Narrative technique · used in 9 films
Making the character who threatens the hero most also the one who helps them most. You can't separate the danger from the guidance.
Examples
Jonathan Demme · 1991
Lecter teaches Clarice how to think, gives her the insights that crack the case and seems to truly care about her development. He does all this while being a murderer who could kill her if the glass weren't there. Demme and Hopkins make sure the mentorship is real, and that is what makes the relationship so disturbing.
Where to see it: Lecter's 'quid pro quo' sessions. Each real insight comes with a personal violation.
Kathryn Bigelow · 1991
Bodhi welcomes Utah into the surfers' world and teaches him a philosophy of living on the edge. He is also the man robbing banks and the one who threatens Utah's life. You cannot separate the danger from the guidance.
Where to see it: The skydiving trip: Bodhi pushes Utah to jump with the group, then reveals he knows Utah is an FBI agent and has taken Tyler hostage.
Paul Thomas Anderson · 1997
Sydney helps John with money, advice and a place in the world. He is also tied to the thing that could destroy John, and you can read him as both father figure and danger. The help and the danger come from the same man.
Where to see it: The diner meeting. Sydney buys John coffee and offers him a way out, and the generous act hides how he got there.
Ridley Scott · 1997
Urgayle is the biggest threat to O'Neil's place in the program and also the person who makes her strong. During survival training, he ties her to a chair and dunks her head in cold water in front of the other trainees. She fights back, and he starts to respect her. In the last mission she helps save him, and he gives her his Navy Cross and a book of poems.
Where to see it: The survival training interrogation: Urgayle ties O'Neil to a chair, slams her through a door and holds her head in ice-cold water. She hits back, and the trainees take notice.
Sam Mendes · 2002
Sullivan is a feared killer known as the Angel of Death, and he is also the only person who can protect his son. He teaches Michael to drive so the boy can serve as a getaway driver during bank robberies. The danger and the guidance come from the same man.
Where to see it: The driving lessons: Sullivan teaches Michael to drive so that he can be the getaway driver while Sullivan robs the banks that hold the Outfit's money.
Woody Allen · 2003
Dobel tells Jerry that Amanda is probably cheating and that he should leave New York. He is also paranoid and talks Jerry into buying a rifle and an emergency kit. He turns out to be right about Amanda. Even so, you never fully trust him, and neither does Jerry.
Where to see it: The Central Park conversations. Dobel gives Jerry odd philosophy and sharp warnings about Amanda during their afternoon walks.
William Friedkin · 2003
Bonham taught Aaron Hallam everything he knows, and now Hallam is the danger. That means Bonham is the only man who can predict him. Hallam even refuses to talk to anyone else once he is caught.
Where to see it: The finale at the waterfall. Bonham falls into one of Hallam's traps, the two men fight, and Bonham kills him with Hallam's own knife.
Christopher Nolan · 2005
Ducard trains Bruce, teaches him to use fear and gives him the skills he'll need as Batman. He later turns out to be Ra's al Ghul, the man trying to destroy Gotham. Everything Batman knows came from his worst enemy.
Where to see it: Bruce's birthday party at Wayne Manor. Ducard walks in and reveals that he is the real Ra's al Ghul.
Osgood Perkins · 2020
Holda treats Gretel like an apprentice while planning to cook Hansel. She gives Gretel real teaching and a sense of purpose. That kindness is what makes her dangerous.
Where to see it: The training scenes. Holda trains Gretel in witchcraft while Hansel is kept apart.
Questions