What Is A Mexican Standoff: The Essential Guide To Mexican Standoffs

A Mexican standoff is a situation in which everyone has guns pointed at each other and no one can shoot without fear of hitting a friend.

A Mexican standoff is a situation in which everyone has guns pointed at each other and no one can shoot without fear of hitting a friend.

The phrase comes from the classic movie “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” Three competing outlaws have each taken cover behind rocks, pointing their guns at each other.

No one wants to fire — they’re all afraid of being shot by someone else — so they end up frozen in place.

It’s even used in everyday speech. Let’s take a look at an example:

“I’m stuck in a Mexican standoff with my landlord over an overdue rent check.”

The term comes from the famous scene in Sergio Leone’s classic film “The Good, The Bad And The Ugly,” directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as the Man With No Name.

In this scene, three men have cornered one another on a bluff in the desert, each pointing a gun at the others.

As they are about to open fire, their shots are drowned out by the arrival of an artillery duel between two unseen units on either side of them.

The shooting continues until it becomes clear that neither side will win, and there is no choice but to continue until one man is left standing.

Origin Of The Mexican Standoff

In the movie “Blazing Saddles,” Mel Brooks playing a town’s corrupt leader, explains to a new sheriff: “In this town, we have a very effective law against riding dirty horseback in the streets, but if you shoot him in self-defense, it’s OK.”

The scene is an example of what’s known as the Mexican standoff — a situation so dangerous that no one wants to be the first to act. 

The term was coined by American newspaper columnist Walter Lippmann in the 1920s, and refers to a longstanding agreement between Mexico and the United States not to cross borders into each other’s territory.

The agreement gained increased importance after World War I because Mexican revolutionaries threatened to disrupt U.S. oil supplies. 

The standoff also became a catchphrase for diplomatic coercion; countries would threaten war unless another country agreed to do something or otherwise backed down. Using force wasn’t necessary because both sides faced equal risk if war broke out.

“All diplomacy is a continuation of war by other means,” goes an oft-cited quote attributed to World War I General Von Clausewitz.

   

Mexican Standoff In Film

The Mexican Standoff is a genre of film and television that features a confrontation between three or more parties with weapons in which neither party can safely advance or retreat.

 The term was first used by the American screenwriter Ben Hecht, who wrote the screenplay for the 1937 film A Star Is Born, in which three armed people find themselves in a Mexican standoff. The term was later popularized by its use in the 1953 Western film, High Noon.

Tension arises from having the participants all pointing guns at one another, with no easy way out such as when one party runs away, or when two parties turn their guns on a third (a scenario known as an “Indian standoff” or “Mexican standoff”, also a type of Mexican Standoff).

The latter situation is also known as a “triangular dilemma”.

This situation is commonly found in many Westerns and action films. In a duel, both adversaries know they may be killed by their opponent but are obliged to fight on regardless.

In most cases, there is little chance to escape, either because of time constraints (e.g., one may have been given only 15 minutes to resolve the dispute) or some other factor (e.g., being in the middle of an arid desert).

Mexican Standoff Examples In Cinema

A Mexican standoff is a plot device in the Western genre of film where a group of people are in a standoff, each with a weapon aimed at the others and no one willing to “back down”. It is also known as a “standoff”, “draw”, or “dawn showdown” (in the film’s publicity materials).

In its simplest form, any given character has two or more weapons aimed back at him. In some cases, all but one are hidden or off-screen. The effect is enhanced if each character knows that he himself has a weapon aimed at him.

There are many variations on this basic setup, for example:

One party may have an undiscovered or concealed weapon. A hostage may be involved. The hostage might be used as a human shield or targeted by individuals who hold him/her dear.

The standoff may be between one character and an entire community, such as an entire town or village. The parties involved may not be evenly matched – for example, one party may have overwhelming superiority in numbers and/or firepower.

There may be deception involved; for example, one party might believe that another party has been disarmed when the second party actually still has his weapon hidden. This can lead to dramatic irony.

Writing A Mexican Standoff In A Screenplay

In screenwriting, a Mexican standoff is when two or more characters have guns pointed at each other.

A Mexican standoff is a situation where two or more people have guns, knives, swords, etc., and they all have the option of killing each other. There is no resolution and the scene ends with all characters in a stalemate. The conflict is not resolved.

Various Examples:

In the movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, there is a famous Mexican standoff between Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef. Each fires at each other but are both missing their targets. Their guns then crossfire and kill each other.

In this example, one of the characters was killed by his own bullet. This is called being “caught in the cross fire.” In The Man With No Name Trilogy (A Fist Full of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly), there were many Mexican standoffs but no one was killed because Clint Eastwood’s character walked away from them all unscathed!**

In the movie High Noon there was a Mexican standoff between Gary Cooper’s character and an outlaw played by Lon Chaney Jr. They fought to duel using rifles but the fight ended inconclusively.

Normal Standoff vs. Mexican Standoff

I’m not a fan of Mexican Standoff in most cases. It’s a zero-sum game, and the tension is palpable. I’m a fan of Normal Standoff, where you’re both trying to see who can find an out that benefits everyone.

Here are some examples:

Customer: I don’t like the decisions your company makes about what to test and how to prioritize new features. I’m going to have to write about this on my blog without censorship if you don’t make changes.

Normal Standoff: You have a blog and you can say whatever you want, but we really value our customers and will try to respond with something that helps you understand what we’re doing or why it’s done the way it is.

We know you want to write about this, and we’re happy to hear from you even if we don’t change anything we do. “Fail fast” is part of our culture. 

Customer: I don’t like the decisions your company makes about what to test and how to prioritize new features. I’m going to have to write about this on my blog without censorship if you don’t make changes.

Mexican Standoff: If you write bad things about us, we’ll sue you for libel!

How To Film A Mexican Standoff

A Mexican standoff is a scene in which there are two or more characters with guns pointed at each other. 

It’s a staple of westerns and film noir, but it has also been used in comedies and action movies. Can you learn how to film a Mexican standoff scene? Of course you can. You just need to know a few basic rules.

Step 1: Choose the Right Location

If you’re filming a Mexican standoff, the first thing you have to do is choose the right location. You have to pick an area that has plenty of space for the actors to move around and lots of cover so they can retreat when necessary.

You also need to be sure that your actors can easily get into character—if they have roles where they’re supposed to be scared, having them stand in an alley surrounded by garbage cans isn’t going to help them become frightened on camera.

Step 2: Directing Actors

Every director is different when it comes to directing actors, but most will agree that being firm and giving clear instructions works best. Tell your actors exactly what you want from them, step by step. If one actor isn’t giving the performance you want, don’t yell at him or her—the best thing to do is redirecting.