What makes the perfect movie scene?
When we think of a scene that lives with us, many think of something emotional like “I’ll never let go” from “Titanic.” Others may think of something inspiring, like running up the steps in “Rocky,” or a mind-blowing twist like “No, I am your father” from “The Empire Strikes Back.”
That being said, a movie isn’t always supposed to be a masterpiece. Its first job is to entertain us, and then to blow us away. An excellent example of this is the interrogation scene from “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw.”
This scene from the famed “Fast & Furious” series starts out with Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) waking up to see himself and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) tied up by antagonist Brixton Lore (Idris Elba). Brixton, who has rigged the two up to car batteries, offers Hobbs and Shaw the opportunity to work for the terrorist organization, Eteon.
After a long monologue, Hobbs appears to crack under pressure and tries to convince Shaw to join, saying he’s like “Mick Jagger.” Shaw, realizing this is code for causing a lot of noise before backup arrives, nods.
Both Hobbs and Shaw tell Brixton that they aren’t going to join Eteon.
The two then argue with each other to buy time for Hattie (Vanessa Kirby) and Professor Andreiko (Eddie Marsan) to break them out. They both try to one up each other by concocting elaborate tales of what they’re going to do when they get out, constantly arguing with each other to pick another person to take down. And when Hattie and Andreiko cause chaos on arrival, everyone uses the unfolding chaos in order to escape the facility.
From the very start, everyone in this scene is spectacular. It takes a lot to write a good character, but having multiple characters banter and play off each other through amusing dialogue and great acting is an incredible feat that this movie pulls off expertly.
As the cartoonish villain, Brixton shines as the focus of this scene, and Elba sells the nuanced and delusional side of Brixton well in lines like; “And the more machine I become, the more humane I am.”
Johnson and Statham do what they have done best through the entire movie: get under each other’s skin.
The two argue with Brixton and each other so well that you can’t help but smile and laugh. While not exactly profound or deep, the performances from the leads perfectly sell the dumb fun that the film is going for.
That being said, this scene is still solid from a writing perspective as well.
It pays off Brixton’s chasing; now that he has the people he’s been searching for, Brixton is free to torture the boys and get what he wants. It’s tense to the point where the over the top nature of the movie doesn’t take away from it. The two are strapped to car batteries and in danger of getting electrocuted if they irritate Brixton enough, and it leaves Brixton to sell the vision of Eteon and give the two no choice but to join. It’s a scenario that leaves little room to come up with an escape plan, forcing Hobbs and Shaw to think fast and on their feet.
The scene also helps pay off the connection between Hobbs and Shaw. The whole movie makes it clear that Hobbs and Shaw loathe working together. They swallow their pride to do their jobs, but they still aren’t compatible.
Throughout the movie, they constantly argue and sabotage each other’s work, which makes for funny, but important, scenes. Their dynamic in the first half of the film is clear when Hobbs is arrested by security and Shaw leaves him to fend for himself.
That is, until this scene. You see the two argue throughout this scene, but when Shaw hears Hobbs say “Mick Jagger,” he realizes that they might work well together. It shows Shaw that Hobbs can think on his feet, and with Shaw letting Hobbs call the shots, he shows Hobbs that he’s not as stubborn as he seems.
While somewhat silly and over the top, this scene is the perfect payoff to major plot points set up earlier in the film, all while providing audiences with a good laugh.
It just goes to show that a film doesn’t have to have amazing writing or acting. It sometimes just has to entertain you, which is what “Hobbs and Shaw” seems to do best.
This article was edited by Bailey Hobbs, Sara Winick and Abigail Pritchard. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks and Charlie Mennuti.
