What happened to Anthony..(spoilers)

[cheynestoking]

All that we saw happen to anthony in the flashbacks, did it all take place over one or two days? Cos in the comic book in on eof the flahs backs just before herbie is killed it shows him sitting down with anthony saying "we're gona take you out" and anthony says "but my uncle lennys..."

I mean after first watching , i didnt realise that when Big Al shouts at anthony through the window, that was the first time anthony was dragged in. I jsut assumed we were flashing back to important (and most brutal) parts of what they did to him. Each flashback going that extra mile.

So, was everything from Big Al shouting at him, to him hanging himself over the span of a day or two?

[fattaxi]

Interesting question,

I always presumed it was just the important bits, never thought of it being his last few days or whatever.

I still haven't read the comic book, will have to get my mits on one.

Si
x

[Dave]

My understanding of all the flashbacks is that it all happened on the same day.

Obviously this isn't the first encounter Anthony has had with the gang (as Mark comments on towards the end when confessing about the events to his wife). It's safe to assume that the gang have been up to similar piss-taking and messing with Anthony's head in the past, but this last day captures the escalation of their bad treatment of Anthony to the final level.

Alot is shown to have happened in the one day (if indeed it is one day, it's just my theory)... but then some of the events add up to more dispicable fore-thought than you might otherwise think about.
For instance, when Sonny gets Anthony laid for the entertainment of the lads. This event takes on an even nastier appearance if you consider that Sonny may have pre-planned the final 'trip' (in both senses of the word) to the castle at this stage. Making out that Anthony has become one of the lads and 'a man', etc when infact they have planned the drugging and abandoning of him for later that day. This makes the events even more cruel than you may have first thought (not that they weren't bad enough!).

Perhaps another clue that the events occur all on one day is that Patti is not present on the trip to the castle. This clearly ties in with the fact that she has stormed off humiliated earlier in the day after Sonny forces here to shag Anthony.

It's interesting that you mention Anthony's comment about having to get to his uncle Lenny's. For me, that brief little mention in the film has tremendous emotional impact for me. The idea of his uncle expecting his arrival brings forth visions of the horrific tales of kids going missing on the news, and relatives giving emotional appeals, etc. A simple line like that gets my mind working like mad, and adds quite potent and unseen imagery to my emotional connection with the film.

[PatrickCoyle]

I have the same theory as Dave, that it was all the same day. They called Anthony in on the way to his uncle Lenny's, sent him to the shop, then made him smoke with them. That was when 'Erbie was jumping on him and so on. And then Sonny took him into the kitchen and abused him, and then he went up to bed - which is where the shagging part came in.

The graphic novel sheds a bit of light on the situation, although the story isn't exactly the same as the film's, that part of it fits. After Sonny knocked Anthony down with the punch, he then said "Anthony, what are you doing on the floor, mate? I think you should go and have a lie down" or words to that effect. And then after they get him laid and dance around, he trusts them and they go out in the van. So I differ from Dave in that I don't think it was pre-planned as such, it was more just they saw cruel and nasty ways to manipulate him keep arising.

In the graphic novel, in the van Sonny says "Right lads, there's been some changes around 'ere, that's why Anthony's gettin' two tabs and you lot are only gettin' one. Me an' Ant are like brothers, aren't we mate." And it's when he's on the acid that they turn on him, saying things like "You shagged my bird, dirty little bastard" and the like.

[fattaxi]

Sounds like the graphic novel shows more filler, worth getting?

Si

[cheynestoking]

Yeah it's worth getting, theres a lot of differences, like at the end its only sonny and herbie who are drugged, and Richard is weilding a harpoon and soz is killed with the axe in the toilet, while Gypsy John is killed in a flatblock complex at the end of a hall. And we see what happened to Tuff, and the ending is much different. The outcome isn't drastically different jsut the stuff with Mark and the kids.

Plus theres more flashbacks, and anthony is more involved in the goings on of the night where richard spray paints everyone and gives Herbie the scare.

I think they changed richard too much, like in the film hes more raged up and he uses his training to kill the druggies, but in the comic they play him off as more of a killer using weapons. He slits herbies throat instead of the ol stab and twist, and when Big Al goes to see him with the money, Richard emerges donning the gas mask and weilding the axe, and the narration makes it clear he's going to use the axe on him. While in the film he drops the axe and proceeds with his hands.

Oops, i think i blabbed on a bit more than i should have there. Oh well.

It's very different to the film, it works as the comic but i think the film is much better.

[fattaxi]

Does it talk about Richards past involvment with the "gang". I mean I can only presume he used to be involved.

Si

[cheynestoking]

No there's isnt anything about Richard and the gang in the past, but im almost posotive that theres one or two hints back to some stuff in the old days. Not certain though.