MovieChat Forums > The Dogs of War (1981) Discussion > Overlooked line: You're a minute late.....

Overlooked line: You're a minute late... I give the whole thing back

posted 14 years ago by mousalope
1 reply | jump to latest

Browsing the board there is so much confusion and dispute over the movie's ending. But it was plainly telegraphed well in advance.

LONDON:

Shannon, why don't you brief us on your strike plan?

You coming along? There's nothing you need to know about.
The colonel's due at the garrison...at 0500 hours on the 25th.
That's 5 a. m. You're a minute late...
I give the whole thing back to Kimba.

You're working for me, Shannon.

You could fire me.

(setting the stage for)
AFRICA:

YOU'RE LATE!

What the hell's going on? Who's that?

Colonel Bobi, you are under arrest.

President Okoye.

I am president.

You're nobody.

Shannon, get him out of here. This whole country's bought and paid for.

You have to buy it all over again.

In short Shannon stated his terms, his terms were accepted by virtue of his sponsor not firing him, and and followed through to the letter. They were late, Kimba was dead, so Shannon gave it back to the next best candidate.

Moral of the story: Men of good character realize punctuality is important.

[–] jmon64 14 years ago

I don't think, in this film, "men of good character" was based on their punctuality i think it was based on the fact that colonel bobi and kimba were both money hungry and quite happy to slaughter and behead any opposers as we learn from the scene where shannon meets endean and colonel bobi. The good character is shown in some-one who wishes to lead their country rather than be the defacto government in order to line their own pockets.

Also I don't think okoye was "the next best thing". I think shannon was always intending on bringing okoye in. I think the poster sort of mentioned this when he said "But it was plainly telegraphed well in advance".

Anyway this is what I think purely based on the film. However the novel explains Shannon's actions in depth. The film just made shannon look just simply like a mercenary with no in-depth morals.