For those hording toilet paper

Day of the Dead (1985)

There is a current thread about Captain Rhodes in Day of the Dead that I think is quite a compelling question regarding his status as villain or hero :Here or villain I wrote this response to his thread title.

"I don't think it's that simple. I've never looked at him as black & white. Was he an asshole? He acts hostile. But your points are valid in that he suffers the loss of his men and has been stuck underground for too long. He sees the bodies of his men used as zombie fodder and experimentation, and he has every right to flip out. I think the fascinating element to Day of the Dead (there's more than one, but I'm using this one for this thread) is that we are brought into the story after some considerable time. These scientists and military men have been underground together for a period with us dropping into their lives at a really tense, anxiety-ridden time when their outlook is dire and tempers are at a high. Let's face it, Frankenstein's theory that a zombie can be "humanized" won't fix the overall problem because it is too out of hand. It took some time just to "civilize" Bud. How could he have civilized/humanized hundreds of zombies? Rhodes knew it was a lost cause and his patience had worn thin. He hated them. They represented a hopeless cause his men continued to die for. I understood his rage, but that doesn't mean I thought he was worthy of praise. He handled the situation extremely poorly. As a leader, he let things get out of hand. His men were out of control, and instead of finding common ground with those who weren't necessarily totally sold out to Frankenstein, he lashed and lashed out at them. I think the entire situation commented on how cooler heads were not gonna prevail when men continue to die and the zombies continue to multiply outside."

 I have to admit, this is quite an interesting concept. Typically, Rhodes is looked at as a vile, antagonistic, purposely toxic, and nastily loud heel. He's the cipher you love to hate. I think he's all these things, but does he have reason to be? The situation is maddening. Sardined into an underground installation, men dying, zombies continuing to gain in number, the scientific research into "correcting" zombie behavior taking so long and prolonging their stay, Rhodes' patience deteriorating, his tolerance eroding, I think there's a good argument that his turbulent  relationship with the scientists derives from the fact that while they remain alive and well (well not necessarily psychologically well, though) his men aren't so fortunate. Because the film follows Sarah's emotional plight (Lori Cardille), Rhodes is shown sparingly (thankfully, could you imagine spending a lot of time with him? Particularly when the film starts?), always in a foul mood. His sour disposition has reasoning, although I'm convinced he's just an asshole in general, considering what is taking place around them. What is happening to their country, perhaps their world; this is quite a burden on anyone's emotional state. A cause he doesn't believe in, Rhodes isn't behind the zombie rehabilitation project, like his superior was. I do feel for Sarah; she's stuck in the middle of an ugly tug-of-war. All sides seem to be against her. Thankfully she finds allies in the fliers of the whirlybird. I definintely think the imdb horror board poster's thread is food for thought. Rhodes isn't so easy to dismiss once you think about what he's seen and experienced first-hand. When he encounters what Frankenstein did to the dead bodies of his men, it is hard not to understand why he'd react so violently. To lash out at the others, though, was part of why he's so viewed with scorn. He's not an easy man to like. The least little bit.

Just in case the thread is gone, it was titled as Day of the Dead: Captain Rhodes..hero or villain? posted on Tuesday, March 5th, 2013Day of the Dead Day Of The Dead: Capt Rhodes..Hero Or Villian?