A History of Violence (2005)

Screenplay Genre: Crime / Thriller / Drama Movie Time: 96 minutes Synopsis: Tom Stall, mild-mannered small town diner owner, becomes a local hero when he kills two visious criminals in self-defense, but this attracts national media attention, making Tom an overnight celebrity, and sets off a series of high-stakes consequences that force Tom and his family to face his own history of violence. Sequence Note: Screenplays in the Crime / Thriller genre often contain an additional Intro Sequence (preceding traditional Sequence One) that begins the movie either with the hero at the end of the last adventure or with the villain(s) committing a crime. ACT I Small Town Life INTRO SEQUENCE Introduce Antagonist #1: Leland and Billy - two cold-blooded vicious criminals "check out" of a Midwest farmland motel by murdering the motel clerk, housekeeper, and the clerk's young little girl. World of the Story: When violence meets quiet, rural small town Norman Rockwell America.

SEQUENCE ONE Introduce Protagonist: Comforting his daughter after she wakes from a nightmare, we meet Tom Stall friendly diner owner, devoted husband, and loving father. Introduce Supporting Characters: Edie, Tom's beautiful attorney wife, and Jack, their teenage son, are also there to comfort the little girl. Clearly, both parents love each other and their children, and Jack is a caring, protective older brother.

Status Quo: Ideal. We see the Stall family as a positive, loving, supportive unit. And the town of Millbrook is filled with friendly, salt of the earth, small town folks. Introduce Subplot Obstacle: Gym class. Bobby, the high school bully, tries to start a fight with Jack. Subplot Obstacle Solution: Jack, not afraid but with no desire for violence, wins this first confrontation with words and wit. Dramatic Premise: Leland and Billy enter Tom's dinner at closing time. * Inciting Incident (Plot Point #1): When Tom realizes that Leland and Billy plan to kill everyone in the diner, Tom acts fast, killing both men, getting stabbed in the foot during the shootout.

SEQUENCE TWO Protagonist's Objective: Upon returning home from the hospital, Tom wants everything to go back to normal the old status quo. Predicament Obstacle: But Tom's heroism has garnered national media attention, and he has become an overnight celebrity. His life is not going to be the same. Predicament Solution: Ignore the media. Go back to the diner. Move on. Introduce Antagonist #2: Carl Fogarty a Philadelphia gangster arrives at the diner with two other mob heavies. He has a nasty facial scar and dead eye. * The Lock-In (Plot Point #2): Fogarty claims Tom is actually Joey Cusack, who used to run with the Irish Mob back in Philadelphia. Tom fails to convince Fogarty otherwise and is now forced to deal with this mistaken identity. ACT II The Fogarty Situation SEQUENCE THREE Establish Second Act Main Tension: Confronted with the Joey Cusack mistaken identity, Tom must prove he has no connection to Fogarty and

Philadelphia, and continue to maintain the support of his family and the town of Millbrook. Raise the Stakes: Sam, the town's Sheriff visits Tom and Edie after pulling over Fogarty and his men. Sam has done his research, informing them that Fogarty is indeed a mob figure from Philadelphia and that there are no records of a Joey Cusack, but there is a Ritchie Cusack, who is the leader of a crime family in Philly. First 2nd Act Obstacle: Fogarty and his men begin stalking Tom and his family. Failure/Ramifications: Sitting in his diner alone, Tom sees Fogarty's car driving in the direction of his house. Tom runs/limps home and grabs a shotgun to protect his family. False alarm.

SEQUENCE FOUR New 2nd Act Obstacle: While Edie is at the mall with her daughter buying shoes, Fogarty makes a verbal threat toward Edie and their family. Failure/Ramifications: Still convinced Tom is Joey, Fogarty suggests Edie ask Tom about Richie Cusack, who Fogarty says is Tom's/Joey's brother. Subplot Revival/Obstacle: Bobby continues to bully Jack at school. Failure/Ramifications: But unable to walk away, Jack bloodies Bobby, putting him in the hospital. Like his father, Jack is also capable of inflicting serious violence. Higher 2nd Act Obstacle: Fogarty and his men have abducted Jack, and Fogarty agrees to release him if Tom drives back to Philly with them to "see some people." Failure/Ramifications: Tom nods. They release Jack. But when one of the men tries to escort Tom to the car, Tom grabs his gun, killing him and the other heavy. But before Tom can finish, Fogarty shoots him in the shoulder. Tom is beat. No way out. * First Culmination (Plot Point #3): Fogarty asks Tom if he has anything to say before he kills him. The Joey within Tom responds: "I should have killed you back in Philly." Fogarty smiles but before he can finish the job,

he gets a load of buckshot in the back courtesy of Jack. The Stall's survive, but now they all know that Tom is really Joey.

SEQUENCE FIVE New Second Act Status Quo: A family ripped apart physically and emotionally. Jack wants nothing to do with his father, and Edie must come to grips with Tom's past. Higher 2nd Act Obstacle: The hospital admission. Edie confronts Tom; she needs to hear the truth. He admits he was a mob hit man named Joey Cusack, but he left the mob after scarring Fogarty's eye and became a new man: Tom Stall. Failure/Ramifications: The reality of this truth is so overwhelming that Edie actually vomits. She's horrified; her entire married life has been based on a lie.

SEQUENCE SIX Highest 2nd Act Obstacle: Sam the Sheriff comes to the Stall home for the truth, saying that men like Fogarty are secretive and wouldn't come so far out in the open unless they were sure he (Tom/Joey) was the right man. Obstacle Solution: Despite everything, Edie defends Tom. Sam can do nothing but acquiesce, but he leaves knowing they're hiding something. * Main Culmination (Plot Point #4): After Sam leaves, Edie turns away from Tom in revulsion, slapping him and shouting: "Fuck you, Joey!" Joey/Tom then proceeds to push her down onto the staircase, and they engage in an intense and violent sex scene, which contrasts an earlier romantic/playful lovemaking scene. ACT III Back in Philly SEQUENCE SEVEN Raising the Stakes: Later that night, Tom is awakened by a phone call from his brother Richie himself, who makes an implied threat when he says, "Are you gonna see me, or do I have to come see you?"

Third Act Tension: Will Tom sort things out with Richie and be able to escape his violent past? Introduce Antagonist #3: Richie Cusack the older brother and the boss of a crime family in Philly is happy to see Tom/Joey upon arrival, but for Richie, business comes before family. The Last Obstacle: Now in Philly at Richie's mansion, Tom/Joey asks what he needs to do to make things right. Richie calmly replies, "You could die, Joey," and turns around as one of his hit men begins to try to strangle Tom/Joey. Obligatory Scene: But Tom/Joey defends himself and escapes, killing all of Richie's men, until he meets his older brother face to face. * Third Act Twist (Plot Point #5): Richie gets locked out of his own house with Joey inside. He lowers his gun to get out his keys to reenter when Joey opens the door and shoots Richie in the head.

SEQUENCE EIGHT Character Arc: Tom/Joey throws the gun in a large pond on the mansion's property. He washes his hands in the water, symbolically cleansing himself and riding Joey and his past for good. Resolution: Upon returning home, Tom finds his family sitting down for dinner. Nothing is said, but his daughter sets a place for him. He sits. New Status Quo: Finally, Edie and Tom's eyes meet, filled with tears and grief. It's clear in the way they look at each other that their relationship has changed and they will have to work hard to mend all the emotional scars, but there is hope for them to still have a positive future together.

Fight Club (1999)

Screenplay Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller Movie Time: 139 minutes Synopsis: Jack (Edward Norton) is going through a quarter-life crisis in his over-materialized, cookie-cutter apartment and working his dead-end

job. He meets Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) and his world comes crashing down. Simultaneously, he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) on a plane during a business trip, and they end up starting a Fight Club together. As Fight Club evolves into a terrorist cell trying to bring down the world beyond Jacks control, Jack also looses Marlas affections to Tyler. Subplot Note: This films subplot and main plot may differ depending on the viewers interpretation of the purpose of the story. The two possible plots are the Fight Club plot between Tyler and Jack, or the love story between Jack and Marla. For the Marla/Jack plot, follow plot/subplot A; for Tyler/Jack follow plot/subplot B. Character note: Edward Nortons Narrator remains unnamed throughout the film. This guide will reference him as Jack.

ACT I SEQUENCE ONE World of the Story: Guns, dynamite and support groups coexist in a world with violence and love. Introduce Protagonist: Jack, the narrator, struggles with the angst of a quarter-life crisis. Introduce Supporting Character (Best Friend)/Antagonist #1(The Bully): Tyler Durden, a wild card. Introduce Supporting Character (Fool): Bob, a testicular cancer survivor with a heart of gold. Status Quo: Jack is trapped in a world of materialistic waste. His job is boring, and he has no prospects in his immediate future. Status Quo Obstacle: Jack begins to lose sleep over his situation and cant find any help from his doctor. His world begins to seem unreal. Introduce Antagonist #2 (Femme Fatal)/Supporting Character (Lover): Marla Singer, a chain smoking woman visiting support groups because its cheaper than a movie and theres free coffee. * Inciting Incident A (Plot Point #1)/Subplot B Obstacle: Jack confronts Marla for faking at the support groups. He explains that shes keeping him

from crying, and that they have to split up the support groups. After theyve made their decisions, she gives him her number. Introduce Protagonist's Objective: Jack wants to escape his hum-drum life and fatalistic existence. * Inciting Incident B (Plot Point #1)/Subplot A Obstacle: Jack meets Tyler Durden on a plane ride.

SEQUENCE TWO Predicament Obstacle: Jack loses all of his luggage, and his apartment explodes. Predicament Solution: Jack pulls out Marlas number to call for help, but he cant ask. He calls his new friend Tyler for help instead. Establish Main Tension: Jack has alienated most everyone in favor of selfish and childish things. * The Lock-In A (Plot Point #2)/Subplot B Obstacle: Jack has become obsessed with fighting instead of worrying about his apartment, or his love for Marla, who he has only seen in passing. * The Lock-In B (Plot Point #2)/Subplot A Obstacle: Jack asks Tyler for a place to stay. Tyler asks Jack to hit him, because neither of them has ever been in a fight. Jack and Tyler fight, and Jack moves into to Tylers house.

ACT II SEQUENCE THREE Raise the Stakes: Tyler and Jack become closer friends, and they start fighting on a regular basis. Their fights draw a crowd and a club begins to form. Action Block #1: The fight club forms, and Tyler lays down the rules. First Second Act Obstacles: Marla calls Jack for help after she overdoses. Jack does not go to help. Failure/Ramifications: Instead, Tyler goes to her rescue, and Marla and Tyler end up having sex.

SEQUENCE FOUR New Second Act Obstacles: Jack must deal with the constant sex noises from Tyler and Marlas romps. Tyler makes him promise not to talk to Marla about him. Obstacle Solution: Jack because a zen master and doesnt let anything get to him. Failure/Ramifications: Marla and Tylers relationship grows, and Jack can no longer ignore it. Action Block #2: Tyler and Jack make soap, by stealing fat from a liposuction clinic. Tyler saves Fight Club from being disbanded by the owner of the bar. He gives all of the members an assignment to start a random fight during the week. * First Culmination A (Plot Point #3)/Subplot B Obstacle: Marla calls Jack at work to come check out a lump on her breasts. Jack believes its because hes a neutral party. * First Culmination B (Plot Point #3)/Subplot A Obstacle: Jack starts a fight with himself in the office of his boss to extort him.

SEQUENCE FIVE Subplot Revival: As Fight Club grows, Jack and Tyler begin a campaign of mayhem. Higher Second Act Obstacle: Tyler holds up a convenience store clerk. Obstacle Solution: Tyler sets the clerk on the path to following his dream. Rising Action: Fight Club begins to evolve into a terrorist organization.

SEQUENCE SIX Higher Second Act Obstacle: Marla and Jack have a conversation in the kitchen and begin to bond. Failure/Ramifications: Tyler causes the conversation to implode.

Highest Second Act Obstacle: Tyler and Jacks house becomes a training ground for Tylers larger project. Failure/Ramifications: The men in the house begin to talk about Project Mayhem, and Jack is left out of the loop. Action Block #3: Project Mayhem captures a civic leader, and threatens to castrate him if he doesnt back down. Jack fights with one of the Space Monkeys and destroys his face. Tyler tries to wake Jack up by driving head-on into traffic. * Main Culmination A (Plot Point #4)/Subplot B Obstacle: After waking up from the traffic accident, Jack is confronted by a vastly different household. Marla shows up and asks to come in. Jack tells her that Tyler is gone. * Main Culmination B (Plot Point #4)/Subplot A Obstacle: After the death of Bob, an argument breaks out at the house over Tylers leadership. Jack can no longer deal with it.

ACT III SEQUENCE SEVEN Third Act Tension: Jack goes searching for Tyler by following his paper trail. Third Act Obstacles: Everyone claims that they have not seen Tyler, and everywhere Jack goes, hes one step behind. Obstacle Solution: Jack stumbles across one person who tells him that Jack is Tyler Durden. * Third Act Twist A & B (Plot Point #5): Jack calls Marla and asks her if they have ever had sex. She says yes, and calls him Tyler. His world crumbles as he realizes that he has been Tyler all along.

SEQUENCE EIGHT The Last Obstacle: Tyler wants to get rid of Marla because she knows too much.

Failures/Ramifications: Tyler takes over and sets Project Mayhem on a path to destroy several buildings. Failures/Ramifications: Jack tries to convince Marla to leave to town, but she ends up being kidnapped anyway. Action Block #4: Jack is captured as he tries to stop the plot, but he escapes and rushes to one of the buildings to be destroyed. He tries everything to stop it, and he manages to disarm the bomb. However, there are still other buildings being destroyed. They bring Marla up to him, and he battles Tyler until he realizes that if Tyler is holding a gun, then Jack is holding a gun. Resolution: Jack shoots himself in the head (but not fatally as the bullet mostly goes through his jaw). The act of shooting himself, however, ultimately kills his alter ego Tyler. New Status Quo: Marla and Jack can be together. They watch as the financial buildings around them blow up and crumble.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Screenplay Genre: Crime / Thriller Movie Time: 118 minutes 1. INCITING INCIDENT FBI Academy student Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) arrives at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane to present a VICAP questionnaire to the notorious Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. At the end of their first encounter, Lecter offers Starling a riddle containing information about a former patient of his. (00:12:23) 2. LOCK IN (End of Act One) After solving the riddle, which leads to a storage garage where Starling discovers the severed head of Benjamin Raspail, the former patient, she returns to Lecter, who links Raspail to Buffalo Bill, another serial killer who skins his victims. Lecter offers to provide a psychological profile of Buffalo

Bill based on the case file only if he's transferred to a facility with a view and away from Dr. Chilton. (00:27:13) 3. FIRST CULMINATION (Midpoint) Starling visits Lecter a third time, promising the prison transfer under the condition that Lecter's profile allows the FBI to rescue Buffalo Bill's latest abduction, Catherine Martin, the daughter of a U.S. Senator, but Chilton discovers the deal is fake and offers Lecter a deal of his own. Lecter refuses to identify Buffalo Bill by name unless he's flown to Tennessee so he can tell the Senator himself. (00:59:29) 4. MAIN CULMINATION (End of Act Two) Soon after Sterling visits Lecter a final time, now at his special cell in a Tennessee courthouse, Lecter escapes. SWAT arrives to find one of the guards barely alive and the other disemboweled and strung up on the bars. Paramedics transport the survivor to an ambulance, but when SWAT discovers Lecter's body in the elevator shaft, the survivor in the ambulance peels off his face, revealing Lecter in disguise. (1:21:39). 5. THIRD ACT TWIST While Starling's superior Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) leads a SWAT team to a house in Calumet City, Illinois, the location they believe is Buffalo Bill's lair, Starling follows a lead from interviews she conducted surrounding Buffalo Bill's first victim and arrives at the house of "Jack Gordon", who Starling soon realizes is actually Buffalo Bill. She draws her weapon just as the killer disappears in the basement. (1:39:51)