Rithwikipedia

Finally, I saw 'The Dark Knight' and 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na'. Both the movies got me thinking on tangents.

Just before the credits roll in JTYJN the camera pans on to an old guy waiting(outside an airport) holding a board with 'Mr.Godot' written on it. Which is interesting because 'Waiting for Godot' is a play by Samuel Beckett. The play has two guys waiting for a Mr.Godot in vain. Does the filmmaker, at the happy end of a romantic film, want to convey that waiting for Love is just useless? Bleak, no? Well, maybe he just wants to convey that a long wait is often necessary.

But since these are not topics I am comfortable with, we move on to TDK:

In the movie, Joker puts bombs on two ferries with the respective remotes on the other ferry. Each ferry could save itself by detonating the bomb on the other ferry. Failing which he would explode both the bombs. In this situation it is quite clear what the players should do. Logically, each ferry had to press the button and destroy the other ferry, before they themselves are blown apart. Incidentally the ferries had humans on them, who typically use emotion to make decisions. They preferred being dead rather than live with blood on their hands. But since this is a Batman movie after all, the dark knight comes, stops the Joker and saves the day. Conversely, since this is not a Bollywood movie, he doesn't get the woman.

Though there is no dilemma here, it is interesting to see how it is not one. Also, it always helps if you know what to say to the cops, when you and your dealer are rounded up.

The classic 'Prisoner's Dilemma' is defined as:

Two suspects are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal. If one testifies ("defects") for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence. Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent. Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation. How should the prisoners act?

The payoff matrix:

Which in ‘win-lose’ terminology looks like this:

While in the situation at hand, which is not a dilemma, the payoff matrix becomes:

And therefore:

Contrary to the classic dilemma, if both the players choose not to hurt the other, they both lose. There is no incentive for co-operation, which is why they should have pressed the buttons, just as soon as they got it. They depended too much on the Batman, which is a foolproof strategy in the movies. The real world consequences are ill researched for now.

Anyway, keep watching movies and getting high. Just don't get busted!

P.S. Check out the external links in the Wiki article for more fascinating reads. Especially, the Bowerbird’s dilemma!