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How do you shoot the devil in the back? What if you miss?

— Verbal Kint • The Usual Suspects

A brass bullet casing stands upright on scorched wood against a deep red glow.
Original artwork
Behind the line May contain spoilers.

Our reading

An editorial interpretation.

This question turns confrontation into a nightmare scenario. Shooting the devil comes up first, but the second sentence introduces doubt, imagining the catastrophe of a missed shot. Fear and hypothetical failure sit right behind the opening line.

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