Box Watcher

A man drifts into town looking for work.  He gets on with a construction crew and begins an honest days work for a honest days pay.  At the end of the day he befriends another worker, he’s from out of town also, the only reason he’s here is to support his family.  It could be happening today, the film however is set in 1988.  

The title They Live could refer to drifter, Nada (Roddy Piper) or the family man Frank (Keith David), two men who are struggling to make it, but still managing to survive.  It could refer to the inhabitants of the shanty town the two stay at.  A group of homeless people taking whatever jobs can they find.  Pooling their resources just to make it.  It’s not so bad, they even have a television, of course the broadcasts are frequently interrupted by the ramblings of a bearded man.  

The title could refer to any of those, but it doesn’t.  It refers to something more sinister.  

One evening after work Nada hears a choir in a church across the street. Upon further investigation he finds it empty,  the choir sounds supplied by a tape recorder and a P.A. system.  In a back room he hears the voices of people clearly planning something complex.  He accidentally finds a hidden stash of sealed cardboard boxes.  After a police raid on the church he opens one of  the boxes to find, sunglasses.  These aren’t your everyday shades.  

Look at billboards without the glasses and see the usual bikini babes and athletes encouraging us to spend money on various products.  However, put on the glasses and see the subliminal messages behind them.  Messages that read “Marry and Reproduce”, “Consume”, and “Obey”.  Look at money and see the message we all know is there, “This is your God”.  What’s more is looking at some people, the upper class, the ones in power and see their truth.  They are aliens and they are running the show. 

Could a movie made twenty years ago be more timely?  An action film that preaches the dangers of greed and consumerism during a time when unemployment is at an all-time high.  

More importantly, isn’t it refreshing to see an action/sci-fi movie that actually has something to say! A film that promotes free thought but, never preaches at you.  It’s the kind of film that sadly would have a difficult time getting made these days.  For two-thirds of the movie it turns the genre on it’s ear.  

Roddy Piper is real find here.  He never comes off as insincere and through it all remains very charismatic.  Where he really shines is the famous five minute long fight scene.  At this point he is the only one who has seen the truth.  He desperately needs someone in his corner.  He tries to convince Frank to try on the glasses and see for himself.

Frank wants nothing to do with it.  He is simply a man who can tell there is trouble on the way.  He does manage to get Nada his last weeks pay and wants to leave it at that.  Nada is desperate and the two start fighting.  It’s the desperation of the moment that Piper really sells.  No matter what he does he has to have someone believe him.  All the frustration and fear come out in one epic brawl.  The fight is so classic the producers of South Park recreated it as an homage in the “Cripple Fight” episode.  

They Live is a very fun movie with something to say.  Writer/Director John Carpenter wisely knows where to draw the line of not coming off as preachy.  Good acting, great dialogue, great action, a cool premise, and a message amidst the violence all make it a movie worth seeing.  

**** out of *****