Crazy Lee in the bank


Why leave Lee to guard unarmed 'civilians'? Their cover is blown anyway, and Lee is arguably more use to them outside.

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I think the most likely answer to that, Halmyre, is that Pike considers CL to be a dangerous nutter :-). He deliberately leaves him behind, partly so he can't accidentally shoot any members of the Bunch, and partly, I suspect, because he's such a liability the Bunch would be better off were he to be killed or captured.

When Sykes tells Pike after the abortive robbery that CL was his grandson, Pike is clearly angry - which shows that he would have treated him differently had he known.

Cheers

If they move, kill em!

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Crazy as he is, Lee is at least deferential towards Pike, and not any more crazy than Angel or Lyle. It's also somewhat at odds with Pike's subsequent viewpoint:

"We're not gonna get rid of anybody! We're gonna stick together, just like it used to be! When you side with a man, you stay with him! And if you can't do that, you're like some animal, you're finished! *We're* finished! All of us!"

Interestingly enough, having 'got rid' (or at least left him behind) of Lee, they do end up 'finished'.


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Good points, Halmyre. But personally I think we are supposed to believe that CL is actually crazier than the rest of the Bunch, who are all crazy to some extent - living the dangerous lifestyle they do.

As for Pike's "mighty fine talk about sticking together", there is, I think, a deliberate irony at work here. Pike has failed to live up to his own ideals, and he knows it. This is one of the movie's major themes - loyalty, principles, keeping your word.

Part of what motivates Pike, Dutch, Lyle and Tector to go back for Angel, and then to their deaths at the end, is their collective realisation that they have consistently failed to live up to their supposed ideals. This is all beautifully summarised, largely without words, in the scenes in and outside the brothel at the end. Pike says "Lets' go," and Lyle responds "why not?" Tector and Dutch don't even need to speak, they just smile their agreement. Time to go and make amends for the failure of their lives.

If they move, kill em!

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Wouldn't Pike have known that Lee was Sykes' grandson before then? Seems odd that he wouldn't.

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Leaving Clarence Lee in the bank was an easy decision for Pike.

Yes the boy was enthusiastic, but he was also young and untested under fire. They might not have been sure how he would respond, if he would keep his focus, and keep his head. Anyway, judging by how he acted and behaved in the bank, I'd say the decision was correct.

Knowing Pikes thoroughness and planning, I'm sure there was time and opportunity for CL to make his exit. However, he wasted it marching the hostages, singing, molesting, and ultimatley killing them.

Not someone I would pick him to be on my assault team.

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I think it was to have hostages as an insurance policy. But it certainly proved to be pointless soon

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No story reason to hold them,they were there to add to the gut churning experience of the whole scene. Although the violence is commonplace today, back then it was unprecedented. Peckinpah knew how to shock an audience.

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That's the same question I came here to ask. Regardless of how much of a loose canon Crazy Lee may have been he still would've been more useful to them in shooting their way out of the town than guarding three hostages that they didn't need anymore.



Blind dissent is as foolish as blind patriotism.

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Crazy Lee was a rear guard 'distraction' to occupy the bounty hunters.




Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?

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It was Lee's decision to stay... check out the film dialog:
Crazy Lee: Do I shoot them now?
Pike: No. Hold them here for as long as you can until after the shooting starts.
Crazy Lee: I'll hold them here until hell freezes over or you say different.

With an army of bounty hunters waiting to ambush the Bunch, was Pike supposed to argue with Crazy Lee? Pike had bigger problems than dealing with this crazy kid who didn't understand orders...

But had Pike known CL was Sykes' grandson, Pike may have taken a moment to clarify what it means to "stay until after the shooting starts"... which in no way means until "hell freezes over".







"Finance is the gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger."

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