The Wallet: Dues Ex Machina or Chekhov's Gun
Which one? Can it even be argued either way?
Im the Alpha and the Omoxus. The Omoxus and the Omega
I don't think it's either.
It's actually the opposite of a Deus ex. Deus ex Machina is used to describe poor writing where the author writes themself into a corner, so they say "And then God killed all the bad guys and the good guy won. The end."
It's not quite Chekhov's Gun, because that's usually about something unusual that the writer calls attention to. It would be more Chekhov's gun if Alonzo said "Is that her wallet?" "Yeah, I found it on the street over there." "You should return it." "Yeah, I will" - too much attention.
What it *is*, and it's understandable if you don't recognize it because it's so rare, is "good writing." This movie is great because of all the little bits and pieces that wind back and forth. For example, when they're heading to see Smiley, you hear Alonzo on the phone saying "Make sure the bathtub is clean" - he's setting up the hit.
Great script.
^^^ i totally agree. There wasn't even a shot of Jake putting the wallet in his pocket or anything like that...completely wrote it off, but because of the color, you immediately recognize it when they find it on him at Smiley's place.
shareExactly, the whole wallet thing is nothing but good writing.
The elements of a movie should connect to each other.
"The Love you take is equal to the Love you make" The Beatles.
Then you clearly don't know the definition of either. It's both. It not only is used as foreshadowing (Chekhov's Gun) when he notices the color and the fact that he picked it up to try and locate the girl, it's the Deus Ex Machina because it was the only thing that saved his life. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating - It's by the purest definition D.E.M.
"If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off."
You clearly don't understand the definitions, next time, do some research.
One gay beer for my friend here, because he's gay, and one normal beer for me, since I'm normal.
What I can't understand is why didn't he immediately say how he ended up with her wallet? Surely, he should've known instantly it was his ticket out once he found out she was his cousin. Not like he had something to lose.
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Yo Rumsfield!
>>> What I can't understand is ...
Good point, actually.
If a private venture fails it's closed down. If a government venture fails it's expanded. M Friedman