Was Frank a coward?
Was he really a coward upstairs or just disillusioned? Any ideas?
shareMy interpretation has always been that Frank, as a seasoned WWII veteran, knew when to choose his fights, and he knew that Rocco and his gang had too much of an advantage at the beginning, so he was biding his time. As for the coward angle, I never thought it was genuine. IMHO it was his way of trying to dissuade Bacall and Father from any foolish stunts.
shareYeah, I think he was biding his time, too. He may have had his doubts about his own bravery, but the war had to have taught him patience. There's nothing brave or courageous about losing your nerve and trying to fight or flee just to relieve the tension. That's what Sawyer did.
Look at how Frank responds to the storm. The storm terrifies Rocco, but Frank has nerves of steel throughout. He even needles Rocco about his terror at the height of the storm. That's not cowardice.
Also, the question of whether or not the gun was loaded is moot. Anyone with sense would know that Rocco *was* a coward and would never give an opponent a true advantage. Even if the gun were loaded, it couldn't possibly give Frank enough to win, not against several guns. And even if it did, what might happen to his fellow hostages? A stray bullet or several could have killed any one of them. He had more than just himself to save and he couldn't afford any idiotic false heroics.
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The only reason there were guns pointed at Frank was because he had a gun. The only rational thing to do was throw the gun down. I knew it wasn't loaded. Why would a gangster give a potential hero a loaded gun?
share"Discretion is the better part of Valor."
Semper Contendere Propter Amoram et Formam