Fri 4 Apr 2008
Characters as Plot Devices
Posted by Charles Clarkson under Movies
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I tried to watch the movie Stakeout (1987). I kept getting interrupted by the children in my neighborhood, but I did see the opening scene or two.
Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez play police detectives and they are chasing a criminal on the docks near some body of water. In the second or third scene Richard’s character has the suspect covered when Emilio’s character pulls up in a forklift and breaks the line of sight to the criminal.

During the this first part o f the movie I keep waiting for Richard’s character to ask Emilio’s character what he was doing on the forklift. Forklifts are not generally faster than people and starting one often requires specialized knowledge (like knowing the location of the safety interlock switch). It is very unlikely that the forklift would have aided in the arrest.
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