Pain Walker (3)

In 1990s media, "drugs" were viewed by Americans as an absolute, irredeemable evil. It was still a conservative era, and the media constantly reinforced that narrative. Moreover, it was incredibly common for the average American to have crossed paths with drug-related issues at least once in their lives, whether directly or indirectly.

Because they knew the fear and danger it carried all too well, ordinary Americans did their best to avoid anything associated with "drugs." Conversely, this meant that a criminal who dealt in such substances with casual indifference could evoke an immense sense of revulsion from the audience.

In Pain Walker, the drug was depicted almost like a mysterious potion brewed by a witch, brought to life through props meticulously designed by the film's art team in collaboration with Tim Burton. Set against an atmosphere reminiscent of a dark, twisted fairy tale, the Pain Walker was a hunter tracking down this evil with pure hostility.

A mob boss with a severed ear orders his men to hunt down this nuisance who is wreaking havoc on their distribution network. Of course, pulling the strings behind him was none other than Lucid.

By day, James charmed the masses. By night, he donned a white mask, appearing as Lucid to ruthlessly reprimand the mob boss for failing to carry out his orders.

Thus, the villain, Lucid, was a sophisticated sociopath and narcissist, while the hero, Pain Walker, was a disheveled, melancholic figure, yet deeply human and emotional. This extreme contrast made the film incredibly striking, a dynamic emphasized through Danny, the rookie cop caught between them.

In the scene immediately preceding this, Danny had been burning with a desire to wipe out crime after receiving words of encouragement from James, who had visited the precinct alongside the mayor. But right after, while chasing a lead on a drug case, he fell into a trap, nearly lost his life, and was saved by the Pain Walker.

Danny shouts as he tries to arrest the Pain Walker. However, the Pain Walker convinces him by presenting evidence of police corruption he has gathered over the years. He asks Danny to infiltrate the department on his behalf and find out what they are hiding.

Danny, an ordinary citizen who became a cop out of a deeply held sense of justice, is forced to confront the internal corruption he had previously ignored. As the "detective portion" of the film progresses, he gradually begins to trust the Pain Walker, who claims he only wants to eliminate the drug dealers and restore normalcy to the city.

Securing the cooperation of Whisper and Danny—the two key figures needed to uncover the truth—the Pain Walker gains access to information from both the light and dark sides of the city. With this, he easily deduces that someone is pulling the strings from the shadows.

All the evidence points directly to James Coleman, Grandport's wealthiest and most philanthropic businessman. Hearing his deduction, Whisper and Danny are utterly shocked.

The Pain Walker speaks with deep, hollow eyes.

Just as he himself, having lost everything, continues this madness. From that moment on, the Pain Walker targets James Coleman and begins tracking him. Before long, while infiltrating a shell company's office to extract information, he encounters a man wearing a white mask.

Intending to subdue the opponent and extract information, he quickly overpowers him. But when he tears off the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mask, a completely different face is revealed—not James.

At that very moment, James was giving a speech in front of a massive crowd.

A young, handsome, and brilliant businessman speaking before the public. Shot from multiple ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠angles, the scene exuded an overwhelming grandeur. The crowd hung onto his every word as if under a spell—a perfect metaphor for the audience watching the movie in the theater.

"This is insane.""Absolutely fantastic." Watching him deliver his speech calmly yet powerfully, the audience was left speechless. Here was a man spreading drugs throughout the city to amass wealth and power, yet completely hiding behind the mask of "Lucid" while winning over the public.

The terrifying part was that his persuasive rhetoric, contrasted with the Pain Walker's wretched, desperate state, instilled a profound sense of hopelessness.

Just as the Joker and the Penguin gave speeches in Batman and Batman Returns. And just as the Riddler would do in the near future in Batman Forever. Holding his own against such iconic villains, Lucid maintained a sophisticated, elegant demeanor as he delivered his twisted speech. The theater audience had no choice but to be utterly captivated by Sion's performance, mirroring the spellbound crowd on screen.

"Honestly, I kept wondering how he was ever going to beat him." Two weeks after the movie's release, Tom brought it up during a long-overdue gathering with his friends.

It was a weekend poker night, strictly for the married guys. These gatherings were meant to shake off the monotony of daily life and keep up with close friends. As they casually played, their attention divided, the conversation suddenly shifted to the recently released Pain Walker.

Lanny, a man with a gruff expression, chimed in. "You watch superhero movies? Did you go with your son?"

"Don't think of it as a typical superhero movie. It's like Batman... no, even more realistic. It felt like something that could actually happen in our world. And the presence of Sion Lee's villain was absolutely insane. Right?"

"Still, only guys like you who still read comic books would—"

"Cut the old-man act, Lanny. I know the rest of you saw it too. Come on, spit it out."

At Tom's prodding, Bob, who wore glasses, was the first to confess. "It... it was fantastic. I actually, uh, read the original comic book too."

"No, you should say you read the comic book first."

"Hey, does your wife still throw away your comics when you buy them?"

"That's why I renovated the garage... Ah, wait, that's not the point."

Lighthearted banter flew back and forth among the married men, all in their early thirties and a few years into their marriages. Unlike Tom or Bob, some of them hadn't originally planned on watching a "superhero movie." However, drawn in by Sion Lee's reputation and the overwhelming praise they'd heard at work, they had gone to see Pain Walker and were now eager to share their thoughts.

"I've never seen such an overwhelming villain. He was eloquent, he could fight... I felt like that's exactly how I should act after an argument with my boss."

"The Pain Walker wasn't bad at all either, you know? Man, I had no idea Mickey Rourke could act that well."

"The guy who played the rookie cop was pretty good too. He was in The College Player, right? I didn't think much of him when he was in a sitcom, but he's got some serious acting chops."

"Anyway, he keeps chasing Lucid, but the guy just vanishes like smoke every single time."

That description was spot on. The Pain Walker relentlessly pursued the clues Lucid left behind, trying to expose his plot. But no matter what he did, his opponent was always two steps ahead. Having bribed and seduced shopkeepers, mob bosses, the police chief, and even the mayor—the very people woven into the fabric of the concrete jungle who kept the city running—with money and "dreams," Lucid finally announced the Dream Capsule to the world.

At first, the people who took the drug experienced numerous positive effects. But as time passed, a strange side effect began to manifest among the citizens. Those who slept after taking the drug slept longer and longer. Eventually, some never woke up at all. Yet, the media refused to report on it. Everyone was already in James "Lucid" Coleman's pocket. A few citizens took ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the streets with picket signs, protesting against the drug developed by Coleman Pharmaceuticals, but they were utterly ignored.

As the entire city slowly drifted into a deep slumber, the group scrambled to gather evidence to wake the people. During their investigation, Danny infiltrated the mansion, only to be caught by Lucid and brutally tortured with a branding iron. Barely clinging to consciousness, Danny escaped and returned to their hideout. However, still intoxicated by the dreams Lucid had shown him, Danny's mind wandered.

At first glance, his words sounded like an endorsement of Lucid's actions. But the Pain Walker firmly refuted him.

A poignant summary of the nature of a "dream"—something where what you desire can never truly last. Through Danny's testimony, the Pain Walker realized that his superpower and Lucid's superpower were of the "same type." And if he could eliminate that bastard, he could put an end to the drug epidemic sweeping the city.

As the film's tension escalated, Coleman's henchmen launched another assault. It happened right after they discovered a tracking device planted on Danny's shirt. Whisper stayed behind to hold them off, while the Pain Walker, now certain of how to resolve the crisis, fled the hideout with Danny.

Unable to drive due to the trauma of losing his wife, the Pain Walker let Danny take the wheel. Danny felt a chill run down his spine as he looked out at the eerily empty streets. What followed was an explosive, high-octane car chase. When the chase ended with their car flipping over, Danny was left incapacitated. After dragging him to safety, the Pain Walker got behind the wheel of a new car, forced to confront his reality and his deepest, darkest trauma once more.

A man who lost his wife and daughter to a drunk driver. An anti-hero who unleashed his resulting rage and emptiness onto criminals. No one acknowledged him. His tragic past dragged him down at every turn. Yet, driven solely by the desire to prevent the people of this city from suffering the same fate as his family, he drove forward to end it all.

Arriving at Coleman's headquarters, he discovered mobsters transporting sleeping citizens. Unleashing his superpower—which weaponized his opponents' traumas—the Pain Walker tore through the criminals and made his way to the top floor, where James was waiting for him. At last, the desperate, brutal clash between superhero and supervillain began.

Lucid said, ironically donning his white mask as he spoke. A monstrous supervillain who wanted everyone to drift into an endless dream, just like the sleeping city. This was his true face.

"The message was actually really good." "What? A message? In a superhero movie?" "Yeah, seriously. No joke."

At a high school, a group of girls who had just finished cheerleading practice were gathered, chatting excitedly.

"The city is technically a mess, but it's so peaceful. Mickey's character, who tries to disrupt that, actually looked like the bad guy for a second. And when Lucid unleashed his powers to the absolute limit and pushed him back, oh my gosh! I had no idea Sion could fight like that! Is there anything our Sion can't do?"

Although a significant portion of the action scenes was crafted through special effects, CGI, and stunt doubles, the innocent girls, oblivious to the inner workings of filmmaking, continued their conversation, completely swept up by the movie's visual and auditory thrills.

Lucid laid out his plan to put everyone to sleep so they could live in a dream world of his creation, and the Pain Walker, facing this proposition, wavered for a brief moment.

A superhero who weaponized trauma. A supervillain who weaponized dreams. A clash between two polar opposites.

Their superpowers were both incompatible and of the same nature. Consequently, neither could directly use their abilities on the other. The Pain Walker could not read Lucid's trauma, nor could Lucid read the Pain Walker's dreams. Thus, they fought by unleashing the raw power of the collective traumas and dreams they had gathered from others.

However, as the fight wore on, the physical toll of the crash and Lucid's silver tongue began to wear down the Pain Walker's resolve.

Ultimately, after a fierce struggle, Lucid cornered the Pain Walker.

The self-proclaimed king of the city attempted to forcibly inject a dream into the battered man. If he couldn't extract a dream, he would plant one by force, securing his absolute victory.

On the top floor of the building, crumbling under the weight of their clashing superpowers, the wind whipped through. It illuminated Lucid's profile—sweat-drenched, yet still breathtakingly beautiful.

And as Lucid smiled with a cold, glassy, inorganic expression, the Pain Walker stood back up.

Despite his defiant words, he was trembling, his mask half-torn.

Soon, flames erupted from his hands. His wife and daughter, killed in the car crash, had been found charred beyond recognition in the fire caused by the engine explosion. At this moment, his reason for manifesting his own trauma was simple. Because both he and Lucid were, ultimately, human. They were beings who lived in reality, not in dreams or nightmares.

Even if one could deceive the human mind, neither dreams nor trauma could save them from physical fire. As the surroundings were engulfed in flames like a prison, Lucid's face contorted in panic for the first time.

After a brief but intense battle sequence infused with Tim Burton's signature style, victory ultimately went to the Pain Walker, who had resolved to walk through reality despite his nightmares and pain. Unable to accept defeat, Lucid stumbled backward and plummeted from the building.

Below stood the majestic statue of justice he had erected in front of his headquarters—the very statue he had called his "dream." The spearhead of the statue pierced straight through his abdomen. After a brief, desperate struggle... his movements slowly ground to a halt.

Looking down from the rooftop, the Pain Walker panted heavily.

The man bound to pain dissolved back into the night, and peace returned to the city. People began to wake up one by one, and news broke that Coleman Industries' stock price had plummeted following the incident. The sudden disappearance of the conglomerate's CEO. A rookie cop's whistleblowing on the side effects of the new drug. And the legend of a man still roaming the shadows. As these epilogue sequences intertwined, the final scene of the movie played out.

Whisper replied with a faint chuckle. A time-lapse showed the daytime streets, appearing peaceful on the surface. And as night fell, amidst the bustling crowd and heavy traffic...

The film concluded by showing a man in a black coat slowly walking down the dark city streets.

"..."

"..."

132 minutes. The audience, who had been completely absorbed by the film's raw power throughout its substantial runtime, couldn't help but marvel as the credits rolled.

A superhero and a supervillain standing at opposite poles. A story serving as a metaphor for dreams, trauma, and the people who live in the reality caught between them. Tim Burton's signature gothic directing style combined with flawless performances from the cast. The tone of the original comic book, which could easily have felt childish, blended perfectly with the film's high production value, creating an exquisite sense of realism.

How did Lucid get those superpowers in the first place? Why was he reported as missing when his body was clearly there? What happens to the Pain Walker now? Should I look up the comic book? It was a brilliant structure that left the audience with lingering questions, naturally building anticipation for a sequel.

As everyone sat dazed, unable to leave their seats while watching the credits, the screen suddenly went black. Then, a short post-credits scene began to play.

The low hum of a bustling crowd. Grandport Airport, which had appeared a few times in the main film.

At the immigration counter, an officer was reviewing passports. Next in line, a man wearing an obviously expensive, high-end suit stepped forward and handed over his passport. Due to the camera angle, his face was hidden, showing only his well-built upper body.

Flip, flip. The officer flipped through the passport, glanced up, and asked:

At that exact moment, every single member of the remaining audience thought: What the hell did I just see?