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Clip description
Powerful local businessman Eden Fletcher (David Wenham) rebukes Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) for letting Charlie Wilson go. Stanley’s wife Martha (Emily Watson) overhears Fletcher describing the murder of her friend by the Burns gang. Fletcher orders Stanley to have Mike Wilson flogged.
Curator’s notes
Eden Fletcher is the equivalent of the 'town boss’ in American westerns whose authority exceeds that of the sheriff. Although Stanley is certain his gamble will pay off, he is in debt to Fletcher and has no choice but to follow orders. It is also a very British scene, with a portrait of Queen Victoria watching over the upper class Englishman as he takes the lower-bred Stanley to task. This scene vividly examines the proposition as it affects Stanley as both law officer and husband. The flogging of Mike Wilson will void his pact with Charlie Wilson, and his wife Martha is now aware of horrific crimes committed by the Wilson gang. An atmosphere of dread prevails as Stanley rides off at the end of this sequence.
