The writer was entirely aware of what he was doing. The tricky thing is that this movie is actually somewhat like a pilot, in that it had to establish a series and satisfy the requirements of a single action movie.
Yes, but none of this has to do with the goal per se. This is all World Building.
The first sequence (walking in Marrakesh, meeting up with old friends and then accepting the job) is entirely related to Copley (ex-CIA) having a job for them. This is the beginning of the OS Story. The result of this job: they know they’ve been outed, they know it was Copley. They go to find Copley, and meanwhile, Copley has given his proof to Dudley Dursley, who then comes to capture them.
The Antagonist wants to use their genetics to make money and save lives.
The Protagonist wants to stop this. And she gets the Story Goal.
It’s not a toss-up. It’s Nile.
Dead Poets Society is another movie with a captivating Protagonist that can get confused for the Main Character. On the other end, The Producers is a movie with two clear contenders and almost no hints! But in both cases, a bit of sleuthing sorts it out.
In this movie, like I said above, we know it’s Nile because we find out information when she finds out information. A good example of this is how she learns what “the signal” is. Everyone else knows, and this is her—as an MC—adjusting to this new role/family.
Andy is the more important of the two with regards to the Story Goal since she’s the Protagonist.
The put a lot of focus on Niles because she is our subjective point of view.
I think her problem revolves around her wanting to see her family, and at the end, she willingly hands over her phone. Are you referring to her following Andy after she sees that the gun isn’t loaded, and it’s set-up? It’s possible that this is part of it, too, since she doesn’t want to be a killer (like she saw Andy do at the church) but here she is going into a fire fight she knows will end with lots of bodies.
Well, Andy and the CIA hander (Copley) could be.
This Goal is a blurry version of the real goal, which is why I think it resonates. Handing out a 100 year sentence is after the Story is over, and it’s a bridge to the next movie.
I think the ending is Good because Nile comes willingly, Andy has found her purpose, Copley is forgiven… these seem good. The punishment is potentially a Cost? It certainly tempers the positive ending.
She abandoned her friend in the ocean after decades (I think they said). Her right hand man betrayed her – I wouldn’t say she abandoned him – and he’s getting what they’ve established as a bad punishment: solitary. Yeah, these are both bleak.