A more European standoff.
- “Looks like we have a bit of a sticky situation here!”
- ―Dieter Hellstrom
A Mexican standoff is most precisely a confrontation among three or more opponents armed with guns.
Description
The tactics for such a confrontation are substantially different than for a duel, where the first to shoot has the advantage. In a confrontation among three mutually hostile participants, the first to shoot is at a tactical disadvantage. If opponent A shoots opponent B, then while so occupied, opponent C can shoot A, thus winning the conflict. Since it is the second opponent to shoot that has the advantage, no one wants to go first.[1]
In Inglourious Basterds
After Archie Hicox blows his cover, Hellstrom points his gun at him, only that Hicox, Stiglitz and most likely Wicki were also pointing their guns at him as well. Hellstrom also points out that if they were to open fire, Wilhelm and his friends will also retaliate. Hicox however, decided that since it's a no-win scenario, they'll just have to take chances, and orders Stiglitz to fire his gun at Hellstrom, which causes Hellstrom to fire at Hicox and Bridget, while the British lieutenant fires in return, before dropping dead. Wicki shoots the other soldiers, while Stiglitz opens fire as well, Eric shoots Stiglitz, Wicki shoots him dead, only for Wilhelf to end the firefight by firing at everybody, killing everyone left alive.
When Aldo Raine tells Wilhelm that they're in a Mexican standoff, the German soldier tells Aldo that in order to be a Mexican standoff, they must also have weapons pointed at him. Aldo however tells him that if he shoots to kill them, they'll drop grenades and he will die as well, as a Mexican standoff can also happen with other weapons rather than firearms. Wilhelm drops his weapon, and asks Aldo to take Bridget away, only for Bridget to take Hicox's gun and shoot him dead.
Trivia
- The standoff between Aldo and Wilhelm during the La Louisiane scene is similar to a scene in Quentin Tarantino's other movie Kill Bill: Vol. 2 in which Beatrix Kiddo just finds out she is pregnant and is attacked by a hit woman. The two have a standoff in which she makes a deal with the hit woman to let her go as she is pregnant. Sgt. Wilhelm makes a deal with Aldo to let him go as he had become a father that night. The difference in the two scenarios is that Beatrix honors the deal and the hitwoman escapes, while Aldo honors the deal but Bridget von Hammersmark shoots and kills Sgt. Wilhelm.
Gallery
References
External links
This article is a stub. You can help Inglourious Basterds Wiki by expanding it. If you don't, Aldo will bring out Sgt. Donny Donnowitz. The Bear Jew.
