Free Save the Cat Goes to the Movies by Blake Snyder

Kings, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, National Treasure, The Lord of the Rings
    SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
    Written by
Robert Rodat
    Opening Image: A battlefield cemetery. An old man and his family. He served in World War Two and finds the gravesite of a fallen comrade. We will learn just who this brave man is by story’s end.
    Set-Up: The opening gives way to flashback. D-Day. June 6, 1944. The landing at Omaha Beach is bloody. Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) shows courage and saves lives as his unit helps secure the objective. This sequence sets up the world of hellish war and Tom’s leadership skills. Tom’s men are a highly functional team.
    Theme Stated: As the dead of the invasion are accounted for, one has special meaning. His last name is Ryan, one of four brothers — three now dead. Back at home, General George Marshall (Harve Presnell) cites a letter written by Abraham Lincoln and orders the fourth brother, lost in post-D-Day France, brought home. “That boy is alive. We are gonna send somebody to find him and we are going to get him the hell out of there.” One man counts. That’s our theme.
    Catalyst: Tom is given the mission and we now meet a new member of the squad, a wet-behind-the-ears translator, Corporal Upham (Jeremy Davies). Tom will be the leader, but Jeremy will act as the interpreter of both French and German — and of events.
    Debate: Should the squad go? Jeremy’s nervousness shows the nature and risks of the journey. Like us, he is a novice.
    Break into Two: Tom accepts the mission and we meet the rest of his squad: Sergeant Mike Horvath (Tom Sizemore), “the muscle,” enforces Tom’s orders. Pvt. Stanley Mellish (Adam Goldberg), “the conscience,” has a special hatred of Nazis. Pvt. Daniel Jackson (BarryPepper), “the soul,” possesses sniper skills enhanced by God. And Pvt. Richard Reiben (Edward Burns) is “the heart.” Each has a unique way of speaking, point of view, and experience to share. And we’re all guessing: Who’s gonna get it first?
    B Story: The B story is the question: Who is Captain Miller? Tom’s background is a mystery; apart from a shaky hand and a firm grip on leadership, little is known of him. Tying in to the “Theme Stated” idea of one man counts, Tom exemplifies the value of individual sacrifice for the benefit and protection of others.
    Fun and Games: Marching through the hedgerow country of France, coming upon the surprises and adventures of war, is the “promise of the premise.” We are on the road, each signpost ahead another chance for a revealing look at, and growth of, each character. It is a journey echoing that of Jason and other men of battle who strike out on a special mission. There is a lift the men have been given from surviving D-Day. No time to think about anything more than the next detail, so off they go. This is why we came to see this movie: to learn up close about men at war and its light and dark sides. As dangerous as battle is, there’s a sense we’re on a lark, an adventure. The friendship, easygoing patter, and even the secret language they share (FUBAR becomes one of the code words) — are all taken in through Jeremy’s POV.
    Midpoint: After a run-in with a French family, a shootout with a squad of Germans, and a midnight talk (A and B stories cross) that continues the debate over the importance of the individual, the squad seems to have come to an impasse when they find a downed glider and dozens of dead and wounded paratroopers. This marks one of the mistakes of the D-Day invasion, a screw-up where good men died needlessly and a typical “false defeat.” Most midpoints are a “false victory” where events peak. This is the opposite, a down, compounded when the squad searches through the dogtags of the dead and thinks they’ll never find Ryan. Then a soldier who lost his hearing says he knows Ryan’s location. Buoyed, the squad moves on.
    Bad Guys Close In: This particular journey is marked by the