Very big hole in movie
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eatontj — 16 years ago(December 21, 2009 09:50 PM)
Although I'm sure $282,000 was supposed to be considered a large portion of Muir's savings, I think it's safe to assume that Muir was bluffing to the CIA in the room with him about it being "all" of his life savings.
I think we are to assume it was the amount of money he was going to spend on a house in the Bahamas but I think it's safe to assume he had more money than that otherwise he really couldn't be retiring, even with his CIA retirement benefits.
I think he basically traded his "dream house" for Bishop's life. -
rick03 — 16 years ago(January 08, 2010 11:26 PM)
I agree that he would have more than 282k saved but:
- He liquidated all of his assets and therefore took great losses.
- I have no way of knowing but I would almost guarantee that a mid-level CIA agent would not be making 282k a year as you said.
- I am sure he has more money elsewhere. Maybe he couldnt liquidate it. Maybe it was in a place that he couldnt get at it because it would be too easily traced.
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praxistens — 14 years ago(September 06, 2011 08:33 AM)
I am sure he has more money elsewhere. Maybe he couldnt liquidate it. <<<
I feel silly, since I've got in on this thread w/ an interpretive 2-cents' worth. In the movie, a guy wearing glasses approaches Harker w/ a slip of paper & says, "Muir consolidated his overseas assets." The $282K were overseas assets; not everything. We don't know whether he had more money elsewhere, but all that's liquidated are overseas assets. -
ari_burd — 16 years ago(January 12, 2010 10:07 AM)
Agreed. That's certainly not a plot hole. Many folks retire with far less $$$ than that thanks to a government pension. They then go and get a new job while they collect on their pension.
If there's a plot hole, to me it's the fact that no one noticed Muir stayed at the CIA all night during his last day of employment. Doesn't this send up red flags? -
rick03 — 16 years ago(January 14, 2010 03:02 AM)
I remember from "the recruit" someone saying that CIA security is all about monitoring who comes in and what comes out. Its assumed that once you are there that you are supposed to be there so less security is then needed.
Now I dont know if any of that is true, but it sounds pretty good to me. I remember at the beginning of the movie someone tells Muir to make sure to turn in his stuff when he checks out. Im sure that info came up when they swiped his card on the way in and they wont remember something innocuous like that until he checks out with his card again. Im pretty sure they wouldnt search the building for him. -
nitejrny282 — 14 years ago(September 26, 2011 10:36 AM)
Exactly! $282,000 in 1990 would be somewhere between $470,000 to $706,000 in 2010, depending on what index you use. Check the link below
http://www.measuringworth.com/uscompare/result.php?use[]=DOLLAR&use[]=GDPDEFLATION&use[]=VCB&use[]=UNSKILLED&use[]=MANCOMP&use[]=NOMGDPCP&use[]=NOMINALGDP&year_source=1990&amount=282000&year_result=2010 -
praxistens — 15 years ago(October 12, 2010 05:26 AM)
Yes: so you can retire "someplace warm."
The hesitation with which Muir considers parting with that life savings @first tells me there ain't a whole lot left after that. (People here that think Muir would have more or that CIA case offs. make $280K live in the Real Housewives-open orifice, Republocrat fantasyland.) However, there's something said by someone that left me to think that Harry Duncan was going slip that money away from Tran: remember, Muir's told that Duncan's disappeared with his money.
51depasser -
thenamlessjon — 15 years ago(April 13, 2010 05:25 PM)
Trust me I know this from people I've met at the Agency you don't get paid good unless you're senior operations or if you're head of something. He was only mid level meaning he probably didn't get paid anywhere near 200,000$ a year.
I don't know lol what kind of money you people think they make but trust me they don't get paid much at all!!!!
The Porsche would be kind of believable though, but anyone who is in the espionage game would never drive something that is essentially a death trap. -
clubsamwich — 15 years ago(April 23, 2010 06:07 PM)
I agree. What I've read on the CIA I understand a case officer doesn't make the big bucks and Muir wasn't portrayed as a character who chased promotions and pay rises. As Troy Folger says "He's a man who got the job done", which strikes me as someone who is result focused and not reward focused.
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tjh3123 — 15 years ago(May 02, 2010 07:58 PM)
As someone mentioned upthread, I believe that the point was that Muir traded his life's savings for Bishop's life.
In terms of the dollar amount, regardless of what his salary was over the course of his career, he could've amassed the $282K through savvy investing, so to me that is not an issue.
What was skimpy to me was that the aggregate of his accounts at the time he requested liquidation just so happened to equal the dollar amount on the property brochure. At the very least, in most cases, there are extras above and beyond the advertised price. That combined with the fluctuation of the portfolio value on a given day makes it very hard to believe those two figures would equal.
In addition, that left him nothing else for furnishing, daily living, etc But then again, he is a genius spy, so I am going with the logic that he had funds hidden elsewhere under the radar.
Overall to me this is a minor issue in the grand scheme of what was a fantastic, underrated spy thriller. -
paul_cowsill — 10 years ago(October 18, 2015 12:43 AM)
You're talking about a guy who forged the signature of the director of the CIA. So, he could've forged the brochure as well.
I'm sorry the Coen brothers don't direct the porn I watch. They're hard to get ahold of, okay? -
thenamlessjon — 15 years ago(April 30, 2010 11:33 AM)
Plus you people need to keep in mind he lives in probably the Virginia/DC areaits like 22% taxes in DChousing is very expensive. when you add in all the costs it adds up.
but you never know he might have other accounts elsewhere. but I doubt it. -
Tawkingmime — 15 years ago(May 15, 2010 11:18 PM)
Im pretty sure he had way more saved up. One thing I noticed at the point where he made the deal was that when the camera showed the paper which contained his financial information, there was no two shown. it was "hundred and eighty two dollars" so what preceded the hundred is unknown..
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r2626 — 15 years ago(May 16, 2010 08:58 PM)
According to the CIA website, a mid level agent makes $75,000 a year. A senior agent makes $100.000. I doubt anyone in the CIA makes $282,000 a year. And a mid level CIA agent having a million dollar pension is laughable. If that is your problem with the movie, you are the one with the problem.
Help stamp out and do away with redundancy -
sschind — 15 years ago(June 04, 2010 01:36 PM)
A couple of things to remember. As someone else pointed out he liquidated all his assets and I'm sure he took big hits on penalties etc. Also, we have no indication of his lifestyle. He drove a Porsche so maybe that wasn't his only vice. I'm not saying he was a showoff with his money or flashed it around but maybe he liked the finer things in life. I know that some scotch can be pretty expensive. I didn't find it unbelievable at all that his "life Savings" amounted to only $282,000.00. (that this amount meshed so perfectly with the retirement property was a bit convenient but again, had he not been forced to liquidate who knows how much he would have had.) I also did not assume that he had other money stashed somewhere because that would sort of defeat the whole idea of giving up your life savings to help a friend. I mean what would be the big deal if he gave up $282,000.00 if he had another $500,000.00 in another Swiss bank account.