Vann Siegert has got to

Vann Siegert has got to be one of the more fascinating characters to hit the big screen in recent years. He’s played by Owen Wilson in The Minus Man. He may be a serial killer, but he’s really a nice guy. I think what struck me most is the lack of structure and pattern that he has incorporated into his life. At one point he opines “I’m just a comet drifting through the atmosphere.” He acts only when he has to, and he maximizes the impact he makes. He observes and tries to discern the patterns going on around him and how he fits into them. He describes this as “I take the natural momentum of a person and I draw it to me.” The only plan he has is to decode the world around him as it unfolds and react. This includes when he kills people. He just responds to an urge within him. The victims are arbitrary. Of course, I can’t imagine how a killer could work in any way where he thought about consequences to his actions.

Now I’ll go out on a limb and say that I found a great deal of kinship with him. He doesn’t drink, but it’s not for any mawkish reason. It’s just the way he is. Early on he picks up this rock on the beach and carries it in his pocket. The awkwardness between him and other people during intimate moments. All those moments of quiet observation and contemplation. Perhaps most importantly I understood his desire to follow whatever road presented itself to him. I think the big difference is that he seems be a pure evil that infects all those around him. I’m just a minor blight on the planet. On my best day I think I only mildly irritate those around me.