Bartending 101 - The International

This past weekend, I took advantage of Hollywood Video's "Buy Two - Get Two Free" purchase program for previously-viewed films.
If you haven't seen The International - it's aight.

But the thing that stuck in my mind was the premise of one's debt being more valuable than their money.
Don Corleone used this concept to his advantage in the Godfather films. The two major parties use this concept to rule the country.

Most of my childhood was fairly diverse.
The more people I met - the more people I'd meet.
I heard of a bartender who had a similar upbringing.
This enabled the bartender to act as a facilitator for many things between many disparate groups or individuals.

Need a child abuser taught a lesson? I heard of just the right guys.
Need a plan to deliver goods between San Pedro and Vegas? I heard of just the right guys for that too.
Need to get someone out of a hostile situation? Yep, I hear there are people who can get this done.
Need military grade weapons delivered from a guy who sells weapons to "collectors"? I heard of just the right "esse". (Really a South African (S.A. = esse) that would be called "esse" to confuse anyone who may be looking into arms smuggling.)
(Note - this is hearsay and I can't remember any details or names of individuals.)

But this bartender I heard of - he could make all these deals (and many more) happen. He never collected a fee for his services. He would just go to lunch, invite the interested guests, explain the plan (Usually in the form of a short story) , and then leave. All the details were then between the two parties alone. If any charges were brought against the guy - he could plausibly deny any knowledge of any illegal activity.

But the parties always felt indebted to this guy I heard of. They would come to the bar at which we worked and tip the guy ridiculous amounts. He would then refuse the tips - only to have the people "sneak" the tips into another tip jar.

But the parties trusted the guy and valued his advice. Since the guy didn't accept any fee - they always felt indebted to him. No matter what the guy needed - it was taken care of (Often without the guy even knowing who solved his problems.).

I heard the guy realized that even if it wasn't him pulling the trigger - he was still partially responsible for any damage done. I heard that the guy moved to another town halfway across the country and is attempting to make life better for those he meets.

The International gets ***1/2 (three and a half stars).