Save the Cat Goes to the Movies (9 page)

Dark Night of the Soul:
With Matt refusing to be saved, Tom and the survivors of the trek to find him wonder what to do.

Break into Three:
Tom decides to dig in and defend the bridge where Matt and his squad wait for a Nazi attack. A and B stories cross as Tom chooses individual sacrifice for the larger goal of saving others and bringing the war to an end as soon as possible.

Finale:
The big battle as Tom and Matt and the rest defend the bridge. In a final irony, the Nazi soldier they freed returns to kill. Man by man, many die — including Tom. But one survives.

Final Image:
Back at the gravesite, a bookend. All along we’ve had the feeling
(I
did anyway) that the old man at the gravesite was Tom Hanks. We now see it’s Matt Damon. Private Ryan survived. He was given his life back by the soldiers who rescued him. We realize that Private Ryan is us. Just as Tom’s “team” saved Private Ryan on the battlefield, Tom — and men like him — saved us at home. And we must thank them for their sacrifice. It’s a powerful coda and a heartfelt salute to those who serve.

Every once in a while the remake turns out better than the original. In the millennium upgrade of
Ocean’s Eleven
, director Steven Soderbergh and star George Clooney had an advantage — the 1961 film starring Frank and Dean and Sammy was fun, but no masterpiece. What Team Clooney crafts here goes beyond its namesake and is a great example of the “Caper Fleece,” especially in its lineup of supporting players. We also see an example of a B story that starts late — but is no less powerful for doing so.

Clooney plays con man Danny Ocean, whose mission — on the surface — is one of avarice. But in collecting his team, plotting the impossible heist, and executing it with hairsbreadth timing, we learn his mission is about something more. It’s about a girl. In this case: Julia Roberts. And it’s about getting her back from the guy who took her: Andy Garcia. The other themes are “performance” and “disguise,” and nowhere does show biz meet crime biz better than when Carl Reiner and Elliott Gould steal scenes from younger stars Matt Damon, Scott Caan, and Casey Affleck — for topping one another and proving one’s stripes is what this story is about. The Fleece in this mission, it turns out, is “manhood,” and with that as each character’s primal stake … we must go along.

GF Type: Caper Fleece

GF Cousins:
Rififi, Topkapi, The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery, The Hot Rock, Papillon, Escape from Alcatraz, Quick Change, Sneakers, The Usual Suspects, The Italian Job

OCEAN’S ELEVEN

Screenplay by
Ted Griffin
Based on a Screenplay by
Harry Brown
and
Charles Lederer
And a Story by
George Clayton Johnson & Jack Golden Russell

Opening Image:
Prison. “Man walking,” yells a guard. Enter Danny Ocean (George Clooney). It’s a parole hearing and he’s on his best behavior. A caged lion, he looks unnatural behind bars.

Set-Up:
We hear George had a wife who left him. Asked “What do you think you would do if released?” George says nothing. When he’s processed out of prison, he gets the personal effects he came in with: a tuxedo and a wedding ring. What would a “man” do? We’ll see. George shows up in Hollywood where Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), his long-time partner in crime, is teaching poker to movie stars. Brad has gone to seed; he’s bored and ready for adventure. And despite the result of their last caper, which landed George in prison, seeing George reinvigorates Brad.

Catalyst:
George lays out the plan for Brad: a casino heist in Las Vegas — not just any heist, the king magilla raid of all time. It’s crazy but Brad is intrigued. And yes, for those who look for such things, the blueprint of the casino they’ll rob
does
resemble a penis.

Theme Stated:
Brad has to know why George wants to pull off this caper. George gives a fast answer: “The house always wins … unless, when that perfect hand comes along you bet big and then take the house.” Brad isn’t quite buying, but agrees to go along.

Debate:
Can they do it? Elliott Gould as Las Vegas kingpin Reuben Tishkoff tells them — and us — how crazy it is to rob a casino. No one has
ever
done it. Then he hears who the target is: owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Like George, Elliott had his manhood stolen by Andy, who tears down old casinos to build new ones that make gobs of money. He took Elliott’s hotel along the way. Backed by Elliott, George and Brad set about to collect the rest of the team, each with
a different skill required to pull off this amazing feat. It helps that when we meet Ocean’s Eleven, theirs are the best heist film intro scenes since
The Hot Rock
: Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner) has hung up his con man shoes; he is old school hoping he still has game. Others like Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) are young up-and-comers in the heist biz; Matt has to prove himself to his father, also a crook.

Break into Two:
At Minute 30, all are gathered at Elliott’s place. “You’re Bobby Caldwell’s kid from Chicago,” Elliott says to Matt. “Yeah,” Matt blinks. “That’s wonderful,” Elliott replies. “Get in the goddamn house.” There’s no more debating. They’re all in.

Fun and Games:
Now the plan is unveiled — yet we will know only a part of it. The “fun” of any heist movie is based on three things: (1) showing how the team plans on robbing the bank, (2) showing how the plan gets screwed up and, (3) keeping some of the caper’s details hidden from the audience. This part of the movie also includes demonstrations of the team’s skills. Bernie Mac is hilarious as he turns a conversation about skin care into the purchase of some vans the gang needs; likewise, diminutive Shaobo Qin shows acrobatic pluck. As the surveillance wiz, Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison) is their nervous techie. This is why we came to see this movie: the thrill of watching these diverse characters circle the bank.

Midpoint:
The “stakes are raised” and the Fun and Games end when we meet Andy Garcia and learn that casino owner Terry Benedict is robotic, ruthless, and feared by all. And if that weren’t enough, we now have the
complication
of … The Girl.

B Story:
We thought up till now that this was only about money. Then Tess (Julia Roberts) walks in. And though Julia’s actual walk is a little clunky, her entrance raises the degree of difficulty of the heist. We learn Julia is dating Andy; she left George while he was in prison and found a new guy —
this
guy. When Brad discovers that Julia is involved, George admits there is more than money at
stake. Now the real theme is revealed in a reprise of their earlier conversation; George admits why he’s doing this. “I lost something,” he tells Brad. Was it something shaped like a
penis?!
Well, yes, that too. But now they’re stealing gold
and
a girl. Which will George choose if forced?

Bad Guys Close In:
Whether connected to Julia or not, “road apples” start popping up everywhere. The electric whammy that “Basher” (Don Cheadle) was planning to use is kaput. On top of that, because George can’t stop running into Julia at the casino buffet, the hotel has “red-flagged” him. Meanwhile, Carl is looking none too good. Is his heart scare linked to the scam? And is Andy the sucker, or are we?

All Is Lost:
As the heist unfolds, there are more near misses. When Carl has an apparent heart attack, we think he’s dead. Good heist film that this is, the “whiff of death” is fake: Carl’s condition is part of the plan, as is George’s zooming Julia.

Dark Night of the Soul:
Literally a dark night as all the lights go out in Las Vegas, thanks to Don — and not only is the town in the dark, so are we. What is going on?

Break into Three:
When Brad calls Andy and lets him know the casino’s being robbed, we enter Act Three. Julia is now included in the plan. By going along, she guarantees the heist and lets us know she may be part of the prize. A and B stories cross nicely.

Finale:
Under Andy’s watchful eye, the gang disguised as SWAT cops exits the vault with the loot. In a final irony, Andy chooses money over Julia. By picking gold, he loses both. George is arrested and the guys take a last look at the hotel they robbed: phallic imagery erect once more in the fountain of the Bellagio.

Final Image:
Out of prison, George reunites with Julia. They now have two rings of gold — and George is a man once more.

Sometimes the journey is one the hero must take alone. In many biographical movies, such as
Ray
and
Capote
, and personal quests, like
About Schmidt, Garden State
, and
Cast Away
, he may have allies, and even find friends along the way, but at the heart of the trip is a lesson he can only learn by himself.

One of the better examples of the GF sub-genre called the “Solo Fleece” is writer-director Joshua Marston’s
Maria Full of Grace.
A foreign language Sundance winner, it is a textbook demonstration of the BS2 and of the importance of “primal.” It tells the story of a Colombian girl, pregnant and unemployed, who takes a job as a drug mule. Maria will leave her small town and dying hopes, and take a chance on escape by ingesting pellets of heroin and smuggling them on a treacherous journey to America.

When we talk about “primal,” this is one of the more practical demonstrations of why thinking stories through on this basic level is so vital: On a low budget like this — with no money for special effects, chase scenes, and big stars — what is most compelling is identifying with the immediate needs of a hero we can root for. It is a lesson the studios might take into account when running the numbers on the next
Lara Croft
sequel they’re considering. And as an example of a “Golden Fleece,” none is more riveting than this simple but highly charged indie.

GF Type: Solo Fleece

GF Cousins:
Barry Lyndon, Coal Miner’s Daughter, About Schmidt, Capote, Garden State, Cast Away, Ray, Walk the Line, Vanity Fair, Cold Mountain

MARIA FULL OF GRACE

Written by
Joshua Marston

Opening Image:
Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno) and her friend Blanca (Yenny Paola Vega) wait for the early bus to go to work. We’re in a small town in Colombia, but the routine of family and job is universally understood.

Theme Stated:
After work, Maria makes out with her dullard boyfriend, Juan (Wilson Guerrero). Maria sees the roof of the building they’re kissing beneath and says she wants to go “up there.” “You can come down the way you went up,” Juan says. “Alone.” Maria yearns for more. Will she get it?

Set-Up:
Maria works in a flower factory, stripping the thorns off long-stemmed roses. She and her friend Blanca survive by trading gossip about the cute boys who work there. We meet one of these, Felipe (Charles Albert Patiño), who will become important. At home, Maria’s sister is raising a baby alone, the father long gone. The family survives thanks to Maria’s contribution of her pay. How do you say “Save the Cat!” in Spanish? Maria’s common sense worldview, sacrificing for her family, and inner drive for more makes us root for her. When Maria gets sick at work, her boss yells at her; her family does too when she tells them she’s quitting. All around her, the future is clear and it’s a dead end. This is a definitive Stasis = Death moment in which we sense the hero must risk change — or “die.”

Catalyst:
Maria goes to a party and sees Felipe. They dance in front of Juan. It’s clear there’s a problem with her low-wattage lover. The next day Maria breaks the news to him that she’s pregnant. Juan offers to marry her. She refuses.

Debate:
What will she do? The fear of turning out like her sister, with an illegitimate baby and a stolid life, offers very little for Maria. And we know she wants better.

Break into Two:
Felipe takes Maria on his motorcycle to the city Bogotá, where his Boss offers her a job as a drug mule. It’s illegal and dangerous. By taking the money the Boss offers, she accepts the mission and enters Act Two.

B Story:
While waiting for the mission to begin, Maria meets Lucy (Guilied Lopez), another drug mule she saw when she met the Boss. Lucy is a pretty and sophisticated city girl. A classic B story character, she is the “funhouse-mirror” version of Maria’s own sister and her opposite in every way. Lucy will be Maria’s guide to this new world. This is also the “love story” where the theme of the movie will be discussed. Maria’s yearning for more will be raised to yet higher planes through Lucy.

Fun and Games:
Maria’s training begins. Lucy coaches Maria on the art of swallowing grapes whole, a skill she will need to ingest the heroin pellets. Lucy has done this before and can show Maria many tricks. Maria can’t tell anyone. Then Blanca breaks the news she’s a mule, too. The day arrives when Maria must ingest the heroin pellets and be readied for her trip to the US. Maria hears a last warning from the Boss: If any of the pellets go missing, Maria’s family may be harmed. Maria gets on the plane. Not only are Lucy and Blanca onboard, but a fourth woman too. The flight is perilous; Lucy is ill, and Maria loses some of the pellets she must re-swallow. This is the crux of a movie about drug running: the fear, danger, and grim details of the journey.

Midpoint:
The midpoint is a “false victory.” After being pulled aside by US customs agents, Maria is spared being x-rayed because she is pregnant, and thus can’t be exposed as a drug smuggler and arrested. Unlike the fourth woman, who is detained, Maria’s free to go. Now Maria, Blanca, and Lucy are met by their drug handlers. Lucy is very sick as both A and B stories’ “stakes are raised.”