MovieChat Forums > Absence of Malice (1981) Discussion > The Wilford Brimley character is a hypoc...

The Wilford Brimley character is a hypocrite!

posted 8 years ago by timroth
3 replies | jump to latest

In the famous interrogation scene at the end of the movie, Brimley’s character Wells confronts D.A. Quinn with the evidence against him, including the recorded conversations between him and Gallagher (Newman). Later, Wells blasts federal agent Waddell for placing the wiretaps on Gallagher’s phone, claiming that they were both illegal and just plain wrong. If Wells felt that the wiretaps were such an ethical violation, how come he had no problem using the recorded conversations from them to squeeze Quinn???

[–] ncdwbmk6 8 years ago

He wasn't "squeezing" Quinn. As he said, Quinn was a Presidential appointee and Wells had no authority over him. He was simply giving Quinn advice.

Although the recorded conversations were illegal, they had been nevertheless been published in the newspaper, and Quinn's reputation was irrevocably damaged.

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Fowler's knots? Did you say ... fowler's knots?

[–] Tabbycat (878) 4 years ago

Exactly.

“I could talk a blue streak but wouldn’t nobody listen.”

[–] Etherdave (175) 4 years ago

He wasn't squeezing Quinn, he simply wanted to hear Quinn's side of the story; the options always were: a) clam up and I'll subpoena you and further destroy your already nearly-destroyed reputation, or b) talk now and we can figure something out that doesn't involve impeachment or prison time. As for Wadell, I think Wells is smart enough to guess his role in all this, and is rightly disgusted by the malfeasance exhibited top-all-the-way-down in the State Attorney's office. As for the wiretaps themselves, I don't see how they could do anything other than further illustrate Quinn's foolishness; whether their obtaining constitutes fruit of a poisoned tree is another matter entirely. I suspect that, in a state as worldly and sophisticated as Florida, there are special dispensations in circumstances such as these.