An Act of God: My favourite cutscene in RE4R
The cutscene where Ashley has to resist shooting Leon is my favourite cutscene in the entire franchise - it always sticks in my mind, it’s so visceral, so I wanted to drop some thoughts here.
DISCLAIMERS: Obviously we are taking game events with a pinch of salt, imagining that your behaviour as the player aligns with Leon’s intentions, and that dying doesn’t happen to him in-character. You may think that this is an over-analysis of a fleeting moment, but I think media is always more enjoyable when you take it seriously and interact with it earnestly. So here we are!
The Only Act of God in Resident Evil 4
The interesting thing about this scene, I think, is that relief never comes, even after we see that Leon is safe. Ashley does aim at Leon, she does pull the trigger. Ashley could not resist the plaga's mind control anymore - from here on out, something sinister bubbles. This scene serves as a turning point in the misson - we are shown that mental strength isn't enough to resist the plaga anymore.
You have to take a moment to consider the unbelievable odds of the gun jamming. This only happened once the entire game, we know the gun was in working order until now, and it shoots perfectly fine after the scene. I’ve seen arguments about Ashley’s shooting technique causing a misfire, and sure, that could be the case, but this is just the way I like to interpret this moment artistically.
The ONLY reason Leon didn’t die here was this luck - Ashley did pull the trigger - a sort of divine intervention, some miracle where the bullet doesn’t fly. You’re forced to acknowledge this when you hear the gun click. In a more objective sense: the mission failed right here. This moment should have been the end. In Leon’s mind, this should have played as the biggest failure in his entire career. I wish this was harped on more in the game, honestly. Saddler won against Leon here…. but he didn’t win against whatever invisible force jammed the gun. I like to think of this moment as an act of god - the only genuine act of god we see in the entire game.
I think that a game based around cults, worship, and religion having its only on-screen divine act happening to the forces opposing that religion is actually really really interesting. All the stuff we’ve seen Saddler/los illuminados do is based in science and manipulation of the plaga, the game does a lot to position the actual forces behind the cult’s control as purely scientific. It can all be biologically explained (in-universe) and even Saddler knows that - he owes his “divinity” to the plaga infection. He is taking the mantle of god but he isn’t actually divine, he’s co-opting phrases like “sacrificial lamb” to enhance his godly facade, but he knows it’s science. Leon and Ashley's divine survival of this encounter only serves to highlight how much of a sham the cult is - power and control go to the few on top, while the universe itself opposes its evil. It jams the gun. It saves Leon and Ashley.
I’m not trying to canonise god or whatever in RE4R (especially since it’s meant to be set in real life, pretty much) but you cannot ignore the sheer LUCK on display here, whether you want to call that god or coincidence, it was a genuine miracle that Leon didn’t die here. I always think that’s so chilling. Ashley pulled the trigger.
Anyway. That’s my thematic analysis of my favourite cutscene. I love this game.
