Main Character Vs. Tug/Tugger - Brick (2006) Discussion

[–] saint665 12 years ago

From context, Tug's punch knocked Brendan out cold. If I remember correctly, they show the punch going in, then the camera fades to black and the next scene is him in the VP's office with a huge ice bag on his shiner. So basically he didn't have a chance to defend himself.

Al: "What do people do for fun in this town?"
Max: "They eat the dinner."

reply

[–] nakman21 12 years ago

Actually Brendan got knocked out once at the phone booth. Later he takes 3 punches from the guy, and he didn't fight back, he just kept getting back up not even making an attempt. Not sure if he was trying to gain the guy's respect or what? But he obviously could have taken him if he was able to take about 3 of his punches in a row and just kept popping back up.

reply

[–] saint665 12 years ago

Oh, that fight; sorry, I thought you meant the first encounter for some reason.

He's not fighting back because he needs Tug to take him to see The Pin, and if he started throwing punches there's zero way that's going to happen. So yeah, you could say it's "to gain the guy's respect" or such if he just takes his lumps until Tug has a change of mind.

BTW, I'm not so sure Brendan would've won a fight against Tug. Brad may have been a football jock, but he warmed a bench all season and he was presumably whacked out on junk at the time of the fight, so he's not in tip-top shape. Tug comes across as a lot tougher: much more aggressive and street-tough. Besides, each time he pops Branden he doesn't follow up, so he's obviously holding back and just trying to send a message: go away. If he wanted to, he could have kept at it and wailed on him.

It'd be a nasty scrap, but my money'd actually be on Tug... especially since he strikes me as the type that once he started losing he'd pull out all the stops and as a last resort would probably have shot Branden. Just my opinion, though...

Al: "What do people do for fun in this town?"
Max: "They eat the dinner."

reply

[–] subase 10 years ago

Although professional fighting may say otherwise, to win a fight in REAL LIFE requires viciousness above all.

For example, I could beat Mike Tyson in a fight, all I'd need to do is get within grappling distance and gouge his eyes out, while I bite his face off, then crush is windpipe with my fingers. There's no counter to viciousness except for more viciousness.

Brendan knew that, which is why he could easily take down the jock, and wasn't afraid of fighting more than one guy. He was on a mission to find the killer of his girlfriend and so was motivated enough to become vicious in a fight.

The exception is Tug. Tug was the enforcer for Pin, and was vicious by nature. It takes very little for Tug to go crazy on you and kill you. It would have made a good fight I agree, and my money is on Brendan winning, but only because he was willing to kill Tug to get to the bottom of his girlfriends death. So he had an edge.

reply

[–] Dmitri_King 12 years ago

I think It is fairly obvious Brendan would get his ass kicked by Tug in a real fight.

First of all, though Brendan won the fight against Brad, he still absorbed some severe blows. Second, the point of that scene was that Brad is a poser. Brendan wins that fight not because he is some great fighter but because Brad is all talk.

Brendan is not supposed to be a superhero. Notice how fast he bolted when the guy with the knife showed up.

reply

[–] nakman21 12 years ago

Yeeeeeeeeah, I'm pretty sure he bolted because the guy had knife, but he managed to outsmart him. I just figured not only could Brendan hold his own, he could outsmart guys in fights. Which technically he did to everyone at the end of the film.

reply

[–] Dmitri_King 12 years ago

Yes, the guy had a knife. So what? Tug is obviously a lot bigger and stronger than Brendan, so if one is to assume that Brendan could hold his own in a fight against Tug, there must be some sort of assumption of unusual fighting skill or martial arts knowledge. In which case, he could use those skills to disarm the guy with the knife.

I think a more plausible explanation is that Brendan has no chance against Tug and knew he was in bad shape against the guy with the knife. Yes, he is very smart, as you pointed out, smart enough to pick the fights he thinks he can win (Dode, Brad) and avoid fights he can't (Tug, the guy with the knife).

reply

[–] nakman21 12 years ago

He took 3 punches from tug & got up each time. nuff said.

reply

[–] mlambert890-1 11 years ago

Its extremely obvious that the director is deliberately showing you that Tug is an animal and a killer and that Brendan is playing a *very* dangerous game in that scene but *must* risk it to get to the Pin.

Its incomprehensible to me that someone can watch that scene and come away thinking "yeah, Brendan could have kicked his ass". Its just so incredibly clear throughout the entire movie that Tug is being portrayed as being on a whole nother level and that *no one* within that circle wants any piece of an extended confrontation with him.

Brendan barely got out of the scene still breathing and after each hit he staggered back to his feet bloodier and a bit more dazed than the last time. Meanwhile Tug wasnt breaking a sweat and each time backed off after knocking him on his ass.

If Tugs motive were to kill him, the first time he went down he'd have *never* gotten back up. Tug would have *immediately* started stomping him and smashing his face in the way he did *each time* they showed him with actual intent to kill.

reply

[–] nakman21 11 years ago

You're wrong. Brendan could've taken him, cause he was smarter than him. Plus Brendan was a dirty fighter. You are wrong on SO MANY levels.

reply

[–] subase 10 years ago

Brendan was on a mission to find his girlfriends killer, this gave him almost a superpower in that he could kill someone at any moment.

Tug didn't have that.

Have you ever asked yourself what would have happened if Tug didn't take Brendan to see the Pin? Brendan would have beaten him half to death then tortured the information out of him, then killed him.

Tug could have easily done the same to Brendan under orders, but he didn't have those orders. So Brendan had the element of surprise which is all that he would have needed.

reply

[–] subase 10 years ago

Sorry man, real life is not like the movies where the hero disarms the guy with a knife.

In real life, if someone has a knife and you don't, you run. There is no method for safely disarming someone with a knife.

http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/seminarMA.htm#knifefighting

reply

[–] Gooyers38 12 years ago

Even in the fight against the jock, Brendan had a pretty hard time, and probably only won because the jock severely underestimated his toughness and determination.

Tug would be far more proficient in violence than the jock, being essentially an enforcer for a drug trafficking ring, albiet a small-time one.

Also Tug pretty obviously had serious rage issues, possibly from roiding, and thus would be more likely to do serious damage AFTER winning the fight (ie. boot-stomping or otherwise "hitting a guy when he's down).

Not to mention the fact that Tug had a gun, so you know, combined with the rage, could have ended even worse for Brendan than a bad beating.

reply

[–] adamw54 10 years ago

meow hissssssss?

reply

[–] dgross-3 10 years ago

>>
There is no method for safely disarming someone with a knife.
<<

There is no method that _guarantees_ safety. But there are plenty of things you can try. If you are faster or stronger or smarter or more alert or better trained than he is, the contest may well go to you. Item 1: if a chair or some other improvisable shield is handy, grab it up. (Chairs are excellent.)

And yeah, as some others have noted, Tug isn't just some mean guy - he is a stone-cold murderer.

reply