Commando, Part 47
[1:19:44–1:21:28]
Synopsis
Bennett searches for Jenny but doesn’t find her. Matrix makes his way down into the industrial area and calls out for his daughter. She stands up from her hiding spot and says, “Daddy? Daddy?” Suddenly, she’s grabbed from behind by Bennett, who is wielding a knife. “No,” he says. “Not daddy.” He moves her along through a corridor.
Matrix is stalking the halls of the industrial zone with a shotgun. Bennett and Jenny come up behind him, and Jenny calls out, “Daddy!” Matrix turns, and Bennett immediately shoots him, hitting Matrix in the arm. Matrix grabs his wound, falls to the floor, and scoots into cover. Bennett: “John? How’s your arm, John?” “Come over and find out,” Matrix replies. Bennett says, “No thanks. Think I’ll take a pass. John? Stick your head out. One shot. Right between the eyes. I’ll make it quick. Just for old time’s sake.” Matrix yells, “Bennett, stop screwing around and let the girl go! It’s me that you want.” Bennett laughs. Matrix continues: “I have only one arm, you can beat me!”
Matrix leans out from behind the wall where he’s taking cover and says, “Come on, Bennett. Throw away that chickenshit gun.” He stands up and continues, “You don’t just want to pull a trigger. Put the knife in me and look me in the eye, and see what’s going on in there while you turn it. That’s what you want to do, right?” Bennett is squirming. “I’m going to kill you, John,” he mutters. Matrix keeps goading him: “Come on, let the girl go. It’s between you and me. Don’t deprive yourself of some pleasure. Come on, Bennett—let’s party.” Bennett sneers, “I can beat you. I don’t need the girl. I don’t need the girl!” He shoves Jenny away.
Analysis
As Jenny is evading Bennett, we get a point-of-view shot from her perspective, looking out from her hiding spot with Bennett nearby. This again echoes the early scene in the movie in which she hides under her bed as Bennett closes in on her. The partially obscured shot also helps build a sense of claustrophobia in this enclosed underground space—a sense which is heightened further in the next few shots, as we return to Matrix. Our initial view of Matrix is blocked by some blurry foreground object; less than half the frame is actually a clear shot. As the camera tracks his movement down the stairs, that blurry foreground object fills the entire frame. In the next shot of Matrix, we track him laterally as he moves through a corridor, and now pipes and equipment block much of our view. The sense is building that this is a small space with little room to maneuver—a showdown with Bennett is likely to involve some close-quarters combat.
Perhaps as a result of the enclosed space, Bennett is able to sneak up on Matrix and shoot him in the shoulder. Matrix has proven mostly invincible for the rest of the movie, so this turn of events represents a significant shift—the viewer may still not think Bennett is likely to win, but it does seem like he’s more of an even match for Matrix than the rest of the villains in the movie, including Arius. In the few seconds from 1:20:19 to 1:20:22, some tight editing manages to efficiently show each character’s actions and reactions while Matrix is getting shot—all while showing just one person at a time. First, we see Matrix turn to look at Bennett and Jenny after Jenny calls out, “Daddy!” Second, we see Bennett firing the gun. (Interestingly—and this seems prominent enough to be an acting choice, rather than an accident—Bennett winces when shooting. Perhaps he’s still reluctant to shoot his old comrade?) Once again, the film uses one all-white frame to accentuate the firing of the gun. Third, we see Matrix clutching his arm in pain. Fourth, we see just a few frames of Jenny screaming. Fifth, we return to Matrix as he slumps to the ground. And sixth, we see Bennett, still holding the gun, smiling with what almost seems like a sense of relief. (In combination with the wince mentioned above, maybe he wasn’t sure he could shoot his old friend, but is surprised and pleased that he was able to do it.) The quick cuts underscore the suddenness of Bennett’s sneak attack, and getting close-ups on each character during the action emphasizes the emotions at play.
Matrix knows Bennett well, and he’s able to use that familiarity to manipulate his old teammate. Bennett feels resentment toward Matrix, and perhaps a sense of rivalry or even inferiority. Matrix clearly has the more muscled physique, and we’ve already seen what an effective commando he is; perhaps during the old days, Bennett felt he was unable to measure up. Now’s his chance to prove himself—but Matrix knows that Bennett wants to feel like he won fair and square. As he taunts Bennett (“I have only one arm, you can beat me!”), Bennett stops laughing and the smile falls from his face. Matrix sees that it’s working, and he emerges from cover to continue goading his foe, hammering home the idea that to truly defeat Matrix, Bennett will need to best him in close combat.
Bennett doesn’t have much of a poker face, and he squirms and makes a variety of odd expressions as Matrix’s taunts go to work on him. He knows that the only sure way to defeat Matrix would be to shoot him right now, and he easily could. But that wouldn’t be truly satisfying; only a hand-to-hand fight will suffice. The faces he makes are bordering on the sexual, an interpretation that is highlighted when Matrix says, “Don’t deprive yourself of some pleasure. Come on, Bennett—let’s party.” There’s clearly some deep-seated stuff going on in the relationship between Bennett and Matrix, some of which, I have to imagine, can be read as homoerotic. I don’t know that I feel qualified to do that reading, but I’m sure someone has.
In any case, Matrix’s tactic seems to be working. Bennett releases Jenny and focuses solely on Matrix. Bennett’s still pointing the gun at him, but it looks as though he’s ready to accept Matrix’s challenge of hand-to-hand combat.