Mercy As Bait?

[LIER ONE]

Watching the movie last night (AGAIN) I thought of something. When Mercy goes after the WARRIORS, was she:

1) Bait? Did The ORPHANS send her out to stall them while they got reinforcements?

2) Did she go out on her own and The ORPHANS knowing she would hook-up with the boys and give The ORPHANS time to get reinforcements? Knowing the neighborhood and knowing where she would rendezvous.

3) Mercy went on her own and it was just coincidence that they caught The WARRIORS where they did?

Thoughts??

[Ninth Delegate]

Been years since I read the novel, but does it play out as the Dominators are tailed by an "orphan" (who they kill) and the Mercy character had followed him out of curiosity?

Movie wise, I think she was a headstrong character and wanted to find them to lip off and get the last word in (like all women do).

[warriorswannabe]

imo no she isn't bait etc

(have just played back the scene)

she already gets the last word before the warriors walk off - so that doesn't fit.

it seems beyond dispute that she follows the warriors looking for excitement (that and very few hollywood movies have no leading lady)


my explanation;

the movie has a theme of "jarring moments" - i think there is a term in buddhism for it (the idea in that faith is to be unaffected by them) but can't recall what it is - walter hill is not a follower of that faith though and the concept is independently understood in the west in a secular sense;

e.g.

cyrus is shot down just as the crowd are most joyous

cleon tries to assist cyrus, only to be attacked himself by the followers of cyrus

ajax and swan are about to fight in the graveyard, when the oblivious rembrandt suddenly calls out that he can see the train that they need to catch

the baseball furies suddenly appearing when the 4 warriors there thought that they were safe, and were just prior only concerned about where the 3 other warriors were and thinking that those other 3 might still be in danger somehow

the undercover policewoman suddenly revealing herself when previously thought to be a very vulnerable woman

the sudden entry of the prom couple onto the subway train (the buddhism thing is often even explained to worshippers with an example like an ongoing argument on a train which ceases but the arguers remain onboard with the witnesses - but suddenly new oblivious people get on the train and are laughing about something else - what is the psychological effect on all the people present and what should it be?)

when swan looks at the coney island buildings and questions if the journey was worth it - jars with what we've just witnessed all along which at the time we always considered vital as it unfolded

etc


the way mercy joins the warriors gives another opportunity for that jarring - the orphan threat seems to have passed, mercy joins the warriors and the focus is then on her, but suddenly the orphans re-appear and are more dangerous than ever

the orphans just re-appearing without that mercy bit in the middle wouldn't be as jarring.

in a drama sense i think that explains it.

[LIER ONE]

[MiddleMan07]

Watched this movie for the first time in years, yesterday. Now I remember why I love it so much!

[WildBoy]

imo no she isn't bait etc

(have just played back the scene)

she already gets the last word before the warriors walk off - so that doesn't fit.

it seems beyond dispute that she follows the warriors looking for excitement (that and very few hollywood movies have no leading lady)


my explanation;

the movie has a theme of "jarring moments" - i think there is a term in buddhism for it (the idea in that faith is to be unaffected by them) but can't recall what it is - walter hill is not a follower of that faith though and the concept is independently understood in the west in a secular sense;

e.g.

cyrus is shot down just as the crowd are most joyous

cleon tries to assist cyrus, only to be attacked himself by the followers of cyrus

ajax and swan are about to fight in the graveyard, when the oblivious rembrandt suddenly calls out that he can see the train that they need to catch

the baseball furies suddenly appearing when the 4 warriors there thought that they were safe, and were just prior only concerned about where the 3 other warriors were and thinking that those other 3 might still be in danger somehow

the undercover policewoman suddenly revealing herself when previously thought to be a very vulnerable woman

the sudden entry of the prom couple onto the subway train (the buddhism thing is often even explained to worshippers with an example like an ongoing argument on a train which ceases but the arguers remain onboard with the witnesses - but suddenly new oblivious people get on the train and are laughing about something else - what is the psychological effect on all the people present and what should it be?)

when swan looks at the coney island buildings and questions if the journey was worth it - jars with what we've just witnessed all along which at the time we always considered vital as it unfolded

etc


the way mercy joins the warriors gives another opportunity for that jarring - the orphan threat seems to have passed, mercy joins the warriors and the focus is then on her, but suddenly the orphans re-appear and are more dangerous than ever

the orphans just re-appearing without that mercy bit in the middle wouldn't be as jarring.

in a drama sense i think that explains it.

Fantastic post - I looked at all these scenes as keeping with Hill's comic book feel of the film - scenes changing quickly like from one page to the next. But I like how you described it here