Not sure if I missed something, but the American GI attacking the girl in the brothel, what was that about ? Was he experiencing a flashback or something ?
shareIt's really puzzling, isn't it? It's not explained. Whether it's a flashback or a freakout, we can only guess. Seems like outburst scenes in brothels are pretty common – at least in the movies, which is my only connection to them.
shareI may be wrong but I suspect it only meant to show that the clientele weren't the most stable bunch - pressures of war, away from home, etc etc. Jack was fond of the girls but he understood the soldiers' situations, hence his even-handed response.
shareHe wasn't sympathizing with the soldiers, I think he wanted to kick his ass but gave up in the last minute because he was thinking about the money. So he decided to forget about it and keep his operation going. At the end of the movie he finally decides to try a different path, feeling sick of it. There is a scene in front of the house with the soldiers, when one of them is complaining because they don't allow shooting at innocent villagers from a helicopter anymore, and you can see the disgust on Jack's face.
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