MovieChat Forums > Breakdown (1997) Discussion > Billy’s fake disability act

Billy’s fake disability act

posted 4 years ago by tcraigh (21)
6 replies | jump to latest

I like this film but I don’t understand why Billy pretends to be mentally impaired when he first meets Jeff. What is the point of his act?

[–] jason88cubs (2346) 4 years ago

to fool jeff

[–] tcraigh (21) 4 years ago

In what way? Was his being supposedly mentally impaired meant to get Jeff to trust him? Was him being apparently a simpleton meant to give Jeff the idea that he (Billy) would not have been involved with the kidnappers? I took his simpleton routine as a way of gaining Jeff’s trust as Jeff would most likely not suspect an apparently simple but helpful man of being involved in the kidnapping of his wife.

[–] jason88cubs (2346) 4 years ago

i'd say trust yes, cuz it seemed Jeff wasn't quite trusting everyone at the diner

[–] tcraigh (21) 4 years ago

Maybe he wanted Jeff to think the reason the kidnappers had let him (Billy) overhear their plans for Amy was that Jeff would think that the kidnappers would think that they could let Billy overhear as being as he was impaired he would not understand or tell anyone what he saw, then Billy would pretend not to be as dumb as he seemed and ‘unexpectedly’ leak info to Jeff

[–] Rinn13 (167) 2 years ago

He was trying to throw Jeff off. He deliberately tells him where he thinks she's been taken, which sends Jeff right to where the dude is waiting to show up and shoot him and take his car. He also deliberately says "And they think I'm the dumb one, the police are in on it". He wants Jeff to suspect the police are part of the conspiracy, so he doesn't contact them again.

The entire act was Billy's part in setting Jeff up in the first place.

[–] Volley (3366) a year ago

It’s also for us, the audience, to listen to his comment “you the fella searchin for his wife?” and so on, and from there the audience goes, ‘oh, he’s simple and seemingly friendly, he must not be involved.’

Movies like this do it all the time, attempting to throw the viewer off track.

“Police is the ones in on it” —Huge misdirection by Billy, and it works.