🎬 #202 What We Can Learn From Characters /03/: Blade.
The third in this series of posts, taking learnings from different characters throughout cinema. This week it’s Blade from the original 1998 film ‘Blade’ - played by Wesley Snipes.
Please enjoy
Bry
This has still got to be one of the ‘coolest’ opening scenes and introductions to a character. And I like all great shots do, they tell us something about the character or move the story along. They aren’t cool for cool’s sake and the frame above, that introduces us to blade, is a perfect example of that. He steps into the blood drenched underground club - untouched by even a drop of the red rain. Not only does this tell us he’s separate from the vampires in the club - it tells us lots of other things - character traits we can learn from. He’s incorruptible, that’s for sure. Even though he is, in many ways, the most powerful vampire - he chooses to fight against them, not be corrupted by them. He has strong principles that he bends for no one.
The other main thing we can learn from Blade, is, that even though his compulsion to thirst for blood is deeply ingrained in him at a genetic level, he chooses not to give in to his nature. He’s steadfast and vigilant against the drive woven into his DNA. He has systems in place like his regular injections given to him by his consigliere, Whistler. He keeps himself in check, so that he doesn’t give in to his lower nature - even when his life would be much ‘easier’ if he just let it be. We can all change our nature, we can all choose to transform who we have a genetic predisposition to be, through systems and habits.
He has a singular, personal mission. That gives him his ‘why’ in modern personal development terms. That means he’ll never get confused or distracted - and that means he can keep to all his habits and systems. In this mission he’s totally self-less, putting his body on the line to help others. We don’t need to all be driven by merciless revenge against vampires - but having something that maintains us, when all else fails, seems like a good idea, another thing we can borrow from him.
Final point is that he’s an extreme character, we don’t need to be extreme to learn from him. It’s these kind of principles that are built into characters that can help serve us on some imperceptible level. He’s at war with himself and he wins it one day at a time and that is one of the reasons why he is, ‘cool.’ Why he is an attractive, interesting character - at least to me.
The cool embodiment of Stouc philosophy. I love it!