Save the Cat rankings

BROTHERS script analysis

BROTHERS script - Save the Cat beat sheet analysis

Brothers follows Captain Sam Cahill as he returns from war, is killed in action, and miraculously rescued from captivity. The story interweaves his family’s grief and healing — particularly his brother Tommy’s — culminating in a tense homecoming and a reckoning over trauma.

75 Save the Cat fit score 76% analysis confidence / 91 parsed scenes

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1

Opening Image

Scene 1 / Page 1 / 1% target

80%

Establishes the military outpost and tone of the wartime setting.

2

Theme Stated

Scene 2 / Pages 1-2 / 5% target

70%

Sam and Freeman’s banter hints at confronting fear and loss.

You try to talk him out of it?
3

Set-Up

Scenes 2-7 / Pages 1-10 / 10% target

75%

Introduces Sam’s family life, his brother Tommy, and homefront dynamics.

4

Catalyst

Scene 8 / Pages 10-11 / 12% target

78%

Tommy’s release from prison and reunion with Sam upends the family status quo.

You doing the Charles Manson thing?
5

Debate

Scene 10 / Pages 11-12 / 20% target

72%

Sam and Tommy argue in the Mustang, revealing Sam’s protective instincts and Tommy’s resentment.

You always drive thirty-five?
6

Break into Two

Scene 19 / Pages 20-21 / 25% target

80%

Sam delivers his final speech before deployment, crossing into Act II.

We leave in twenty-four hours. This will be the last time I talk to you on American soil.
7

B Story

Scenes 21-22 / Pages 22-23 / 30% target

74%

Sam’s tender moments with his daughters and Grace establish the emotional subplot at home.

8

Fun and Games

Scenes 23-29 / Pages 23-29 / 40% target

77%

Depicts Sam’s tour of duty, convoy travel, base arrival, and combat leading to dramatic stakes.

9

Midpoint

Scene 29 / Pages 29-30 / 50% target

83%

The Blackhawk crash turns hope into disaster, marking a false victory turned defeat.

10

Bad Guys Close In

Scenes 47-50 / Pages 47-50 / 65% target

79%

Sam’s capture and transfer to a prisoner cell intensify the external threat.

11

All Is Lost

Scene 31 / Pages 30-31 / 75% target

81%

Grace receives the notification of Sam’s death — the darkest moment.

Is your mother home?
12

Dark Night of the Soul

Scenes 32-34 / Pages 31-34 / 80% target

75%

Grace and Tommy grapple with grief and guilt, doubting everything.

13

Break into Three

Scene 79 / Pages 78-79 / 85% target

80%

American special forces rescue Sam, shifting to resolution and act III.

14

Finale

Scenes 84-90 / Pages 84-90 / 95% target

77%

Confrontation in the Cahill home, Sam’s breakdown, and Tommy’s intervention resolve family and personal conflicts.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT I DID? DO YOU KNOW WHAT I DID TO BE WITH YOU?
15

Final Image

Scene 91 / Page 91 / 99% target

79%

Grace’s prison visit to Sam closes the arc on trauma and connection.

He had a little boy.