MovieChat Forums > Marathon Man (1976) Discussion > Janeway's role(Spoiler alert)

Janeway's role(Spoiler alert)

posted 10 years ago by gressos
4 replies | jump to latest

I am,too,wondering,what was his part in Doc's kill and why did Babe accused him 'you killed my brother''?
I am coming to think that he was just representing a foul view of patriotism,like Szell,that's why during their last dialogue together(JW and Szell)there is a connection:
JW:I love my country
SZ:So did we all.
What Babe meant was probably that JW could protect Doc from being murdered(At least that what he thought).JW obviously seems relentless to kill for his purpose.And even sacrifice an innocent bystander of the case,like Babe.
It's one of the dark points for me.

[–] Mr_Gitts 10 years ago

Janeway needed Szell, because anytime Janeway wanted to bring an old Nazi in to justify his employment, he could go to Szell to track one down. Pure self-preservation motives; Janeway had no more "patriotism", foul or otherwise, than the spider on the wall, and his "believe in my country" line is sheer sarcasm (with a little taunting thrown in).

Meantime, after Szell's brother died Szell, thinking it had to be a murder conspiracy, could no longer trust any existing courier. Doc, both because he was a courier and because he detested Szell, could no longer be trusted. Janeway knew this and, Machiavellian slimebag that he is, knew it would only be a matter of time before someone got to Doc. When Babe realized he had been double-crossed (the phony murders) he instantly deduced Janeway's guilt.

[–] gressos 8 years ago

Yes.I agree.There are quite enough people who will think that JW actually believes his patriotic lines(maybe myself included,at least during my first viewings of MM).Or it could be that his idea of patriotism is contempt for democracy and the ''paranoid schmucks''(as he calls the members of the government).
He was Machiavellian indeed and maybe Babe's ''you killed my brother'' line to him means that he could protect Doc from that fatal meeting with Szell but chose not to.

[–] joed1667 8 years ago

It doesn't surprise me that Janeway sold out. We used the Nazi's for our own purposes since the end of the war, instead of lining many up before the firing squad or sending them to prison. Wernher von Braun was one of them but the part I don't get is who that oriental guy was in Paris that first set off the bomb in the baby carriage then tried to kill Doc in his hotel, was he sent there by Szell or Janeway? I imagine he was the one who also killed Nicole so why the attempt on Doc or the other couriers, they worried that since Szell's brother was dead, that would bring Szell out of hiding and the couriers would turn on him?

[–] gressos 8 years ago

I wonder about that myself.I believe that the oriental guy was sent after Doc by Szell.But if you ask me why didn't he use his two Nazi comrades that attacked Babe and Elsa at the park(''think of that as a warning'"),I can't say for sure.Janeway was certainly aware of Szell's attempts against the couriers after the accident,if he was not a part of them as well.That's what Babe's ''you killed him''stands for.But something else stroke my mind just now-remember the sort of questions Janeway was asking Babe before he delivers him to Szell?about Doc's final words to Babe and the hidden secret?Sounds like J. was definitely after some sort of power arising from other people's eliminations or,even,after Szell's diamonds,while Doc couldn't care less about such issues(watch his last scene with Szell)and he was in fact not proud of how he made a living.