MovieChat Forums > Yat goh ho yan (1998) Discussion > Slight inconsistency which bugs me

Slight inconsistency which bugs me


The bad guy in this movie, Richard Norton, is so meticulous and fussy about cleanliness in his house and car, as one guy said, "so fussy you can't even fart", yet he smokes CIGARS. And not just occasionally, WHENEVER he's on camera. That's a LOT of cigars :-p I think that's a little inconsistent on the writer's part. It irritates me that he doesn't allow dust, but smoke is fine as long as it comes from his smoking.

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The lead in Matchstick Men is the same way. I guess when you have a nicotine addiction you'll go a long way to get your fix. Either that or cigarette smoke is one of the few things that doesn't bother him as long as he has a nearby ash tray.

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No germs in smoke; they're fried. Smoke's clean.

G-

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*Clean* food, please.

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What really bugs me is when the little boy watches the drug deal video. The video actually shows part of the movie and NOT what the reporter would have filmed in the warehouse :)

Regardless it's a decent movie.

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Haha, yeah I noticed that too. Like the footage was edited with different camera angles.

As for the cigar thing, that annoyed me too. Anybody obsessed about cleanliness wouldn't allow their house to stick of cigars.

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Yeah, that made me laugh when I saw it.



"If you've got any sense of humor or no standards at all you'll love 'em."

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lol, me 4

"Free your mind" "Use the force" "Be like water" - Morpheus, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Bruce Lee

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I don't think his fussiness is simply because he wants his house to stay clean. The impression I got was that this is his way of reminding everyone that he is in charge, i.e. asserting his control. This provides a good explanation for the cigar. It is his symbol to show that, because he is the boss, he is exempt from the rules.

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Good thought, thanks for your input, I never considered that :)

Kung fu movies are like porn. There's 1 on 1, then 2 on 1, then a group scene...

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"I don't think his fussiness is simply because he wants his house to stay clean. The impression I got was that this is his way of reminding everyone that he is in charge, i.e. asserting his control."

Yes, I agree, I forgot to mention this in my post, although I meant to.

This guy, as most 'villains' in movies, are all about IMAGE and POWER - if people think he's in charge, he has power. So he has to take care of his image, the neatness thing and cigars both work towards the same goal of projecting an image of someone powerful that is in control.

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Well, I am sure he's neat with the cigar, so the ashes are always controlled properly.

Maybe it's always the SAME cigar, that he just always happens to have with him when he's on camera..

In any case, cigar is a symbol of masculinity and power, as well as source of slight euphoria, so obviously a 'bad guy' would want to emphasize these things - the perceived benefit outweighing the neatness fixation.

Also, maybe that cigar habit is the REASON for his 'neatness fetish' - perhaps he considers he can't afford to be any MORE messy.

However, the fart-thing doesn't make sense, as the smoke and smell of a cigar would DEFINITELY overpower even the stinkiest fart.

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