Sunday Matinee #89 Reservoir Dogs
"I'm acting like a professional!" (as I point a gun at you)
James 3:13-4:3a, 7-8a | EnterTheBible.org
Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost | 09.22.2024
Context: As the writer of James turns to the fourth of five chapters, he writes of ego, of war, and of looking out for one another. He reemphasizes the need for works as a sign of one’s faith, and here he turns to either extreme hyperbole (one can hope) or stark social commentary regarding violence.
4 1 Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? 2 You want something and do not have it, so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it, so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have because you do not ask.
Reservoir Dogs | 1992
IMDb | Letterboxd | RRMC
Context: A six-man bank job goes south and those who made it to the rendezvous are either trying to find the rat in their midst or are bleeding out on the floor. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) refuses to bring Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) to a hospital because Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) told Orange a little too much personal information about himself. Suddenly, the pair go from would-be allies to fist-fighting over “the rules” of being a professional thief. Finally, they both pull a gun on each other, Pink looking up from the floor and White towering over him.
Mr. Pink: You wanna fuck with me? I'll show you who you're fuckin' with!
Mr. White: You wanna shoot me, you little piece of shit? Go ahead, take your shot.
Mr. Pink: Fuck you, White! I didn't create this situation, I'm dealin' with it! You're actin' like a first-year fuckin’ thief! I'm actin' like a professional! If they get him, they could get you. They get you, they get closer to me, and that can't happen! You're lookin' at me like it's my fault? I didn't tell him my name! I didn't tell him where I was from! Shit! Fifteen minutes ago you almost told me your name! Your buddy’s gonna get stuck in a situation you created! So if you wanna throw bad looks around, throw 'em at a mirror!
Commentary:
“Every man for himself!”
I feel like I’ve heard that in at least a couple dozen TV shows or movies from back in the day. Some big fight breaks out and gets so chaotic that instead of teams working together, somebody - usually a real slimeball - shouts, “Every man for himself!” Chaos turns to super-deluxe ultra chaos, then, as two teams becomes 50 individuals all fighting whoever gets in their way.
Need an example? Here’s a few from Futurama, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World:
A scene like that can be played well for laughs or for drama. But in real life, that approach can create real chaos. Sorry, but I don’t know anyone who can do it all on their own, I just don’t. Every once in a while I hear someone say just give them a cozy cabin in the woods to read books by day and their phone by night, as if there aren’t thousands of people making the infrastructure for that little retreat space to happen. I’m not trying to be down on dreams, but just state it plain: everybody needs somebody. “Every man for himself” is weird.
The writer of James says you can go to war with each other, only looking out for your own selfish desires, or you can choose a better way. He articulates it as asking God, which would mean seeking what you need with the right motivations. God is likely not going to do much with a covetous prayer. Temptation may wage a war in us, so where can we admit we struggle and where can we claim wins in that war? Let’s not get too simplistic here when it comes to addictions, broken systems, ignorance, etc. Let’s focus on what we can control in our personal lives and decide: are we going to work together? …Or is it everyone for themselves?
I feel like I saw at least a couple dozen movies in the 90s and 00s all focused on the theme of “honor amongst thieves.” Sure, they’re thieves. Yeah, they may be murderers. But they have honor. And they honor one another. As if to say, we’re all in this together. In those movies, that’s often the ideal more than what ends up happening, however, as one by one the thieves turn on each other. Every thief for himself!
Reservoir Dogs revels in this paradox. There is honor amongst these thieves, yet they are in constant conflict and dispute over who is the rat, who gets help, who can be trusted, etc. Mr. White and Mr. Pink get as close as possible to being true allies of one another, but Mr. White’s honest with the now-wounded Mr. Orange strains that ally-ship. As they pull guns on each other, one can’t help but consider the irony: Mr. White is the oldest and most-seasoned vet on this team; he should know better. Mr. Pink is screaming about how he’s the professional in the room while he has a gun drawn on his teammate. Are you two sure you’re not in it for yourselves?
Part of the fun of Reservoir Dogs is learning who knows what and when they know it. The non-linear storytelling with flashbacks is part of that. And for such a small cast of characters with so few locales, it’s a story where people come in and out of each other’s life to share this information over here, but not that information over there. Disagreements stem from deeper desires for everyone on this six man job.
Mr. Pink says, “We’re supposed to be professionals.” But really, it’s more like every dog for himself!
What have been your best teams? What conflicts have you resolved well? What conflicts are left unresolved? What does integrity look like as you try to be professional or honorable?
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