therealmusashi, though you wrote this 3 years ago and probably will not see this post, I had to respond. Yours is one of only a few critical posts I've read where you get your points across without trashing it. What's more, I agree with so many of your assessments. For me though, this is a great film. A lot of the areas that seemed grey were not a problem for me as the meat of the story is what made this film work for me. I watched it many times and unfortunately nothing is cut and dry and you end up having to draw your own conclusions. Here is my take one the things you've questioned. I share my opinion because I had the same questions.
I think as shooting Maguire in the back was certainly ballsy as you stated and I can only conclude he did it to save Mac. He could have shot him in the leg, however Maguire had too much to lose himself and Nick knew a mere injury wouldn't stop him. Evenso, you are correct, Nick would have a hard time selling this.
I also agree that there was a backstory between Mac and Joann that we were not seeing. There was a point in the movie where Maguire was listen to past conversations in which Mac was talking to Joann about a ski trip he went on (you catch little things after watching it several times). I'd say their flirtation was going on for quite a while. In my opinion, Joann felt Mac lived a dangerous and morally corrupt life and no matter how attracted to him she was she wouldn't put herself in that position. But with that said, I also feel Joann had to have developed feelings for him during this time because it was too easy for her to just throw Nick in the wind once Mac convinced her he was out of the business.
And for your last point, I agree 100%! Anyone in organized crime has to be pretty tough. Mac certainly didn't LOOK the part. But with that said, we do know he was in a Mexican prison and can only assume there is a tougher interior we don't see.
So to answer my own questions, I began a project back in 1998, 10 years after this movie was made. What started as fan fiction for me turned into 7 seasons of what could (or could have) become a TV show. It started as six episodes revolving around the movie, but developing all the characters (and even adding a few) more. From there it went foward but flashed back showing what got Mac into the life, the struggles of getting out (because remember "no one wants you to quit"...that line alone implies there's more than meets the eye where Mac's business is concerned). I didn't really focus on the back story of Mac and Joann, but made in known that it existed in the first 6 episodes and just developed the characters more showing their attraction more obvious and putting them in more situations together before the birthday party. I focused on how he and Nick took separate paths and ultimately became estranged. I made the character Woody a stronger presence by developing his character showing him to be equal friends to both Mac and Nick and the glue that holds the bonds of their childhoods together. And in my story Maguire survives and continues to pursue Mac. There is much more and many more characters arise as the story goes on. The cool thing is that the plot has so many possibilities that this movie just scratched the surface.
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