The movie “Local Hero” never gives Mac a first name, although we know his full last name is MacIntyre. He’s sent to Scotland to finalize a land purchase from a small coastal village for a Texas oil company. If you have never seen this strange, charming film from 1983, I highly recommend you try it. It’s become a Thanksgiving staple for our family for the silliest of reasons: Mac and friends deliver a meal of whiskey and beef sandwiches to a beach shack. Something about this parade of elegance across the sand speaks of food and tradition. It’s a tentative connection, I grant you, but we count it.
Mac is reluctant to leave Houston in order to secure a deal. He’s a “Telex man” (which is meaningless to us nowadays). In Scotland he wears his suits and watch, all business. His character arc changes over time, though, and he comes to love the village. It becomes his true home and Houston becomes alien.
So, we have a protagonist who’s organized and focused. As a dealmaker, he plays it very close to the vest. He never gloats, but he’s arranging a purchase price much lower than the company expected. He’s no glad-hander, and he’s not particularly good with people.
We’re looking at a Head Type.
Peter Riegert, in an early role in his career, doesn’t fit the physical dimensions of a tall Five, but I think this is what he’s playing. Although the Scotland experience makes him more fun-loving, Mac doesn’t seem like a Seven. He’s too serious, too buttoned-up at the beginning. He could be a Six, but he seems too cold at first, too distant from other people. Because he’s reserved and slow to relax, I prefer him as a Five.