A few plot questions that didn't make sense
-
guaili — 15 years ago(February 21, 2011 08:06 PM)
My take on your first question: Joe goes after the weakest first because he is going to risk his life with the show he put on for the stronger faction, so he wants the easiest killings and the least probable retaliation. Remember he wasn't doing this out of a noble heart or to even up the sides, but for money and what was more advantageous for him.
As for the Baxters not arresting or shooting Joe on sight, you could see the Sheriff already thinking of ways to draw such a gunslinger to his side, plus because of said gunslinger's prowess, he wasn't ready to put his money where his mouth was. -
LAT71 — 15 years ago(March 10, 2011 05:50 AM)
Joe saw currying favour with the Rojos as a much less risky strategy than currying favour with the Baxters. take a minute and think about the consequences of killing some Rojos to curry favour with their weaker enemy.
I agree with an earlier poster - Ramone took an evil, sadistic joy in the constant taunting of Marisol's husband, it would have played into his ego. He wouldn't have paid any attention to her son.
As for Baxter being the Sherriff - Joe voices the reason as to why the badge is pretty much worthless. -
Promontorium — 13 years ago(May 31, 2012 12:35 AM)
You bring up the same idiotic point that's listed as an error on IMDb. Are you responsible for that?
The explanation is that it doesn't make any damn difference at that point. The Rojos and the Baxters had both been tipped off, and they both had planned on peace just before, so they were both ready to kill each other while simultaneously not completely sure of what was going on.
They both could have surmised that the soldiers were probably dead, but the tip was that they had survived the attack, so they might have been barely clinging to life, just enough energy to whisper to a Mexican General "Rojo". The Rojos weren't going to take that chance, and the Baxters similarly wanted to at least see if they could get to the soldiers just in case because it would be the end of the Rojos if they could save them.
The whole theme of the film was uncertainty, trickery, backstabbing, etc. -
jt-hix2112 — 13 years ago(January 13, 2013 01:41 PM)
The graveyard scene takes place at night or at least dusk (though it obviously was shot as 'day for night' meaning it was shot during the daytime with a filter over the lense to make it darker - a common practice in older movies). So being set at night helps Joe's scheme work. Even so, the Baxters mention that the situation does appear suspicious but the Rojos don't because it's nightime and their view is blocked by the gravestone. As soon as the shooting starts, it makes sense why the two soldiers, if alive, would remain sitting by the gravestone. Who in their right mind would stand up from their cover if a shootout broke out around them?
It's only a movie, and, after all, we're all grossly overpaid- Alfred Hitchcock
-
carlin4737 — 9 years ago(June 18, 2016 08:08 PM)
I love this film but there are a few thing about it that might not fully make sense but I dont let it spoil it for me.
One thing I never understood is why didn't he just shoot Chico rather then shoot at him then bring the canopy down onto his head, saying that it is pretty funny thou what he does and also rolling the barrel onto his later on was pure class.
The other is why did the Rojo Gang just let Piripero ride out of town at night while they are searching for high and low for Joe.
Still great fun this film with some wonderful one liners.
When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk -
leravalchuk — 12 years ago(July 02, 2013 12:50 PM)
The spaghetti westerns didn't pretend to be realistic, unlike the American ones. Creators didn't worried about the plot and realism, because they concentrated more on the visuals and characters. That's why spaghetti westerns seem a little bit fantastic.
I also like can not understand the graveyard scene or why didn't Ramon killed Baxters much earlier or why did Joe always had endless ammunition. -
ianws — 12 years ago(October 14, 2013 07:29 AM)
Yes it's supposed to be much darker than it appears to us. It's the same "dark" as you see in Jaws in the night-time scenes i.e. broad daylight with a filter over the lens to try and portray the sunlight as moonlight. Film stock until much more recently just could not handle dim lighting. However, even with a glimpse through the dark, you would expect the participants to have twigged. As mentioned by the OP, the Baxters actually did.
-
LubyleFou — 12 years ago(December 19, 2013 08:35 AM)
Hi folks,did anyone up here have a problem with the daylight/night thing?I mean is it bad editing or something?I particularly think about the scene in which Eastwood shoots the men before he let Marisol, her child and her husband go.It is night at the Rojos while it is just a bit dark where the shooting occursDoes anybody know something about this?
-
jvaughan2 — 12 years ago(March 06, 2014 10:25 AM)
On the original question of why he chose to attack the weakest;
Joe was not interested in causing an outright war but wanted each side to need him.
By giving a blow to the weakest he showed himself to be stronger than any of the strongest. (They did not have the guts to attack the basters on their turf in daylight) As Don Rojo later says we cannot afford to have him not on the parole (paraphrased)
Also this set the Baxters back a bit so that they could not immediately retaliate. It also put the Baxters in a position that they
needed
the info on the soldiers from Joe because they needed the Mexican government on their side. (Joe did not plan this exactly but by weakening the weak he was pretty sure they would be at his mercy later.)
If he would have knocked some flunkeys off of the strong side, he might have only leveled the playing field, or worse they still would be stronger. Joe would be the enemy, but not one they would feel they have to have.
He did risk that the Rojos would take advantage of this and just wipe the baxter's out but it worked out that Don Rojo was not up for this. -
MetalWorks — 11 years ago(November 01, 2014 06:54 PM)
Its not that complicated, "If you are the sheriff you better put those men underground"
Meaning either those men were wanted for crimes or the very publicity of Baxter being the sheriff and a smuggler at same time didn't favor his position
That's why the Baxter didn't do anything
Look the way he looks at Joe, he's a smart bastard -
Opwiz — 10 years ago(March 13, 2016 11:37 AM)
I just think he wanted to plant his flag and make everyone know who he was, and the Baxters just so happened to be the one who picked a fight with him first and he saw his opportunity. As for why there was no retaliation I thought the same thing - saw no reason for them to just let it slide like that. A complete stranger waltz in and kill 4 of their men and they do nothing.
The dead soldiers was a bit stupid as well. No one in their sane mind would think that plan would work out beforehand.
As for the husband hanging out next door. I just don't think the Rojos saw him as any threat. It served to point out how helpless the husband was.
So a few flaws but it all still served to advance the plot and played into the themes of the movie and as such I can forgive them.