Why does Lt. Russell/Tony Bill die?
Why does Tony Bill's character die. I think Borgnine kills him, but nothing happens to Borgnine.
shareLt. Russell Walker didn't die. He was shot by Russian troopers when he went after the Russian officer standing behind the colonel in an attempt to get the russian's detonator, so that he could blow up the capsule. But then Ferraday blew it up with another detonator. As Walker witnessed the capsule's destruction, you can see his body slump a bit, but I think it was to show that even though his aim was achieved, he really got shot for nothing, or maybe it was a sigh of relief. Whatever inference you draw, you can see him moving as two men of the medical team tend to him afterwards, so he wasn't dead.
Borgnine's character Vaslov didn't do anything to Lt. Walker. He was by that time already seriously wounded by Jones (Patrick McGoohan's character) and was lying on the ground. It looked like he died after the capsule blew up.
This has always been a little confusing to me. In one shot with Walker on the ground, it appears that as he slumps, his eyes take on the death stare. But in the later shot, he is moving as the medical team tends to him.
shareThe mere fact that they send the doctor and his assistant to look at him (without immediately pronouncing him dead) is Hollywood-film code for the idea that he's still alive. Come on, you guys, surely you've seen enough old movies to know that!
shareYup, it looks like he just gave up the ghost, but he's moving later. When I saw the movie as a kid, I thought Borgnine died, but I figure Jones just put some hurt on his windpipe and he faints dead away.
As with all commies, I think of the line from "Jagged Edge"--
"F--- 'em, they're trash."
"You eat guts."--Nick Devlin