Save the Cat! Goes to the Indies

by Salva Rubio

  Break into Three: Max continues studying the stock market and realizes that he is able to predict stocks’ futures: the number did something to his mind! A and B stories cross as he visits Sol, and has a Moment of Clarity. Before showing him the numbers, the computer had become self-conscious. Max insists on investigating, and Sol warns that it could destroy him.

  Finale:

  Gathering the Team: Max returns home, but on the way he has to flee from Marcy and her thugs — the stock market is crashing because they are using Max’s incomplete number. Lenny appears to save Max, but in fact kidnaps him.

  Executing the Plan: At the synagogue, the rabbi reveals to Max that the number may be the name of God, but he “executes his plan” of refusing to reveal it.

  High Tower Surprise: Max returns to tell Sol about his discovery, but finds that Sol has died! It turns out that Sol had returned to the investigation about the number, and it killed him.

  Dig, Deep Down: Now Max knows what can happen to him, and at home, he is about to have another attack. But this time, he “digs, deep down,” avoids taking meds and destroys the computer. He has a vision and, upon waking up, burns the number. Even so, it is still in his mind. So he “digs, further down” and...

  The Execution of the New Plan:...“executes his new plan,” performing a trephination on himself with a power drill.

  Final Image: Max is sitting in the park, again looking at the leaves. He does not see patterns and numbers. As he plays the math game with his little neighbor, he is unable to perform the mental calculations of his past. Blissfully ignorant, now he can smile, relax and enjoy life.

  THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)

  Legend says that director William Friedkin once argued with Howard Hawks, who defied him to film a chase unlike anything that had been done before. Today, The French Connection is famous for its gritty realism, wonderful performances, cold documentary style and, of course, its foot and car chases — Friedkin won!

  It’s also a good example of our police procedural subgenre, which we call “Cop Whydunit.” In these films, a lawman decides to solve a case but progressively finds himself sucked into the “secret” he is trying to uncover, at some point performing a “dark turn,” which involves breaking society’s or his own rules, setting himself up to be part of the crime.

  The “secret” in this case involves a Lincoln Continental car and the drugs that could be hidden inside, but our policemen will only find them after they realize they have a “case within a case.” To crack it, they will have to go on a “trip into the ever-smaller chambers of a nautilus shell,” which involves putting their sanity at stake.

  The investigation will not leave us, however, with a changed man: our “detectives” are a kind of narrator, an avatar for that dark trip we will experience via their discoveries. And cynical as they are, no matter how dark the last revelation in the last chamber, they will probably not change — we will do that for them.

  W Type: Cop Whydunit

  W Cousins: Insomnia, Violent Cop, The Offence, Fargo, Memories of Murder

  THE FRENCH CONNECTION

  Based on the book by Robin Moore

  Screenplay by Ernest Tidyman

  Directed by William Friedkin

  Opening Image: The film begins and ends with the killing of a policeman, the first being the one who was tailing French drug dealer Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey). Also, pay attention to the magnificent Lincoln Continental so out of place in 1971 Marseille. Seldom have cars had so much prominence in a film as in this one, and this particular automobile holds our “secret.”

  Theme Stated: “Never trust anyone,” says Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman) to his partner Buddy “Cloudy” Russo (Roy Scheider), based on real-life cops Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso, respectively. Yes, it is true that in the world of criminals, no one should be trusted, but does the theme also apply to Popeye himself? As we will see, no matter how a good detective Popeye is, the “case” and the “dark chambers” he will visit can make him untrustworthy.

  Set-Up: Our “detectives,” Popeye and Cloudy, are a couple of street cops “who have seen it all,” and are used to busting small-time crooks and dealers using imaginative methods like a Santa Claus disguise. But they are also violent and abusive, and we soon realize that Popeye has a work addiction problem. It seems hard for him to leave the precinct — instead of going home, he wants to go for a drink, merely an excuse to keep working overtime. At the same time, in Marseille, Charnier is making a deal with a famous French actor to smuggle drugs into the USA. How will they do it? This is the “mystery” that our detectives will have to solve.

  B Story: The secondary story in this film surrounds the relationship between Popeye and his partner Cloudy, two cops who must trust and support each other in tough, early ’70 s New York City. Is Cloudy aware that the obsessive, violent and aggressive behavior of Popeye could not only endanger their friendship but his life?

  Catalyst: As usual, the “case” starts with “something small or unrelated,” such as going to the aforementioned bar and finding a suspicious group of people apparently just having fun. This is already a glimpse of our “dark turn,” the work obsession that will deprive Popeye of whatever humanity he has left.

  Debate: Is Popeye’s hunch right? Can these people just be having fun? Is it worth spending a night working overtime in a stakeout just because he has a hunch? At last, they follow the suspect, Salvatore Boca (Tony Lo Bianco), to a small bar and find his attitude suspicious. They probably have a case after all.

  Break into Two: Not coincidentally, in Marseille, Charnier makes a deal with French celebrity Henri Deveraux, who will be key in the scheme. Popeye and Cloudy start to spy on Boca — their fates will ultimately meet when the “secret” is revealed.

  Fun and Games: The promise of the premise in police procedurals is “digging for clues,” so these films usually have very clear Fun and Games beats, often our protagonists carrying on their everyday work while “showing us the clues as they discover them.” In this story, they work undercover, investigating the suspect’s family, getting court orders, performing bar raids and finding that chief mobster Joel Weinstock may be involved. The case progresses, and their boss decides to further authorize them to carry on with the investigation, involving some feds who do not particularly like Popeye. It seems his behavior in the past led to the death of a police officer. Again, is he trustworthy? The cops start following Boca to learn more about his meeting, and we witness some of the best foot chases ever shot in the history of cinema, still fascinating today for their flawless narrative and clever montage.

  Midpoint: After a full day of tailing the people connected to the case, Popeye, Cloudy and Agent Mulderig (Bill Hickman) reconvene. Popeye gets territorial over the case, telling Mulderig, “My partner and I made this case and we don’t need any Fed screwing it up!” Mulderig responds, “You haven’t shown me anything yet.” And so the stakes are raised; after this false defeat, Popeye and Cloudy need to prove that they’re really onto something, or they’re going to be off the case – a blow to their reputations and egos.

  Bad Guys Close In: The next day, Popeye spots Charnier, but the drug dealer is clever enough to mockingly evade the detective. Bad Guys Close In for Popeye as he is taken off the case by his superiors and then Charnier’s bodyguard attempts to kill him. Popeye commandeers a citizen’s car and gives chase. The legendary (and still spectacular!) car chase beneath the elevated train follows.

  All Is Lost: Popeye finally finds the bodyguard and, as he begins to flee, shoots him in the back. With Charnier missing and the bodyguard dead, Popeye’s prospects aren’t looking good. They can only follow Boca, who leaves the Lincoln in the street — the key to unlock the mystery. After a long stakeout at night, their cover is blown when some crooks attempt to steal the car’s tires. Afterwards, the cops look in the car, but it seems clean. All Is Lost as the case faces the whiff of death.

  Dark Night of the Soul: After towing the car to a police g
arage, Popeye and Cloudy spend a long “dark night” tearing the car apart to find the drugs, but uncover nothing. They consider the car as the symbol of their failure, until...

  Break into Three: … A and B stories cross when Cloudy realizes the car weighs more than it should, and they deduce that the drugs must be hidden in it somewhere. They push further and finally find heroin in the rocker panels. Now, they have the evidence and can proceed with their final plan.

  Finale:

  Gathering the Team: Very cleverly and in an unexpected way, the film doesn’t show the cops’ plan and preparations, but only those of the baddies: Charnier meets Deveraux to ask him for one last favor, which as we imagine, deals with his reacquiring the car.

  Executing the Plan: Charnier meets Boca, Weinstein and the drug mobsters, and they execute their deal. The French dealer gets his money and hides it in another car.

  High Tower Surprise: Just when the mobsters are about to leave, they find the police waiting for them! Popeye salutes Charnier and a new chase begins.

  Dig, Deep Down: Boca is gunned down by the cops as Popeye “digs, deep down” to find Charnier in an abandoned factory, and when he sees him shoots — only for Cloudy to discover that Popeye has inadvertently killed a fellow cop. In his obsession, Popeye has ended up becoming “part of the crime.”

  The Execution of the New Plan: Apparently indifferent to what he just did, Popeye continues to chase Charnier, showing no remorse but only the ongoing obsession to catch his nemesis, much to Cloudy’s surprise. Popeye is “not changed, only more cynical.”

  Final Image: A last, loud shot is heard, and we discover the fates of the characters in the final credits. Several of the small-time dealers received very short sentences and Weinstock went free. Popeye and Cloudy were suspended from narcotics duty and reassigned. Charnier was never found.

  GET CARTER (1971)

  “Personal Whydunits” don’t necessarily pertain to cops, but rather to an “amateur sleuth” who will investigate a mystery, only to discover things about himself that he’d really wished he didn’t know. Such is the case of Jack Carter, a hitman who sets himself on a mission of knowing who killed his brother Frank up in Newcastle, and more importantly, the “why” of our Whydunit.

  This great and now respected British film (made with MGM’s help) was famously forgotten until a new generation of filmmakers like Tarantino and Ritchie found in its harshness, crude violence, industrial landscapes and amoral characters, the inspiration for their own work. It’s the kind of quiet, tense, elegant film that is seldom made today.

  In any case, Get Carter contains all the elements of the genre, with Carter as a sarcastic, jaded “detective” unveiling clue after clue, pursuing his investigation through the “ever-smaller chambers of a nautilus shell,” in whose deepest darkness he ultimately finds... himself.

  Carter will need to solve the “case within a case,” if he is to uncover the “secret,” enabling him to discover what the story has been about all along. And even for such a violent and immoral character, there is still room for that indispensable “dark turn” in which he will break his own and his culture’s rules in pursuit of the crime, realizing how guilty he has been all along.

  W Type: Personal Whydunit

  W Cousins: Blow-Up, The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de sus Ojos), The Conversation, Memento, Oldboy

  GET CARTER

  Based on the novel by Ted Lewis

  Written and Directed by Mike Hodges

  Opening Image: Jack Carter (Michael Caine) looks out of the window of his bosses’ home, his mind somewhere else because he has just been told his brother has been killed. He is a henchman of the London mafia, and he seems uninterested while the others watch pornographic images (already here, we are setting up something!). At this point, Jack literally does not have a clue about who killed his brother. We can bet that the discovery will not change him much… but we will be changed instead.

  Theme Stated: “Remember: they are killers, just like you,” says Jack’s boss, meaning that whatever he is going to find about his brother Frank’s death will be bad news, and he may also die while trying to get answers.

  Set-Up: Regardless, Jack travels north to Newcastle. We get to know him a little better: he is cold, focused, sardonic and a drug addict. Upon arriving at Newcastle, he asks a woman named Margaret about Doreen, Frank’s daughter, but he doesn’t learn anything yet. While he is apparently being watched, Jack visits his brother’s home, finding a double-barrel shotgun, which will become a symbol of his brotherhood... and of revenge.

  Catalyst: Jack visits Frank’s body in an open casket, ready for the wake, but none of Frank’s friends — not even his daughter — show up.

  Debate: Artfully written as the entire duration of the funeral, our Debate beat introduces us to Doreen, whom Jack offers to take out of the city with him — he has plans to move to South America when all ends. He tries to get more clues about Frank’s death, but the only thing he gets straight is that Frank was drunk when he died. Carter does not believe the police report, even when Margaret finally shows up at the funeral and confirms it.

  B Story: At a bar after the funeral, Doreen erupts in a fit of rage, stating that no one really knew what Frank was like. Although Jack has no way of knowing at this time, Doreen is the B Story Character whose personal and spiritual story he will learn through, ultimately linking him to the deepest “secret” of the mystery.

  Break into Two: Jack starts his investigation in earnest, visiting the race track to find an old buddy who might have some information, a man named Albert Swift. But Albert sneaks out as soon as he sees Carter.

  Fun and Games: In any good Whydunit, the Fun and Games section focuses on the detective’s investigation: the interrogation, clues, red herrings. Typically, the detective will have to visit many different strata of society, from the richest mansions to the poorest industrial slums. So Jack finds chauffeur Eric Paice, who claims to know nothing about Frank. Following him, Jack sneaks into the house of crime boss (and porn tycoon) Cyril Kinnear (played by playwright John Osborne). A great pope in the pool scene takes place when a poker game entertains the audience while exposition is being delivered. Jack is warned by a man named Thorpe to leave town, but Jack turns the tables and Thorpe gives him a name to investigate: Brumby.

  Midpoint: Carter has a brief false victory as he goes to Brumby’s home thinking he’s got his man, but he realizes he has made a mistake, not seeing, as we do, that A and B stories have just crossed. When he goes back to the motel, he has Sex at 60 with the landlady; stakes are raised and clocks start ticking when his colleagues from London visit to force him to abandon his quest. Naked and threatening them with a shotgun, he publicly comes out and performs his “dark turn” when he locks them up and destroys their car, breaking his own group’s rules.

  Bad Guys Close In: Carter flees from his Bad Guy mates and feels no remorse when a kid has been badly hurt because of him. We also learn an important clue: because Carter slept with his brother’s wife, it is possible that Doreen is actually his daughter! As his lack of morals becomes more apparent, he is rescued by Kinnear’s girlfriend Glenda who takes him to Brumby. Brumby tries to bribe Carter by giving him the ultimate clue for the case, revealing Kinnear killed Frank. Now he asks Carter to kill Kinnear, but he rejects his money and instead beds Glenda, finding she is also an amateur porn actress for Brumby.

  All Is Lost: While Glenda is taking a bath, Carter switches on a projector and is appalled to see Doreen “acting” in the porn film.

  Dark Night of the Soul: Carter can’t help but silently cry as the last of the clues have been revealed. He has discovered that the very same underworld in which he dwells has ruthlessly swallowed up the sweet girl that is probably his daughter. He literally cannot stop looking, suffering this penance for getting involved. He has discovered the “secret,” and now realizes he was part of the crime all along.

  Break into Three: A and B stories cross as Carter discovers the “cas
e within a case.” He forces Glenda to divulge who else was involved, implicating Eric and Kinnear. He puts Glenda in the car trunk, finds Albert, and kills him after making him confess — they killed Frank because he had found out about the film. Now it seems there is only room for revenge!

  Finale:

  Gathering the Team: Eric and Carter’s mates “gather” to kill him, but he manages to defend himself, doing nothing when they throw his car (and Glenda) into the sea.

  Executing the Plan: Carter’s plan consists of actually executing all those involved, one by one. He kills Brumby, overdoses Margaret and convinces Kinnear to set up Eric, before turning the latter in to the police.

  High Tower Surprise: Kinnear hires a mysterious man wearing a ring, who will turn out to be another killer.

  Dig, Deep Down: Jack “digs, deep down” as he chases Eric by foot, crossing railways, wastelands and beaches, and finally forces him to die the same way Frank did: full of whiskey.

  The Execution of the New Plan: Once matters are solved, Carter is about to throw his brother’s shotgun into the sea, maybe signaling that he will start anew, but...

  Final Image: ...a single shot from the killer hired by Kinnear strikes him cold and leaves him dead on the beach with no one left to avenge him. We can only assume, as in any good Whydunit, that the truth probably didn’t change Carter... but we surely have changed for him.

  THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)

  If one thing defines cult movies, it’s the lack of appreciation that critics, press or audiences (sometimes one, sometimes all) show when they are first released. But time and an ever-growing fandom put such films in their place, making them not only ultimately successful, but — in this case — inducting them into the National Film Registry, inspiring themed festivals... and even a religion!