Post by telegonus on Jul 4, 2018 8:29:52 GMT
He bets against Manfredi and Johnson but derives no pleasure from "winning". A case of simply business, nothing personal.
He helps Dunbar at the end because for the first time, the odds are in his favour.
Fantastic William Holden performance.
Compare Sefton to Corporal King in King Rat. Superficially very similar, but I'd suggest miles apart.
I appreciate your comment, Old Aussie, and I think you put it perfectly: Sefton did have a moral center.
Yes, it helped Sefton and Dunbar at the end that "security guy" Price had been taken out of action. The commandant could not have known what was up this time, although it might have been wise for him to have been a tad more attentive to detail, or rather, tell his men to be.
William Holden was spot on throughout the film. It took Billy Wilder to see his potential to portray men who were cynics and heroes, as well as men who didn't want to even get involved (The Bridges At Toko-Ri and The Bridge On The River Kwai) and yet came through at the end. The Fifties was such a perfect time for Holden to be a star in films.