America 1987

Chapter 101 Mindset

Chekhov's theory of "the gun hanging on the wall," also known as Chekhov's gun, is a classic principle of narrative writing.

Its core meaning is: if there is a gun hanging on the wall in the first act of a story, then the gun must be fired in the subsequent plot; otherwise, there is no need to leave it there at all, which is what we commonly call foreshadowing.

This theory originated from Chekhov's correspondence with his friends. He put this principle into practice when he was creating "The Seagull." The hunting rifle that appears in the second act of the play is eventually used by the character to commit suicide in the fourth act, forming a complete foreshadowing loop.

It has now become a classic creative standard widely followed in the creation of novels, films, and dramas.

"Then tell me what foreshadowing there is in my movie. I won't make it difficult for you; just name one and you'll pass."

"Roro Thomasy".

"Okay, go on," David wasn't surprised at all by this answer, after all, this foreshadowing was indeed the most ingenious in the original movie.

"This name is a code name that Ed made up for the nameless killer who murdered his father but has gone unpunished. Only Ed and Jack know it in the whole world, so there is no possibility of it being leaked."

""

Nicole spoke with great confidence, saying, "So this name naturally possesses the attribute of unique identity verification."

""

"Hmm, well said. So?"

"That's why Jack used his last strength to utter this name before being silenced by the corrupt cop Dudley."

Dudley had no idea what it meant, but mistakenly thought it was a key clue that Jack had found. He turned around and asked Ed about the name, walking right into a trap and instantly revealing that he was the real murderer of Jack.

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At this point, while admiring the ingenuity of this foreshadowing, Nicole also had a question.

"So why does Dudley have to ask Jack? He shot him in the heart, and then he goes to ask for clues? Doesn't that make sense?"

"Go and read the script again carefully. What were Dudley's original words?"

After looking through it, Nicole replied, "Do you have any last words?"

"How about that?" David shrugged and laughed. "Doesn't this make sense?"

'

After the villain shoots the hero, and seeing that the hero is not dead yet but still has a breath left, the villain pretends to ask if the hero has any last words. This is a kind of mockery and toying with the opponent, which is perfectly logical.

"Teasing and playing with?"

'

"David's meaning might be that this was Dudley's way of mocking his dying opponent as the mastermind behind the crime, with no intention of getting a valid response and certainly not an attempt to ask for clues."

""

Naomi, who was sitting to the side, was unwilling to remain out of the conversation, so she quickly answered first, "Am I right, David?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I meant to say."

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As for Jack's dying words, "Lolo Tommasy," it was completely beyond Dudley's expectations. He never imagined that the other party would actually have any last words to say to him.

"Two questions," Nicole held up two fingers. "First, the bullet hit Jack's heart, so why did he still have the strength to speak?"

""

"That's because Dudley's shot didn't hit his heart squarely."

In real life, if a bullet merely grazes the edge of the heart without causing extensive myocardial rupture, it will not immediately lead to cardiac tamponade and severe bleeding.

In that case, the injured person's circulatory system can maintain basic blood pressure for a short period of time, and the blood supply to the brain will not be interrupted instantly, so they may retain a brief period of consciousness and be able to express simple words.

However, this state usually lasts only a few seconds to tens of seconds. The injured person will experience severe chest pain and severe difficulty breathing, making it almost impossible for them to speak long sentences clearly and completely. At most, they can only barely utter a few words or short phrases, and they will quickly fall into shock afterward, unable to support long-term conversations.

No wonder Kevin Spacey spoke his name haltingly during the performance; it seems the creative team did thorough research on this topic.

"I still feel it's a bit far-fetched," Nicole said after tilting her head to think. "But your explanation is fairly reasonable and it's barely convincing to me."

""

This is barely enough to convince you. If you watched "Infernal Affairs 2", wouldn't you curse it as a terrible movie?

The most criticized aspect of "Infernal Affairs 2" is probably that after being shot in the head at close range by the police, with a bullet hitting him right between the eyebrows, Ng Chun-yu's character, Ni Yongxiao, is still able to complete a series of precise actions that require careful control: "touching the bugging device, seeing the contents, and putting it back in his brother's pocket."

In real life, if a bullet hits a person squarely between the eyebrows, there is a very high probability that it will directly damage the brainstem and other core vital centers, causing the person to instantly lose all ability to move and think.

Even in extreme cases where the bullet completely avoids the brain and only damages non-core brain regions such as the frontal lobe, one might only retain consciousness briefly and not die immediately.

However, such situations are extremely rare in close-range police firearm shooting scenarios, and the injured person is also unable to perform such complex hand movements. The director's choice to film this way can only be described as completely abandoning realistic considerations for dramatic artistic processing.

"My second question is, why would Dudley believe that Jack would reveal information that would benefit him before he died? Why would he consider it an important clue? Didn't he think it was a trap set for him?"

"What do you think is the reason, Naomi?"

Surprisingly, David didn't answer directly this time, but instead threw the question to Naomi, who was sitting next to him.

"Oh, me?"

Upon noticing that the two people's gazes had shifted to her, Naomi, who had a neat head of light blonde bob haircut, quickly put her right leg down from the sofa.

"It's an open conspiracy, I think it should be."

"What do you mean?" An open strategy is a top-level strategy that is aboveboard and transparent. Its core characteristic is that the intention is made public. Even if the opponent fully understands the plan, they are limited by human nature, the general trend, or the structure of interests, and they are unable to break it. They can only follow the predetermined path.

However, Nicole clearly wasn't asking that.

"Let me explain this," David said, noticing Naomi's slight reluctance. "First, let me ask you, who is the villain Dudley?"

'

"Corrupt cops in the police station."

""

"What's the typical mindset of this type of person?" After a moment's thought, Nicole answered somewhat uncertainly, "Insecure, sensitive, and suspicious?"

"Bingo!"

Dudley is at the heart of the police corruption chain, and any clue he is unaware of could become a fatal flaw that brings him down.

The name "Roro Tommasy" is completely open secret, with no hidden tricks. However, it is indeed a name Dudley has never heard of before, although he knows it might be a trap set by Jack.

However, his status as a corrupt cop meant that he was "better safe than sorry."

With a "better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free" approach, what if this is some important clue? If he doesn't investigate, wouldn't he miss this opportunity to make amends?

This feeling of being out of control would keep him restless and unable to eat or sleep, making it impossible for him to ignore it. So he would eventually start asking around about the meaning of the name, and when he found out it was about Ed, he would naturally expose his true identity as the murderer.

"Smart," David raised his champagne glass to the other person, "You get it right away, very impressive."

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