MovieChat Forums > The Anderson Tapes (1971) Discussion > 'I'm always hammering on locked doors.'

'I'm always hammering on locked doors.'

posted 17 years ago by howitis00
5 replies | jump to latest

Sean Connery says this as he is dying to the police. What do you think it means? I think it means he is always trying to get things that need other people to help him but they never do. Hammering on a locked door, also implies that he is trying to get others to help him accomplish things, but as you can see, by the fact that he died because others did not help him accomplish things, nobody ever comes to the door to unlock it. He just keeps hammering away, hoping that one day the door will open or someone will hear him knocking and open it for him. But the message is, if you can';t unlock the door, if you can't solve the problem on your own, don't rely on others to help you or it to open by doing something other then unlocking it.

I hope the remake attracts some good actors, I could see the actor who played bond taking the lead, as well as christian bale and hugh jackman, I doubt it though, I bet it'll end up being mark wahlberg and keanu reeves... wow that would be bad...

[–] edwardlindon 16 years ago

It refers to the sex/crime metaphor set up in the opening scene, a group counselling session in the prison where Anderson says (on tape):

"When I first started safecracking, I used to rip into them. Pour in the soup and blow the *beep* out of them. It was like rape. It had this sexual theme running through it. I used to... blow them open and plunge right in. Often, I was sexually aroused at the time. But as I became more proficient, I learned to sneak up on them, ferret out their secrets. I used to have them open before they even knew I was there. It was more like seduction than rape. The beauty of it was, I was falling in love with the whole thing."

This is developed through the portrayal of Ingrid as a woman unable to experience pleasure and Anderson's subsequent seduction of her. About 40mins in, Anderson and Ingrid are in bed, having made love. It is insinuated that she has just achieved her first orgasm and she has mixed feelings about this ("I hated it. I lost control and I hated it"--is she a metaphor for the State?). Anderson, by contrast, is jubilant ("Things are looking up. The signs are good.")

He takes this sexual success, which is achieved through sneakiness and seduction rather than force, as an omen for his coming heist. It is significant that during the burglary Anderson is adamant about avoiding violence, and again this approach is largely successful. (It also allows the film to dial up the jokey caper-film atmosphere that will dissolve into gritty realism in the final unravelling.)

Note that (aside from the bed-ridden child who foils the plot) the gang maintain an almost completely upper hand during the robbery, even when the police have them surrounded, until the moment where Anderson shoots 'Socks': it is his resumption of violence (the "blow the *beep* out of them" approach) that leads to the deaths or arrests of the entire crew.

[–] ShootHimKurt 15 years ago

Nice post edwardlindon, thanks :-)

[–] psdhart 15 years ago

Ingrid says this to Werner too when she talks to him oh the phone while Duke is next to her

[–] perfectpawn 11 years ago

Actually she says it to Duke -- she's on the phone with Werner, but inclines her head away from the phone and says the line to Duke. She's talking to Duke as she picks up and dials the phone, and then says this line to him after she's begun the conversation with Werner.

[–] talisencrw 9 years ago

It kind of reminds me of the David Bowie song 'Always Crashing in the Same Car', which to me has implied that he regrets never learning from his past mistakes, and just re-creating them. I'm probably off the mark, though. (Great film, btw; 9/10 for me IMHO).