Hello TP fellas.

I don't know if there was a previous topic concerning this, but I couldn't find answers to my questions anywhere regarding Deputy Cliff in FWWM, so here it goes

In the film, Bobby called Jacques because he was out of drugs, so Jacques told him to go to the woods to buy some more. "Midnight, at the sound of sawing wood".
Bobby went to the place later with Laura, only to find Deputy Cliff armed with a gun.
So, was Deputy Cliff a dirty cop working with drugs? He was Jacque's contact and used to traffic drugs on that place? If so, why did he pulled out his gun, which made Bobby shoot him? And later, according to the movie's script, we find out that the bag of cocaine he was holding was full of baby laxative or something.
So this was clearly a set up. But why would Jacques send Bobby and Laura to a set up, since they were both his buyers?
There's also a possibility of Jacques didn't know the whole thing was a set up. His real contact, that used to sell drugs on that spot got caught by the police, and the police sent a disguised cop, Cliff Howard, to arrest the two buyers that were coming that night, so they would give in Jacques. But it's strange that the police would sent an officer alone to do this. There's always the chance of something go wrong, that's why there's always more officers around, hidden.
As soon as Bobby shot Cliff, the other officers should shot he and Laura or just arrest them for drug use and for shooting a cop. I'm confused with all this, does anyone know what really happened on that scene?

I don't know that you'll be able to find a defninitive version of what happened, but the way I've always taken it is:

1. Both Cliff and Sheriff Cable were dirty cops who were involved in drug dealing, which accounts for their dislike of FBI agents and their attempts to keep the agents out of their business.

2. Jacques set up the drug deal between Bobby and Cliff. Jacques might have known Cliff was a cop, but he probably didn't know that Cliff planned to sell Bobby fake cocaine and/or kill him.

3. Cliff's plan was probably to show Bobby the bag of fake cocaine to make himself look legit but then kill Bobby to get the money without having to even bring any real cocaine with him.

4. As we know, in the finished cut of the film, we never actually find out that the cocaine was baby laxitive, but the rest of the scenario still fits if the audience believes it's real cocaine. Cliff's plan was still to kill Bobby and get the money.

Hmm, thanks for clearing that up. Indeed, Cliff seemed like a not very trustful person, it's possible that he and Sheriff Cable were mixed up with drug traffic. Perhaps Jacques even knew Cliff had no intention to sell Bobby real cocaine, but it was good that they kept Bobby out of coke, so Laura had to come after Leo and Jacques whenever she felt like using it, so she would have to exchange it for sex at the cabin. Jacques was not a very attractive man, maybe that was the only way for him to get a girl like Laura. I don't know, when they're both talking on the phone (Bobby and Jacques) it feels like Jacques is planning something on his own behalf, by the way he talks.