One line that struck me the most in The Man Who Stole the Sun was when a government official remarked how an individual has no need of an atomic bomb: it is the nations that need it. There is a lot to explain in this observation that I had in mind for the rest of the film. The atomic bomb is a powerful and immensely destructive weapon that definitely does not belong in the hands of an individual. But do nations need it? It would seem so now that he was created, but only by his very existence. Nuclear weapons now exist in nations around the world not only as a means of offense but also as defense. It is only because the atomic bomb exists that nations now need it, which is an unnerving paradox. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay What became a noticeable trend in the film after Makoto was exposed to radiation during the creation of the bomb was the fact that he didn't die at the end of the film. Furthermore, this was emphasized by the deaths of all the other frontline characters such as Zero and Yamashita. When Yamashita takes Makoto with him from the top of a tall building, the viewer is inclined to believe that this could be the moment where Makoto will certainly have to die. But by incredible chance, Makoto survives the fall, along with his bomb, to which he is obsessively attached as the source of his control and power. This bomb, since it never explodes in the film, therefore functions as a metaphor for Makoto's impending death from radiation poisoning. Cinematically, this is also indicated at the beginning and end of the film with the sound of the timer ticking. The sound of an explosion in Makoto's final shot emphasizes that even though he should have died in other ways, he will die from this bomb, specifically from the manufacturing process. Makoto himself knows this, as indicated by the brief scene in the pool, in which he is seen floating dead among the other bodies. It's a bit questionable whether or not this scene actually happened, especially since Makoto is now hallucinating, and the scene ends so abruptly and without any consequential mention in the rest of the film. Regardless, the scene works as a revelation of Makoto's awareness that he is a dead man walking, yet he remains clinging to the bomb until the end..
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