My Suspension Of Disbelief Abruptly Collapsed

Do you ever have moments while watching movies, where something takes place, and because of the actors involved you say, "No way"?

For me, I suppose the prime example has always been the end of The Jackal, where Bruce Willis is killed by Richard Gere. Setting aside that Willis was playing the supposed best contract killer on the planet, and Gere was playing some IRA guy, it was action movie star Bruce Willis being stymied by Richard Gere, that guy who appears in romantic comedies with Julia Roberts. I know, he does other stuff too, like Willis does more than action movies. But back then, in high school or whenever it was we rented it, that was my line of thinking, and so I couldn't buy it. The matter wasn't helped by the movie not being very good anyway.

I was watching Marlowe yesterday when a similar moment struck, though this one was as much about circumstances as it was the actors involved. Marlowe (James Garner) is at a classy high-rise restaurant with his lady friend, when he's called away to have a conversation on a patio/deck with a William Wong (Bruce Lee). William is acting on behalf of a rich man, and tries for the second time in the movie to offer Marlowe money to stop doing any investigating for awhile. Marlowe refuses, so Wong starts in the with a lot of kicks, gradually forcing Marlowe onto the ledge.

At which point, having Marlowe in a spot where even a slight misstep with send the gumshoe plummeting to his death, Wong allows himself to be baited with a suggestion he's gay, and launches a flying kick at Marlowe. Marlowe grabs a nearby support column and pulls himself aside, and Wong flies right over the edge to his death.

It was such a blindingly stupid way for the character to die. Yes, Wong might have been described as hot-headed, since he took Marlowe's initial refusal as an excuse to lay waste to the shamus' office, but "hot-headed" is not the same as "stupid". Wong had hopped onto a bench near the ledge, the after the insult actually hopes back down to the floor to launch the kick. I'm sure there were any number of ways a man of William's skill could have sent Marlowe over the edge, with far less risk to himself, and he could have enjoyed it just as much (Bruce Lee really did have a very good smile for "I'm going to enjoy what I'm about to do to you" in this flick). It took me right out of the film, which was only about halfway through. I let it finish running, but I wasn't paying much attention to rest of the way.

Anyway, have you had any moments like that? Did it happen on a first viewing, or was it something that nagged at you latter? Did you eventually reconcile it somehow? I've never tried watching The Jackal again, don't plan to, either. But I might try Marlowe again someday.