Here is a scenario you may have never thought about: if a plane crashed right in front of you with people trapped inside and the ship was on fire, would you attempt to save the crew? Would you knowingly risk your own life for the life of strangers in peril? This is the exact scenario Bernie Laplante was faced with, and he decided to go in the plane and risk it all in the movie "Hero". Bernie Laplante is a low life, two bit con artist who would steal candy from a baby if he had the chance, but with a twist of fate, he was presented with the opportunity to become a hero.
The movie shows us how any man, no matter what reputation he has, is capable of selfless acts of heroism. It also shows how Gayle Gayley, a media reporter, portrays such an event and the mutation any story undergoes in the media. The movie shows in contrast, the heroic acts of a horrible man, and the dishonest act of a brave and honorable man. With Bernie performing the heroic act and John Bubber receiving the adoration, you are allowed to see the very best and worst of human behavior. It shows cases the ambitions of members in our society, and how we prioritize decency and ethics.
In any modern society, money is essential to survival. Without money, we cannot survive. Bernie Laplante is some one who is desperate for money and does many despicable things in order to gain it. He is showed stealing from his court appointed lawyer, after she already lent him money. He is later seen taking money from a lost wallet and leaving a diner through the back exit to avoid paying for it. He tries to sell any thing he can get his hands on, and taking any thing that isn't chained down. His apartment is shown to have miscellaneous items ranging from printer paper to watches that he attempts to sell to his landlord. He is some one who would not hesitate to steal in order to provide for himself. He works for a rug cleaning company, and he is habitually late. He hands his boss an excuse every time he comes in late. It is hard for people to respect Bernie when he conducts himself in such a disingenuous manner. No one expected him to risk his life for any one else.
En route to see his son, Bernie witnessed a plane crashing at his feet. With his path blocked by the fiery plane, Bernie got out of his car to inspect the accident and he heard the cries of the passengers on board. They begged him to open up the door from the outside, which he reluctantly did, but that was not all that was asked of him. A boy who looked about his sons age asked him to find his father and bring him to safety outside of the air craft. After a couple of profane remarks, Bernie enters the plane; unfortunately Bernie couldn't find the boy’s father, for he had already escaped. But there were other passengers that needed Bernie's assistance
He was accosted by people in need who also needed to convince him to save them. One was Gayle Gayley, who he saw trapped in between seats. The opportunist in Bernie came out as he couldn't help but take Gayle’s purse with out her knowing during the rescue. As soon as Gayle was safe, the reporter in her kicked in. She found herself concerned with the story behind the rescue, and not with the passenger’s health, or with what caused the accident. Her ambitions were to capture and sensationalize the tragedy that just befallen her, but Bernie was no where to be found. She was left with no hero to match her story. Bernie continued venturing towards his son's house to do what he set out to do before the plane crash; spend time with his son before he goes to jail.
Unfortunately, his ex-wife sees him as a bad role model for their son and wants to protect her son from his poisonous behavior. Unable to see his son, or make any progress with his ex, Bernie ventures back to his home and along the way meets a homeless man who lives in a Van; John Bubber. John and Bernie share stories about there night. Unknown to Bernie was the amount of attention and publicity his venture had created. He had only one shoe left from the fire, and decided to give it to John, because John told him he knew of some one with one leg that could benefit from the shoe. You can see how Bernie's concern is primarily concerned with him self, where John thinks only of others.
Meanwhile, Gayle was at the hospital with the other victims of the crash. She asked all members of the air plane about the hero behind the rescue, but she could not figure out who it was. All that remained of the hero was a shoe. She began covering the story, dubbing the hero as an "angel" who appeared and vanished as quickly as he appeared. The true identity and facts behind the "angel" was a mystery and thanks to the media, the perception behind this figure was that of a larger then life saint figure who cared not for himself, but for others
Bernie Laplante obviously did not fit this metaphorical shoe, but John Bubber did. After hearing that there will be a million dollar reward for the hero, Bubber comes forward with the literal shoe left behind in the crash and receives the award that should rightfully have went to Laplante. With out any proof to the contrary, and his obvious disposition towards every one else, Laplante found it impossible to convince any one else that he was the angel behind the story and that Bubber is a fake. Further investigating showed that Bubber is a Vietnam War Veteran who saved his platoon while serving in the war. This further reinforced the image that Bubber is the angel, making it harder for Laplante to convince any one otherwise.
Was it wrong for Bubber to come forward and accept the reward that doesn't belong to him? Who can say? The situation is not black and white. He did many selfless acts while receiving little to no reward in the past; shouldn't he receive some sort of compensation for such acts? Unfortunately in our society we don't reward kindness. For the most part, it is those who prey on others and take advantage of opportunities that end up successful, where those who think about others are not left with any one to think about themselves. So why shouldn’t Bubber have thought about himself for once and receive a little help even if he is lying? Bubber himself said he just wanted to sleep in a bed and have a warm meal; his ambitions were modest. What he ended up receiving was fame and the adoration of millions across the country.
He became a national celebrity over night, while the true hero, Bernie Laplante, was left to piece together his broken life and continue bottom feeding. With Gayle and the news station she worked for backing him up, Bubber toured across the state meeting and greeting any one, ranging from admirers to hospitalized children. When ever the opportunity presented itself, Bubber always lent a helping hand to the needy, while Laplante was hunting him down in an attempt to expose him and claim what’s rightfully his. The story is showing in contrast the good nature of Bubber, and the stereotypical disposition of Laplante and how differently they operate.
Eventually the guilt was too much for Bubber to handle; he threatened to kill himself by jumping off of a building. He was ridden with guilt, and wanted desperately to alleviate the stress he put on himself by taking credit for some thing he did not do. Laplante had come to terms with what kind of person Bubber was and let go of his anger. He realized Bubber was a genuinely nice guy who only wanted to help others, while Laplante was a scheming con artist who couldn't care less about the well being of others. With this in mind, Laplante confronted Bubber on the ledge of the skyscraper and resolved the conflict. He informed Bubber that he did not care about the fame or the admiration, and just wanted some of the money. He knew that Bubber was not only the right image for the story, but the right man to be admired. Even though Laplante rightfully deserves it, he realizes he is not the kind of person that the masses would accept as a hero, and chooses to remain anonymous in return for some of the benefits.
I like to believe if faced with such a crisis, that most people would rise to the occasion, but how many others actually would? The characters in the movie showcase how self centered we can all be. It showed that in the face of a heroic act our instincts are to pervert such a story for the sake of sensationalism. Rather then billing the rescue as a random act of kindness, the media spun the story sensational act performed by a saint. Dubbing who ever saved the passengers as an "angel", and not just a man. It was impossible for Laplante to be heralded as a saint, but Bubber matched perfectly. Rather then integrity and ethics, we see personal ambitions take center stage in "Hero”, the very worst and best in our society.
