Exactly. Also, Riggs said to Roger, "You had no choice. He had a machine gun with all the trimmings. He was gonna do you, me, anybody that came alone." Both Nick and Riggs' statements are in perfect agreement, that Murtaugh was absolutely justified. And that is true, too. Travis may have been the one selling those weapons, but Darryl was still responsible for his own choices. One can always choose a choice, but one cannot choose the consequences that may follow a particular choice. It was Darryl's own choice to be involved with that gang, to purchase that fully-automatic weapon, and to shoot it at police officers. Riggs was justified too, in approaching them in the first place and calling out to them, when he saw them near the burger stand. That's because Riggs is a police officer. So is Murtaugh. As a police officer, he is trained to investigate suspicious activity. And Murtaugh clearly warned Darryl to drop the weapon. He gave him an opportunity to do so, and the whole thing could have ended more peaceably. But he wouldn't stop firing. Only then did he return fire, killing him. I can understand Murtaugh feeling guilt, simply because Darryl had been his son's friend. I think this was simply to show that he was still a human being with a heart and soul, despite being a veteran police officer.
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DreTam2000
9 years ago
Blah blah blah... we get it...
You pointed out much of the obvious in your every-other sentence. Thematically, the film knows all these things, and doesn't expect us to not know them as well. The point was the sociological situation that lead to gun problem in the first place, and lead a young man down a wrong path to begin with. The subtext lies in Murtaugh being a Black police officer who can see the sociology of the matter unfold first-hand despite him being a cop. It leads to him having to shoot black kids with guns in the long-run. He wasn't blaming himself necessarily. He was upset that he had to be caught in the middle of that sociological situation. He didn't necessarily feel guilt for doing something he was justified in doing. If he was a white cop, he may have still felt bad, but he would not have been as close to the sociology of the matter. Think about it. And try not to miss the point.
"You had no choice. He had a machine gun with all the trimmings. He was gonna do you, me, anybody that came alone."
That last word is "along."
I'm not a control freak, I just like things my way
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nutsberryfarm
9 years ago
he was depressed b/c he didn't get to have his burger.
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
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