A Canticle For Leibowitz

Ignorance is king. Many would not profit by his abdication. Many enrich themselves by means of his dark monarchy. They are his Court, and in his name they defraud and govern, enrich themselves and perpetuate their power. Even literacy they fear, for the written word is another channel of communication that might cause their enemies to become united. Their weapons are keen-honed and they use them with skill. They will press the battle upon the world when their interests are threatened, and the violence which follows will last until the structure of society as it now exists is leveled to rubble, and a new society emerges...

-- A Canticle for Leibowitz, Chapter 20 by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

When I first read that passage, I thought it was a good prediction of fundamentalists and conservatives and reactionaries in America, but it describes fundamentalists of any faith, anywhere in the world.

Which warrior?

A burned-out warrior rides into a small town and stays with a peasant family. The little boy asks to be trained by the warrior. Their training session is stopped by parents. Sexual tension is obvious between the mother and the warrior, but she stays committed to her husband. Bad guys try to intimidate the peasant family, breaking their equipment and eventually burning down a house. The boy watches his hero in a bar fight with thugs. Later the bad guys hire a skilled rival warrior to kill the hero and chase off the peasants. The warriors know each other. Their final confrontation takes place in a bar. As the hero leaves, the little boy runs after him shouting his name.

That description fits the 1953 Western Shane and the 2013 martial arts movie Once Upon A Time in Vietnam.