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Butterfly's Bullet: One Shot Shatters Justice & Souls

In *Butterfly* (1982), a single gunshot echoes through a Nevada silver mine, unraveling Jess Tyler's fragile world of incestuous secrets, betrayal, and forbidden love. Stacy Keach's tormented caretaker clashes with Pia Zadora's fiery Kady in this steamy noir thriller, where one bullet ignites chaos, exposes family rot, and questions justice's fragile hold. Directed by Matt Cimber, it's a pulpy dive into the soul's darkest impulses, proving one trigger can doom generations.

crime, drama, noir, Butterfly 1982, Stacy Keach, Pia Zadora, Orson Welles, incest, betrayal, silver mine, justice, chaos, bullet, vengeance, family secrets, forbidden love, Nevada, thriller, melodrama, corruption, greed, redemption, power, loyalty, tragedy, passion, violence, conspiracy, survival, morality, scandal, legacy, doom

#Butterfly1982 #BulletChaos #ShatteredJustice

One bullet shattered justice—what chaos would yours unleash?
Transcript
00:00Have you ever had that feeling, that sort of unsettling moment where you realize
00:04the order you, you know, thought was running your life is maybe just, well, paper thin, an illusion?
00:11Oh, absolutely. Or that sharp sting of a trail, maybe. And you start wondering
00:14how much of that break was actually there all along, just hiding.
00:17Exactly. And that brings us right to today's deep dive. We're looking at the 2005 film Chaos.
00:24Now, on the surface, yeah, it looks like a pretty standard crime thriller.
00:28It really does. You see Statham, Snipes, Bank Heist. You think you know what you're getting.
00:34But trust us, there's so much more going on here. This movie, it's not really just about a bank heist.
00:40It's digging into something deeper, something kind of chilling. It's about how much we rely on this
00:45idea of order and how that reliance makes everything, well, fragile. It argues that real chaos,
00:51the dangerous kind, often doesn't just burst out of nowhere.
00:55Right. It's not always the obvious external threat.
00:57No, it festers inside institutions, inside people. And it really comes out when trust
01:02craptures suddenly the bad guys. They might actually be the systems we thought we could
01:06count on.
01:06That's the core of it, isn't it? That unsettling inversion.
01:09Yeah. So our mission today is to unpack all that, to dig into the film's philosophy,
01:15find those little nuggets of truth about us, about human nature, and why this movie still
01:21feels relevant.
01:21It really does linger, doesn't it?
01:23Yeah.
01:23Chaos isn't one you just watch and forget. It sticks with you.
01:26Definitely. So as we get into this, maybe think about it in your own life.
01:31How much of the order you see around you feels solid, feels real, and how much might just be
01:38an illusion we're all holding on to?
01:39That's a powerful way to start.
01:40Yeah.
01:41And yeah, chaos. It doesn't just tell a story. It kind of throws you into this psychological whirlpool
01:47where justice, betrayal, human error, they all just collide.
01:51Yeah, it's messy.
01:52Very. And while maybe some people dismissed it back then, you know, just another procedural,
01:57its impact lasts because it asks these huge universal questions about truth, about our systems,
02:02how fragile they are, and maybe the film's most, I don't know, biting truth is that our desperate
02:08need for control as people, as a society, that's our biggest weakness. It makes us vulnerable to
02:15the exact chaos we're trying so hard to avoid.
02:18Wow, yeah. That's a twist.
02:22So this deep dive, it's about pulling out those insights from a movie that maybe got overlooked,
02:28especially this whole idea of what the film calls the lie of control.
02:32To lie of control. I like that.
02:33Yeah. We're peeling back layers today, getting into the uncomfortable stuff, maybe.
02:38The truths it shows us about ourselves and the structures we built.
02:41Okay, so let's start unpacking this with the main guy, Detective Quentin Connors.
02:45Jason Statham plays him, but maybe not the Jason Statham you're immediately pictured.
02:49It's not Transporter Statham, is it?
02:50Not at all. If you're expecting that sort of, you know, invincible action hero, this is different,
02:55much different. Connors here, he's introduced as this guy who's basically been exiled.
03:00Scandal in his past, haunted by mistakes.
03:03Yeah, carrying a lot of baggage.
03:04A ton. But he gets pulled back in, reluctantly. There's this bank heist. Seems straightforward at
03:11first, but it just spirals fast into something way more complicated and deeply personal for him.
03:19You feel that history on him immediately.
03:21Oh yeah. You meet him and you instantly sense it. He's weary, he's abrasive, definitely scarred by
03:27whatever happened before, but he still has this code.
03:31Yeah.
03:31You see it. Though as things go on, that code seems to get pretty frayed.
03:36Tested. Definitely.
03:37Tested is a good word. He's like this paradox, you know, in a leather jacket. He breaks rules,
03:42but he got crucified by the rules he used to follow. He seems loyal deep down, but he's branded a traitor.
03:46It's a complex setup for a character.
03:48And Statham really nails it. He gives Connors this grit, but there's no glory in it. There's
03:53strength, but zero certainty. There's rage, yeah, but it doesn't really resolve anything for him.
03:58It's bottled up.
03:59Exactly. He's showing us a cop who isn't invincible at all. He's fractured. You see the vulnerability
04:04under the muscle, the sensitivity behind that tough exterior, those world-weary sighs he does.
04:10They say so much.
04:12Like the silence is louder than any action sequence.
04:15Precisely. It hints at this deep hurt he's carrying. It's really compelling.
04:19And what's really fascinating, I think, is how the film takes this big abstract idea, chaos theory,
04:25right, and grounds it immediately in something really personal, almost mundane in a way.
04:31A cop's career going sideways.
04:33Right. It's not just math equations. It's his life.
04:35Exactly. Connors' whole career got blown up by one decision. One choice. A single catastrophic
04:41moment that didn't just wreck his life. It got him kicked out, basically. Exiled.
04:46And that one moment is the key.
04:48It embodies the film's take on chaos theory perfectly. And chaos theory isn't just, you
04:53know, small things having big effects. It's more about how systems, even ones that seem
04:57predictable, deterministic systems, can become totally unpredictable over time.
05:02Like a tiny change throws everything off.
05:03Exactly. A tiny change in the initial conditions leads to massively different outcomes.
05:08Catastrophic ones. Often. And for Connors, that single decision, maybe a partner for trade,
05:14a line crossed, a bad shot, it creates these ripples.
05:17You're a reversible ripples.
05:17Totally. They spread out, turn into this catastrophe that changes everything.
05:22Not just for him, but for everyone around him. And you see him, he's desperately trying
05:27to impose order on this chaotic world.
05:30You're biting against the tide.
05:31Yeah, but here's the paradox. His past actions, even his current methods, they kind of embody
05:38disorder. He's hunting criminals, sure, but he mirrors their desperation sometimes, their
05:44drive, even their willingness to bend rules or smash them.
05:48And it becomes what he fights.
05:50In a way. His whole story, especially that big past mistake, it's like a living example
05:54of the butterfly effect. You know, the butterfly wings causing a hurricane. It shows that unpredictable,
05:59spiraling impact of one event.
06:01It makes the science feel really human and tragic.
06:05Exactly. It's a brilliant way to hook you into the bigger themes. Sets the stage perfectly
06:10for the wider societal chaos the film wants to tackle.
06:13Yeah, because that personal chaos we see in Connors, that's just the starting point, isn't
06:17it? The film pulls back pretty quickly to show how his individual fall is kind of reflected
06:21in this much bigger, systemic mess.
06:23Mm-hmm. It infects the institutions.
06:25The very ones that are supposed to protect people. It's a clever way to link the micro
06:30and the macro. So, let's look at the other players here. The ones who really become agents
06:35in this whole unraveling. They show us chaos isn't just one guy's problem.
06:40Absolutely. So, okay. Connors gets partnered up, right, with Shane Decker. Ryan Fleet plays
06:45him. And Decker is immediately set up as the complete opposite of Connors.
06:49The idealist. Totally. He's the eager young detective, believes in the rules, believes in
06:55patterns, believes justice is, you know, clear-cut. He's like orders prize soldier, embodying that
07:01rule book Connors just kind of ignores. Clean slate. Yeah, you see his wide-eyed thing right
07:05away. It's like a blank page, almost. But you watch him get slowly stained, I guess.
07:11Yeah. By the reality he sees unfolding in this case. It just keeps spiraling.
07:14Fleet does a great job with that transition. He really does. He plays Decker not just as
07:18some naive kid, but more like... Us. Us. The audience surrogate. This guy whose belief
07:24system just starts to crumble. Yeah. You feel it with him. And he gets forced into this
07:28impossible choice, doesn't he? Between the institution he serves, which turns out to be, well, rotten
07:35in places, and this flawed, morally gray guy, Connors, who might actually be the only anchor
07:42in a sea of lies. It's a rough ride for Decker. Rough is putting it mildly. His whole internal
07:48struggle, grappling with how blurry right and wrong become, that's our struggle too, watching it. It's
07:54like seeing innocence lost, but there's a painful kind of beauty in it too, as he confronts that
08:00corruption. And then the other side of the coin, Lorenz. Oh man. Wesley Snipes as Lorenz. What a performance.
08:06Incredible charisma. Almost. Reptilian, like you said. Yeah. He's so much more than just a criminal
08:11mastermind. He calls himself, what, the philosopher king of disorder? Something like that. He speaks
08:16with this chilling intelligence, laying out his whole worldview while he's causing mayhem. And he
08:20kills like a shadow. Just precise. He is chaos, basically. Charming one minute, terrifying the
08:26next. Utterly unforgettable. And what makes him so compelling is he's not just evil for evil's sake.
08:31Yeah, there's a logic there. A twisted one, maybe? He's presented almost as Connors' dark reflection.
08:37Brilliant. Unpredictable. Operating by some hidden code that you only really understand at the very
08:42end, when everything comes crashing down. He seems to think real power comes from understanding
08:47weakness. Exactly. Weaknesses in systems. And exploiting them. Surgically, he believes he's
08:54forcing some kind of uncomfortable truth out through destruction. His philosophy isn't just talk
08:58either. Not at all. It's in how he operates. Meticulous. Almost artistic. The way he dismantles
09:05trust. He's not just robbing banks. He's doing these surgical strikes on the city's psyche.
09:09And specifically on the police department's ego. Oh, yeah. Exposing their weaknesses, their
09:14corruption piece by piece. Snipes is just mesmerizing. He's not a thug. He's a ghost.
09:19A manipulator. His brain is his deadliest weapon. He gives chaos a face. And it's smart and calculated
09:25and, yeah, unforgettable. And it forces you to ask that question. Yeah. Who's the real agent
09:30of chaos here? Is it Lorenz orchestrating it all to expose something? Or is it the system
09:34itself creating the conditions for him through its own lies and compromises? That is a deeply
09:39unsettling question. And it leads us right to Captain Martin Jenkins. Henry Cerny plays him.
09:45Uh, Jenkins. The institutional face. Exactly. That polished authority, but underneath
09:51just layers of corruption. These, this quiet, chilling reminder that chaos doesn't always look
09:58chaotic, right? It doesn't always scream from the streets. Sometimes it wears a suit. And a badge. It festers
10:04inside the institutions that are supposed to uphold order. Jenkins is like the ultimate betrayal,
10:09really. Chaos in uniform. Proving the real enemy isn't always the one declaring war openly. No.
10:14It's the one controlling the story from the shadows, making sure they come out okay, no matter the cost
10:18to anyone else. And Cerny is brilliant. Masterclass in Menace. Yeah. That calm, collected vibe he has.
10:25It's not integrity. It's a mask. Covering up a soul that checked out long ago. It makes the corruption
10:30feel almost ordinary. Mundane. Which somehow makes it even scarier. More insidious. Totally. It's a
10:37stark reminder, isn't it? The most dangerous monsters sometimes are the ones in authority.
10:42Their actions get systemically justified, making them so hard to root out. So you've got all these
10:47individuals wrestling with their own versions of order and disorder. Yeah. And they all become these
10:53threads woven into this bigger picture of systemic chaos. Let's dig into how their relationships,
11:00how they interact, really bring out the film's core ideas. Yeah. Let's connect those dots. I mean,
11:05if we look at the bigger picture, that relationship between Connors and Decker,
11:11it's way more than just mentor rookie, isn't it? Oh, much more. It feels deeper, more complex.
11:16Their whole partnership. It's less about solving the crime itself and more about them confronting
11:21this huge question. Where does justice actually come from? Does it come from structure? From following
11:26the rules? Or does it sometimes bubble up from the chaos? From being willing to step outside the lines?
11:32Exactly. It's this really uneasy dance they do. There's distrust, but also this grudging respect
11:37that grows. Decker starts out so idealistic. He does. And he becomes his powerful mirror for Connors'
11:43own contradictions, doesn't he? He's like, Connors lost innocence. Or maybe the version of Connors that could
11:49have existed if he hadn't made that one fateful choice. Before the exile. Right. Their mentorship.
11:55It's not built on, you know, clarity or trust. It's forged in this fire of moral ambiguity. It forces
12:02both of them to constantly question everything they believe in. You really see Decker change,
12:06that shift from certainty to, well, total ambiguity. It's seismic, yeah. His idealism starts cracking as
12:13he sees the reality of the system. And for us watching, that cracking sound, it's like our own
12:19disillusionment. We feel it with him, watching him grapple with the blurred lines, good, evil,
12:24right, wrong. It all gets messy. It embodies that painful beauty of losing innocence when you face the
12:30world's harsh truths. He has to face the institutions he believed in are compromised deeply. And it leaves
12:36him kind of adrift, morally speaking. And then you have the flip side, Connors and Lorenz. That dynamic is
12:41wow. So unsettling. The dark mirror. Exactly. Lorenz isn't just the bad guy. He's deliberately
12:47crafted as Connors dark reflection. He reflects the corruption, the compromises that Connors
12:52himself has either been part of or at least has used in the past. He holds that mirror right up.
12:57He does. Lorenz isn't just trying to get into a vault. He's trying to expose the rotten
13:02foundations of the whole system that's supposed to protect people. And those philosophical jabs he throws.
13:07Like you and I aren't so different, detective. Chilling. Because it feels partly true.
13:14They're more than just villain taunts. They force Connors to look at his own compromises,
13:19his own blurred lines, the stuff that's defined his career. Lorenz is like,
13:24Connors shadow self. The guy who just decided to embrace the chaos instead of fighting it within a
13:30broken system. Weaponize it even. Right. To expose truth as he sees it. So it's not just hero versus
13:36villain. It's deeper. It's like this philosophical fight. A battle of wits that makes you question
13:41who's really serving what purpose. Yeah. Higher. Darker. Who knows? You wonder if Connors is fighting
13:46Lorenz. Or if he's really fighting a version of himself. A ghost of what he could have become if he'd
13:52gone down a different road. Yeah. The tension isn't just stop the crime. It's can this man face his own
13:57reflection. Face the abyss inside. And what's really striking is how that theme of betrayal,
14:04which runs so deep in chaos, connects directly to the idea of chaos theory. Also. While the film
14:09just meticulously shows you every gunshot, every lie, every betrayal, every shocking reveal,
14:17it all builds relentlessly towards one truth. Which is? That the line between law and crime,
14:22between order and disorder. It's not a solid wall. It's not fixed. It's like a thread. A really delicate
14:29thread. And once it snaps, once trust is completely broken, everything just unravels. Control is just
14:34an illusion. The grandest illusion, the film seems to say. Yeah. And maybe the most dangerous one. It
14:39shows us morality isn't this fixed line in the sand. It's more like a shifting landscape. It gets
14:44reshaped constantly by betrayals, by greed, by desperate choices people make just to survive. And that
14:49betrayal becomes devastatingly personal when we find out who Lorenz really is. Oh, absolutely. The
14:53source notes highlight this. When his real motives come out, it's not just revenge for a brother.
14:58That's part of it, maybe. But the deeper truth, he's the ghost of Connor's own past. A former partner.
15:05Exactly. That just twists the night, doesn't it? Betrayal isn't just an external thread anymore. It's
15:10internal. A self-inflicted wound, almost. The chaos becomes a direct result of their shared history,
15:17their past betrayal. It's not just outside forces causing the collapse. No. It's the internal
15:22fractures, the past betrayals, that inevitably bubble up and cause the whole thing to unravel
15:26externally. It's deeply interconnected. Wow. That revelation about Lorenz's identity really does
15:32change everything. Makes it so much more tragic. Personal. So, okay, we've seen this whole intricate
15:38dance of destruction, illusions crumbling. What does it all mean for us, for the viewers, after the movie
15:44ends? Well, ultimately, I think chaos really goes beyond just being an adrenaline-pumping crime
15:49movie. You know, it becomes this meditation, really, on what it costs us to cling to control
15:54and the inherent instability of everything. It really does. And it reminds us, kind of viscerally,
16:00that betrayal. It's not just a plot twist to shock you, something fundamental as part of the chaos
16:05woven into us, into our DNA, maybe. The universal ache of broken trust. Yeah. Which,
16:11ironically, kind of makes us human, right? It highlights how vulnerable we are,
16:15how we can be incredibly loyal, but also capable of, well, profound betrayal. And the film doesn't
16:22give easy answers. No, not at all. And that's part of why it sticks with you. There's no clean
16:27resolution. Connors, he goes through hell, but he doesn't exactly win in the traditional sense. He
16:32finds something else. Clarity. Clarity, exactly. But it's a terrifying kind of clarity, isn't it?
16:38He's forced to accept the world is unstable, that order is temporary, that the best he can do is
16:44maybe choose his chaos, understand its patterns instead of letting it swamp him. It's a harsh
16:50truth, not a neat ending. Right. And it leaves you, the viewer, with this big question, doesn't it?
16:55How often do we do that? Cling to the illusion of control in our own lives, jobs, relationships,
17:00plans only to get slammed by reality when the unexpected hits. Which it always does eventually.
17:05Always. It's a question that definitely echoes long after the movie's over. And what's really
17:09interesting, going back to what you said about fractures, the film almost suggests that those
17:14breaks, those imperfections that define us, they aren't just flaws to hide. No, there may be the
17:20places where the light gets in, where truth or self-awareness, or maybe even real growth can happen.
17:26It asks this really brave question. Okay, the system you trusted, turns out it's the crime scene
17:30that people sworn to protect, are the betrayers. So, what do you become then, as an individual?
17:37That's a heavy question. It is, because it's not just good versus evil anymore. That's too
17:42simple for what chaos is exploring. It's more like the complex math of human nature. The chaos
17:48theory of the heart, you could say. Chaos theory of the heart, I like that. It's about surviving
17:51the fallout of your own humanity. Navigating the wreckage of broken trust, shattered ideals,
17:57compromised loyalties, all that messy stuff. So, what does strength look like in that world?
18:01Well, the film seems to suggest true strength isn't trying to prevent the storm. Because you
18:06probably can't. The chaos is inherent. Strength is navigating through it with your code intact.
18:11Even if that code gets bent or scarred along the way. Exactly. It might get redefined by experience,
18:17bruised and battered, but it's still there. A guide through the chaos. And that really reframes what a
18:23hero is, doesn't it? Yeah. It's not about winning anymore. No. It's about enduring.
18:28With integrity. Even if that integrity means accepting a much darker, more ambiguous reality
18:34than you started with. And honestly, to really get how these big ideas, these complex themes land
18:40so powerfully, we absolutely have to talk about the performances. They're what make these philosophical
18:46ideas feel so gut punch real. Absolutely crucial. Let's go back to Jason Statham as Connors. Like we said,
18:52this isn't the usual Statham. This is Statham, the actor. Really digging deep into this tormented
18:57soul. He brings that grit, but like you said, no glory. None. There's strength, but no certainty.
19:04Rage, but no resolution. You see it in just how raw he is. Those sighs that say everything.
19:09That explosive anger that you feel is just barely covering up this profound hurt.
19:14Vulnerability wrapped in muscle. Perfect description. Sensitivity behind the stoicism.
19:20He shows us a guy who's learned the hard way that survival and chaos means getting comfortable with
19:25it. Navigating it with this grim acceptance. It's such a powerful layered performance. Really lifts
19:31the whole movie. And then Wesley Snipes as Lorenz. We have to applaud that. Oh, absolutely. Mesmerizing.
19:37That gravitas he brings. That almost slithery charisma. He makes Lorenz completely unforgettable.
19:45Sure. And chillingly intelligent. He's not just a thief. He's a specter. Yeah. A manipulator whose
19:51mind is his real weapon. Snipes makes Lorenz more than just a villain. He's like a chaotic philosopher.
19:57A storm with a soul almost. And he forces us to question the heroes. Constantly. And the systems they
20:02work for. Snipes turn shadows into revelations. Using Lorenz's intellect and actions to just
20:07dissect society's supposed order. He really gives chaos a face. Compelling. Calculated. Unforgettable.
20:13And Ryan Phillip as Decker. He's just as important. Providing that essential contrast.
20:17The counterpoint. Yeah. So Philippe plays Decker with this raw vulnerability. It's almost
20:22heartbreaking sometimes. Watching his journey from certainty to total moral confusion. He does it
20:27with such skill. Such emotional honesty. He's our anchor in the storm. In a way. I think so.
20:33He represents our own idealism getting smashed against the rocks of reality. That cracking resolve
20:38you see in him. It's like the sound of our own disillusionment. He's the emotional core.
20:43Representing that collective loss of innocence. Yeah. The painful beauty of realizing the world
20:48is way more complicated. More ambiguous than you ever wanted it to be. And we definitely can't
20:52forget Henry Turney as Captain Jenkins. No way. So memorable. That masterclass and authoritative
20:58menace. His calmness is what makes the corruption feel so mundane and so much more sinister because
21:05of it. Chillingly proves that the worst monsters can wear badges, right? Operating right inside the
21:10system meant to protect. Making their bad actions seem somehow justified. Systematic. It's the collective
21:17work of this whole cast, really. Yeah. Their artistry is what elevates chaos beyond just a thriller.
21:22It becomes this symphony of the soul. Symphony of the soul. That's good.
21:26They took a bank heist plot and turned it into this poignant, complex character study.
21:31They gave us these men who bleed, who break, who betray. Not for glory, but just to survive.
21:37To hold on to some kind of justice, some kind of code in a world determined to crush it.
21:42Their performances are what burn the story into your mind. Absolutely. Reminding us that in this
21:48uncertain world, maybe our shared humanity is found in navigating that impossible balance
21:53between order and chaos. So we've journeyed right through the fractured world of chaos. We've looked
21:58at the characters, the philosophy, those brilliant performances that brought it all home.
22:04What's the final takeaway? What's the thing that lingers? Hashtag tech tech outro.
22:08Well, ultimately, I think chaos isn't really about solving the crime, is it? Or catching the bad
22:12guy? It feels like it's asking something much deeper about what happens when you stare into
22:17that abyss for too long. Can you still recognize yourself? Exactly. Can the quote-unquote good guys
22:22even recognize themselves in the mirror after the cuffs are on? After the dust settles? It feels like
22:27a warning, really. Pushing us to look past the shiny surface of order, of authority, to question the
22:34foundations of the systems we rely on. Yeah. And it leaves you with that really personal question,
22:38doesn't it? When all the noise stops, the sirens fade, the paperwork's filed, who are you? In the
22:44quiet of your own conscience? That's the question. And maybe, in the end, life isn't about trying to
22:50eliminate chaos. Right. That feels impossible, maybe futile. Right, you can't just stop it. Maybe it's
22:56more about surviving its spiral. Yeah. Understanding its patterns, finding your way through it, even if
23:01that means accepting a totally new, more complex idea of what order even means. The film's ultimate
23:06truth, then. Is that chaos isn't the enemy, it's the mirror. It just reflects back at us how fragile
23:12our systems are, the compromises we make, the disorder that's just inherent in us, in human nature. It
23:18reminds us that control is the illusion. The grandest one. And in a world built on uncertainty, the only
23:24real certainty is that we all carry both order and chaos inside us. So our humanity isn't about choosing one.
23:33I don't think so. Maybe it's in the struggle, the constant, difficult, often painful process of
23:39finding the balance between them. And like the film suggests, maybe those fractures, the parts of us
23:44that feel broken, they aren't flaws to hide through the places where the light gets in, allowing for
23:49self-awareness, resilience, a truer sense of what it means to be human in a world that's never going to be
23:55perfectly neat or predictable. Wow. That's a really thought-provoking way to end it. And it definitely
24:00resonates. We really hope this deep dive into chaos has given you maybe a new lens to look through
24:07at control, betrayal, and just the sheer complexity of human morality. Thanks so much for joining us
24:13on the deep dive. Yeah. Thanks everyone. We hope you'll reflect on some of these ideas,
24:17maybe even go back and watch chaos again with fresh eyes, seeing not just the thriller, but
24:21that profound philosophical journey underneath.
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