This isn't a subtle movie and it demands an equally unsubtle theme. The good guys and bad guys may have their little quirks that make them similar, but at the end of the day, we know who's batting for each side. Even more than that, there are no neutral parties here. Everyone who seems to be keeping out of the fight turns out to be either thoroughly corrupt (Satipo) or true-blue loyal (Katanga). That makes it remarkably easy to keep score, but unlike a lot of films, the villains end up making it a whole lot closer than we're accustomed to. Seriously, how often does God have to step in on behalf of Team Good Guys?
Questions about Good vs. Evil
- Which characters in the movie are presented as ostensibly neutral? In what ways do they reveal their true intentions?
- How do Indy's methods for finding the Ark differ from his rivals? What does this say about the nature of good and evil?
- Why is the punishment of Belloq and the Nazis at the end presented in such frightening terms? Can "good" also be "scary"? How does the movie maintain that balance in the end?
- Is the U.S. government's decision to hide the Ark a moral or an immoral one? Why or why not?
Chew on This
The forces of good could have prevailed at the end without the screenwriters bringing God into it. It's Indiana Jones, after all.
Only the intervention of the Almighty could have prevented the Ark from falling into the ultimate wrong hands, because the movie wants us to recognize that there are some mysterious and unexplained things in life.