Prompt #3

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2014)

The French character in Saigon is all about symbolism. Cimino was illustrating how many Americans felt (and still feel) the French have acted towards the US when it comes to war, especially Vietnam. Nam had its own internal issues, and the French decided to get involved (sort of). Once they were involved, they sought aide from the US, dragging us into the war. At first, they seemed grateful for the help, but as the war turned against us, they backed out, leaving the US to take the brunt of the damage (casualties, poor publicity, etc.). So in many Amercans' eyes, the French dragged us into a bad situation, and then proceeded to desert us once things turned ugly. In very much the same way, the French man in Saigon dragged Nicky (of the US) into a risky situation in the roulette rooms, before bailing when Mikey came calling after things had continued their downward spiral (especially for Nick). The Frenchman did to Nicky exactly what the French did to the US: He used his vulnerability( or perhaps generosity, it's really rather sad that those two would ever get mixed up) to lure him in for his own profit, then abandons him to fate after the going gets rough.