MovieChat Forums > Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) Discussion > What was the significance of the CD Hank...

What was the significance of the CD Hank forgot in the car?

posted 12 years ago by Naif_Alkhalifah
8 replies | jump to latest

I understand that Hank wanted to leave nothing linking him to the robber; that's why he wanted to get rid of the CD, since it belonged to the robber. What I don't understand, however, is why did the director make a big deal out of that scene? I was waiting for something to go wrong with the CD but it never came up again after Hank got it back. At first, Hank tried calling the manager but he didn't answer, and then he went to the store and the manager wasn't there. After that, he goes back to the store and the manager is still not there, but another employee was able to give back the CD to Hank. But before the employee gave it back, he asked for an ID and Hank got all nervous. What I'm saying is there were a lot of things that could complicate the issue of the CD but nothing happened. It seemed like the director wanted to waste time by showing us a part of the story that is not significant to the plot. Any ideas?

[–] scottieweiss 12 years ago

I think that scene was basically building tension; foreshadowing all the ways in which things might go wrong for Hank, by demonstrating just how little he's thought things through. I think of the CD subplot as a little teaser.

[–] Scooby52 12 years ago

Agreed. I think the telling sign is the relief on his face when he accepts the credit card as opposed to his licence. It's just a very subtle thing, but it shows the tension and how worried Hank is about getting caught and how close he is.

[–] chelseaal 11 years ago

It was sheer paranoia for Hank, especially after he wiped the car of prints.
When the message was relayed to him from the car rental company, I thought it might be the phoney moustache and sunglasses he'd left behind, so the CD was a little of a let down.

[–] mmitsos-1 11 years ago

The CD scene is somewhat akin to Hitchcock's use of what he called a "McGiffin". It really has nothing to do with the plot, however, it definitely creates tension. Yes, it shows that when you do really despicable things, everything else you do wrong can amplify in your mind as a pending catastrophe.

[–] psdhart 10 years ago

The CD scene is somewhat akin to Hitchcock's use of what he called a "McGiffin". It really has nothing to do with the plot, however, it definitely creates tension. Yes, it shows that when you do really despicable things, everything else you do wrong can amplify in your mind as a pending catastrophe.

^this, it just ratcheted up the tension, he did not know what it was

[–] JohnnyJohnson (400) 3 months ago

Didn't Hank touch the CD, and therefore his prints would be on it? That was my take away. But that still doesn't remove the fact that he used his real name to rent the car, so..... I'm not sure either.

[–] Seperatrix (1349) 3 months ago

Now that's an interesting thought. That he touched the CD (I, like previous posters, assumed it was to build tension).

I have recently watched this film and now may have to do so again just to watch his fingers closely when he handles the disc!

[–] BKB (11314) a month ago

I read it as a case of him being extremely paranoid going back for the CD and he wanted to see if anyone was probably investigating the vehicle. Hank was messed up and dragged even further into this scheme by Hoffman who was a real scumbag for even contemplating this to begin with. Nevertheless, this movie is Excellent but it's a real downer too