Bill asks, What makes Helm hard-boiled? Well, Matt is a tough
professional
killer, trained by and working for the US government, and he
makes no bones
about his job or his abilities. Even in this story, when
various characters
question his reliability and worthiness, Helm dismisses their
complaints
and acts to continue his mission -- even after he complained
about having
to take it. Once he starts a job, he's determined to finish
it. It's a
dirty job, but he's damned well gonna do it to the best of
his considerable
abilities.
Another facet of the hard-boiled: He doesn't let his interest
in the weepy
daughter distract him from his mission -- to "touch" her
father. True, he
tries to camouflage his attempt, but he knows his mission and
he fully
expects to complete it. His own survival -- and that of any
incidental
innocents -- is second to the mission. -- Duane
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