by Salva Rubio
The Execution of the New Plan: …and starts dancing with her, becoming part of the show! The rest of the family forgets about their insecurities as they step onto the stage until all of them are dancing around Olive — regardless of what people think — as a united family.
Final Image: Pushing the van again, the family starts the trip back home. We know that there are many miles ahead of them, but we can bet that this return trip will be a vastly different one, as they have happily changed forever.
O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (2000)
In Save the Cat!® Goes to the Movies, Blake defined the “Epic Fleece” as akin to its Greek antecedent. We can follow a really close link with our example — not only do we have the Hellenic thematic connection, but this film by the Coen brothers is also an adaptation of the immortal classic, The Odyssey, the blueprint for thousands of future “journey back home” films.
Homer’s work would not be as famous without Ulysses, “that man skilled in all the ways of contending, a wanderer, harried for years on end...” (quoting the opening title card). Also known as Odysseus, he is one of the characters who best encompasses the “endowed by the gift of gab” Trickster archetype, here wonderfully played by Kentucky-born George Clooney.
Yet another wise decision was to set the action in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, with a score of countless blue-grass, delta blues, gospel and other kinds of local folk music — besides painstakingly working in the sepia tones of the film, which gives it a perfect nostalgic yet current look. Plus, we writing geeks get to spot all the classic references (Greek-ster eggs?) to The Odyssey !
So, we are playing it safe here. As you will see, this film contains all prerequisites of a good “Epic Fleece”: a long, winding, adventurous “road” (which is also metaphorical), an unlikely “team” which ends as friends and a “prize” or MacGuffin which ends up being not as important as the quest itself. So harken to the bard and let old Homer start singing!
GF Type: Epic Fleece
GF Cousins: The Wages of Fear, The Road, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Das Boot, Apocalypse Now
O BROTHER, WHERE ARE THOU?
Based on Homer’s “The Odyssey”
Written by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Directed by Joel Coen
Opening Image: A chain gang working in the sun: men bound with iron chains for punishment and redemption. Lo and behold, three of them are running away! Our heroes start as prisoners, probably criminals, so we feel they have a lot to redeem themselves for. Will they be different men by the Final Image?
Theme Stated: Early in their getaway, the trio finds an old, blind black man driving a handcar, who speaks in tongues about their future: “You will find a fortune, though it will not be the fortune you seek.” And isn’t that the main theme of Golden Fleeces? Remember: the prize is not the “gold” but what is learned on the road itself.
Set-Up: During the first steps of their flight, we get to know Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney), Pete Hogwallop (John Turturro) and Delmar O’Donnell (Tim Blake Nelson). They happened to be chained together, but they don’t exactly seem like friends, as they fight to decide who is the leader. They have fled for freedom and are looking for a treasure (our “GreekGuffin”) that Everett allegedly hid. But first, they must unshackle themselves, so they visit Pete’s cousin, Wash.
Catalyst: Wash betrays them! And Everett repeats four times, “Damn! We are in a tight spot.” Ruthless sunglasses-clad Sheriff Cooley (Daniel von Bargen) is about to burn the barn with them inside, but Wash’s son saves them just in time.
Debate: After leaving the kid behind, their car breaks down and they have to continue on foot. In the middle of a forest, they are surprised by a gospel-singing crowd which gets baptized in the nearby river. Delmar and Pete decide to join them, feeling themselves saved and redeemed of all sin. This is our Debate beat: does it take so little to be saved? The redemption theme is further debated when they pick up a young black man at a crossroads, guitar player Tommy Johnson (Chris Thomas King), who claims he has sold his soul to the devil in exchange for playing “real good.” Everett laughs at both ways of dealing with the supernatural, feet firmly planted on the ground. As we can imagine, his character arc will involve confronting his own salvation in the face of the divine.
Break into Two: To make a quick buck, the trio decides to record, as the Soggy Bottom Boys, the song “Man of Constant Sorrow” (did you remember the opening title card?) for a local radio station. Well, they don’t realize it yet, but this proactive decision will ultimately prove to be a key one, as the song will become a hit and literally play a great part in their salvation.
B Story: There are still many adventures before the B Story really develops, but it involves the mythologically-named Penelope, current wife of Everett, and his six daughters. She will only stay with him if he changes from a Trickster to a bona-fide man. Can he really do that?
Fun and Games: Our Fun and Games section includes traveling the South while having adventures, and also exploring the world of honesty and integrity, that is, trying not to take advantage of their opportunities for crime. Soon, the trio meets bank robber George Nelson, and when he departs, he gives them his dirty money. Is it for them to keep? At the same time, we follow another important thread: that of governor Pappy O’Daniel (Charles Durning), who feels he will not win the next election. Our heroes have Fun on the road, seemingly stealing a pie but then paying for it. And since we are near our middle, a little Sex at 60 is due when they meet the singing river sirens.
Midpoint: Upon waking up soon after, they suffer a false defeat when the team has been broken up and Delmar thinks that Pete has been turned into a toad — they are saddened to have lost their friend. Later at a restaurant, in a sort of “Midpoint defeat party,” they try to behave as rich, respectable men, and we get “a glimpse of what they could be (and will ultimately be), with no obligation to be it.”
Bad Guys Close In: In the restaurant, they meet one-eyed Big Dan (John Goodman), who gives them a serious beating and steals all of their money, and even kills “Pete,” squashing the toad. Bad Guys Sheriff Cooley and his men Close In by torturing Pete and threatening him with a noose. And when Everett finally finds his daughters and wife Penelope, he also meets B Story Bad Guy Waldrip (Ray McKinnon), who is a legitimate suitor and fist fights rather well. Clocks start ticking as Penelope will be married the next day and stakes are further raised when they see Pete in a movie theatre, advising them not to seek the treasure, as it’s actually an ambush. Showing true friendship, they liberate him, but the “team disinte-grates” again when Everett reckons he lied — there is no treasure; Pete made it up to lure them into escaping.
All Is Lost: Pete and Delmar will now have to face almost lifelong sentences. Their argument comes to a halt when they spot a KKK meeting nearby... and they see that Tommy is about to get lynched, quite a literal whiff of death.
Dark Night of the Soul: They behold their friend’s impending death, and Tommy himself contemplates the end as he is taken to the gallows.
Break into Three: Despite the risks, they get some white hoods and try to liberate him. Big Dan exposes them and they manage to escape, defeating him with a burning wooden crucifix, similar to Odysseus defeating the Cyclops some thousand years before.
Finale:
Gathering the Team: The team “gathers” together to “storm the castle,” a house where a dinner is being held. Again, they argue about who is the leader and Everett “amends hurts” with them, admitting his wrongdoings. He asks them to trust him once more.
Executing the Plan: Their “plan” consists of getting fake beards to get onstage. While Pete and Delmar perform their act, Everett tries to convince his wife to get back with him, showing he has not really changed yet. But boy, everything does indeed change when the audience recognizes the trio as the Soggy Bottom Boys! They are pardoned of all their past wrongdoings when “deus” Pappy O’Daniel “ex machinaes” as in classic Greek piec
es.
High Tower Surprise: Apparently redeemed by men, Everett and his friends seem to have a bright future ahead, and they only need Penny’s ring for the wedding. But at their cabin, surprise! They are caught by Sheriff Cooley, who has not heard about the pardon and wants to hang them on the spot.
Dig, Deep Down: For the first time, Everett gets on his knees and “digs, deep down,” praying for his family and friends, seeking God’s help.
The Execution of the New Plan: Everett’s “new plan” seems to work as what Delmar calls a “miracle” (an announced flood of the valley to make a hydroelectric plant) saves them. Everett shows himself again as a skeptic, but we know he has changed and all three have finally been redeemed.
Final Image: Everett walks with his again wife-to-be, enjoying the fact that his adventurous days are over and happily suffering her demands. And in a clever and subtle mirror of our opening scene (where men were bound by chains), Everett’s lovely daughters are bound too… by the sweet string of family love. The blind seer moves on, as he has many a story to tell.
RESERVOIR DOGS (1992)
Hailed as one of the most influential independent motion pictures in history, this wonderful film was discovered by many of us after the success of Pulp Fiction. And we found, in its purest form, some of the trademarks of a director who originally intended to shoot with a meager $ 30,000 budget: shocking bursts of violence, controversial overtones and nonlinear narrative.
Of course, the latter is exactly what interests us most when applying the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet! Because as you can guess, being a Tarantino film, things may seem complicated — as the story jumps back and forth in time to give us details of the characters and the plot — until we realize he is actually telling two stories: the caper and its aftermath.
To make it even more interesting, also consider that many details of the caper story are actually elided, that is, left out of the film (but still narrated or implied). And to make the writing more efficient, many beats are presented in just one scene. Does this make the film an un-beat-able one? No, it only means that if you have two stories, you can have two Beat Sheets!
This acclaimed film is also a good example of a “Caper Fleece” (even though the caper itself is never seen), in which the “road” is the robbery, the “goal” is the diamonds and the “team” is literally “a variety pack of oddballs” who do not really trust each other, among whom are two men with something more valuable than money at stake: true friendship.
GF Type: Caper Fleece
GF Cousins: The Ladykillers, The Red Circle (Le Cercle Rouge), Bottle Rocket, Rififi, Snatch
RESERVOIR DOGS
Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino
BEAT SHEET 1: THE CAPER
Opening Image: We see the “before” image of main character Freddy Newandyke (Tim Roth), an undercover cop who informs his boss Holdaway (Randy Brooks) that he has succeeded in infiltrating dangerous gangster Joe Cabot’s gang.
Theme Stated: “Long Beach Mike is a f*** scumbag. He is selling out his amigos,” says Holdaway. Can you have friends in the underworld? And isn’t Freddy going to sell out his amigos, too?
Set-Up: In a “Caper Fleece” Set-Up, we must introduce the characters and their quirks, and this is what Tarantino does, showing Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) and Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) being interviewed by Joe himself and telling about their pasts.
Catalyst: The Catalyst is Joe’s “calls to adventure” for the three men: the robbery. It is omitted but told by Freddy AKA Mr. Orange, and it is clearly shown in the case of Mr. White and Mr. Blonde during their interview with Joe.
B Story: The relationship story of this film is the same for both beat sheets (in fact, it is the “glue” joining them), and is partly omitted but strongly implied: the mentor-mentee relationship of Mr. White and Mr. Orange.
Debate: We haven’t left the scene where Joe talks to each of them yet, as the economy of the film demands so. Mr. White and Mr. Blonde internally Debate whether they will join the caper, while Mr. Orange literally Debates with Holloway about how to proceed next.
Break into Two: Still in the same scenes, White, Blonde and Orange know they are “in.”
Fun and Games: What is it like to work as an undercover cop? Mr. Orange rehearses the actually amusing anecdote about his drug deal, and when he meets the rest of the gangsters, they have Fun in the car talking about Christie Love and other related occurrences unsuitable for print.
Midpoint: Orange’s false victory and public coming out are in the beginning of his telling of the commode story to Mr. White, Joe Cabot and his son, “Nice Guy” Eddie (Chris Penn).
Bad Guys Close In: Mr. Orange’s story becomes the focus now, as he enters a men’s room with a bag full of weed and he finds four sheriffs and a police dog!
All Is Lost: It seems that All Is Lost for Mr. Orange when the dog starts barking because it’s detected the drugs. Though the narrative is non-linear, this beat is in its perfect place.
Dark Night of the Soul: Mr. Orange knows the cops suspect him, but he tries to conceal his nervousness by keeping as cool as he can instead of fleeing.
Break into Three: Mr. Orange’s coolness under pressure prompts Joe to think that he is the right man for the job, setting the actual plan in motion.
Finale:
Gathering the Team: The “team” is gathered and given new names at Joe’s place. Did you see the blueprint behind him? They are laying out the plan.
Executing the Plan: Famously, we will never see this part, but it is described in detail by Mr. White to Mr. Orange while they are sitting in a car.
High Tower Surprise: Of course, something goes wrong. The alarm is set off and Mr. Blonde starts shooting people. Some flee, others are killed and Mr. Pink is shown getting the diamonds. Mr. White and Mr. Orange escape, but the latter is shot in the belly.
Dig, Deep Down: Bleeding to death, Mr. Orange, the undercover cop, has to “dig, deep down” to endure the pain and fear so as not to blow his cover.
The Execution of the New Plan: At this point, his new plan is to “bleed” until Joe arrives and the rest of the cops can arrest them.
Final Image: Freddy is now in danger of dying, and he is very far from the security that he showed when we first met him.
BEAT SHEET 2: THE AFTERMATH
Opening Image: Some men in suits are having a funny conversation about pop song meanings and the convenience of tipping in modern America. They seem relaxed and friendly. But are they really friends? Do they trust each other? We will find out.
Set-Up: Something has gone wrong during an armed robbery, and now Mr. Orange is bleeding to death in a car driven by Larry, Mr. White’s actual name. They seem to care for each other a lot, like real friends. But are they?
B Story: As stated in Beat Sheet 1, our shared B Story is Mr. White and Mr. Orange’s friendship, this time from the point of view of the former. In a world of crooks, he has no doubts about Orange, and that will be his fatal mistake.
Theme Stated: Blood-drenched Orange asks White to leave him in front of a hospital: “I won’t tell them anything, man.” As we know from our former Theme Stated beat, Orange is lying to his face — he indeed plans to tell everything to the cops, since he is the traitor.
Catalyst: Once in the warehouse where they must wait for Joe, Mr. Pink arrives with unsettling news: he thinks the robbery was a set-up and that there is a “rat” among them.
Debate: Mr. Pink and Mr. White are very nervous, and they argue: have they really been betrayed? If so, by whom?
Break into Two: “What’s done is done. We need you cool,” says Mr. White, taking control of the situation and prompting the always-doubting Mr. Pink to remain calm. They have to move on.
Fun and Games: What must have happened? The two men try to keep calm as they reminisce about what happened during the robbery. Mr. Pink reveals he stashed the diamonds and suspects everyone, even Mr. Orange. That enrages Mr. White, who defends Mr. Orange aggressively.
Bad Guys Close In: Their Bad Guy, that is, the man who botched the robbery, appears: cool psychopath Mr. Blonde, who has taken a cop hostage. Also, “Nice Guy” Eddie arrives and is not happy about the situation, leaving Mr. Blonde alone with the cop, whom he starts to torture.
All Is Lost: With “Stuck in the Middle With You” playing, Mr. Blonde is about to burn the cop alive, when Mr. Orange blows his own cover by shooting the psycho to death.
Dark Night of the Soul: Mr. Orange and the ear-severed cop contemplate their impending deaths, unable to do anything about the situation.
Break into Three: Mr. Orange proactively tells the cop that they will wait until Joe arrives, and only then will the police be able to save them.
Finale:
Gathering the Team: The gangster “team” is gathered when Eddie, Mr. White and Mr. Pink return and find Mr. Blonde dead.
Executing the Plan: Eddie asks Mr. Orange for an explanation, and he fulfills his plan of trying to make them believe that Mr. Blonde was the rat.
High Tower Surprise: Eddie does not accept Mr. Orange’s story, but Joe arrives and confirms that Orange is the traitor, so they must kill him. Not willing to believe it, Mr. White draws his gun and Eddie does too, leading to the most famous “Mexican standoff” in film history. They are all shot, but White survives, although there is another surprise for him: Orange reveals he is a cop, so he has betrayed him all along and does not deserve his friendship.