Once I saw the flashbacks to Vietnam the movie made a lot more sense. The main character, Will, began to make sense. Tattoos were used in ancient Rome to mark slaves to keep them from escaping- I got the same feeling about why the pimp had his women tattooed. Tattoos can also be the outward symbol of something inside. Will seems to understand this- but he can't save the girls from their fate. Not the best movie, but a psychological journey into the artists mind and the exploitation of women and the power of tattoos.