andrew markworthy
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 1999
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Of necessity this question contains a big spoiler, so if you haven't seen the film, don't look any further.
I'd seen 6th Day when it came out and enjoyed it. However, yesterday I watched it for the first time since then and was struck by an ambiguity in the plot.
One of the big plot twists is that the clone of the Arnie character spends most of the movie thinking he's the original and the other guy is the imposter. And when the clone and original meet up, it appears that the clone (who at that time really believes he is the original) manages to convince the original that he (the original) is the clone.
A little later on we learn that the clone has genetic defects that will give him a shortened lifespan.
At the end of the picture, we know that one of them is going off to Argentina to set up a new branch of the helicopter business. But who is taking the one-way ticket to Patagonia? If we take the movie at face value, it's the clone that is going, and that the clone in fact is perfectly healthy with no genetic defects (i.e. the evil villain lied to him).
However, there is another explanation. The clone, even after learning the truth, continues to lie to the original (who of course knows nothing about how you can identify a clone by a yellow spot under the eyelid) and persuades the original to go to Argentina. Of course the genetic tests on the true original would come back fine, because he doesn't have any genetic problems. The true clone knows that he probably only has a few years to live, and decides that he wants to spend them with the wife and daughter.
I'd seen 6th Day when it came out and enjoyed it. However, yesterday I watched it for the first time since then and was struck by an ambiguity in the plot.
One of the big plot twists is that the clone of the Arnie character spends most of the movie thinking he's the original and the other guy is the imposter. And when the clone and original meet up, it appears that the clone (who at that time really believes he is the original) manages to convince the original that he (the original) is the clone.
A little later on we learn that the clone has genetic defects that will give him a shortened lifespan.
At the end of the picture, we know that one of them is going off to Argentina to set up a new branch of the helicopter business. But who is taking the one-way ticket to Patagonia? If we take the movie at face value, it's the clone that is going, and that the clone in fact is perfectly healthy with no genetic defects (i.e. the evil villain lied to him).
However, there is another explanation. The clone, even after learning the truth, continues to lie to the original (who of course knows nothing about how you can identify a clone by a yellow spot under the eyelid) and persuades the original to go to Argentina. Of course the genetic tests on the true original would come back fine, because he doesn't have any genetic problems. The true clone knows that he probably only has a few years to live, and decides that he wants to spend them with the wife and daughter.
