自卫的艺术

是可以看出导演的才气的，但不知道是不是因为没有驾驭过这样的长篇电影，塞了很多元素进去，但又都贯彻得不彻底。累赘和拼凑感使得片子反而有点不伦不类。剧本除了故事框架以外剧情很多内容处理得太随性了，仿佛想到什么有趣的段子就塞进去一样不够取舍，有太多可以删改的地方。

很多地方可以看出导演对视听语言处理的稚嫩之处。相反杰西的表演却反而很惊喜。片子里杰西的表演要优于导演对片子的驾驭。

看到两则很有概括性的短评：

SaturnianAir

有种怪异的拼凑感，但又说不上难看

@玛卡巴卡 哄睡专业户花园宝宝 5.5/10

概念很好，卷西的表演也更有层次感。但讽刺现实的主题随着文本走向逐渐失去现实性，是主题表达伤痛。视听语言的累赘与错误比比皆是，希望有高概念的导演不要放下概念之外的标准，本该是极佳的作者电影。

@鬈毛毛 歪？毛毛妈吗？这孩子我们教不了... 4.5/10

#猜中转折点猜不中结尾#系列。导演想象中讽刺，意识形态意趣妙，男权政治一锅炖。现实与否不重要，重在主题完成度。跆拳道馆无道法，咖啡店里一种咖。性情转变实是水，简单粗暴值得夸。不觉轮回是专权，解决坏人非坏人。节奏不如放快点，硬套故事需翻篇。

导演到底想通过这部电影想表达什么？

自我防卫 （self-defense）？

介于这是本片的片名。男主学空手到的初衷是不想被周边的人威慑到。 但是故事到后来也没有贯穿讲自我防卫的事。当然也可以杀了男老师以及谋害了腊肠犬的黑带男同学，驱除被男老师威胁的恐惧以及报了杀狗之仇，完成了自我防卫。The End。 那么前大半段办公室里的社交、工作场景就很累赘，完全可以精剪掉。甚至开篇，两个法国旅游者用法语一直嘲笑男主生殖器的开篇也太冗长了。

导演显然不是为了表达用枪才是真正实现了自我防卫的方法。正如卖家和买枪人沟通的时候的大段吐槽，卖家说过用枪的人比不用枪的人在自我防卫中更容易死亡，买枪自卫的人更容易用枪自杀，有枪有小孩的家庭更容易出现意外伤亡等等。由此可见导演其实并非支持现在的枪支政策。

其实卖枪人吐槽的好几条单拉出来都可以拍一部很有趣的黑色幽默cult电影。包括这里做背景审查期间买家不能买枪以防买枪者是为了冲动杀人，但是通过审核之后就无所谓是否用于冲动杀人了。而男主其实正好就是通过审核后开始冲动杀人的。

嘲讽男性主义？

除了游客嘲讽男主集中在生殖器上。休息期间一群男同事在抱怨男上司的时候也是用一些非常夸张的杀人放火之类的有攻击性嘴炮来展现自己够man。当男主用现实吐槽击穿他们的嘴炮后，所有人都十分不欢迎地把他骂回了社交边缘。后面聚在一起也是通过讨论体位之类的内容，这类的嘲讽其实挺多地方都有比较有趣的作品比如rick and morty， 养龙和jerry 被一只会说话的猫带去福罗里达那一集。 那只说话猫吐槽过男人聚在一起用讨论体位来显示自己的男性力量，但是这样的体位根本没有办法满足男方， 讨论它到底是为了表达什么，既然没有意思又干嘛继续讨论blablabla。

导演是明显反对男老师对男女角色区别的宣扬，对于男人一定要怎么做的教导… 但是好像也没深入说。

但是男老师的言行其实并没有符合一个alpha male （群体中占主导地位的男性）的典型特征，相反的他对男主的很多开导扮演的像一个温柔父亲一样循序渐进的角色，这里男老师的很多行为动机，电影里也没有做明确的解释。

新法西斯？

也并没有具体说。

反正在表达上电影就是乱乱的。说了一堆又不确定他到底想说什么。

可爱的细节

很多简单粗暴又有趣的电影道具。比如，男同事的杂志封面很简单粗暴的标记了一个男的性别标记，杂志内容也是很简单粗暴的只有狼才是男人的宠物之类的。男主买的狗粮上面就特别直接的写了狗粮二字。重金属音乐的碟区里就只有一张名叫重金属的CD。

剧情里一些可爱的细节

男主一拳打了上司之后，没有过多描述，回家的时候就茶几一角上有一个纸箱子（被炒了之后打包走人用的那种）来表达男主被解雇了。就不到一秒甚至都不在画面中心，当时觉得这个画面太可爱了。表现男主对于解雇事件的毫不在意，以及决心继续贯彻自己如何成为一个真正啥都不怕男人的道路。

男主夜间潜入的时候，有一个一晃而过的手臂打石膏的不完全镜头。男主继续毫不在意，后来男老师清理道场的时候才发现是蓝带同学的尸体。这里的视而不见就有点用意不明了。

被散弹枪误伤的大师 vs 一阳指干掉了同行大师。男老师多次强调大师是在登山的时候被打鸟猎人用散弹枪误伤致死。这里男老师还特别解释过散弹枪的工作原理，一枪打出来能成许10-20铅珠击中目标。男主在用自己悟出来的一阳指干掉男老师的时候，其实这里也解释了大师当年其实也是枪杀了其他大师然后自己独尊，编造了一阳指的登峰造极武功。男老师没有悟出其中奥秘继续盲目崇拜大师为历史上最伟大的男人。解释散弹枪工作原理的细节这里也暗示了大师不是死于其他人的“一阳指”，应该真的就是被猎人误杀了。

还有很多有趣的东西…… 但是有点懒得重新翻电影引证。

Casey刚开头就有种黑色幽默的感觉 杰西的肢体语言 偏暗的色调 低音弦乐器的节奏感 让人感觉莫名好笑

杰西怎么又是这种宅男 不得不说真的很适合他 这种角色 气质太搭了

跟狗狗抱歉“i am sorry 我不知道狗粮吃完了”天呐我太喜欢他了 好惨啊36岁 只有个小狗 还那么惨

音乐真的有意思 被一群摩托车追跑的那个镜头 人物居中 侧打 有一种戏剧化的感觉

越来跑的越快 想到了布达佩斯大饭店

杰西太适合社恐男了换衣服那简直就像是两个空间

俩人在打架 Casey在一旁格格不入 吗的 想到我练跆拳道的愚蠢样子了

这钢琴曲 配合练习片段 重复蒙太奇 然后放大

这感觉太好笑 有一种美感的暴力 还有一点可笑

拿到黄带窃喜那个表情演的太好笑了

看到杰西哭那我哈哈大笑 这个电影完全踩中了我的笑点太惨了哈哈哈哈哈哈哈

对男权讽刺的味儿太强了哈哈哈哈哈哈为什么要把蓝带的胳膊拧掉

后来整金属乐配合练习片段 到后半段就有点奇怪 有点黑色和暴力 角色转变的挺戏剧化的

论如何把一社恐人改造成恐怖分子

最后的转变太喜欢了 反男权到一定地步了

这个电影可以进入年度最爱 杰西 还是你牛

Sophomoric feature film of US director/writer Riley Stearns, himself in real life is a practitioner and instructor of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE gets the jumping-off point right there.

Eisenberg is in his usual saddo form as the lonesome Casey, a 35-year-old accountant has no one but a pet dachshund for company. After being savagely mugged one night by a motorcycle gang, he balks at going out at night, and tries to buy a firearm for self protection but ends up in a dojo where karate is instructed by the upright Sensei (Nivola).

Beginning as a tabula rasa white-belt, Casey apparently makes goodly progress and soon earns his yellow-belt and gets an invitation to the night class, where the training becomes more combative, he witness Anna (Poots) mercilessly beats up fellow student Thomas (Terada) after losing a promotion to black-belt to him, and another student Henry (Zellner) has his arm viciously broken for attending the class unheralded, a sinister vibe of hierarchy and sexism rightly supersedes the hitherto more lighthearted tone, to say nothing of the wanton violence on show.

Motivated by Sensei, Casey successfully morphs from a beta male to an alpha one (even if it costs him his job), or he eagerly pretends to be. After socking an innocent lush under the insistent instruction of Sensei, he begins to have doubts (why Sensei keeps filming him with his camcorder for his assault?), and in the wake of his pet’s premature death (dachshund is deemed not masculine enough for a man), an action betrays the evil-doer’s rashness and inopportuneness, and an accident of barbaric battery that he literally clocks a plainclothes policeman to death, Casey needs to burrow into the 411 (including the belated revelation that Sensei and his co. are actually his attackers) and face a final showdown with Sensei. Only this time, he will not play by the honor-bound rules, the brainwashing needs to be put paid to, once and for all.

Bracingly, the story mines into the touch-paper issue of toxic masculinity, a ubiquitous stigma breeding on the male sex and should be answerable for a big chunk of the scourge that plays havoc among human species, but Stearns’ troubling standing on the gun control (it is such an ill-conceived decision for the clincher occurs like that in the movie), that obfuscates itself with the “guns are for the weak” message and the rising-of-an-underdog trope, takes some shine off its offbeat, effervescent veneer, and when Casey finally vouchsafes a new leadership to the sole member of the weaker sex, it is too condescending an ending to stomach, however good Stearns’ intention is, yet, that ill feeling is thankfully alleviated by Poots’ steely resolution and undimmed asperity, only if the film could allocate more room to dwell on Anna’s story, that’s why we need female filmmakers now more than ever.

Shot in an overtly frugal budget with subdued lighting, mostly interior, THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE’s most prudent movie is to assign a charismatic Nivola the role of Sensei, the amiable mentor figure who can simultaneously telegraph earnestness and dispassionateness in the same breath, despite of Sensei’s blinkered bigotry, we cannot blame Casey for knuckle under his mental indoctrination because Nivola makes him impossible to resist, even after we are fully convinced that he is the bane of any sane being’s life, on the off chance, we still wish he might have some justification up in his sleeves. Slowly evolving into one of the most versatile actors of his generation, Nivola has his brilliance seep into Sensei’s every ruthless action, manipulative ploy and assertive delivery, could he be a cult leader, devotees would be come running.

In toto, the film is a black comedy welded with a frivolous brutality that might be queasy for some to watch, but underneath everything, it is a magical realism allegory about the prototype of dichotomic masculinity, gives the lie to its poisonous core but runs away with a quirky conceitedness that needs some modulation.

referential entries: David Zellner’s KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER (2014, 6.8/10); Richard Ayoade’s THE DOUBLE (2013, 6.1/10).

God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it? -- Nietzsche, The Gay Science

The film starts with our martyr whose name is Casey. Casey has been carpentering for a company diligently for 10 long years as a sensible accountant. But since he is in a surrealistic film, his coworkers deny him of everything. He is biologically alive but devoid of being-in-this-world. Even the narrator bullies him by expose to us his most private moment of musterbation. He is a slave, living in the antithesis, the denial of his own being-aliveness. Unable to act for himself, voluntarily disavowing all of his own liveliness. He lives his life as if his alivneess itself is a sin and a torment. And which is possibly due to an ancestor or his being tricked to bite a fruit.

He was crucified by four gangsters from Motorbike Ville. Life instinct kicks in. Resurrected on a hospital bed. He is reincarnated with the superpower of affirmation. Immediately he affirms his own life. He wants to be alive. He wants to protect himself. He doesn’t know how. The teller told him a hand-gun will do. Yes. The ultimate phallic signifier.

Affirming is, however, not easy. He bumped into a contender of his will of “to own a handgun” — it was the rule number 11 of the Karate Academy — “Guns are for the weak.” He acted like an orange peremptory bady. He stopped affirming his own life and began to affirm the reactive thought of “I am not weak.” He found himself a new passion. Yes, the Karate Academy will save him.

His protagonist sized life instinct propels him forward. After only two months of training, as a yellow belt, he defeated his brown-belt classmate. He is now ceremonially a real karate man.

But an antithesis can not exist by itself. It logically presupposes a thesis. And in our case the thesis is “Karate is for the strong” and it in turn presupposes the Karate Academy’s(the slogan giver’s) existence. His yellow belt is an amulet signifying the Academy. It empowers him. He can not affirm himself without it. He needs the academic affirmation to be a phallic-owning real man.

The Academy reels in, all of this is but the Sensei’s trap. The Sensei now demands our protagonist to serve him. Whatever Casey feels, whatever he wills, the Sensei overpowers him. He is again being bullied. Only this time with blood dripping down from his hand. He ceases to be a man, he is a tool willed by Sensei. He eventually ceases to be a human. The cost to be a real karate man is to give up his own life.

The acute memory of the Motorbike Ville woke him up. He wills again to be alive. He has learned his lesson. Using a pistol he killed the Sensei, took over the myth of the “index finger technique” which is the local phallic signifier in the academy and became the crowned king of a new dynasty.

The film ends here, and Nietzsche can only guide this far. There is no guarantee of a happily ever after. It's up to Casey to decide what to do next, and we have all seen how easy it was to fall into a trap. Our society is a web of traps weaved by those powerful but insecure people. “只能說當超人真的好難” said Jay.

Epilogue: Nietzsche the Nihilist. Nihilist, noun, “a person who believes that life is meaningless and rejects all religious and moral principles.” This can not be any further from the truth. The “nihilism” of Nietzsche is a two-fold formation. At its very core it a radical affirmation of one’s own life, of one’s own vitality, and of one’s own will to create personal values and to live by those values. It is in comparison to this stronger inner will to live that the outside laws seem afloat, hence can be rejected. This film is an excellent demonstration of the destructive potential of letting a social construct to take prior position over one’s own existence(Crusade, Fascism, Isis, to name a few in real life). And because of this rejection of all outside influences, this rejection of all fundamental law that can be used to judge one’s life, one’s life is then reciprocally said to be “meaningless.” The phrase “God is dead” should be followed by “long live the gods within.”

和很多厉害的黑色幽默电影一样，都能找到那些宏大而复杂的命题的荒谬核心，并一举拆穿。用搞笑的方式把道貌岸然东西彻底击碎。比如《僵尸肖恩》用僵尸片的套路诉说社畜的生活状态；《黑镜》第一季第一集用首相和猪的神奇行为讽刺现代传播是如何绑架所有人；《江湖告急》讽刺了所有的港式黑帮片。

《自卫艺术》讽刺的是邪教产生的内在逻辑。那就是让弱者觉得如果想要变强，就必须被虐，必须忍耐的强者逻辑。然后，你就可以完成升级，继续虐别人。你会成为强大组织的中间力量。其实任何一个武林门派也都是这样广收门徒，弱者觉得我不够好，是因为我不够惨。弱者平常被普通人欺负并不具有意义，要有意义的更惨。

这个故事的主人公加入一个跆拳道馆，欣然接受各种歪理邪说，欣然接受被赋予“意义”的折磨，然后心怀梦想。

现实世界里强者撒了很多谎来利用弱者想求生的本能赚钱。比如网文世界里所有开挂的金手指的操作让年轻屌丝欲罢不能，坐着穿越帝王梦，开赌场永远告诉你必将一夜暴富，但是有时候要忍耐手气还未到的艰难时刻；所有搞鸡汤励志的家伙永远会告诉你熬的不够久做的还不够狠；综上所述都是大买卖，永远做着弱者的生意。

这个世界对弱者的教化简直费尽心机，让他们甘愿被按着摩擦然后放弃人生。细想一想，武侠套路是在为弱者发声吗？他无非是要弱者接受强者的规则并把自己变成强者欺负弱者而已。

没想到这个套路被这个美国小片看透了哈哈。当弱者开始接受那个邪恶跆拳道馆的逻辑就已经变成邪恶一份子，丧失自己的人是无力改变不公平的现状。成为蒙脸黑衣人就无法站在阳光下做政客了，一样的道理。

弱者真的是弱者吗，底层的人只能通过弱者的逻辑提升自己吗？还是有更多适合自己的发展道路，或者就此享受独特的人生，是不是也挺美？就好像故事里的男主，一个人一条狗，有个去法国度假的梦想，其实也挺好。当然，有把枪或者生活在晚上治安比较好的地方，人生没什么值得焦虑的问题呀。

黑色幽默就有这点好，把套路说穿，就让套路没法继续骗人。知道pua话术的女孩会怎么看套路他的男孩？知道鸡汤不能当饭吃的人会选择更适合自己发展的办法，知道赌博怎么骗人您还玩起来有劲吗？看过《第二十二条军规》和《全金属外壳》怎么可能对战争有盲目的崇拜？

wx：liaoiaopian

答案就是暴力、重金属音乐洗脑和栽赃陷害。

中国人是最恨迂腐和陈腔滥调的，对那些古旧的规矩尤其痛恨。因为我们在两千多年前就喊出了“王侯将相宁有种乎”，等级和规矩从来就不是天生存在的！所以，当森sei利用空手道的规矩和礼仪建立起他个人在道场里的权威时，这让我由衷地膈应他。尤其是用一个什么等级晋升制控制各位学员，就更是让人觉的这种行为的荒诞——不就一根破带色的绳子，有啥可羡慕的呢？

然而，这恰恰象征了人类社会的毒瘤——法西斯控制人群的手段，给一个并不重要的东西人为赋予高大上的设定，让人们舍命去追。

片中森sei控制人的手段很有意思，等级晋升制、暴力胁迫、重金属音乐洗脑、拍下犯罪证据、暴力宣泄的快感……成体系使用，从而达到全面控制人心的目的，想想真是不寒而栗。更令人出冷汗的是，森sei竟然在道场里安了一个焚化炉，尼玛谁家正常人会在家里安装这玩意儿，很难不让人想起纳粹德国的暴行。

森sei把人变成法西斯的手段是有效的，曾经文弱不堪的凯西竟然当街打死了一个持枪的便衣警察，不能不让人感慨法西斯的恐怖——法西斯把人变成鬼。

当然，对付法西斯自然不能按照法西斯的规矩来，尤其是徒手搏命格斗，鬼才跟你打嘞！一发来自工业文明的子弹是摧毁封建武士统治暴力的最好手段，所有的破规矩都随着森sei的脑浆一起迸裂。

只有破除迷信、消灭法西斯，空手道才能真正恢复它本来的面目——强身健体，授业解惑。只有破除迷信、消灭法西斯，人类社会才能真正走向文明和健康！警惕法西斯死灰复燃，是我们永恒的任务！

ps：当然，这又是一部宣传卖枪的政治电影，可能这才是这部电影的本意，可以查查投资方🙂