Below is a clip from the movie Red Rock West. Here is a brief summary copied liberally from wikipedia: Michael (played by Nicholas Cage) is a drifter living out of his car after being discharged from the Marine Corps. After a job on an oilfield falls through due to his unwillingness to conceal a war injury on his job application, he wanders into rural Red Rock, Wyoming looking for other work. A local bar owner named Wayne (J.T. Walsh) mistakes him for a hit man, “Lyle from Dallas,” whom Wayne has hired to kill his wife. Wayne offers him a stack of cash–“half now, half later”– Michael doesn’t correct him and takes the money. Michael then visits Wayne’s wife, Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle) and attempts to warn her that her life is in danger—instead of killing her. The scene you see below is the four characters all together – in a group as they all have different goals. Michael wants to get out of town, Wayne wants to be free of prison time, Lyle wants the money, and Suzanne wants … well it’s not clear what she wants.
Question 15
In our class we learned about coalitions being a good strategy to take in groups. In this group there were a lot of relationships between individuals. But did you see any coalitions in this clip? If so, identify one coalition. In particular, who specifically were in the coalition? And why do you believe they are coalition partners? Please be specific.
Question 16
In our class we did not talk about the role a gun may play in organizational behavior. However, in this clip guns play a consistent role in the group dynamics. What was the role that the gun played in the group. And what was the impact of the gun on the coalition you identified in the question above?
