The "Two Against One" Dynamic in Jaws

Jaws was a blockbuster for a lot of reasons -- the sudden death terror of the shark being the big one -- but its famous "trio of guys" provided the backbone to the shock sequences.

One thing I like -- particularly once they get to sea and are stuck with each other -- is that each one of the three men finds himself in a "two against one" situation where he is at a disadvantage against the other two, and hence, feels perhaps "inferior."

Chief Brody: He is a cop from New York City, a real "landlubber" who is not happy to go out on the water. VERSUS: Quint and Hooper, who are both experienced men of the sea who know their way around boats.

Hooper: He is a very rich young man, and, he tells Brody, the money is both "mine, and from my family." VERSUS: Brody is middle-class(cop) and Quint is working class. Quint in particular goes after Hooper as a "spoiled rich kid" and Hooper fights back at Quint with "I've had enough of this working class hero shit!"

Quint: Though it takes awhile to manifest, he is not only surly, he proves to be downright nuts near the end -- smashing the boat's radio so help cannot be sought. VERSUS: Brody and Hooper are sane -- and increasingly worried about Quint.

And though Brody might feel insecure as a "landlubber" verus two men of the sea; and though Hooper might feel insecure as a rich kid on a boat with two working stiffs, perhaps Quint feels insecure with his macho man reclusiveness exposed as borderline insanity. (That time in the water from the USS Indianpolis may have contributed.)

Anyway, as the movie goes along, the "two versus one" dynamic is always there, and we FEEL it. We feel Brody the landlubber, Hooper the rich kid, Quint the nutcase -- and it helps keep things interesting between the three men even as they generally "hang together" as a three-man buddy team.