Forced to Work Together

[Ash]

I watched "Enemy Mine" for the first time in years the other night.

Two races who bitterly hate each other and are forced to work together because of mutual bad circumstances in order to survive.
They almost always become friends once they overcome their unique differences.

I find that utterly fascinating.

Do you also find this as fascinating as I do?
If so...why?

What other films are there with this theme?

[dean]

Yeah, that's always a really interesting, and often entertaining thing to happen.  Do you mean races or just 'different groups' such as two rival gangs or something.

If it is races, then that adds a whole different level to the whole experience, but if you meant just gangs/different people, it is very interesting indeed!

I'm sure I can think of one, but can't off the top of my head.  Maybe films like Tango and Cash vaguely set this sort of relationship up, though it's not the best example of what you're after.

I do, however, think that Harry Potter will end up having to work with his schoolyard nemesis [whose name I can't remember, is it Draco?  I think it is anyway] near the end of the series, and becoming grudging allies, though not necessarily friends.

Jeez, me even thinking that is lame...

[onionhead]

48 Hours comes to mind . . .

[trekgeezer]

None But the Brave (1965) A platoon of Marines crashes on a Pacific Island that is inhabited by a stranded company of Japanese soldiers. They make an uneasy truce in order to survive, they even get to like each other for a while.

Clint Walker plays the Marine pilot and Frank Sinatra (who also directed the movie) plays the old Chief medic. Tommy Sands does a turn as the green 2nd Lt. and Brad Dexter plays the veteran Sergeant. Tatsuya Mihashi plays the Japanese commander.

It's a very good WWII flick and one of my favorites.

As far as Enemy Mine goes, I think Lou Gossett should gotten another Oscar nod for his part. I liked when he got pregnant and went all maternal.  It's a good movie but it did tend to get a bit preachy in parts.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Another WWII movie is "Hell in the Pacific," as Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune, as an American pilot and a Japanese naval officer, who are forced to work together to survive, when thrown together on a deserted island in the Pacific during the last days of WWII.

Interesting topic, Ashthecat. As this is one of my favorite themes in films, let me see, if I can think of some films along these lines.

[nobody]

"Stargate: SG1" completely recycled this plot in one of their episodes a few years ago. They even called the episode "Enemy Mine."

[Scottie]

I think what Ash is mentioning is where the term "Buddy Movie" or "Buddy Comedy" comes from. Two people who start off the movie hating each other, become inseparable best friends by the end. Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour, National Security, Men in Black; there's a huge market out there for this kind of movie because it usually ends happily and that's what Hollywood likes.

My favorite? The classic... The Odd Couple 1968.

[BoyScoutKevin]

As everyone has pointed out, the theme of people being "forced to work together" is quite common in films, and here are some more.

"The Bushido Blade"

When a ceremonial sword of friendship is given by the Americans to the Japanese in the 1850's, the sword is stolen by Japanese elements, who want to see the opening overtures between the Americans and the Japanese fail. Thus the Americans and Japanese are forced to work together to recover the sword and save Japanese "face."

"The Cavern"

When a supply cavern is blown up by the Axis to deny the advancing Allies of the supplies in it, a disparate force of Americans, English, Germans, and Italians are trapped in it and forced to work together to find a way out.

"The Flight of Noah's Ark"

When Elliot Gould's, Genevieve Bujold's, and Ricky Schroder's plane crashs onto a deserted South Pacific atoll, they find the atoll is not deserted. It is still inhabited by two Japanese solldiers, who do not know the war is over. Now everyone has to work together to find a way off of the atoll.

"The Lair of the White Worm"

When there are signs that an ancient pagan snake cult, which practices human sacrifice, is being revived in an isolated English village, two men, who have nothing in common--a local English playboy and a visiting Scottish archaeologist--have to work together to save the girlfriend of one of the men.

"The Devil's 8"
"Thunder Road"

When a moonshiner wants to create a moonshine monopoly and force the other moonshiners out of business, they are forced to work with law enforcement officials to stop someone who is a threat to both groups.

"Krull"
"The Lord of the Rings"
"Willow"

Fantasy films are filled with individuals, who come together to fight a greater evil, even if they have nothing in common and maybe even dislike each other.

"Bataan"
"Battle Beyond the Stars"
"Only the Valiant"
"Sahara"
"The Seven Magnificent Gladiators"

Protecting a crossing, a planet, a pass, a waterhole, a village from the enemy. Films are filled with people "forced to work together," and these are just some of them.

[The Burgomaster]

"Two races who bitterly hate each other and are forced to work together because of mutual bad circumstances in order to survive.
They almost always become friends once they overcome their unique differences."

Well, you've just summarized the plot of about 95% of the movies ever made.  (You might need to replace the word "races" with "people," but the concept is the same).  Remember, "drama is conflict!"

[Scott]

It's better to fall on one's own sword than compromise. Film rarely shows the end result of the momentary truces.

Patton wanted to go into Russian and just because the "cold war" is "over" don't believe it. It may be over in a technological sense for now with EMF weapons and such, but I'm sure they still have their sites on the U.S. with the sale of Nuclear technology to Iran and their own Russian weapons systems in the Ural Mountain range in Russia.

We needed the Russians to defeat Germany. In fact we needed the whole world to defeat Germany as they were only a few years from their super weapons, but Patton was correct about Russian. They could have been beaten in those days after WWII.

[AndyC]

And there was that time GI Joe and Cobra had to work together to save members of their teams who were captured by a common enemy.

OK, I'm a geek.

But it's true. This kind of plot gets a lot of use in cartoons and comics. Superheroes and supervillains have made many a temporary alliance when the situation got bigger than both of them.

[odinn7]

Ahhh....In X-2 they had to work together too. This can be seen in so many movies that it would be impossible to keep track of all of them.

[Susan]

ASHTHECAT Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I watched "Enemy Mine" for the first time in years
> the other night.
>
> Two races who bitterly hate each other and are
> forced to work together because of mutual bad
> circumstances in order to survive.
> They almost always become friends once they
> overcome their unique differences.
>
> I find that utterly fascinating.
>
> Do you also find this as fascinating as I do?
> If so...why?
>


Wow - for a minute there i thought you were describing my office. Except we haven't overcome our unique differences yet...lol

[Just Plain Horse]

I too am reminded of my workplace... kind of creepy...