So don't even bother with this until after you've seen the film. But after you've seen the film — you know, when you're enjoying a snifter of XO Cognac by the fire and busting out your back issues of Les Cahiers du Cinema in your efforts to untangle the film's inner workings — maybe ask yourself: who was the Tom Waits character?

(Seriously — spoilers ahead.)

Like Costello, he is a violent man who keeps a cute little pet tucked under his arm. Like Billy — or at least like Billy suggests — he is a serial killer of serial killers. Like Hans, he is a vengeful crusader with an African-American love interest. Like Marty, he is a storyteller, horrified by the violence that erupts. And he is a big fat dramatic loose end. So who is he?