To the movie's credit, it does explain a great deal throughout via clues provided that you don't really think about the first time around.
First off, Judith checked herself out of the hospital. That's what Gus tells 'Dan' at his office. Even if the hospital wanted to keep her, they couldn't force her to stay if she didn't require immediate medical attention, which she didn't.
Second, there are subtle clues throughout the movie that indicate 'Dan' has changed. The concierge at the Hacienda notes that 'Dan' looks thinner. Jenny - who was noted to be a semi-Astrologist of sorts - looks at 'Dan's' palms funny shortly before she's murdered. Gus, despite vividly remembering the case and it's specific details that Dan hired him for, didn't immediately recognize 'Dan' when he went to the pet shop to ask him about the invoice.
Third, if someone is 6'4" and someone else is 6'3", are you really going to notice the difference between the two, or would you assume both are relatively the same height? Generally speaking Jack and Dan could have been a mere inch or two apart in heigth, if they weren't exactly the same height, anyway, and no one would have really noticed the difference.
Fourth, as far as 'smell'...generally speaking your smell would be determiend by the types of soaps and cologne one uses. Considering Jack was living Dan's life using Dan's items, he could have smelled like Dan easily and no one would have been the wiser. Besides, outside Judith and Jenny, would anyone really pay attention to Dan's smell THAT much?
Fifth...Jack had amnesia and presumably brain damage, thus explaining away any differences between he and Dan in mannerisms and even speech patterns.
Sixth...there would have been no need to do a blood test or a fingerprint analysis since no one ever assumed 'Dan's' identity was in question until well after he had been released from the hospital. His identification was in the pocket of his jacket, and his wife didn't deny it was her husband when questioned.
Now, the only thing that can't really be explained logically or conclusively is the actual voice itself. The movie seems to indicate that Dan and Jack had a near identical voice, which most know is impossible because although one can *sound* like somebody else, speech is almost as distinct as a fingerprint. I can't really comment on some of the explanations provided, because I don't know how a voice can completely change unless damage is done to it, and there was no indication that was the case.
As far as the doctors being able to tell the difference in muscle and structure between Jack and Dan...perhaps. Then again, tissue and muscle were clearly badly damaged and I'm sure he broke bones everywhere, making any kind of recognition difficult. One could also assume that 'Dan's' restructured face wasn't perfect by any stretch, and people didn't question it because they figured any differences were the result of the surgery, and not him being a completely different person.
reply
share
aef-6
15 years ago
Good explanation.
reply
share
Albatoss
15 years ago
It's a movie. Why does everything have to be so literal?
reply
share
dcavalli
15 years ago
For the convenience of the plot, I'm guessing Dan's parents are dead, and he doesn't have any siblings to visit him (or they all hate him) and notice any changes that might indicate that it's someone else with his face. Blood relatives who saw him grow up might pick up things that friends don't. In 1991, DNA wasn't widely used, so the deception could last longer.
reply
share
Natron
13 years ago
Because our brains work, and we are invited to think as it's a mystery. If the creators didn't want us to think they would have cast Jim Carey in the lead role.
reply
share