The Rules of Con in Guy Ritchie’s Revolver http://www.alexanderbecker.net/ Alexander Becker ∞
May 28, 2007
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
1 / 29
Abstract In 2005, Guy Ritchie made an extraordinary movie that’s apparently not recognized for what it is. Here is the plot summary from IMDb – Jake Green is a hotshot gambler, long on audacity and short on common sense. He’s rarely allowed to play in any casino because he is a winner. Jake has taken in so much money over the years, he is the only client of his accountant and older brother Billy. One night, Jake, Billy and their other brother Joe are invited to sit in on a private game, where Jake is expected to lose to Dorothy Macha, a crime boss and local casino owner who can’t play for squat, but always wins because people are too scared to beat him. Jake isn’t afraid of Macha, and not only beats Dorothy in a quick game of chance, but takes every possible opportunity to insult the man. Jake and his brothers leave the game, and Macha puts out the order for a hit on Jake, who ends up working for and being protected by a pair of brothers, Avi and Zach, who are out to take Macha down.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
2 / 29
Outline
Outline
1
Overview
2
Quotes
3
Liberation?
4
The Trick
5
Insight
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
3 / 29
Overview
Overview
Overview
“You can only get smarter by playing a smarter opponent.” Let’s take a look beyond the plot and see what the characters say, who is who, and what is what. You obviously need to see the movie before reading the comments, in fact, they may appear to make even less sense than the film itself but once you’ve seen the film, everything will be fine. Really.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
4 / 29
Overview
Layers
Layers
1
Literal: The gambler vs. his nemesis, the casino boss
2
Symbolic: The characters as chess pieces
3
Moral: The fight against ego
4
Hidden: Colors, Numbers, Sequences
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
5 / 29
Overview
Spoiler warning
Spoiler warning
What is so fascinating about the rules of con — besides the fact that they do apply to all of us? Without exception. To be clear, this is not about teaching you the rules of confidence tricks in order to con other people. Quite the opposite; take a look at how you (in)advertently con yourself and make it work for you instead of having it work against you.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
6 / 29
Overview
Jake Green
Jake Green
Jake Green after leaving prison — One thing I’ve learned in the last seven years: in every game and con there’s always an opponent, and there’s always a victim. The trick is to know when you’re the latter, so you can become the former. Jake Green, upon deciding against taking the elevator, which he fears — Why should a man do, what he doesn’t like to do? The color green: ambition, greed, and jealousy. That’s why Jake has to defeat Mr. Green.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
7 / 29
Quotes
Chapter Quotes
Chapter Quotes The quotes that accompany the chapters of the movie — The greatest enemy will hide in the last place you would ever look. —Julius Cesar; 75 BC What about the mind itself, right behind fear? The only way to get smarter is by playing a smarter opponent. —Fundamentals of Chess; 1885 Who’s your ultimate opponent? You. First rule of business, protect your investment. —Etiquette of the Banker; 1775 Protect your belief? There is no avoiding war, it can only be postponed to the advantage of your enemy. —Niccolo Machiavelli; 1502 Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
8 / 29
Quotes
Dorothy Macha
Dorothy Macha Dorothy Macha, meeting Jake on the gambling table — What’s in it for me? Dorothy Macha, trying to evoke fear in Jake. You’re a man who needs a master. Macchiavelli. Jake Green, while winning the game of chance against Macha. Purple, between blue and white on the color spectrum. In fact, Macha is always presented in blue light, while Lord John comes in red — purple emerges right between them.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
9 / 29
Liberation?
Jake’s intuition
Jake’s intuition
On his way out, Jake’s got a hunch, he encounters his intuition which has gotten reinforced after Jake’s winning the game of chance against Macha. Jake decides to act against intuition, he takes the stairs and breaks down and falls. Another “hunch” prevents Jake Green from being assassinated by Macha’s killers. He’s on the right path now. Saved and rescued by — intuition. The killer himself — Sorter — is getting doubts — integrity. The queen on the chess board.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
10 / 29
Liberation?
Avi and Zach
Avi and Zach
Loan Sharks. They force Jake to do “everything he doesn’t like to do,” as the only way to cure his fatal disease under two non-negotiable conditions — 1
You have to give away all your money.
2
Do not argue and do answer any question asked.
The knights in chess. A to Z.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
11 / 29
The Trick
The Confidence Trick
The Confidence Trick Jake Green, after facing choice and fatal disease — From now on, I am bending all the rules, because desperate men do desperate deeds. . . . and not any earlier than that. If there’s a rule, you can bend it. If there’s a law, it can be broken. Jake’s awakening puts to sleep everybody else. There is no such thing as problems, only situations. —Avi & Zach
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
12 / 29
The Trick
Money
Money
Jake’s money is his pride — “it even smells proud,” says Avi. People come to Zach and Avi, the loan sharks, only as the last option, the last resort, when they have no choice anymore. People only get sensible when it’s (almost) too late.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
13 / 29
The Trick
The Three Eddies
The Three Eddies Three Eddies, “flash, loud, proud, and stupid,” where “proud” refers to Macha, who happens to stand between “loud” and “stupid.” In the next scene, Jake takes the “proud” spot between the Eddies. The three Eddies, flash, loud, and stupid are dead. Evolution. Pawns. Jake Green, citing one of the principles of the con — I know nothing hurts more than humiliation and a little money loss. . . . and slowly starts accepting his reality — Don’t try to make sense out of it, not now, because it doesn’t make sense. I just know if you start a job then finish it. Jake Green’s conning the three Eddies — Nobody kills a man who’s going to make him money. Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
14 / 29
The Trick
Sam Gold
Sam Gold Macha and Sam Gold. Lilly Walker represents Gold. Eight pawns by her side, the rules of the game: Gold/Walker sets the rules and the pawns. Ego. Everyone serves Gold. Gold is ego, evil, the devil. The “powder” is for Gold, it is food for the ego, pride, vanity, arrogance, addiction. “Mr. Gold doesn’t give second chances:” once the ego fails, awareness sets in. Gold — the ego — isn’t able to touch Zach and Avi. Why? Even ego cannot silence the conscience. Avi & Zach providing some hints to Jake — You can’t see what’s right in front of you.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
15 / 29
The Trick
Chess
Chess Jake keeps winning in games of chess against Avi. He learned the game and honed his skills in prison, between a chess master and a master con man, after all. The objective is now to — . . . create the ultimate con and win the ultimate game. When Avi asks Jake how he keeps winning in chess he replies — You do the hard work, I just help you along. . . . to feed pieces to you and make you believe you took those pieces. In every game and con there is always an opponent and there is always a victim, the more control the victim thinks he has, the less control he actually has.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
16 / 29
The Trick
The Ultimate Game
The Ultimate Game Jake’s already in the ultimate game. Here are the rules — You can only get smarter by playing a smarter opponent. The more sophisticated the game, the more sophisticated the opponent. Jake finally releases himself and stops resisting — I pay for my own pain and a part of me dies every time I think about it. Your ego dies — and that’s the whole point. Jake Green learns that everyone has to pay what he owes.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
17 / 29
The Trick
The Formula
The Formula
The formula is completely consistent. . . . inside an environment he can control. The bigger the environment, the easier the control. . . . so the opponent simply distracts their victim by getting them consumed with their own consumption.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
18 / 29
The Trick
The Trick
The Trick The bigger the trick and the older the trick, the easier it is to pull, because — They think it can’t be that old, They think it can’t be that big, . . . for so many people to have fallen for it. Eventually, when the opponent is challenged or questioned, it means the victim’s investment and thus his intelligence is questioned, no one can accept that. Not even to themselves. You’ll always find a good opponent in the very last place you’d ever look. In your own mind. Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
19 / 29
The Trick
The Game
The Game Avi explains the game — You’ve heard their voice for so long, you believe it to be you. Mr. Gold is pretending to be you. Everyone is in his game and nobody knows it. He’s behind all the pain there ever was. Behind every crime ever committed. Embrace the pain and you will win this game. If you change the rules on what controls you, you will change the rules on what you can control. The more power you think you have in Gold’s world, the less power you have in the real world.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
20 / 29
Insight
More Revelations
More Revelations Jake Green gains some more insight — There is something about yourself that you don’t know. Something that you will deny even exists, until it’s too late to do anything about it. It’s the only reason you get up in the morning. The only reason you suffer the shitty puss, the blood, the sweat and the tears. This is because you want people to know how good, attractive, generous, funny, wild and clever you really are. Fear or revere me, but please, think I’m special. We share an addiction. We’re approval junkies. Ego gratification. Even the car accident would have been some sort of approval. Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
21 / 29
Insight
Lord John & Dorothy Macha
Lord John & Dorothy Macha
Lord John, with a hot girl under his eyes and a beautiful assassin under his command — Beauty is a destructive angel, how could anything that looks so good be so bad? The beauty; greed, Lord John; red: wrath, rage. and anger. Dorothy Macha, after the foiled assassination attempt — Greed gets them all in the end. Dorothy Macha; blue: power, but also cowardice, stress, and depression.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
22 / 29
Insight
Lesson
Lesson
Avi lectures — Use your perceived enemy to destroy your real enemy. Use your perceived, external enemy to destroy your real, internal enemy. Controlled vs. free man. Forgiveness is the ultimate act of liberation. No pride.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
23 / 29
Insight
The End of Pride
The End of Pride
Jake donates to charity in Macha’s name to further illustrate and manifest the difference between the both of them. Jake apologizes to Macha. Both are kings in chess, unable to directly kill one another. Fear me! —Macha
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
24 / 29
Insight
The End of Ego
The End of Ego
Jake Green, struggling with ego, pride, and fear — Wherever you don’t want to go is where you will find him. Meeting the ego in the elevator. Stuck in the voluntarily taken elevator between the 14th and the 12th floor, Jake is struggling with his ego, the ultimate showdown. The greatest con, that he ever pulled. . . was making you believe. . . that he is you. —Avi You are not your ego.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
25 / 29
Insight
Ultimate Liberation
Ultimate Liberation
Liberation. Jake is invincible now. Macha isn’t able to shoot nor impress him anymore. No fear of death. Macha gets and takes the credit for the donation, thus again feeding his vanity and ego which earns him a strange applause from Mr. Gold. Macha demonstrates his adherence to the system by eventually begging and submitting to Gold. Fear.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
26 / 29
Insight
None Of This Is Real
None Of This Is Real Sorter, the hitman — integrity — and Rachel, Jake Green’s niece; good, pure, innocence; in a twisted scene, hinting at the bigger picture — None of this is real. Avi and Zach, the chess master and the master of con ultimately aren’t real either. Consciousness, cons & chess. . . Liberation. Zach and Avi finally reveal it — We didn’t do this because we like you. We did this because we are you.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
27 / 29
Insight
Avi’s Epilogue
Avi’s Epilogue
Nobody knows where the enemy is. They don’t even know he exists. He’s in every one of their heads. And they trust him because they think they are him. If you try to destroy him to save them, they’ll destroy you to save him. Jake loses the last game of chess with Avi, he left the game through his own liberation.
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
28 / 29
Insight
The Ultimate Con
The Ultimate Con
The ultimate con, the ultimate confidence trick, is absolute — yet delicate — confidence in your self. Beyond ego, that is. The greatest con, that he ever pulled. . . was making you believe. . . that he is you. —Avi
Alexander Becker (∞)
The Rules of Con
May 28, 2007
29 / 29
