I’m alone, I am not lonely
In Macauley’s case, beyond the military background, there is an additional factor at play. This is alluded to in the coffee shop scene. When Hanna goes over Macauley’s prison record:
Vincent Hanna: “Seven years in Folsom. In the hole for three. Mcneil before that. Mcneil as tough as they say?”
Neil Macauley: “You looking to become a penologist?”
We can see that Hanna tries to bridge the empathy gap, but Macauley wants no part of the discussion. While it could be viewed as reluctance to provide any incriminating information to a police officer, going for a coffee with Hanna indicates that he is at least willing to talk to him. Therefore, this reticence must be representative of something deeper. The key here is the three years spent “in the hole”.
Solitary confinement is a punishment used across all cultures, universal in its results. Leaving a man to himself for a prolonged period of time forces deep introspection; it’s a staring contest with the abyss.
“I found solitary confinement the most forbidding aspect of prison life. There is no end and no beginning; there is only one's mind, which can begin to play tricks. Was that a dream or did it really happen? One begins to question everything.”
- Nelson Mandela
Macauley’s flat response to Hanna’s attempt at empathy speaks volumes in this regard. It indicates that he will not share a dark moment of his life, much like a veteran’s reluctance to revisit memories of battle. What we see here is that although Macauley left his cell, part of him never left it. This, combined with his military experience, exacerbates Macauley’s incompatibility with a normal life. The emotional reticence we see in this scene is magnified with Eady, owing to the nature of their relationship. Like the other couples covered earlier, it is not possible for Eady to understand this other world. This is evident from their very first interaction.
As Eady introduces herself, Macauley is clearly wary of outsiders to his world. Once the initial misunderstanding is cleared up, we see that he is able to function normally, however it’s merely a pretense. During their interaction, he smiles and appears interested, yet tellingly, he reveals nothing about himself.
What is important to note here, is that Macauley questions Eady as a police officer would interrogate a suspect:
Neil Macauley: “I work in metals I'm a salesman, you like working there?”
Eady: “Sure, I get a discount there's a whole section of books in my area.”
Neil Macauley: “What area is that?”
Eady: “Graphic design, the store's a day job until I got enough going.”
Neil Macauley: “Who do you do that for?”
Eady: “A restaurant, their menus and a small record label their CD covers, I've done two so far.”
Neil Macauley: “You go to school for that?”
Eady: “Yeah I went to Parsons.”
Neil Macauley: “Where's that?”
Eady: “New York City”
This highlights the grey area that both Hanna and Macauley occupy. Their use of a hybridized police-criminal methodology, even with outsiders to their world, demonstrates that there’s no distinction between work and home. Their obsession with filling their existantial gap consumes everything.
In Macauley’s conversation with Eady, we can see that he is a skilled observer of people. This enables him to get close to her, however, beyond vague family details he shares little about himself. Even after spending the night with Eady, Macauley still covers his tracks:
This cautious methodology can therefore be extended to the details he shared. We already know that his ‘salesman’ job is untrue, therefore we can assume that the rest of his story was a lie.
In comparison, Hanna has the same ability to read others. For example, he understands the MO of Macauley’s crew by evidence alone. However, he doesn’t use this skill to salvage his marriage. Instead, he uses it solely in the pursuit of his Macauley.
Hanna’s obsession is also demonstrated in a much more subtle way. This can be seen when he leaves his wife at the dinner party to investigate a murder. In watching the way he consoles the grieving mother, we can see that he employs the same movements as he does when dancing with his wife.
Notice the words he uses with the distraught mother:
VH: “it’s ok… it’s alright… You’re going to be ok.”
These are empty platitudes.
It’s the same with his words to Justine as they dance:
VH: “I can’t keep my hands off you, and that’s the truth.”
The latter part of this sentence is an attempt to appear genuine, much like criminals lying when being questioned. Hanna is more dishonest than the people he hunts.
This dishonesty can also be extended to Hanna’s treatment of himself. With his first two marriages ending in failure, how could he possibly believe the third time would be successful? If anything, his obsession has made him even more entrenched in his ways. This is either a case of major self-denial, or it’s something much deeper. This is a man who knows he will never change for the better, opting instead to plunge headlong into the abyss. This is exemplified in his explanation to Macauley:
Vincent Hanna: “I got a wife, we're passing each other on the down-slope of a marriage - my third - because I spend all my time chasing guys like you around the block. That’s my life.”
There are three key factors to examine here:
“we're passing each other on the down-slope of a marriage - my third” – This shows familiarity with the situation. Like clues at a crime scene, Hanna can paint a picture of what happened in each case and he can understand the MO.
“I spend all my time chasing guys like you around the block.” – He knows the exact reason why his marriage is failing, yet he does nothing to salvage the relationship.
“That’s my life.” – this shows an air of fatalism. Hanna’s MO is set in place and will never change. He knew this all along.
What all of this tells us is that when Hanna was saying his wedding vows to Justine, like unscrupulous criminals in a court of law, he was lying under oath.
Outside of Hanna’s obsession, his life is a sham and his marriage is a merely an attempt to appear normal. Personal interactions carry no emotional weight for him. Instead, his mind is focused solely on the pursuit.
If there is one image that defines Hanna, it is that of his gun on the bedroom table:
