He manages to get a labouring gig on a building site and strikes up a friendship with Frank (Keith David). Frank directs "Nada" to a local shanty town for somewhere to stay. In the camp, a mix of manual workers and the unemployed eke out a life with help from community organisers and the local church.
Becoming suspicious of odd comings and goings at the church, "Nada" sneaks in one day and finds its a front for some kind of lab but it's not clear what's going on. After being confronted he runs off and later that day the Police arrive in force, bulldozing the settlement, rounding up various people and trashing the church.
Returning in the morning to see if he can salvage any of his possessions "Nada" goes back to the church, finding a box hidden behind a secret panel. Thinking it something valuable he makes off with it but is disappointed to find it's just full of cheap looking sunglasses.
Nonetheless he stashes the box, picks up one pair to wear and starts to walk back to the camp.
No good will come of this.
A landmark of 80s cult cinema, this has got better with age. I watched it for some easy comfort viewing and was pleasantly surprised.
Boasting one of the best "reveals" in cinema, THAT line and THAT fight scene the fact it's a meandering mess in places doesn't matter. Roddy Piper wasn't much of an actor and is totally outclassed by Keith David but he's iconic in this.
The anti-capitalist polemic has matured and feels fresh in an age of social media and the gig economy. That dish on the roof of a TV station is now a pipe into your phone from a data centre.
It's 80s as fuck with sub A-Team action sequences and "things you wouldn't do now" but the weird vision Carpenter put together just works.
If you've never seen this it's a cult movie icon worth a look 8/10, if you can avoid spoilers, all the better.
"It's just business"