Oh man, so get this, I was hanging (literally, from a treehouse) with my cousin, when he was all like “You think you can fly?” and dropped me right on my noggin! Now I can’t remember a thing. Do you remember what happened in The Good Son?
Pop Quiz Hot Shot!
1) We’ll just skip Mark’s mother dying and go straight to the reason why he is getting left with his uncle in Maine. Why?
2) Henry has created two odd inventions (of a sort) during the course of the film. What are they?
3) We actually only actually see Henry kill one thing during the course of the film. What? And what do they do with it?
4) What trophy did Henry keep from when he (obviously) killed his brother?
5) In the end they head out to Chekov’s Cliff which was mentioned earlier in the film. What significance does it hold in Henry’s family?
Bonus Question: Years and years later Mark is a happily married family man, but then one day he gets a call. From whom?
Answers
1) His father just needs to make that one big deal in Japan (obviously). Add this to the list of movies with somewhat odd Japanese-centric storylines from the era. Once he makes this deal though he intimates that he can basically retire on the fortune he’ll make from it. If I were to guess, I would say he is selling his company to a Japanese corporation.
2) Well the first is a rather janky looking but also impressive crossbow which shoots heavy industrial bolts. The other is Highway Man, which is a dummy dressed to look like a person which they then shove off an overpass to cause a major accident.
3) He kills a rather vicious looking dog with it. He tries to kill a cat but misses, and also he obviously killed his little brother, but we don’t get to see that (even in flashback). So it is just the dog, and they dump the body into a well which is basically where Henry says he “disappears” things, and ultimately he threatens Mark with the same fate if he should tattle on him.
4) A rubber duck. When the mother finds it, it is an item she says she was looking for right after her son died, so she now suspects that Mark is telling the truth. Henry killed his brother and stole the rubber duck as a trophy.
5) It is a spot where Henry’s mother looks out when thinking about the son that died in the bathtub. She blames herself for his death, thinking that he merely drowned due to her carelessness. But ultimately she’ll learn that it was Henry that intentionally killed his brother.
Bonus Answer: Spoilees, Henry never died, he’s been in an asylum ever since. But guess what? It’s the asylum … your cousin? He’s been released. Totally cured, the man on the line says. No! Mark grabs his trenchcoat and heads to the sheriff. Busting into his office he screams, “Sheriff! Sheriff! You must help, my cousin is insane and he’s going to come here and hurt my family …” Just then Henry wheels around in his chair. “Oh Mark, it is so nice to see you.” NO. Don’t worry the Sheriff assures him, Henry was just explaining how he asked to be placed in a halfway house nearby while getting on his feet. And to not worry, he really thinks having family nearby will help. “No, you don’t understand. Look at his eyes. Like doll’s eyes! There’s no life behind them. He’s no man, he’s a monster!” HE GOT A GUN. And indeed, Mark is now waving a gun around as he rants. Hours later, after being released from jail, Mark returns home and … no! Henry is there. Perfectly pleasant, sitting and eating dinner with his family. Well, you know how this goes. Things slowly escalate. But they think Mark is the insane one. Mark’s dog dies, but how could you blame Henry, he was nowhere nearby from what we can tell. Henry is loitering around your property? I mean … that’s hardly a crime, especially for family. Your wife and daughter seem to like him, Mark. I don’t understand. The mind games escalate, but who is smarter? Mark, who, since his childhood trauma, has studied psychos in an effort to understand Henry? Or Henry, the deceptively pleasant sociopath? Setting up an irresistible situation and tempting Henry into breaking into the house one stormy day, Mark can stand his ground and battle for his family and his life!
It’s called The Good Man obviously. Obviously.
Bad Movie Twins 