When I start out to make a fool of myself, there's very little can stop me. If I'd known where it would end, I'd never let anything start, if I'd been in my right mind, that is. But once I'd seen her, once I'd seen her, I was not in my right mind for quite some time...me, with plenty of time and nothing to do but get myself in trouble. Some people can smell danger, not me.
At the beginning of the move, Michael self-characterizes himself rather harshly, letting the person who watches the film get an idea of who he really is. Michael is naïve and kind-hearted, falling in love immediately with Rosalie. What Michael fails to see, is how dangerous she is and thus he can’t foresee the troubles he will get into because of her. But even if he would have known from the first moment he saw her what kind of person she is, there still remains the question if he would have done something different or maybe just do the same mistakes because of her. He is unable to see the bad in Rosalie but he is also unable to stop himself from falling for her even when he notices the bad parts in her.
Personally, I don't like a girlfriend to have a husband. If she'll fool her husband, I figure she'll fool me...The boob that I am, I thought I could escape her.
Despite knowing that there is a possibility of Elsa cheating him too in some way just like she did her husband, Michael still followed her and admitted that he runs after a married woman. It is clear from this that at least at a subconscious level, Michael was aware of the risks of getting into a relationship with a woman who was already taken. He knew that something could happen to him, that Elsa could cheat on him too but he chose nevertheless to run after her and become manipulated by her.
That's how I found her, and from that moment on, I did not use my head very much, except to be thinking of her.
From the moment Michael meet Elsa, he became so infatuated with her that he completely lost himself. She became the only thing he could think about, and this obsession clouded his judgment. Michael openly admits that he did not use his head, except to think about Elsa and a hint of regret can be felt when he says those lines. What Michael probably realizes looking back at the events that he recalls is that many unfortunate things could have been avoided if only he would have used his head to think about what she may have hide and what are Grisby’s motives when he asks to help him fake his own death.
What's a tough guy?...A guy with an edge...A gun or a knife, a nightstick, or a razor, somethin' the other guy ain't got. Yeah, a little extra reach on a punch, a set of brass knuckles, a stripe on the sleeve, a badge that says cop on it, a rock in your hand, or a bankroll in your pocket. That's an edge, brother. Without an edge, there ain't no tough guy.
Money can represent the highest type of power and Jake understands this despite being a seaman. Arthur has an "edge", the money he possesses and the influence he has and it proves to be the highest biggest type of power. Physical power can be too an edge, but if it not used with intelligence, it can lead towards a man’s downfall as it did in Michael’s case, who relied too much on his physical power and didn’t think things through.
