“In the Line of Fire” The battle between those who believe in the state and those who don’t believe in it *Note! Contains spoilers.

Mitch, the man who believes in the state, and Frank, the man who disbelieves in the state.

Indeed, Frank and Mitch may be two sides of the same coin, like two sides of the same coin, light and shadow. Mitch, who was raised to be a killing machine by the nation he believed in and plots to assassinate the president in revenge, can be seen as Frank's alter ego.

However, there is a big difference between the two. To begin with, Eastwood doesn't believe in nations. Over the course of his filmography, Eastwood has acted on his principles and carried out justice based on his ethical principles. Despite his position in state power, Eastwood's behavioral guidelines are extremely personal.

Therefore, while Mitch (voluntarily) feels sympathy for Frank, Frank shows no sympathy for Mitch at all. Frank feels remorse for President Kennedy's assassination, but that is just his professionalism as an agent.

There is an interesting interview.

Q: In your most personal works, such as ``Honkytonk Man'' and `` Bird '' (1988), the main character's enemy is himself. It's the same with " True Crime " (1999).

Eastwood: The conflict is happening within yourself. The main character is struggling with the demons that live inside him. Isn't that often the case in real life?

('lone knight clint eastwood(excerpt from)

Hmm, this is exactly Eastwood! For him, all problems are internal (=individual), not external. At the end of the movie, Frank leaves the room without even bothering to listen to Mitch's answering machine praising each other for their efforts. To him, who has expelled the enemy lurking within himself (the regret of not being able to protect the president), Mitch is nothing more than an outsider.

Mitch, who believes in the country, and Frank, who doesn't believe in the country. This struggle is definitely connected to the Eastwoodian lineage.

Text: Rui Takeshima

A pop culture writer who wants to be kicked by Hit Girl. Host of the web magazine " POP MASTER ".

Watch now

View work information

(c) Photofest / Getty Images