Commando, Part 31
[00:52:00–00:53:44]
Synopsis
Matrix looks at some maps and navigational charts that have been left on a table. “These coordinates are somewhere near Santa Barbara,” he says, then mutters latitude and longitude numbers to himself as he takes a ruler and protractor to the map. “There’s something going on at this island off the coast north of here.” He circles the island in question. “This must be where they have taken Jenny.” Cindy walks over with a printed photograph she found elsewhere in the office and says, “Look. Here’s a photo of an amphibian airplane.” Matrix: “Maybe they use it to fly out there!” Cindy: “Yeah, let’s look at that invoice.”
She begins pulling out the fuel company invoice from her pocket, but they suddenly hear men’s voices and turn to look. Some goons were just walking through the hallway outside the room—their voices fade as they walk away. False alarm. Cindy takes the invoice and spreads it out on the table. “All right,” she says. “Type 4 fuel is amphibian. 250 gallons is what it would take to fly this plane to the island and back.” Matrix responds, “But it isn’t here. I’ve seen everything they’ve got.” Cindy: “It was refueled at pump station 32, Pacific Pier. That’s San Pedro.” Matrix: “So how long does it take to fly to the island?” Cindy says, “About two hours.”
Outside the warehouse, Matrix and Cindy sneak back out to the car. “Are we going to the plane?” Cindy asks. “Not yet,” says Matrix. Cindy: “Where are we going?” Matrix: “Shopping.” Matrix starts up the car. “Shopping?” Cindy asks in a confused voice as Matrix begins driving away. We cut to the Cadillac arriving at a big store called Surplus City.
Analysis
As Matrix deduces which island the bad guys are on, we get some up-close views of the maps he’s using—they’re detailed enough for us to see exactly which real-world island he’s talking about. It’s San Nicolas Island, one of Southern California’s Channel Islands. Located around 60 miles (100 kilometers) off the coast of California, in real life the uninhabited island is used by the US military for testing and training. The characters don’t refer to it by name, so it’s evidently not meant to be San Nicolas, but rather a generic island. The usage of the real-world map may simply be an indication that the filmmakers didn’t care to get a fictional map made, likely because for most viewers, it wouldn’t make a difference.
This segment is mostly about the characters deciding where to go next, but the fact that they’re still in the middle of the bad guys’ lair adds some background suspense. This is highlighted when they hear talking outside the map room, causing them to stop what they’re doing and look up from the charts. It’s a false alarm, as the goons nearby keep walking past the map room—meaning that we get an extra hit of excitement to break up the exposition, without needing to commit to an action scene. But even here, we get a subtle demonstration of Matrix’s heightened alertness. As the voices of the bad guys fade away, Cindy looks back down at the maps, but Matrix keeps his eye on the door, his hand motioning for her to stay quiet. A few seconds later, he’s satisfied that the danger has passed, and he rejoins Cindy in looking at the maps. The stakes are high, so Matrix isn’t taking any chances.
When Matrix and Cindy make their sneaky getaway from the warehouse, there’s a nice lighting effect at play. A bright light casts their shadows at larger-than-life size on the warehouse’s exterior wall as they make their way back to the car, and the shot is framed for the dimensions of those shadows. It’s a stylish touch for a fairly brief, simple shot of them moving from one place to another.
The outside of Surplus City is a great bit of set design. The name of the store is spelled out in huge red, white, and blue neon letters. The entrance to the parking lot is flanked by twenty-foot missiles that read “Surplus City” on them. And a small blimp with the store’s name is floating above the building. The neon is less dramatic than at the motel scene earlier, but it’s still a fun splash of color to enliven a nighttime scene. And the ostentatious design of the store here—complete with a sign on the front reading “GUNS” and “AMMO”—makes it pretty clear what Matrix meant when he said he needed to do some shopping before going to the plane.
