War
At the opening of the film we see images of Stalin and Saddam Hussein. The imagery connects the world of the film to the world we live in. The director creates this connection in order to have a world that emotionally relates to our own experiences in life giving the audience a feeling that what happens in the story could really happen.
Listen
John goes into a room with 12 armed men he has to kill. With the lights out he begins to take all of the men out without being hit with a single bullet. The only flashes of light come from the gunfire and it shows that John is not a normal fighter. That he has been trained in a way that is extremely elite.
Mona Lisa
The clerics burn the Mona Lisa and other paintings. We see the flames from the fire as Partridge looks on. We understand that the flames represent his desire for the art that is burning at his feet.
Father
The director shows an image of John's son sitting on the floor with the television playing on the entire wall. Father is speaking in a close up and the imagery shows the over-imposing nature of Father and his fascist government upon the people in this society.
