The Negotiator

I've watched The Negotiator a couple of times now, but it was only tonight that I realized that it was set in Chicago! How appropriate. I never got the corrupt connection before. I'd always assumed that it was set in a random American city, but now watching it I think whoever chose the location knew what they were doing.

First, Chicago is famous for Al Capone, and lately Rob Blagojevich. The former Illinois governor was impeached for allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by now U.S. President Barack Obama. (Of course good things happen in Chicago too.)

But that's not all! John Ambrose, a deputy U.S. Marshal, recently went on trial for allegedly leaking to information to the mob about a person under witness protection program.

Watching The Negotiator under these contexts made the movie seem more real. Plus the fact I now recognize the brown bridges draped along Chicago River as well as the famous rusted Loop structures.

This "deeper" understanding makes me realize (again) that movies and books will always speak to us in different ways through out different stages of our life. The same goes for art, wine, food; the more mature our tastes are, the more we can appreciate the complexities that some offer. I guess that also goes for life; the more experienced we are, the more we appreciate subtle gestures or words and learn to read into their complexities.

But the really tricky part is learning how to be simple again after receiving all these insights.