" Police" at the dock?

[CivilDefense]

All I can say is that no cop chews gum like that. I personally award that guy "worst gum chewing by a minor character with a speaking role"

[Andy]

When they make their way to the boat Pilato says, "good luck swat" again a very formal term to use when addressing you're bretheren. Later on in the film When peter and roger hear stephen shooting , peter yells " what the hell was that?" Roger replies " I don't know , Fuzz maybee?" He calls the police fuzz, not swat or police. Very odd. i thought they said buzz, which i always assumed was name they gave the zombie with the gun. what the hell was that? i dunno buzz maybe? lol just my interpation. it makes more sense to me than "fuzz".. firstly why would they be expecting police in the mall? and secondly ive never actually heard the police referred to as "fuzz" before. seriously.

[kortick]

fuzz is a slang term for the police it is pretty common here in the us whether or not he says fuzz i am not sure id have to watch the video again but fuzz is a common term for american cops

[Danny]

yeah over here too, hence "hot fuzz", that or pigs, rozzers, coppers, policemen or the chav variation "****S"

[aga]

I always had them down as small time hoodlums who were taking advantage of an abandoned Police station. As for the dead cop at the radio, he may of been bitten and knew what was coming or just lost all hope. I think he made his last contact with whoever was in charge at the time, doing his duty and then checked himself out with a bullet to the head. Although that depends on the location of the wound, I can't remember where it was, but whatever the situation I can't see a zombie sitting down in a chair.

[raym]

All I can say is that no cop chews gum like that. I personally award that guy "worst gum chewing by a minor character with a speaking role" LOL. I 2nd that. No wait... 10th it.

[darth los]

i thought they said buzz, which i always assumed was name they gave the zombie with the gun. what the hell was that? i dunno buzz maybe? lol just my interpation. it makes more sense to me than "fuzz".. firstly why would they be expecting police in the mall? and secondly ive never actually heard the police referred to as "fuzz" before. seriously. I went back, rewatched the scene and it's definitely fuzz that he says. If you read his lips, his bottom lip touches his upper teeth as would someone who is making an "f" sound. Also the zombie you refer to as buzz had just taken roger's weapon which, being swat, one would think he was quite familiar with. Stephen was firing a small caliber revolver. Surely roger would know the sound of his own weapon being fired. However, I found your interpreting of the scene quite enjoyable and something i never would have thought of if you had not brought it up. The reason i posted this thread was to share my take on the dock scene that some of our members might not have thought of. Free exchange of ideas. What else are we here for if not to share interpretations/ commentaries on the movies we love? Good job dude.

[Andy]

I went back, rewatched the scene and it's definitely fuzz that he says. If you read his lips, his bottom lip touches his upper teeth as would someone who is making an "f" sound. Also the zombie you refer to as buzz had just taken roger's weapon which, being swat, one would think he was quite familiar with. Stephen was firing a small caliber revolver. Surely roger would know the sound of his own weapon being fired. However, I found your interpreting of the scene quite enjoyable and something i never would have thought of if you had not brought it up. The reason i posted this thread was to share my take on the dock scene that some of our members might not have thought of. Free exchange of ideas. What else are we here for if not to share interpretations/ commentaries on the movies we love? Good job dude. hey thanks alot man i guess it dosn't make sense that roger dosn't recognise his own weapon being fired lol.. but on the other hand, why would they be expecting the police at the mall?

[darth los]

hey thanks alot man i guess it dosn't make sense that roger dosn't recognise his own weapon being fired lol.. but on the other hand, why would they be expecting the police at the mall? I don't think it was that he was expecting police, it's just that he was answering peter's question of "what the hell is that?" That's probably the first thing that popped into his head, which is as good an explanation as any. (Kinda like when ray thought of the stay puft marshmallow man in ghostbusters.) I'm sure that they weren't expecting "POLICE" to be raiding the dock either but there they were. Speculating that the Police were the source of the gunshots is not a bad guess. Now if he would have said " I don't know, Bikers maybe"? Now that would have been wierd.

[capncnut]

Right, just watched this scene three times in a row and I think might I have some new light to shed. F**k knows why I didn't jump on this one sooner but anyway here's my two cents. Please bear in mind that the only two posts I could be bothered to read in detail (no offense folks) were Darth and Philly's lengthy ones on the first page, so forgive me if I'm covering stuff already raised. The first body they come across is a man wearing a jacket, blue jeans and boots. I'm thinking this was one of pilato's crew who was killed in the raid of the dock. Okie doke, I hate to disagree so early on Darth but I'm not so sure about that one. You are correct when it comes to identifying the fact that the body does not belong to a police officer (well at least a uniformed one) so there's no argument there. As for being a pal of Pilato's, I don't know. Look at the corpse very carefully, especially at the shot where the pump cable drags across it's back. Check out the hands. They are not fresh and have the trademark grey paint on which leads me to believe that the body has been laying there for quite some time, possibly a day or two. Flyboy certainly doesn't seem too bothered by it when he steps over it. The officer by the radio was crept up on and shot in the head. Even though I have a gut feeling that Pilato's crew were responsible for the radio operator's death, this might not actually be the case. Okay, let's break it down like this. For: The radio voice is desparately calling out for the dead operator, like he may have been speaking to him earlier. Red coloured mark to the forehead. Against: The wound is on the face of the operator and there are no visible signs of an entrance wound to the back of the head. More grey make up which indicates that he might have been dead for a while. The face is all tattered and ripped open, with a black nose. Possible bludgeoning? No blood on the desk in front of the operator, was he placed there? It's definitely a tricky one but even though the odds are stacked against, I think Pilato's mob definately killed him. They probably just attacked him in his chair (possibly after a failed sneak attack) and he might've tried to call for help because the radio voice says something like "No, I'm not getting him at all". On a completely unrelated note, the clock on the wall says 1.25am. Second When they ambush stephen and fran it's almost like they heard the chopper and decided to hide out being as how they all seem to pop out of the woodwork. Difficult to say, if Pilato's mob were really intending to hide out and keep their distance, they would've just waited for Flyboy and Franny to leave. First off that grinning cop with the cigar deliberately scared Fran, strange behaviour for someone being stealthy, eh? Also, the 'cigarettes' cop was unloading boxes from a van (stolen goods?) at the time this sudden situation occurs and wasn't exactly being discreet about it. At the end of the day, the only person hiding out seemed to be Pilato but I'm sure he was doing that to spring Flyboy and rob him. The helicopter seems to be their main focus too because ol' cigar-face says "we could get a lot further in this bird skipper!" Two of Pilato's men call him skipper. That's a name more appropriate for a sea captain not a cop. And they left by boat, so this "skipper" business implies that he might well have been a legitimate boat captain. As Philly points out. As far as calling Pilato "skipper", again, we dont know any backstory to that. As cop buddies before the outbreak, Pilato could have owned a boat and the guys went out on it with him, hence a nickname of "skipper". "Something happens to him and we'd be stuck!" "Maybe we can make it the island?" Pilato is definitely the skipper of a boat, police or otherwise. And, it is not uncommon for police officers to man boats so this needs to be considered also. Now, as for the general behaviour of these so-called cops, this is the most damning evidence of all. Everything you have raised here Darth is pretty much top notch and incriminating to the max. The wide eyed thug pops out of the back of the truck and says "Just stay cool". Not freeze or show me some i.d. or even what are you doing here... When they realize that it's a squad car rolling up Pilato looks to his men and says "It's ok we're "police", as if to say,there not gonna mess with us if they think we're cops so calm down... He also adds "now it would be crazy to start shooting at one another wouldn't it?" a very curiously nervous thing to say. And when they feel that the ruse is working Pilato taps stephen on the stomach as if to say " i know you know, just be cool and there won't be a shoot out... Indeed, very weird behaviour for cops. The varied actions of all present indicate that they are not a particularly organised outfit and are either a bunch of thieving criminals chancing on a new life at sea or (as Romero has filmed) deserter cops who will do whatever they can to keep their abandoning of the police dock a secret. I know a lot of points I have raised are very contradictory to say the least but as much as I think that Pilato's mob are a bunch of scumbags on the make, I cannot possibly rule out any other conspiracies as most are fair game when it comes to speculation. I wish there were more topics like this posted at HPotD, that gave me more to chew on than the average hairy minge.

[Philly_SWAT]

I wish there were more topics like this posted at HPotD, that gave me more to chew on than the average hairy minge. Indeed! Although, this was posted back in SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR, so I suggest that maybe you werent looking very hard for posts like this! But seeing as you brought this back to mind, here are a couple of other thoughts that I had after you made your post. I am surprised that this first thought never came to me before, but here it is..... The scene was shot in Pittsburgh, but was supposed to be set in Philadelphia. I dont know about Philly, but in Pittsburgh, I believe that they have specialized "water cops" in Pittsburgh, as seen in the Bruce Willis movie Striking Distance. With this being the case, it seems logical that GAR just intended for Pilato's crew to be the water cops who worked at the police dock. Seeing as they were loading up city owned supplies and stealing a city owned boat, that would explain there weird behavior. They were in fact cops, but they were "running", just like Roger and Peter were. Remember, Peter and Roger were basically abandoning their posts, stealing city guns, and Fran and Stephen were stealing the WGON traffic chopper. "We're thieves and bad guys, that's exactly what we are". I think it is likely that the sly smiles that Pilato and Roger exchance when the lines "now it would be crazy to start shooting at one another wouldn't it" "It sure would" happen, is that at that instance they both understood what was happening, they were all cops, and they were all abandoning their posts and stealing things. They should have each been trying to stop each other, but the concept of "protecting and serving" had dissapeared at that point, with survival taking over as the purpose of the day. Also, I think that the dead body outside the building, and the dead guy by the radio are most likely things that GAR just put in the movie without giving it much thought. I mean, it would be a boring scene if they just showed up, got gas, and left.

[capncnut]

They were in fact cops, but they were "running", just like Roger and Peter were. Remember, Peter and Roger were basically abandoning their posts, stealing city guns, and Fran and Stephen were stealing the WGON traffic chopper. "We're thieves and bad guys, that's exactly what we are". The most likeliest explanation, another Dead Mystery solved by Philly.

[DEAD BEAT]

I think cigar guy,skipper,and cigarette boy did as John wanted to do in day. "they found themselves an island somewhere got jucied up and proceeded to blow eachother until the end of time"! I mean cigar guy did fancy big things in his mouth,skipper looked like he was a dandy and cigarette boy was their little biitch! And by the way as said before i would have kicked the living shiiit out of cigarette boy for trying to bum a smoke off me minutes after pulling a gun on my asss!

[JohnoftheDead]

I always had them down as small time hoodlums who were taking advantage of an abandoned Police station. As for the dead cop at the radio, he may of been bitten and knew what was coming or just lost all hope. I think he made his last contact with whoever was in charge at the time, doing his duty and then checked himself out with a bullet to the head. Although that depends on the location of the wound, I can't remember where it was, but whatever the situation I can't see a zombie sitting down in a chair. Yeah I always figured the cop had offed himself too. On a side note, I also always thought that he was saying "good luck squad", not swat.

[darth los]

Right, just watched this scene three times in a row and I think might I have some new light to shed. F**k knows why I didn't jump on this one sooner but anyway here's my two cents. I just want to say that all your points are very valid and could possibly explain what happened at the dock. The theory I first posted about the sequence of events was illustrated not necessarily because i believe that's what definitely happened, but is just an alternative version of the genesis of what went down there. We all might see it differently, but imo the one thing we can agree on is that the scene is ambiguous and therefore open to interpretation. everybody's mind works differently and we're all going to interpret what we see in a different way. That's the beauty of sharing our thoughts on the trilogy. I'm sure you've been watching this movie for atleast 20 years, and BAM!! Here's something new to chew on. You have definitely brought up points that I never thought of as well. Okie doke, I hate to disagree so early on Darth but I'm not so sure about that one. You are correct when it comes to identifying the fact that the body does not belong to a police officer (well at least a uniformed one) so there's no argument there. As for being a pal of Pilato's, I don't know. Look at the corpse very carefully, especially at the shot where the pump cable drags across it's back. Check out the hands. They are not fresh and have the trademark grey paint on which leads me to believe that the body has been laying there for quite some time, possibly a day or two. Flyboy certainly doesn't seem too bothered by it when he steps over it. That's a very good observation and your probably right about the fact that his body has been there for atleast longer than the looters were there. Even though I have a gut feeling that Pilato's crew were responsible for the radio operator's death, this might not actually be the case. Okay, let's break it down like this. For: The radio voice is desparately calling out for the dead operator, like he may have been speaking to him earlier. Red coloured mark to the forehead. Against: The wound is on the face of the operator and there are no visible signs of an entrance wound to the back of the head. More grey make up which indicates that he might have been dead for a while. The face is all tattered and ripped open, with a black nose. Possible bludgeoning? No blood on the desk in front of the operator, was he placed there? It's definitely a tricky one but even though the odds are stacked against, I think Pilato's mob definately killed him. They probably just attacked him in his chair (possibly after a failed sneak attack) and he might've tried to call for help because the radio voice says something like "No, I'm not getting him at all". On a completely unrelated note, the clock on the wall says 1.25am. O.K. Let's assume that pilato's men killed him. They were obviously in a rush to get what they could and bail out of there. Like you said, no entry wound in the back of the head, just a wound on his face that could have been from a gunshot or blunt instrument. That being the case, we can infer that it is very unlikly that he was killed in his chair from behind because he was slumped over his desk. Don't you think it a little strange that pilato's men would murder someone and then take the time to prop him in that position? That's definitely goes to the argument that he killed himself. I know that goes against my original argument, but that's what debate is all about. You presented evidence and it definitely could have gone down that way. Difficult to say, if Pilato's mob were really intending to hide out and keep their distance, they would've just waited for Flyboy and Franny to leave. First off that grinning cop with the cigar deliberately scared Fran, strange behaviour for someone being stealthy, eh? Also, the 'cigarettes' cop was unloading boxes from a van (stolen goods?) at the time this sudden situation occurs and wasn't exactly being discreet about it. At the end of the day, the only person hiding out seemed to be Pilato but I'm sure he was doing that to spring Flyboy and rob him. The helicopter seems to be their main focus too because ol' cigar-face says "we could get a lot further in this bird skipper!" And they left by boat, so this "skipper" business implies that he might well have been a legitimate boat captain. As Philly points out. "Something happens to him and we'd be stuck!" "Maybe we can make it the island?" Pilato is definitely the skipper of a boat, police or otherwise. And, it is not uncommon for police officers to man boats so this needs to be considered also. In my mind there's no doubt they were laying low. I think that they indeed were hiding out, maybe not until they left but if anything just to survey who would come out of the chopper. Once they saw it was just an unarmed man and woman they figured they could handle it easy, thus their brazeness. although the whole dynamic of the situation changed when Philly Swat showed up. The scene was shot in Pittsburgh, but was supposed to be set in Philadelphia. I dont know about Philly, but in Pittsburgh, I believe that they have specialized "water cops" in Pittsburgh, as seen in the Bruce Willis movie Striking Distance. With this being the case, it seems logical that GAR just intended for Pilato's crew to be the water cops who worked at the police dock. Seeing as they were loading up city owned supplies and stealing a city owned boat, that would explain there weird behavior. They were in fact cops, but they were "running", just like Roger and Peter were. Remember, Peter and Roger were basically abandoning their posts, stealing city guns, and Fran and Stephen were stealing the WGON traffic chopper. "We're thieves and bad guys, that's exactly what we are". I think it is likely that the sly smiles that Pilato and Roger exchance when the lines "now it would be crazy to start shooting at one another wouldn't it" "It sure would" happen, is that at that instance they both understood what was happening, they were all cops, and they were all abandoning their posts and stealing things. They should have each been trying to stop each other, but the concept of "protecting and serving" had dissapeared at that point, with survival taking over as the purpose of the day. Also, I think that the dead body outside the building, and the dead guy by the radio are most likely things that GAR just put in the movie without giving it much thought. I mean, it would be a boring scene if they just showed up, got gas, and left. great alternative theory philly and as the others are, also entirely possible. On your second comment, it wouldn't be the first time that fanatics of the trilogy scrutinized things in the films that are definitely there but GAR didn't do on purpose.