SPOILER ALERT: This article reveals scenes and plot points from the 2017 film, “Get Out.” Exit this page now if you plan to watch the film and don’t want to ruin any of the surprises.
I enjoyed this year’s strange, chilling, and thought-provoking film “Get Out” which was written and directed by Jordan Peele. I won’t get too deep into the plot, but I want to blog about two scenes that really caught my attention as a wrestling lover: the Sleeper Hold scenes!
Less than three minutes into the flick and it’s already earned my Thumbs Up.
The film opens with a man wandering lost in a strange neighborhood at night. Out of the shadows, a mysterious figure pounces on our hapless wanderer, locking him in the Sleeper Hold that you see here, and putting him out! It happens fast, nothing is explained, then we jump to a totally different story-line.
(Sorry for the poor lighting — I tried to brighten it when I made this animation.)
Now obviously, I would’ve preferred them to be shirtless in trunks and boots and in a ring if they’re going to show us a Sleeper Hold. And some close-up views of the victim’s face would’ve made it more exciting.
But in spite of these minor flaws, I found this Sleeper to be a really pleasant surprise. It made me love “Get Out” right from the start. Am I the only one who felt turned on by this sudden, unexpected Sleeper scene?
Maybe I’ve just been conditioned to react positively to Sleeper Holds after seeing them used so often in the hottest pro wrestling matches. Or maybe there is just something inherently erotic about the Sleeper — one man embracing another in his flexing arms, owning and controlling him, making him go all limp and submissive against his will.
When the director of “Get Out” shot this opening scene, did he specifically tell the actors: “Guys, try to make it feel erotic — give that Choke Hold a sexy vibe“?
Or do I simply interpret any actor’s portrayal of vulnerability and submissiveness to have erotic undertones because I watch (and fantasize about) so much pro wrestling?
There is a second and better Sleeper Hold towards the end of “Get Out.” The hero, played by handsome, doe-eyed Daniel Kaluuya, tries to escape from the crazy family that has imprisoned him. The psychotic and over-bearing son, played by pretty-bad-boy Caleb Landry Jones, tries to prevent his escape with a nice, tight Sleeper.
Desperately grasping the doorknob like a jobber reaching for the ropes
The fact that these two actors are so darn attractive certainly adds to the appeal of this intense Sleeper Hold. I wonder how much they would charge us to see them re-enact this scene in the ring while wearing trunks and boots…
I love it when Caleb Landry Jones kicks the door closed like a boss, emphasizing his victim’s entrapment.
The brother “Jeremy” and the boyfriend “Chris” shared a flirtation earlier in the movie at the dinner table. As they smile and leer at each other, they begin talking about fighting, MMA, judo. They gaze into each other’s eyes and we get the sense that they both have boners and either want to fight or fuck. This growing sexual tension adds to the eroticism of their Sleeper Hold at the end of the film.
The scene is intended to let us know that Jeremy is a bit sadistic — that he enjoys fighting and is probably well-trained. The scene also presents the black man, Chris, as a piece of meat that each of the white people want to exploit for their own pleasure. The sister is into him, and now we get the sense that the brother may be into him too, for either violence, pleasure, or both.
After she goes to sleep, why don’t you slip into my room.
Here is what Jeremy says to Chris as the rest of the family sits and watches:
“With your frame and your genetic make-up, if you really pushed your body — I mean really train, you know. No pussy-footin’ around — you’d be a FUCKING BEAST.”
The tension overwhelms Jeremy. He gets up from the table and puts his arms around Chris, challenging him to wrestle right at the dinner table in front of the whole family. The mom breaks it up — it seems like moms are always preventing boys from having a little tussle, from exploring the male-male bond.
OK back to Sleeper Scene #2. So Jeremy finally gets to wrestle Chris at the end of the film. We get those close-up views that I was craving at the beginning. Daniel Kaluuya sells the fuck out of this Sleeper, his eyelids drooping, his face relaxing. He gives us a little whimper which is priceless, and we hear sound effects of a rope or cable being drawn taut.
A recurring theme in “Get Out” is the entrapment of this black man by the white family. They drive him out to their isolated home in the woods, hypnotize him, restrain him in a chair, etc. What better move than the Sleeper Hold to convey his helplessness in the arms of his captor?
The Sleeper Hold conveys a sense of ownership and domination. It also perfectly depicts the tension between male sexual desire and the denial of this socially inappropriate desire that underpins all combat sports (and was touched upon during the dinner scene in Get Out.)
One man embraces the other tightly as if he desires him, but at the same time, puts him to sleep to render him inert and motionless, destroying all sexual potential. The Sleeper Hold both acts out the sexual urge while also preventing it moments later.
I don’t think tapping out is going to save you.
In a gruff, whispering voice, Caleb Landry Jones begins to count out his victim: “One Mississippi… Two Mississippi… Three Mississippi…”
That killed me. I love the slow count out as he pours on the pressure, tightening the Sleeper as his victim’s legs go limp.
I always enjoy when pro wrestling makes an appearance in mainstream media, and this Sleeper Hold depiction was definitely Oscar worthy. It sure had me on the edge of my seat as I watched cocky, flirty Caleb Landry Jones totally owning the beautiful Baby-Face, Daniel Kaluuya. Am I the only wrestling fan who noticed and enjoyed this intense scene? It makes me want to go watch Get Out all over again.
Dolph Ziggler (one of the hottest guys in WWE) suffering and getting put to sleep is great to watch.
Caleb Landry Jones was so gross-looking in that film! It was weird, I thought, because they were supposed to be the quintessential nuclear white American family but then why was the son so weird? I felt like they needed to cast someone like Armie Hammer (think “The Social Network”) in that role.
Not that Caleb Landry Jones is bad-looking. He was very cute in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” What a difference some grooming makes!
Never seen the movie but just based on the eyes alone this Daniel Kaluuya guy would make the perfect jobber boy in the ring!!! I wish he’d take his shirt off though!!!