Double Feature Series #2: Mob Justice

This is the second post in what I'm calling my double feature series, in which I post a pairing of two movies that I love. These movies will usually be made 20+ years apart and are thematically related somehow. I see one as a sort of a spiritual successor of the other. The point is to avoid blatantly obvious pairings or homages that have been pointed out before (like certain Woody Allen movies combined with certain Bergman movies, for example). Instead, I aim to bring two seemingly disconnected films together, into one thought.

The second entry in this series illustrates the temporal possibilities of influence we see in film! They are two quite harrowing movies about the dangers of mob justice presented by Fritz Lang and Thomas Vinterberg respectively:

Fury (1936) and The Hunt (2012)

I think in this particular combination, the influence is not as continuous or obvious as some of the others will be in this series. I think they differ considerably stylistically; 'Fury' suffers from some early Hollywood cheese (especially in the final scene) and a little racism while 'The Hunt' is very modern feeling and indulges in some delicious black comedy. What ties these two movies together though is their powerful emotional content. If one is at all familiar with Lang's other films they ought to realise he is not making mere Hollywood cheese; his films are almost invariably darker, grimier, and far more willing to explore the human condition than his contemporaries (see M, Scarlet Street, and The Big Heat). Vinterberg himself is no stranger to this. His film Celebration has to be one of the most uncomfortable movies I've ever seen and every bit of it is great.

These films both explore the power of empirical uncertainty in matters of justice and the powerful emotions that emerge from victims of (alleged) crimes that must aim their wrath somewhere. Both explore the contagious power of rumours in these matters of uncertainty and how they give rise to nasty consequences when unfounded. They are the kind of films that remind us why we have a third party mediator when it comes to more consequential matters of uncertainty and complexity in bringing about justice. I don't wish to discuss it too much as I think these are two incredibly worthwhile movies that benefit from not knowing much going into them. Enjoy.