Johnny Got His Gun

Starring: Timothy Bottoms, Donald Sutherland, Jason Robards, Kathy Fields
Written by: Dalton Trumbo
Director: Dalton Trumbo
Year: 1971

Rating: * * * *  Stars       +       (Fan Bonus - )  Total: * * * *

One of the darkest anti-war films ever produced. Dalton Trumbo directs this film based off of his own novel and screenplay. The resulting film is faithfully adapted and packs a heartbreaking punch. This film is not as preachy or accusatory as other anti-war films. Rather, it gets its message across by having the audience face an unthinkable reality. It is a fictitious one, but entirely plausible. Dalton also cleverly shot this film in black and white during the hospital sequences, and in color during the dream and flashback sequences, making the characters world more vibrant and alive in his consciousness than what's going on in the real world.

The story is about Joe Bonham (Timothy Bottoms), a WW1 soldier wounded by an enemy mortar. He is brought to the hospital where doctors save his life, if you can call it that. The mortar left him paralyzed and in a coma. The damage inflicted is the worst imaginable. He has lost his  arms and legs. His face has also received sever trauma. He no longer has eyes, a nose or a jaw. He was also left completely deaf. In other words, he is almost completely without feeling, movement or sensory perception. The military doctors see him as an opportunity to conduct an experiment on him. By keeping him alive through various feeding tubes and the like they're curious to see how long a human torso can survive without the mind. There is no issue of ethics, as the doctors are convinced that the patient is nothing more than a mental vegetable. They believe he is unconscious and incapable of thought, feeling or reason.

The doctors are wrong.

Joe has retained his higher brain functions. He is completely conscious. He slowly begins to work out what has happened to him and where he is. Alone, in darkness and silence, he is unable to reach the outside world. Unable to cry for help. Unable to communicate or move, he is a prisoner in his own existence. 

The majority of the film takes place inside Joe's head. Part memories, part dreams, Joe journey's inward on a path of self discovery, seeking answers, absolution, and hope. In his memories, we see what kind of person Joe was, and the people and places who helped shape and influence him. In his dreams, these people become more interactive., They speak to him and he speaks back. They provide company for him, giving both comfort and sorrow. Joe encounters several characters along the way. One is Joe's father (Jason Robards) who shows up in both his memories and dreams. he is a stern man. One who believes in democracy, discipline and sacrifice. He is proud of his son doing the right thing and fighting for his country. Another reoccurring character is that of Christ (Donald Sutherland) who appears in his dreams. Christ, while warm, doesn't quite behave the way one imagines. But he seems so real and vibrant, that its hard to distinguish if this Christ is a figment of imagination, or if he is the real Christ speaking to this poor soul who hasn't quite crossed over yet. There is also Kareen (Kathy Fields), his longtime girlfriend and the love of his life. As time goes on his dealings with her become more and more abstract. In his dreams she leaves him, but he realizes in fact that he has left her. In a sense he left because he cannot return to her, and he must let go.

As his dreams and memories begin to interweave, the lines between reality and madness begin to blur. He is constantly questioning his own sanity. He cannot distinguish dream from memories because he cannot even tell if he's awake or asleep.  However, Joe learns that he is not totally without senses. He can feel the warmth of the sun on his face, and uses that to mark the passages of time. days turn into months, and months into years. It isn't until a nurse brushes his forehead that he shows a reaction. She begins to communicate with him by drawing letters on his forehead with her finger. He learns to respond by moving his head in Morris Code. He wants the world to know of his condition and what he's gone through. In his madness he comes to the conclusion that his story needs to be told. That the years he has suffered must surely be for a reason. He's an important man, and should be heard. After all, if not, what is the point of all this? The military, of course,  won't allow it. So he makes another, more desperate request, "kill me."

This film has gone largely unnoticed by future audiences until 1989, when Metallica used film clips in their music video "One." The song mirrors the pathos and darkness of the film perfectly, and has peaked the interest of audiences.

SEE THE TRAILER: Johnny Got His Gun

SEE THE MUSIC VIDEO: One - Metallica