MovieChat Forums > The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) Discussion > Something that bothers me after repeat v...

Something that bothers me after repeat viewings....

posted 18 years ago by hurricanepictures426
6 replies | jump to latest

First off, I really loved this film, probably Woody's best of the Dreamworks period.

However, one huge part of the plot never seems too clear to me.

They go out to dinner for One of the a guys birthday who works at the agency. There at the dinner or whatever it was, Woody and Helen Hunt are hypnotized by Vulton. Vulton then uses his control of these two people who work for the agency to rob places.

I've always suspected Vulton purposely selected them however its never really made clear. How did he have the knowledge of these people's possessions and knowledge of where they had recieve a security system from? How did he plan to meet them at the guys birthday party and hypnotize them? He had to have someone working inside the agency that was giving him this information or Vulton was spying on the people inside some other way.

Lastly, if he couldn't get booked to do a show in a place where they would all be gathering for whatever reason, how would he have been able to pull off the robbery? He couldn't just walk in the place and start hypnotizing people. I know this one there isn't an answer givien, i'm being too hypothetical.

But maybe there are answers to some of the others that i kept missing. Anyone know?

I guess it could of just been luck he selected them to commit the crime.

[–] jonkalist 18 years ago

I have to agree. Watching it the first time, I was convinced that Magruder (Aykroyd) was behind this plan.

He knew the right players to commit the crime. He set up the retirement party and pushed hard when Fitzgerald (Hunt) wasn't going to show. His (inherited) company had profitability issues (the reason for the efficiency drive). And he wanted to get his mistress out of the way, since he wasn't planning to leave his wife.

Really makes me wonder if the ending was changed by the studio...

[–] zcahs52 17 years ago

good work guys. i think we're on the right track to working out what actually went on in this film...

first of all let me say that there's no way that woody allen would let the studio change anything about his film. so we can safely work on the assumption that the film is presented as woody wanted it.

but i think woody is asking us to do some homework by not revealing the whole plot, but leaving us clues.... just like in the movie itself!

i've only seen the movie once, so i'm not best-placed to come up with any firm conclusions yet, but as "jonkalist" says above, the dan ayckroyd character is looking very suspicious.

anyone seen the film a few times and picked up on any more clues?

[–] piperian396 17 years ago

At least this movie didn't leave as many loose ends as Scoop.

"Stupidity has a certain charm, ignorance does not."-FZ

[–] virgiltx 17 years ago

Perhaps Vulton followed up on their participation by investigating them, and after learning more about them, took advantage of them in whatever way he found that he could.

[–] aps722 15 years ago

When Fitzgerald meets Macgruder in the bar for the last time, he explains why Briggs might have done what he did; and talks about another guy in the company years ago - Peterson - who did the same thing and is 'spending his years in Sing-Sing'.

Its likely that Polgar first tried this stunt on Peterson, worked out any kinks and is trying it again now.

He likely knew already what was possible with Briggs and Fitzgerald; maybe even being careful to choose 2 this time; as a backup.

I'm on trial for being afraid?
Well first, I don't like the word 'trial'; and secondly, yes.

[–] ikke_for_let 13 years ago

Wow you really do pay attention. Makes perfect sense. Perhaps you should be detective.