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Hackman's confrontation with Pell and Baily in the beer joint turns out differently


In the film, Hackman swaggers into the beer joint and taunts the Pell and Baily, resulting in Baily getting his nuts crushed and Pell more less getting challenged to draw down on Anderson and backing down.

What if this scene had been different?

Alternative outcome #1 -- Anderson grabs Baily by the balls, but someone behind him smashes his head with beer bottle. Stunned, 3 guys hold him down and Pell draws his revolver, cocks the hammer and pushes the barrel against Anderson's head and says "My great grandaddy stacked dead Yankee soldiers like cordwood. We weren't intimidated by your Yankee army and we sure as hell aren't intimidated by you." Pell then pistol whips Anderson and they dump him out back.

Alternative outcome #2 -- Same situation as the movie, except Pell pulls his gun in response to Baily's balls being grabbed and Anderson shoots him in the head. The other racists, stunned by Baily being 'neutered' and Pell's killing, don't move. Anderson calmly walks up to the men seated at the table together, cocks his pistol and puts it to their heads. "Any of you other sewer dwelling crackers think you've got something to say to the FBI? Clean it up, this fucking mess and your gutter of town and county, or we will clean it for you."

Alternative #3 -- similar to #1, except Pell shoots Anderson dead. They dump his body outside of town in a shallow grave.

How does Ward deal with situation #1 and especially #3? He was a relentless by-the-book man, but lacked gravitas and insight. I suspect Anderson's beating and/or death results in retribution from Hoover. He was no friend of the civil rights movement, but I think he would have brooked no opposition from small-town people against his agents. He would have rolled in a small army of G-men with Tommy Guns and shaken that town down to its last man.

What about #2? Does the sheriff try and arrest Anderson for murder, or does he fear the conspiracy unraveling? Worry that the FBI will just rule it justifiable defense? Does the town rebel against the FBI -- basically insurgent tactics, sniping at FBI men and vehicles, turning the town into an antebellum version of Fallujah?

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