ROTTEN TOMATOES: Total Recall: RT Celebrates the Bill of Rights

Total Recall: RT Celebrates the Bill of Rights

Page | 1 2 3 4 5

more info...	The Ninth Amendment: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Enemy of the State (1998, 71 percent) The framers of the Constitution weren't dummies -- they knew that by spelling out the citizens' rights upheld in these amendments, they might be encouraging the idea that any rights not specifically mentioned didn't exist, so they gave themselves the Ninth Amendment as a loophole -- basically saying that just because you don't read something here, it doesn't mean the government has carte blanche to do whatever it wants. This amendment comes in handy for Chris Gardner, the labor lawyer played by Will Smith in Enemy of the State, when he discovers he's being framed by government agents for a crime he didn't commit. To accomplish their nefarious goals, these agents resort to all sorts of dirty tricks -- planting bugs, having Gardner's credit cards canceled, even tricking his wife into thinking he's been having an affair. A beautifully shot ode to the paranoid, Enemy made oodles of cash at the box office.

more info...	The Tenth Amendment: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Smokey and the Bandit (1977, 76 percent) Yes, it's the ever-popular "states' rights" amendment -- and in this case, those rights meant that, in the late 1970s, transporting liquor past the east Texas border was considered bootlegging, which is why the wealthy Big Enos Burdette (played by Pat McCormick) had to offer an $80,000 reward to infamous trucker Bo "Bandit" Darville (Burt Reynolds) in order to get him to bring 400 cases of Coors to Georgia. Considering that Smokey and the Bandit went on to become the second highest-grossing film of 1977 (outdone only by Star Wars) and spawn a pair of sequels, not to mention inspiring The Dukes of Hazzard, it's interesting to note that director Hal Needham had to fight tooth and nail to get Bandit made -- it wasn't until his pal Reynolds stepped in that the studios came knocking. The results were unquestionably lowbrow, but the critics didn't mind.
	>

And finally, for those of you who need a primer on the Bill of Rights, we present you with this:

Check out past editions of Total Recall in our column archives.

Related Items

Movie:	The People Vs. Larry Flynt
	Death Wish
	Cops & Robbersons
	Training Day
	The Godfather Part II
	12 Angry Men
	The Verdict
	The Shawshank Redemption
	Enemy of the State
	Smokey and the Bandit

Page | 1 2 3 4 5

(1-6 of 6 posts) | Reply

RT-Ryan writes:
on Jul 02 2008 05:46 PM

Nice choices, fellas. I'm a little surprised to see Cops and Robbersons alongside movies like 12 Angry Men and The Godfather II, but it was a nice idea nonetheless.

(Reply to this)

neoes writes:
on Jul 02 2008 06:41 PM

Happy 4th of July everyone

(Reply to this)

iakobos writes:
on Jul 02 2008 08:37 PM

I think a better fit for Second Amendment movie is Red Dawn. If ever a movie demonstrated a sound defense of the Second Amendment this one is it. Granted a Soviet/Cuba invasion is far fetched. But this movie is a great example of why it is always an individual right to bear arms (as our Supreme Court recently noted) allowing the citizens to form a militia when needed, just as they did in Red Dawn.

(Reply to this)

Lord of the Rings writes:
on Jul 03 2008 12:01 PM

Great idea. I agree with some of your Amendment movie choices, but others, I do not. But, nonetheless, great idea! HAPPY 4th OF JULY everyone!!!!

(Reply to this)

StonetheCrow writes:
on Jul 06 2008 09:26 AM

Death Wish is a movie of excellence.

(Reply to this)

moonbeam85 writes:
on Jul 07 2008 12:03 PM

Good list, just a quick correction on #9. Chris Gardner is the name of Will Smith's character in "The Pursuit of Happyness". His character's name in "Enemy of the State" is Robert Dean.

(Reply to this)

Related Links

The People Vs. Larry Flynt

Related Articles

Most Discussed

Latest News

Latest Interviews

Latest Features

Sponsored Links