Podcast
On Being with Krista Tippett
This 1943 noir Western, about a posse's pursuit of suspected murderers, deeply impacted Ruben Blades. The movie's themes of vigilante justice, mob mentality, and the dangers of unchecked anger resonated with Blades' legal background, shaping his understanding of the importance of upholding the law and speaking out against injustice.
I suppose it's no good telling you again that we're innocent. No good. It's not for myself, I'm asking. Other men with families who had to die for this sort of thing, it's too bad, but it's justice.
— Episode: Rubén Blades, Ashley C. Ford, David Gree...
Episode: Rubén Blades, Ashley C. Ford, David Greene, et al....
This 1943 noir Western, about a posse's pursuit of suspected murderers, deeply impacted Ruben Blades. The movie's themes of vigilante justice, mob mentality, and the dangers of unchecked anger resonated with Blades' legal background, shaping his understanding of the importance of upholding the law and speaking out against injustice.
I suppose it's no good telling you again that we're innocent. No good. It's not for myself, I'm asking. Other men with families who had to die for this sort of thing, it's too bad, but it's justice.
Justice? What do you care about justice? You don't even care whether you've got the right men or not. All you know is you've lost something and somebody's got to be punished.
I tell you there's nobody to look out for and they're in a strange place. Can't you understand that, you butcher?
This is a fine company for a man to die with.
Man just naturally can't take the law into his own hands and hang people without hurting everybody in the world. Because then he's just not breaking one law, but all laws.