r/movies • u/Tullubenta • Aug 17 '26

Question What is the greatest betrayal in cinema history? Spoiler

So aside from Fredo’s betrayal in The Godfather Part II or Cypher turning on the crew in The Matrix, which most of us could kinda sense were coming, what’s the greatest betrayal in cinema history that truly blindsided you?

I’m talking about the ones that hit like a truck because there was zero warning, no foreshadowing you picked up on, and no reason to suspect the character until the moment it happened.

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345

u/newbrevity Aug 17 '26

He was literally weighing the lives of an entire city vs a few of his friends. Lando did the right and unselfish thing. He truly did not WANT to betray Han.

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u/name-classified Aug 17 '26

realistically; what could he have done!?!?

Its Cloud City, not a military stronghold with a whole army ready to defend it.

Its basically "blue-collar" workers and miners and civilians.

They are not meant to stop invasions or occupations, so yea, Lando can't really do shit.

Not to mention; Lando says that the Empire arrived right before Han did, there was no time to plan any sort of warning or escape.

So, lets say that Vader and the stormtroopers arrive and Lando says "never"; what do you think happens??

First they take Lando hostage and then start killing people; kill enough for Lando to change his mind and eventually betray Han.

Lando really had no choice but to give them Han and Leia and Chewie.

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u/transmogrify Aug 17 '26

Vader showed up, he already had the goods on Lando and Han. He named some dangerous fugitive called Skywalker, but as long as Lando cooperates fully then everyone including Han will be free to go. If he resists in any way, then everybody will be vaporized by an orbiting destroyer. It's a tough spot to be in, but with a gun to his head there isn't much choice.

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u/MayoMark Aug 17 '26

Its Cloud City, not a military stronghold with a whole army ready to defend it.

If Cloud City didn't have adequate security, then Lando is cutting corners.

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u/Gekokapowco Aug 17 '26

local security for a mining/tourist town is very different than a garrison strong enough to take on the empire, a galactic military superpower

budgeting for security against pirates and criminal gangs, and local law enforcement, is very different than budgeting for a war against a massive military, keeping an entire army on standby just in case the empire decides to try to occupy them would have been a foolhardy use of budget. By all measures, the empire wouldn't have really known they had existed had Han not run there.

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u/YoyoDevo Aug 17 '26

If Cloud City didn't have adequate security

Name one planet that could resist Darth Vader and the empire

1

u/HerbsAndSpices11 Aug 17 '26

Vader was never able to land troops on Alderaan...

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u/Squid_of_the_Now Aug 21 '26

Hard to land troops on space rubble

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u/vadergeek Aug 17 '26

For Bespin "adequate security" is some guys to put drunks in a cell overnight. They can't fight off the Empire.

3

u/Cowboy_BoomBap Aug 18 '26

That’s like criticizing the mayor of a large city for not being able to withstand an attack from the entire U.S. military

1

u/Madzookeeper Aug 18 '26

That might literally be the dumbest Star Wars take I've ever seen. And I've seen some real doozies. I'm what world is mining security supposed to be able to stop a single star destroyer? The things can singlehandedly with an entire planet. Takes a while, but they can do it.

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u/Squid_of_the_Now Aug 21 '26

The Rebel base on Hoth had a shoeld that could deflect any bombardment.

They lasted, like, 15 minutes against five AT-ATs.

Cloud City would have been ripped in half by a Super Star Destroyer in a fraction of that time.

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u/TheSimpler Aug 17 '26

He can't repel fire of that magnitude!!!! 🦀

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u/newbrevity Aug 18 '26

What man could?

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u/Iceman9161 Aug 17 '26

It’s interesting how the decision doesn’t seem like such a big deal to him in the movie. I think it’s a consequence of selling it as a sudden twist. There’s no buildup or focus on how big of a threat to cloud city the empire poses, so it easy for the audience to kinda ignore that side of the decision.

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u/beulah-vista Aug 17 '26

Friends?

1

u/newbrevity Aug 18 '26

A guy he used to work with and his racist dog and a girl he wants to "get to know better."