At the docks he could've just left and come out clean but instead chose to join the shootout to face two options: die or go to prison. Why?
Also how did he even expect the police ambush?
Didn't ruin the movie for me though. A solid 7/10.
I was thinking the exact same thing. He could have turned around. He had nothing to gain and everything to lose. Weird.
shareHe was a sandwich short of a picnic, shall we say. It kind of fits his characterisation in the rest of the film. More often than not he sees violence as the answer.
shareHe is a man with a code and honor. At a low-point in his life he is tempted to take a shortcut and work in the drug trade. This decision places him and his family within the operating sphere of evil men. That was his (understandable mistake). BUT... in all other decisions, he shows a sense of honor and code. So what happens during the drug pickup:
1. His instincts tell him that something is off. Maybe it is too quiet or too loud. Maybe he thinks outside the box for a second and realizes he is dealing with too many unknown factors (a new drug lord is involved, new crew). Maybe these new guys are being followed by the authorities. Maybe these docks are perfect place for an ambush. We don't know why, but he clearly wants to be extra careful and dump the drugs so they can come back to them later. It is a smart decision. But his two accomplices are hot-headed, stupid and probably juiced. So they don't comply. And the cops ambush them. Now...
2. Why does he return to the scene of the gunfight, having had the chance to escape and be in the clear? Again, code and honor. He doesn't want these 2 violent sociopaths he was saddled with to kill and maim a bunch of cops. In addition, this pickup and what happens in it is his responsibility as a man. He was given the job to lead it and can't just walk away. So he intervenes and saves some lives.
3. Why does he go to jail for the full term instead of snitching? Again... code and honor. He owns his choices. He chose to be in the drug trade, knowing it was an illegal and immoral path. He chose to agree to go on that pickup. He will now face the consequences and not rat out other people. It doesn't matter to him that it is their fault. What matters to him is that it is HIS responsibility. All that, plus, he thinks that not snitching will actually keep him and his family safer. He is not imagining just how depraved and vile these people are.
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Thanks for the thorough response. I should watch this movie again some time soon.
shareI agree with what rootvegetables said. The scene when the cop asks him (if I recall) if he wants to burn the US flag and Bradkey said he flys one at his home everyday. He believes in America, which I admit means different things to different people these days, but I think his was an old fashioned belief. Bradley letting the cops die in the shoot out would be like him burning the US flag.
shareHe's a man with code and honor and nevertheless crippled a prison guard, severely injured and killed other prison guards, not to mention the unprovoked killing of other inmates when he gets into the Redleaf prison. A man with code and honor doesn't harm people like that.
shareBut he's a man with honor and a code living in a complex world where the right or moral course of action aren't always clear.
He has a duty to his wife and unborn child as well. He's a stand up guy, but he's no sacrificial lamb. He makes a "moral calculation" and plays the hand he's been dealt, without averting his eyes. I think Zahler's films are great at showing the inner mental process of his every man characters thrown into extremely stressful and difficult situations, where they have to make very difficult moral judgment and stick to their decisions no matter where they lead them.
I think the movie makes it clear he doesn't enjoy hurting innocent people in jail (that black prison guard who tries to get him into the boxing program...)