A Mexican standoff is a confrontation in which no
strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory.
Any party initiating aggression might trigger its own demise. At the same time, the parties are unable to extricate themselves from the situation without suffering a loss. As a result, all participants need to maintain the strategic tension, which remains unresolved until some outside event or interparty dialogue makes it possible to resolve it.
The term ''Mexican standoff'' was originally used in the context of using firearms and it still commonly implies a situation in which the parties face some form of threat from the other parties. The Mexican standoff is a recurring
trope in cinema, in which several armed characters hold each other at gunpoint.
Etymology
Sources claim the reference is to the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the ...
or post-war Mexican bandits in the 19th century.
The earliest use of the phrase in print was on 19 March 1876, in a short story about Mexico. An American is being held up by a Mexican bandit, with the outcome:
Popular culture
In
popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
, the term ''Mexican standoff'' is sometimes used in reference to confrontations in which neither opponent appears to have a measurable advantage. Historically, commentators have used the term to reference the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
–
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
nuclear confrontation during the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
, specifically the
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
of 1962. The key element that makes such situations ''Mexican standoffs'' is the equality of power exercised amongst the involved parties.
The inability of any particular party to advance its position safely is a condition common amongst all standoffs; in a "Mexican standoff," however, there is an additional disadvantage: no party has a safe way to ''withdraw'' from its position, thus making the standoff effectively permanent.
In financial circles, the Mexican standoff is typically used to denote a situation where one side wants something, a concession of some sort, and is offering nothing of value. When the other side sees no value in agreeing to any changes, they refuse to negotiate. Although both sides may benefit from the change, neither side can agree to adequate compensation for agreeing to the change, and nothing is accomplished.
A Mexican standoff where each party is threatening another with a gun is now considered a movie
cliché
A cliché ( or ) is an element of an artistic work, saying, or idea that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being weird or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was consi ...
, stemming from its frequent use as a
plot device in cinema. The classic exemplar of the trope is in
Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
's 1966 Western ''
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'', where the eponymous characters, played by
Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...
,
Lee Van Cleef and
Eli Wallach, face each other in a showdown.
[Buckmaster, Luke. "The lasting legacy of ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly''," BBC.com, Wednesday 10 February 2016.](_blank)
Retrieved October 26,2018
Director
John Woo, considered a major influence on the
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...
genre, is known for his highly chaotic action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and frequent use of
slow motion.
Director
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
(who has cited Woo as an influence) has featured Mexican standoff scenes in films including ''
Inglourious Basterds'' (the tavern scene features multiple Mexican standoffs including meta-discussion) and ''
Reservoir Dogs'', which depicts a standoff between four characters in the climactic scene.
See also
References
External links
{{Wiktionary
English-language idioms
Cinematic techniques
Dilemmas
Slang
Violence
English phrases
Phrases