Faramir, the son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor, brother to the mighty Boromir. One of the most valiant, yet humble, warriors Tolkien wrote about in his tale, The Lord of the Rings, but as much as the movies got right, they completely missed the mark in their portrayal of Faramir.
Both start out the same way. Faramir stumbles upon Frodo and Sam in their journey to Mordor while he and a band of his men are ambushing an army of Easterlings also heading to Mordor. Faramir naturally assumes that Sam and Frodo are up to no good because they are so close to Mordor and brings them back to his camp, but here is where the two portrayals split.
The book has Faramir interrogating the two Hobbits. He informs them of Boromir's death at the hands of the Uruk-Hai. In the end, he decides that the two are harmless and feeds them and aids them. However, Sam accidentally lets slip that Frodo has the One Ring, and Faramir has the chance to seize it from him by force, but he resists the temptation to do so. In the end, he lets them go with their guide Gollum, who he knows is up to no good, even though it means that by the laws of his country his life is forfeit.
The movie goes on a very different path. Faramir promptly throws Frodo and Sam into basically a prison. He takes Frodo out when he sees Gollum nearby, and uses him essentially as bait to capture Gollum. Gollum, now furious at Frodo's apparent betrayal, tells Faramir that Frodo is carrying the "Precious". Faramir then eavesdrops on Frodo and Sam's conversation in their cell, before he rushes in with a drawn sword sees the ring. He is tempted to seize it, but Sam convinces him to leave Frodo alone. Faramir, against Frodo and Sam's repeated pleas, drags them to Osgiliath, where a Nazgul nearly steals the ring, then he finally realizes his mistake and allows them to go.
The two portray Faramir in such contrasting ways. In one he is one of the last noble warriors that belong to men, in the other, he appears brash, even manipulating.
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