Swiss Army Man is a 2016 American comedy film written and directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert and produced by Eval Rimmon, Lauren Mann and Lawrence Inglee.
Starring Paul Dano as Hank, Daniel Radcliffe as Manny and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Sarah.
The movie begins as Hank, alone on an island, is preparing to hang himself when he notices a corpse washed upon the shore. After attempting to resuscitate him, Hank is amused by the farting sounds the corpse is making but takes his belt and goes back to where he was going to hang himself. With the belt wrapped around his neck, Hank is distracted by the noises the corpse is making and when the waves wash him back into the sea, his farting makes him move in the water. Hank runs after him hopping onto his back and rides him like a jet ski back across the sea.Waking on land with a packet of cheese puffs next to him, Hank discovers a cave near by with lots of rubbish inside, he and the corpse take residence there.
Naming him Manny Hank learns of the unusual abilities his new friend has, he his able to squirt water out of his mouth like a fountain and after looking at a swimsuit magazine, Manny’s erect penis directs them like a compass. Though still unable to hold himself up, Manny learns to talk questioning everything like a child, Hank comes up with the idea to role play to help jog his memory of where he came from. From this Manny believes he is in love with a girl named Sarah after seeing a picture on Hanks phone which he believes is his. As time goes on, more of Manny’s unique talents come to light, he has super strength hands and can fire things like a gun from his mouth. Making their way back to civilisation their role-playing continues as Manny learns about life, but their lives are in danger when they cross a huge pipe across a river.
They are not far from a road when they are attacked by a bear. Using Manny’s powers to get into a tree, Hank tells him the truth about Sarah, someone he doesnt actually know, which makes Manny unhappy causing Hank to fall from a branch. Whilst Hank is dragged by the bear they have a heart to heart and Manny develops the strength to scare the bear away. Now its Manny’s turn to help Hank, taking him to Sarah’s house. When her child is frightened of Manny he gives up and is presumed dead. Whilst police and news reporters wait to hear Hank’s story, he decides to tell the truth about Manny, refusing to let him go. He takes him to the water’s edge and attempts to wake him. The movie ends as Manny is once again jet skiing across the sea with all to witness.
Swiss Army Man is easily one of the strangest movies I have watched In a long time. It absolutely makes no sense at all, which is why what you have read above probably sounds like a load of rubbish, but it is quite funny and rather good. There is so much more that I could have written to explain it a little better, but I would have to write about the whole thing which would give everything away. I recently read a review that said that this film “is about how one man’s dead body nudges another man back to life”, that could not be more true, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Hank had given up until he met Manny and although he used him to get of the island after running away from his family, he carries him everywhere, teaches him about vehicles, people, love and they become best friends. The humorous parts (other than the farting and compass penis) are when Manny questions things that confuse him, it’s sort of like explaining to a child that you can’t just say every single thing that pops into your head. And, the main focus is on Sarah, a girl who Hank saw on the bus every day and secretly took a picture of, but never had the confidence to actually speak to her. There are parts near the end that made me think whether Manny was just a fixture of Hank’s imagine especially when Manny actually points that out during their heart to heart and when they meet the next adult he is dead, so had he been carrying a deceased body around with him. Overall, Swiss Army Man is a story that is completely different then the other films out there today, it’s weird, laughable and in parts a little silly, but it is somewhat enjoyable as it did make me want to keep watching to find out if they got home.
Would I recommend this movie? Yes.
Would I watch this movie again? Maybe sometime in the distant future.
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