The Allure of Evil

I watched The Departed last night, and some of the funniest lines were spouted by the bad guys.

How's your mother?
She's on her way out.
We all are. Act accordingly.

F*ck yourself, you piece of sh*t.
And I need the identities of your undercovers.
Blow me. Not literally, though, unfortunately there's no promotion involved.

I laughed out loud. And that, is the allure of evil.

I had more than one reader tell me that they were bothered by how much they liked Uncle Two in The Roofer. Or even Frank. They're murderers. No questions asked, no guilty consciences. But they're loyal guys with totally sick, dark senses of humor--senses of humor that I share.

But does that mean I am glorifying violence? It's a question asked every time Scorsese makes a film. It was a question asked about The Godfather trilogy. It's asked about The Sopranos. And as I work on The Devil's Agents, it's something people COULD ask. But I don't. I never wonder whether I am glorifying violence. Because I'm not. I'm merely depicting it in full, round detail.

Evil is alluring. It's that simple. If it wasn't, people wouldn't sin, if you want to get all Biblical about it. Having an affair--easier than working on a marriage. Taking drugs--easier than facing your problems. Killing your estranged wife--easier than getting a divorce. At first. That's how evil sucks you in. Then it gets hard and twisted and difficult. But first . . . it has to be alluring.

Bad guys can be funny. They can be daddies. Not fathers, but dear, sweet, wonderful daddies who pick their little girls up and twirl them in an "airplane." They make sacrfices for their families sometimes--families they adore. They kiss their wives. They make love. They sit down and say grace around the dinner table. And they also kill without much thought. THAT is the reality of some gangsters. And if you play it that they don't have the humor and the allure, then you miss out on their charm, and then you miss out on that particular nuance of the story.

If some adolescent kid decides the violence is something beyond cool . . . and does something about it? That points to that particular child's upbringing, genetic makeup and so on. But the artist--filmmaker, author--was right to depict evil as it IS, not as people want it to be. People want their bad guys wrapped up in an evil bow. Like a sign pointing--EVIL HERE. But more often than not, bad men are alluring.

That's how they entice you. That's how little girls believe their daddies are all heroes even when they're out at night shooting other bookies for invading their turf. That's how they get new recruits. That's how they operate.

Thoughts?