Save the Cat Goes to the Movies

by Blake Snyder

  When fellow screenwriter Mike Cheda and I were sitting around one day trying to figure out what to name a certain type of movie, we kept calling each other “dude.” We are 40-year-old adults at this point, seasoned movie veterans wary of the fads Hollywood is prone to — even fads of language. And yet there we were:

  “Dude, listen you’re wrong …”

  “No, dude, you don’t get it …”

  So when it came to coining a term for the genre of movie that pits an “ordinary man” against “extraordinary circumstances” … the “D word” just naturally crept in.

  And “Dude with a Problem” was born.

  In trying to categorize the kind of story in which the hero finds himself in way over his head, there seemed to be no better way to phrase it. For this is the story type typified by The Wrong Man with Henry Fonda, North by Northwest starring Cary Grant, and Die Hard with Bruce Willis. Average schmos, minding their own bee’s-dust, who, through no fault of their own, suddenly have a dragnet closing in on them — and a hot blonde offering her train compartment for the night because she is the only person who “believes.”

  The roots of these movies are found in any story about survival. From the Bible, Daniel in the Lion’s Den and Noah and his flood dilemma come to mind. We could also look to author Jack London and his Arctic adventures as a source of what it means to endure the challenges of nature. These are tales of the “lone man,” “lone woman,” or “lone group” that find themselves facing incredible odds — and whose survival often includes a struggle with sanity.

  The best DWAP stories remind us we’re not only not average, but have hidden strength. Like the heros of many a DWAP movie, we are looking for a chance to prove ourselves. There is also the sense of something special happening, an electric feeling in the air that the whole world is suddenly consumed with the hero and, by proxy, us! The survival instinct this story sharpens makes us feel alive — and may be why there are so many variations.

  There is the “Spy Problem” as seen in North by Northwest and Enemy of the State, where a lone man or woman runs afoul of secret agents. There’s the “Law Enforcement Problem” (Die Hard, Breakdown) where a hero must go it alone by skating between the bad guys and the police. There’s the “Domestic Problem” like Sleeping with the Enemy and Wait Until Dark — stories in which the hero finds his home is not as safe as he thought! There are also “acts of God” that send us into a world of hurt I call the “Nature Problem,” stories that show how alone we can feel when facing disease (Lorenzo’s Oil, Champions), wild animals (The Edge, Open Water), and survival outdoors (Aliue). And since the end of the world is a disaster for lots of dudes, we get the “Epic Problem” to see how the many survive (Armageddon, Outbreak).

  As you can tell, the situations are endless, but the rules are the same: (1) an “innocent hero” thrust into trouble without asking for it; (2) a “sudden event” that draws him in with no warning; and (3) a “test of survival” — it’s life or death, and whether the hero endures will try his every fiber.

  One of the reasons we identify with the “dude,” or “dudette,” as the case may be, is: We are dudes, too. Yup, we’re just like Jimmy Stewart in The Man Who Knew Too Much, well-meaning dufi on vacation in Iraq — or some such place — just dippy-doodling along when wham! An international plot drops in our lap. Like Jimmy, we aren’t looking for trouble. And though this kinda thing doesn’t often occur — it might!

  Did Bruce Willis do anything to cause euro-baddies to take over his wife’s building in Die Hard? No. Did the human race cause a meteor to zero in on the eastern seaboard in Deep Impact? Did not. But because these are tales of survival, and not punishment for a sin we committed, what the hero did to get into this dilemma is not what the movie’s about.

  Another key factor in the traditional DWAP set-up is the “suddenness” of the event that puts the hero in over his head. These catalysts come from nowhere and force the hero(es) to come to grips with what’s happening ASAP. As in Breakdown, when Kurt Russell finds his wife gone, and even in Sleeping with the Enemy when Julia Roberts is violently struck by her husband, it’s clear the heroes must make a choice — and that includes taking action quickly.

  What is the “problem” a dude must confront? Hopefully, it’s big. It must be “life or death.” The true test ofwhether or not the script you’re working on falls into the DWAP category is when you pitch it, describing the situation you’ve put your hero(es) in, the listener has only one reaction: “Dude! That’s a PROBLEM!!” And hopefully what the pitchee thinks next is: What would I do in that situation?

  If so, you know you have a winner!

  Many of the movies in this category star men, but whether it’s a dude or a dudette who’s the hero of your story, often that hero’s love interest is the only person who believes — and the one who offers solace. The stellar example is Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest. It’s been a wild ride up till then for star and DWAP poster boy Cary Grant, with no respite until she comes along. And though Eva is a spy working for the other side, at the moment it feels like just the relief Cary needs.

  This is a common beat in the DWAP adventure: When our hero is tossed into many a maelstrom, there is often that eye of the storm moment — and a partner who is the one friendly ally in a sea of trouble. It doesn’t have to be a love interest offering a romantic interlude — although it helps! This character not only provides a place to discuss what’s happening, but gives the screenwriter a break from the A story. In Die Hard it’s a cop, Reginald VelJohnson; in Deep Impact it’s Tea Leoni’s mother, Vanessa Redgrave. And in Open Water, when the couple treading water have no “other” to turn to, it is the moment when they play down their situation and find escape in a game of movie trivia.

  Most DWAP movies are of the “triumph of the spirit” variety and most end with that beat — the rugged individual has survived! It would be a pure downer if after going through this adventure, the hero’s efforts add up to nothing. Yet movies like Open Water and The Perfect Storm prove that surviving the saga isn’t in the cards for everybody. This is a benefit of the group adventure. With more than one “dude,” you can kill off a few, save others, and show the valuable lesson of what each did to deserve his fate. Alive, The Flight of the Phoenix, and The Edge show us the various ways to survive the saga with our nobility intact — or not.

  One thing is certain: A good Dude with a Problem story is immediate and as primal as a bear attack, for like Monster in the House, this is the kind of tale we like to hear when our fellow cave dwellers come home bruised and battered and we ask:

  “Geez, Og, what happened?!”

  THE TELLTALE SIGNS YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, DUDE

  Here’s a fast test to see if the idea you’re circling is of the Dude variety and if Eva Marie Saint is in your future:

  An “innocent hero” is dragged into this mess without asking for it — or even aware of how he got involved.

  A “sudden event” that thrusts our innocent(s) into the world of hurt is definite — and comes without warning.

  A “life or death” battle is at stake — and the continued existence of an individual, family, group, or society is in question.

  The wide variety of problems and life-or-death situations that follow show just how much trouble we get into when we dudes aren’t looking.

  THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975)

  A direct descendant of North by Northwest and uncle to recent offerings like Enemy of the State and The Bourne Identity, this smart, Sydney Pollack-directed, Robert Redford vehicle is a notable DWAP stepping stone and a great example of the “Spy Problem.”

  In the midst of the Watergate era and its can’t-trust-anyone zeitgeist, films like this one, The Parallax View, and Marathon Man are mid-’70s paranoid classics. It also offers truisms seen in any DWAP story in which the group turns against the individual, and what we thought of as safe becomes uncertain — and even dangerous. Friends are suddenly suspect, all because — by accident or design �
�� the hero appears to have gone over to the other side. Now the network that clothed and fed the hero becomes his adversary, and the lesson learned includes how he joined up with this group in the first place.

  And since all stories are about transformation, Bob starts as a mild-mannered reader for the CIA and ends up a man of conviction toppling a nefarious plot from the inside. Only by being “on the run” can he get to the bottom of it — but will he? With the help of Faye Dunaway as a reluctant “eye of the storm,” Cliff Robertson as the spy who knows too much, and the ever-fabulous John Houseman as … John Houseman, the movie is prescient in ways other spy sagas of its era are not.

  DWAP Type: Spy Problem

  DWAP Cousins: North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Net, Enemy of the State, The Bourne Identity, Paycheck, The Bourne Supremacy, Nowhere to Run, Shooter

  THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR

  Screenplay by Lorenzo Semple, Jr. and David Rayfiel

  Based on the novel SIX DAYS OF THE CONDOR

  by James Grady

  Opening Image: Information being processed by a primordial computer. We’re in the American Literary Historical Society — a CIA front. Everyone is at work but one. Joseph Turner (Robert Redford) is riding his moped through NYC traffic, late again.

  Theme Stated: At work, Bob (I call him Bob) talks to his boss about his job as a CIA reader. The boss is critical of Bob’s ability to be secretive. “I actually trust a few people,” Bob replies. Who can Bob trust? And who can we?

  Set-Up: Across the street, G. Joubert (Max von Sydow) checks off everyone arriving at ALHS. We suspect something bad is about to happen. Bob and his workplace girlfriend talk of their plans for the evening.

  Catalyst: Bob ducks out the back under the radar to pick up lunch as Max and his hit men enter. All in the ALHS, including Bob’s girlfriend, are assassinated.

  Debate: Bob returns and finds the group wiped out. But why? Bob grabs the receptionist’s handgun and exits fast. Now everyone seems suspicious. At a phone booth, Bob calls CIA headquarters. Though the spy tech and lingo are creaky, the “Limp and an Eyepatch” bits include “The Major,” a wheelchair-bound agency operator who’s always on duty, and the suave CIA chief, J. Higgins (Cliff Robertson). Cliff advises Bob not to go home. He is reminded of his code name: Condor. Typical rebel, Bob disobeys and visits a co-worker, finding him dead. What is going on?

  Break into Two: Bob is to be “brought in” by his section chief Wicks (Michael Kane) and a friend, Sam (Walter McGinn). But when Bob arrives in the dark NYC alley and begins to come in from the cold, gunplay. Sam is killed, and Wicks is wounded when Bob makes a lucky shot. Run, Bob, Run! Dude, we’re thinking, you have so got a problem! But this is what happens when you work for the CIA.

  B Story: Seeking an “eye of the storm,” Bob kidnaps Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway) and takes her to her apartment at gunpoint. “I need some safe quiet time to pull things together,” he tells her. Faye is a photographer whose work reflects her loneliness. It’s through this “love story” that Bob will learn about “trust” and grow as a man … and a spy.

  Fun and Games: The “promise of the premise” is the lone man on the run. Adding to the intrigue, when Cliff meets with CIA higher-ups, they speculate about who Condor really is. We now meet Wabash (John Houseman). Other than his role in The Paper Chase, this is one of his most Housemany performances. In discussing Condor, the CIA agents repeat the set-up of what makes this character so compelling: “He reads everything.” Can Bob’s skills as a catholic bookworm make him a super spy? We shall see. Reminiscent of North by Northwest, the CIA is willing to let Condor draw fire to see how this intrigue pans out.

  Midpoint: Spurred by a TV news report that whitewashes the murder in the alley, Bob decides to risk leaving Faye tied up, and visits his murdered friend’s wife. When Bob gets to the apartment building, he interacts with Max and barely escapes. In and out of the lion’s mouth, it is a “false victory,” but he’s met his foe — a key dramatic convention in these stories (see Die Hard). Despite Bob’s efforts to escape unnoticed, Max spots the license plate of Faye’s car. Returning home, Bob unties Faye and indulges in a cheesy love scene — even for the fondue ’70s. A and B stories cross as two lonely people find each other.

  Bad Guys Close In: The next morning, head cleared by his nude wrestle with Ms. Dunaway, Bob has a chance to re-think events. Just as he’s figuring it out, one of Max’s hit-man buddies appears at Faye’s door. This is one of the best close contact fight scenes ever, one that surely influenced a similar clash in The Bourne Identity with Matt Damon as another Dude with a Problem. Fighting off “The Mailman,” Bob barely kills the killer as Faye cries out in fear. Having doubted his story, she finally believes him. Faye and Bob now work together to kidnap Cliff from the Twin Towers where he works — ironic, no? Something’s rotten in the company, Cliff tells Bob. Even more so when Bob learns …

  All Is Lost: … Wicks died. Someone snuck into the hospital where he was recuperating and finished the job. The “whiff of death” includes the death of hope to solve this mystery.

  Dark Night of the Soul: Bob is nowhere, neither in the agency nor out of it. “Maybe there’s another CIA inside the CIA?” he asks.

  Break into Three: Bob tries Synthesis to solve the mystery. Using the knowledge he gained as a reader, plus the new skills — suspicion and deception — he has acquired while on the run, he taps Max’s phone and turns the tables on his CIA bosses.

  Finale: After saying goodbye to Faye, and returning to the B story theme of “trust” by making her promise she won’t talk, Bob heads off to confront a CIA heavy at the heart of the mystery in Washington DC. In a showdown, Bob confronts the man and learns what the conspiracy is about. At ALHS, Bob had unwittingly turned up a secret plot to invade the Middle East for its oil. Hmmmmm. Before Bob can learn more, Max enters and kills the man, saving Bob from the task and bringing the episode full circle. In a much-parodied coda, Max tells Bob how the end will come for him, then gives his gun back. “For that day,” he tells the man he now respects.

  Final Image: Bob takes Cliff to The New York Times, revealing he told them everything. In a bookend image, information is being processed again, this time by “the people” — but will anyone believe Bob? As Bob ducks into the crowd, Cliff wonders — and so do we. In light of recent events, it’s a haunting finale.

  DIE HARD (1988)

  “Yippie-ki-yay!” gets a postmodern patina when concrete cowboy Bruce Willis brings High Noon to Century City as “Law Enforcement Problem” über-dude, John McClane. Director John McTiernan’s action classic is one of those iconic movies that has been re-set in many situations, and with many stars, but from Under Siege (Die Hard on a boat) and Speed (Die Hard on a bus) to the more recent Red Eye and Flightplan (both pitched and sold as Die Hard on a plane), all pale by comparison.

  What makes the original unique is its primal-ness. The logline includes the fact that Bruce and his wife (Bonnie Bedelia) are separated when the movie starts. She is pursuing her career, and average Joes like Bruce aren’t needed in a world of expense accounts and Lear jets. Part of what makes Bruce stick to the task of ridding his wife’s building of pesky German terrorists (led by a never-better Alan Rickman) is to prove average Joes have worth.

  The confrontation is also an example of how good guy and bad guy are a perfect fit. If Bruce were a civilian, it would stretch believability; a retired CIA agent, too cliché. The balance of one street cop, one muscle T, and one .45 is just right against ponytails and accents. But as the sex objects and bullets fly by, we’re clear on what’s really at stake: When a man loves a woman … no Uzi can stop him.

  DWAP Type: Law Enforcement Problem

  DWAP Cousins: Outland, Breakdown, Under Siege, The Fugitive, Speed, Air Force One, Flightplan, Red Eye, Firewall, Man on Fire

  DIE HARD

  Screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza

  Based on the novel NOTHING LASTS FOREVER
r />   by Roderick Thorp

  Opening Image: A plane lands at LAX. On board, a businessman advises “how to survive” traveling. The advisee is John McClane (Bruce Willis). Pre-9/11 Bruce carries a gun. He’s a NYC cop.

  Theme Stated: “Survival” is our theme — and Bruce’s mission.

  Set-Up: Atop Century City, Mr. Takagi (James Shigeta), the boss here at Nakatomi Plaza, wishes Merry Xmas to his employees, including Holly Gennero McClane (Bonnie Bedelia) and cokehead co-worker, Harry Ellis (Hart Bochner). I often use the term “on the verge of” to set up the heroes of a movie, and here Bruce and Bonnie are “on the verge of” divorce. As Bruce explains to his friendly limo driver, his wife had “a good job that turned into a great career” and now they are unhappily bi-coastal. From her office, Bonnie calls home to say hi to her kids (more stakes) as Bruce arrives and sees Bonnie is using her maiden name. But as Bruce washes up and gets into a fight with Bonnie, there is more trouble than the marriage. At Minute 14, a mystery truck arrives.

  Catalyst: The truck signals an invasion as “suddenly” a dozen robbers posing as terrorists enter, kill the lobby guard, lock down the building, and storm the party. Meet Alan Rickman as their ringleader, Hans Grüber, and his henchman of few words, Karl (Alexander Godunov).

  Debate: Alerted to the commotion, Bruce grabs his gun and begins to assess the situation. Bruce’s low-tech approach, like noting the names the robbers call each other and where they’re located in the building, will help defeat them. And speaking of da feet, Bruce is handicapped by being barefoot — nice touch! Corralling the hostages and Bonnie, Alan gets down to business. He wants the millions in the vault and demands the combination. When Takagi refuses, he is killed, and Bruce is spotted. What is Bruce to do?