[elenquesse]

I think Faramir's refusal had two effects. One was that it made the strength in Men more evident, that they were not all as weak and easily-corrupted as, say, Boromir in his fleeting moment of madness. The other would be to distinguish him from his overshadowing brother.

In the books it had already been firmly established that the Ring was the ultimate symbol of evil, and further display of this--embodied by Faramir--was, for the most part, unnecessary. For clueless moviegoers, however, this may not have been as clear. It is a shame, though, that some would think less of Faramir because of his movie appearance. I'm very pleased that the tension between he and Denethor was in the Extended and in RotK, shedding more light on his decision.