He vows to do what it takes to defend America from terrorist acts even if it means loosing his own life. So he pays Jack $10 million to hack into the bank and get him $9.5 billion so he can defend America from terrorists. There are many different twists and turns that play out as the movie unfolds. This movie is different from the typical hero theme that is usually portrayed. It adds a new twist portraying the two Heroes through the movie; both conflicting with each other but yet helping each other reach their goal. This fact is why this is an interesting theme depicting the hero myth.
This movie portrays the hero myth via two of the main characters, Jack and Gabriel; both come to be heroes in the end of the movie. They both portray a hero in a different way, each striving towards their goal. Jack's goal being to get custody of his daughter thus playing the patriarchal hero role. While Gabriel's patriotic hero role involves getting enough money to fight terrorism to protect the American life, as we know it. Jack will fit the typical hero role much better than Gabriel will but Gabriel is a hero in the end in a much different way than Jack is. .
There are several different steps that a hero must go through to become a hero in the eyes of the audience. The first is being a hero must come from an ordinary life, doing ordinary things for a living. This is done so that we the audience can relate to the hero. Jack comes from an ordinary life. He is a convicted felon who wants custody of his daughter. He can't ever touch a computer again or he will go back to jail. " Do not pass go and do not collect $200" is how he states this matter. He greases oil jacks for a living; this is something that is very mundane and would be considered a normal boring, dull living. Gabriel doesn't fit this category very well. He is a rich man who gets everything he wants when he wants. He by no means lives an ordinary life, but he is a secret agent of the United States government, which alone makes his life not ordinary.
