Character Study: Operation Dinner Out

Character Study: Operation Dinner Out

“Technology gets better everyday. That's fine. But most of the time all you need is a stick of gum, a pocket knife and a smile.”

He is a hero. He is a villain. He is what he needs to be not for himself but for the greater good of his nation. He is manipulative. He runs a secret service of his own right under the nose of the greatest secret service agency of the world. While it's unclear his interests are vested, he hires a recruit who grows up the ladder in the agency from a private to a valuable asset. His ideology is questioned by the recruit, he deserts him, leaving him vulnerable to be captured and executed. Being a human in heart, he rescues him, by running a secret rescue operation right under the nose of the investigative committee of the agency.

There is absolutely nothing he cannot become of. There is no country, he can't infiltrate into. Because he is trained by a man who has a history of deceiving people and nations for the greater good of his country. He is a patriotic private, who is spotted and mentored for a more suitable role in the agency, field agent. He becomes a protege. The mistake he commits is falling into a relationship with a woman, whose presence is a risk to the mission. He is abandoned by his mentor. Moments before his execution, he receives a call sign and rescued along with his girl. His mentor does all of this, sitting among the investigative committee of the agency accused of letting his protege go rogue.

#NathanMuir and #TomBishop profoundly influenced my conscience, I went on to apply for the agency online. Back in 2001, as I was filling up the application, the webpage closed. I don't know if it was a technical mistake, but what I attempted was a mistake. That's how much these characters manipulated my subconscious. That's the power of  characterization, writing, direction and action.

If I were to shamelessly replicate a character and film (which would never happen as it is against my ideology of filmmaking), they are Nathan D.Muir (Robert Redford) of Spy Game (2001). 

The rationale for doing so is, upon the film's release, i watched it multiple times, subsequently, captivated by the attributes of the character being flamboyant, intelligent, patriotic yet prudent. Dramatic, larger than life, and engrossing characterisation.

Authored by Balaji Thangapandian aka #BT - a spacefarer, who is also curious about film-making, connectivity technologies and military history.
mindofbt.blogspot.com
tbalajiocha@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/balaji.thangapandian
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