Character Analysis: Vince Moore
By: Brian Cotnoir
Vince Moore from "CHAPPiE" |
Alright, so when the
film “CHAPPiE” came out in 2015, it
didn’t really strike me as anything that I wanted to see. Flash forward some time later, I was
introduced to the South African hip-hop group Die Antwoord, and when I found
out that they star as themselves in a the film “CHAPPiE”, I decided to seek out
the film, and what can I say other than I really liked. It had elements of “RoboCop” and “Iron Man”,
and was a visually pleasing film.
So
with that being said, I decided that I wanted to do a Character Analysis on one
of the members of Die Antwoord, however, I found it quite difficult to choose
which one I preferred to write about, and then the more I thought about it, I
decided that they were more or less playing slightly
fictionalized versions of their on stage personas. Well, Die Antwoord, weren’t the only stars in
the film I that I enjoyed. Hugh Jackman
also appeared in the film, and when I realized that I had never done a
Character Analysis on any of Hugh Jackman’s characters, I decided that I needed
to change that, and so here is my Character Analysis on his character from “CHAPPiE”, Vincent Moore.
CHARACTER: Vince
Moore from “CHAPPiE” (2015)
Vincent Moore is a
soldier turned robotics engineer for the Tetravaal Corporation in Johannesburg,
South Africa. He is the creator of the
giant weaponized robot controlled by a human remote control called MOOSE. Moore’s work (and funding) are constantly
being slashed due to a more popular and efficient Police Robot Droid designed
by one of his co-workers, Deon Wilson.
Vincent’s jealousy slowly boils over into
rage and he concocts a plan to sabotage Deon’s robot droids and convince his
boss, Michelle Bradley, to let him put the MOOSE into action.
As a former soldier, Vincent definitely gives
off an alpha male vibe to everyone around his office. He uses his imposing stature to intimidate
his co-workers—especially Deon—and openly carries a pistol on his belt
everywhere he goes, including the office.
He strangely enough comes across as a strict conservative and somewhat
religious, often inviting his co-workers to join him at church on Sunday. In some ways he comes across as your stereotypical
Midwestern American whose life revolves around Guns and giving glory to God.
Vincent uses his military skill to stalk Deon and discovers that he has created a
police droid with Artificial Intelligence.
He uses his connections at the Tetravaal Corporation to ambush Chappie
steal the companies Guard Key to shut down the other droids, which causes chaos
and anarchy to reign all over the city of Johannesburg. He pins the blame on Deon, and finally
convinces his superiors that his MOOSE is their only hope at restoring law and
order in the city.
However,
Vincent also has ulterior motives. He doesn’t just want to look like he saved the
city, he wants to destroy Deon, his robot creation Chappie, and anyone else who
stands in his ways.
THE ACTOR:
Hugh Jackman plays Vincent Moore |
Vincent Moore is played
by Australian actor, Hugh Jackman.
Despite being set in South Africa, Jackman’s character was allowed to
keep his natural Australian accent (with no rhyme or reason why an Australian
solider might being working for a weapons company in South Africa). Jackman is a very versatile actor who can
play any character from a larger than life flamboyant singer to a bad ass super
hero. In “CHAPPiE” we finally get to see him as an all-out villain, and not
like a dark brooding anti-hero, like Wolverine. In this film it’s very clear that Jackman’s
character is the baddy, and he does a great job with it.
CHARACTER
IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:
Vincent Moore is more or
less a combination of every “Iron Man”
movie villain. He creates a giant killer
robot that only he can control with the intention of destroying a colleagues
robotic creation like Obidiah Stane. He
is driven to sabotage a more successful rival and show off his untested robotic
creations and earn a government contract like Justin Hammer, and his driven by vengeance
like Aldrich Killian.
I would also say that he shares some
slight similarities to another Jackman character, Charlie Kenton, from the
movie “Real Steel” as both characters
fight epic battles using robots that they control with the minds and movement.
Hugh Jackman in "Real Steel"
FATE OF THE
CHARACTER:
Vincent uses the MOOSE
to track down Deon, Chappie, and group of gangsters that Chappie has befriended
(played by Ninja and Yolandi of Die Antwoord).
In an attempt to destroy Chappie once and for all, he ends up shooting
Deon and murdering Yolandi, who Chappie views as his mother. In a blinding rage Chappie destroys MOOSE
before traveling to Tetravaal headquarters and proceeds to senselessly beat Vince
to the near point of death, thus leaving the fate of hi character open to
interpretation (or a possible return if
the film ever spawns a Sequel).