Mexican standoff
A Mexican standoff is a slang term for a situation where two or more opponents have weapons aimed directly at each other, so that neither can attack the other without being attacked themselves.
The origin of this expression is uncertain but may relate to the difficult and paradoxical social and economic conditions of 19th century Mexico; it is probably intentionally derogatory.
Mexican standoffs are often made more complicated and suspenseful by adding more participants and thus increasing the suspense (since in the event of a violent resolution nearly all of them will die). The Mexican standoff is now considered a movie cliché through its overuse in spaghetti Westerns and other B-movies. It has been revived as a device by directors such as Quentin Tarantino and John Woo.
Some films with Mexican standoffs
- City on Fire
- Enemy of the State
- Pulp Fiction
- Reservoir Dogs
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- The Rock (movie)
- The Matrix Revolutions
See also
Categories: Film techniques