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    B-b-but look at the way Michael D got to eat from the breakfast menu at lunchtime! That’s alpha shit!

  • @afrolund80

    @afrolund80

    Ай бұрын

    @@NicheCaesar 😂

  • @JamesVader47xx
    @JamesVader47xxАй бұрын

    I feel like this a good video for open minded individuals

  • @tobiasfunke6284
    @tobiasfunke628429 күн бұрын

    A thing I would like to add, a very convincing reason why these characters do not seek therapy, is that they are American. It is notoriously difficult for someone who can barely make a living wage (these characters definitely fit the bill) to be able to afford therapy. As someone who has been stuck in the wage slave hell most of my adult life, I don't know a single person who even has insurance at all. Maybe one or two will forego working so they can qualify for Medicaid, and get marginal coverage at best at the worst doctors available.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    29 күн бұрын

    It to be that guy but these characters definitely do not fit that bill. Jack is depicted as living in a luxury apartment and was spending his time and money buying IKEA furniture and redecorating. He also continues to get his salary by blackmailing his boss. Travis, while definitely not as well off, is also doing fine financially. He explicitly states that money is no problem for him in the movie. And yes, you’re right to state that there are problems with insurance and medical treatment in America; but that doesn’t mean the entire system is broken or that we should automatically move to discredit it. It is more functional than it isn’t. On the subject of therapy, there are groups like the Open Path Collective that allow people without insurance to get proper therapy for as little as $15 a session. It’s a great group that many high quality therapists are a part of that I can vouch for as a person who used it when I didn’t have insurance.

  • @tobiasfunke6284

    @tobiasfunke6284

    29 күн бұрын

    @@NicheCaesar Wow thank you for such a well thought out and informative response!

  • @CaseyWooden
    @CaseyWoodenАй бұрын

    fantastic video. RED FLAG MOVIES.

  • @asimpson1
    @asimpson111 сағат бұрын

    Part of it and I am going to lift this from Macabre Storytelling is that these characters represent our Id (which I agree with). I will give you my own example. I just finished Breaking Bad a few months ago and while it is easy to say that Walter White isn't a good person I see a lot of myself in him in the fact that he gets little respect from other people (I did by some people), that like him my peers are so far ahead me for reasons that were not all of my own doing, and having a little too much pride. In that regard its easy to see why I can relate to WW despite him being bad. I agree that I think some of these characters validate some view point a person has and I also thing that they see part of themselves in those characters just as see part of myself in Walter White.

  • @jimmjimms
    @jimmjimmsАй бұрын

    anything Joker

  • @TheBeird
    @TheBeirdАй бұрын

    Well the thing is, it may not be people being dumb. It’s that people are uber literal these days and so stuff like Theme and Subtext don’t exist. Slight tangent, I watched a review of The Fifth Element. In that film, there is a throw away line in that film of Bruce Willis’ character prefers his cat to “the real thing.” As in women. As in, a very obvious pu$$y joke. And this reviewer got annoyed that the film “introduced the concept of artificial animals and does nothing with it.” So yeah. I’m not surprised people don’t understand movies anymore. Plus there’s the fact that people just like to vicariously live through the cruelty of others to get over their little dick syndrome. Shame because Fight Club is my favourite film. Don’t like Tyler Durden being upheld as a role model when the flick shows he’s a cult leader/terrorist that is ultimately REJECTED by the main protagonist.

  • @Schmidtelpunkt

    @Schmidtelpunkt

    Ай бұрын

    True. But then again there is a lot more dog whistling and people plainly saying the silent part out loud. This shifted the whole way fiction gets read. Both in the assumption of critics but also in the people using the negative traits to confirm their own flawed ideas.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    Oh, believe me, I know. There may or may not be a cut section on media literacy that I was hoping to turn into a full essay by the end of the year haha. And agreed on Fight Club; I actually forgot how much I loved the film until I sat down to rewatch it for this video, as well as how overdue I am to reread the book. The whole misreading Tyler Durden as the ubermench thing becomes 10x funnier when you've read the book because the narrator basically gushes over how hot Tyler is on a nudist beach when he meets him.

  • @TheBeird

    @TheBeird

    Ай бұрын

    @@NicheCaesar It’s a strange phenomenon where you get people making entire careers pointing out “plot holes” and illogical fallacies in a work of fiction, but end up just showing they can’t read between the lines. That’s not to say there aren’t plot contrivances that deserve criticism, but they spend hours essentially saying “this isn’t real.” Boggles the mind.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    Yep, that’s the SEO economy for you. Saw a lot of job openings as a script/article writer for those kinds of posts back when I was a freelancer

  • @elihyland4781
    @elihyland4781Ай бұрын

    as the former bassist for John Hinkley Jr, and a grown up who pays attention (and has a modest history of vigilantism) this video is nail on the head. i hope some young men watch and absorb

  • @ogedeh
    @ogedehАй бұрын

    THE JOCKER

  • @davidriley8316
    @davidriley8316Ай бұрын

    If many people see a movie a certain way, it becomes reality.

  • @Keyser___Soze
    @Keyser___SozeАй бұрын

    (1993) “Falling Down”

  • @MrMshufflepuff
    @MrMshufflepuff7 күн бұрын

    Ex Machina, Sucker Punch and Mojave another one of those red flag films I've found. For all genders. I know you've been taking from the POV you know: Male, so I love your video on that premise. I think taking and doing a video on red flag films that are that for all (Women and other genders aren't free from adopting the mindsets of Jack/Tyler and Travis) genders is toxic because while men want to be this archetype - women/male attracted genders want to date them! That can be dangerous and get them into toxic and abusive relationships.

  • @Filmonaut
    @Filmonaut5 күн бұрын

    It's called movie magic for a reason. Sometimes movies can create reality. And Hollywood is a red flag in and of itself!

  • @dreamdarts6401
    @dreamdarts6401Ай бұрын

    It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    As a guy who got threats on a video he made about IASIP for *several years* until he disabled comments, yup. Huge red flag series (despite it being a great comedy).

  • @dreamdarts6401

    @dreamdarts6401

    29 күн бұрын

    Oh, i was confused 'cause i put off responding for a while wanting to respond in a way that wouldn't cause a fight or argument since I'm already going through a ton, only to finally get over my anxiety and see that you changed your reply, lol... to be clear it wasn't that i thought you'd be difficult but i didn't look at the name of who commented BTW, I'm really sorry that you got death threats i get that they can be really difficult and even terrifying in some instances, not to mention the possibility of being doxed especially as a public figure, hope things are better now, don't want to assume just cause you allow comments now that it's not as much an issue or something... but yeah, even with their black face episode and problematic parts, still gotta love the show; they're highlarious

  • @dreamdarts6401

    @dreamdarts6401

    29 күн бұрын

    Oh, sorry yeah that was another person who asked... my bad

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    29 күн бұрын

    lol don’t sweat it. The only change I made was because of a typo from typing it on my phone.

  • @dreamdarts6401

    @dreamdarts6401

    29 күн бұрын

    @NicheCaesar yeah, i maybe overreacted a bit, but then again, probably shouldn't wait till 3am to respond lol

  • @shawandrew
    @shawandrewАй бұрын

    I don't know if Niche Ceasar realizes this but the narrator of Fight Club is am unreliable narrator, and Marla is another character that is a figment of his imagination. A lot of the events in the movie are purely imagined by the narrator. Jack had a psychotic break after being diagnosed with testicular cancer while living alone with no true friends or support. Tyler is hypermasculine because that is what Jack wants to be, while Marla is what he fears becoming after he loses his testicles.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    I’m pretty sure that’s just an old creepy pasta or fan theory. Jack very well could have testicular cancer, but the movie doesn’t make any statements on that being the case, nor does the book and its sequels. In fact, the graphic novel sequel to the book even gives Jack a son, which would be pretty difficult thanks to the reading you shared. A reading where Marla is also a real person (which she was all along, since the film establishes that she is her own person with her own autonomy that interacts with other people other than Jack) Either way, that reading of the movie also doesn’t really affect the video? It’s just an alternate reading of it. One that’s been shared many times over the years but never had much concrete proof that it was what the movie/book was truly about (quotes from the writers, director, etc).

  • @firstlast2636
    @firstlast2636Ай бұрын

    I believe in broad self-defense laws. Mr. Scorsese, I accept your terms and conditions.

  • @shardsamurai3866
    @shardsamurai3866Ай бұрын

    Are you happy and fulfilled?

  • @cvatvbizarreadventure
    @cvatvbizarreadventureАй бұрын

    Really my guy spoilers come on

  • @One-in-Herself
    @One-in-HerselfАй бұрын

    A man I worked with once mentioned that ‘Leon the Professional’ is his favorite movie. That was a big red flag for me. I’m friends with him on Facebook (for whatever reason), and he posts a lot of misogynistic memes. It grossed me out how Natalie Portman was sexualized as a child in that movie. Also, I couldn’t watch ‘Moonlight Kingdom’ after that scene with two 12 year olds talking about having sex with each other and then showing an upskirt shot of the 12 year old girl getting into a tent. ‘Falling Down’ is another red flag movie for me.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    While I do like both of those movies, yeah I can 100% see why seeing someone gush about them would be a red flag.

  • @marocat4749

    @marocat4749

    25 күн бұрын

    Depends how. I mean unless you do like how she tries to be sexy for him its pretty wholesome. Because he very explicit sees himself parental and she might use it as coping with issues and play? Point is its probably her cope and play and he, is clearly treating her more like , through she could be framed different for sure.

  • @antoniocunha3912
    @antoniocunha3912Ай бұрын

    Judge Dredd, I believe. Another one.

  • @akkshayadwivedi
    @akkshayadwivediАй бұрын

    Rehna hai tere Dil main(rhtdm) it's a bollywood movie.

  • @Azrael__
    @Azrael__Ай бұрын

    Are Hannibal, Dexter, Saw, and Se7en "red flag" movies/shows? Because the protagonists of these movies/shows (Hannibal Lecter, Dexter Morgan, John Kramer, and John Doe) are all literally me.

  • @sarahhirsch8919
    @sarahhirsch8919Ай бұрын

    Watching Fight Club made me realize I was full of internalized misogyny. 😅

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    Nothing wrong with realizing that! If anything it’s a good thing ✌️

  • @sarahhirsch8919

    @sarahhirsch8919

    Ай бұрын

    @@NicheCaesar I have a masters in teaching critical thinking and I did a project in school on Fight Club because it does challenge the assumptions that the audience was making so effectively. There was also a presentation component and I told everyone to watch the movie BEFORE the presentation. Day of, none of the women had seen it. All of the men had seen it, including the professor. So that meant I had to throw out my prepared presentation and talk *around* the plot twist in order to preserve the assumption-challenging quality of the movie for the women in the class. At the end of the presentation, my prof was like, "I didn't think it was possible [to do a good presentation without revealing the reveal], but that was a pretty good presentation." Point is: I think a lot of women would actually get a lot out of this movie if they gave it a chance, but due to the perception of the movie, they just tune out. It's kind of unfortunate that even when someone is saying "no, you will get something out of this experience, and also it's required homework," they still won't give it a chance.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    Wow that is such an interesting story; thats a great encapsulation of what I think has happened to a lot of these red flag movies. So many of them are genuinely great films with so much to say that can apply to men and women alike, but it's become almost too easy to throw your hands up and disregard them completely after years of them developing a bad, unearned reputation. Thanks for the insight!

  • @JayDee-vq5rf
    @JayDee-vq5rfАй бұрын

    The only red flag is that your culture needs these men more then it needs anything else. No exceptions.

  • @Himbo_Slice666
    @Himbo_Slice666Ай бұрын

    I hate that I'm 32 and loved fight club growing up as well as scarface and got that even tho it was cool and flashy it was not a life you wanted to live, but it seems no one else did.

  • @Cashita__DiNero
    @Cashita__DiNeroАй бұрын

    As much as I love Peaky Blinders, men who think Tommy Shelby is this sigma grindset gigachad and post cringe memes about how dangerous they are when you mess with them made me become very suspicious of any man who says they love the show 👀

  • @havinfunfallin9458
    @havinfunfallin9458Ай бұрын

    People also genuinely forget the innate homosexual undertones of fight club; I mean mostly naked men, writhing on the ground together, showing male closeness in really the only way for men to see it. Also peak “everyone is the hero in their own story” that the people who see these movies don’t understand. Also media literacy has a big part of why we are seeing people not understanding these films more and more. Not understanding that they aren’t seeing these films with the correct context.

  • @darlalathan6143

    @darlalathan6143

    Ай бұрын

    People miss the homoeroticism of Fight Club because they grew up with homophobic stereotypes of gay men as femme hair stylists and interior designers, and never saw the Castro Clones, leather daddies, and bears in leather bars and Tom of Finland's comics. Most movies show heroic protagonists, so some people misinterpret all protagonists as heroes. Media literacy is not formally taught in schools or colleges.

  • @havinfunfallin9458

    @havinfunfallin9458

    Ай бұрын

    @@darlalathan6143 I know it’s not taught in school but maybe it should be is my point. Seeing as media is such a big part of our society, but again they don even teach kids to do taxes and that’s waaay more important so maybe I’m putting my energy in the wrong place lol.

  • @the_exegete
    @the_exegeteАй бұрын

    A Clockwork Orange I suppose A Serbian Film would be a red flag movie but I've never encountered anyone who even claimed to enjoy it. Or I dunno, if Come And See was your favorite movie and you regularly rewatched it. But I've definitely met people who claimed A Clockwork Orange as their favorite movie and those people sucked.

  • @Nanook128
    @Nanook128Ай бұрын

    Calling project mayhem an "anarchist fascist group" has caused incalculable amounts of psychic damage to me.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    Allow me to cause more to you: they shave heads in a nod to how Neo-Nazi’s look, place a premium on loss of personal identity in service of a greater cause for a leader/group (autocracy), and believe in exerting their opinions (a call for anarchy) in militaristic ways. Yeah, anarchist fascism.

  • @nedd.8479
    @nedd.8479Ай бұрын

    High Fidelity feels like a textbook red flag movie, as it pretty much laid the groundwork for the male manipulator stereotype.

  • @NelsonStJames
    @NelsonStJamesАй бұрын

    All in the Family anybody?

  • @jellosquishier

    @jellosquishier

    Ай бұрын

    Nope

  • @NelsonStJames

    @NelsonStJames

    Ай бұрын

    @@jellosquishier That’s too bad, because Archie Bunker was intended to be an object of ridicule, and yet a HUGE amount of people actually identified with him and his views.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    @NelsonStJames Apparently a lot of people still do. An exchange I had on Twitter today revealed that clips from the show still garner that response on Facebook. Norman Lear shows are admittedly a blind spot for me so I can’t fully comment on it, but it’s depressing that people kept misreading a character that was pretty deliberately put in situations where he had to learn to stop being such a bastard

  • @majinvegeta6364
    @majinvegeta6364Ай бұрын

    Joker, American Sniper, Whiplash, Marvel's Punisher, Game of Thrones, Dave Chappelle, Rick and Morty, 50 Shades of Gray, God's Not Dead, Boondock Saints, Passion of the Christ, Sound of Freedom, or anything directed by Micheal Bay, Zack Snyder, and Martin Scorsese. Alternatively, anyone who hates The Last Jedi, Captain Marvel, Star Trek Discovery, Netflix's Cowboy Bebop, She-Hulk, or the Little Mermaid is throwing all kinds of red flags. Ironically, the Matrix is being appropriated by the toxic manosphere. It was originally written as a metaphor for being transgender in the 90s, and now it has become a favorite of transphobic communities.

  • @NicheCaesar

    @NicheCaesar

    Ай бұрын

    Lots of great choices on your list, and huge yup at The Matrix. And I don’t even have anything against disliking those movies/shows you mentioned (though I personally enjoyed The Last Jedi, was lukewarm on Captain Marvel, and haven’t seen the remake of The Little Mermaid). It’s the whole making that your personality that raises those red flags, though. As for Sound of Freedom: haven’t seen it and am not particularly interested in seeing it, but I don’t know if that movie is being misinterpreted so much as it’s being read the way it wanted to be read, which just so happens to maybe raise some red flags on its own. Again, can’t really weigh in there since I haven’t seen it, but that’s my understanding based off of what I’ve heard about it

  • @MylekHolliday

    @MylekHolliday

    Ай бұрын

    How did you come up with your lists? If you don't mind me asking.

  • @majinvegeta6364

    @majinvegeta6364

    Ай бұрын

    @MylekHolliday it took me like an hour to remember a lot of the most toxic creeps that I have ever known, their weirdly strong opinions on media, and their incredibly unhealthy reasons for doing so. I also limited my parameters to only movies and TV shows that I have actually seen. That said, I definitely put some work into making this list. It was a fun little project for me, and I'm very proud of the results.

  • @MuRpHyKn0t

    @MuRpHyKn0t

    Ай бұрын

    Anyone who judges people based on the studio produced entertainment that they do or don't like raises all kinds of red flags for me. Very toxic to think that people are what entertains them.

  • @majinvegeta6364

    @majinvegeta6364

    Ай бұрын

    @MuRpHyKn0t I think that's an oversimplification. It's not a matter of judging based on what they do or do not like, but WHY they feel the way they do about it. Some people's reasoning is really messed up. The worst of them simply tend to congregate around a particular set of certain titles.

  • @XXusernameunknownXX
    @XXusernameunknownXXАй бұрын

    Uhhh. Seriously. You're unironically making videos about toxic masculinity in 2024. The worst.

  • @xp8969

    @xp8969

    Ай бұрын

    Cry harder about it snowflake 😂

  • @the_exegete

    @the_exegete

    Ай бұрын

    will you cry?

  • @modern-day_warrior

    @modern-day_warrior

    Ай бұрын

    I'm glad I'm not the only one tired of getting recommended these woke liberal video essays.

  • @Fr.O.G.

    @Fr.O.G.

    Ай бұрын

    @@modern-day_warrior Can you speak in anything other than catch phrases?

  • @Kronecraft

    @Kronecraft

    Ай бұрын

    Why are you so triggered?

  • @modern-day_warrior
    @modern-day_warriorАй бұрын

    another woke trash video essay. as if there isn't already enough of this trash on this website. also, you're the one misunderstanding some of these movies. you might be correct about fight club but that's all I'll give you.

  • @majinvegeta6364

    @majinvegeta6364

    Ай бұрын

    ☝️ Triggered ❄️❄️❄️

  • @kommi7658

    @kommi7658

    Ай бұрын

    Okay "modern-day_warrior" ass writing youtube comments with a Lain pfp. Shouldn't you be out "saving the west" or something dork?

  • @juliawolf156

    @juliawolf156

    Ай бұрын

    Building a tight-knit community, ideally one with a proper third place, independent of faith is better. Why point to god when the building and upkeep of a community is in and of itself a great purpose which i believe most faiths will approve anyway? Another solution is to build up better mental health care. Works with every faith aaaand is usually more reliable than praying for better mental health since you can tell whether it works. Better than praying and wondering whether your prayer is answered, not answered or left on read.

  • @zachariahlacy2944

    @zachariahlacy2944

    Ай бұрын

    @juliawolf156 As the video pointed out, community in and of itself isn't inherently constructive. Faith provides context and meaning to the suffering in the world. Trying to take the secondary benefits of religion and divorce them from faith is like taking the taste of food and divorcing it from nutrients. The body quickly withers away. Mental healthcare is a powerful way to treat symptoms, yet it can't truly address root causes, whereas faith in Christ can.

  • @Naedlus

    @Naedlus

    Ай бұрын

    @@zachariahlacy2944 We've seen what faith did on Jan 6th.

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