Save the Cat rankings

Den of Thieves script analysis

Den of Thieves script - Save the Cat beat sheet analysis

Den of Thieves opens with a bank‐robbing enthusiast in prison and quickly pivots to a high‐stakes armored truck heist that sets off a cat‐and‐mouse game between crooks and cops. As the crew plans an elaborate Federal Reserve bust, Officer Big Nick juggles personal collapse and professional obsession. The midpoint reveals their first scheme was a decoy, raising the stakes for the true heist.

22 Save the Cat fit score 12% analysis confidence / 165 parsed scenes

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1

Opening Image

Scene 1 / Page 1 / 1% target

17%

Willy Lump Lump in a cell graphically frames the film’s crime obsession.

...to this day, when I just think of robbing a bank, I get a boner. I get butterflies......
2

Theme Stated

Scene 1 / Page 1 / 5% target

15%

Willy’s fervor for bank robbery (“I fucken love robbing banks”) hints that passion and lawlessness drive the story.

...I fucken love robbing banks. Unfortunately for me, it happens to be illegal. That’s why I’m sitting here...
3

Set-Up

Scenes 2-12 / Pages 1-10 / 10% target

18%

We meet the armored truck crew, witness the dawn ambush, and see Nick’s strained home life.

4

Catalyst

Scene 4 / Page 3 / 12% target

16%

The heist of the Brinks truck triggers the entire investigation.

ARMOR-PIERCING ROUNDS ARE CHAMBERED IN THIS FIREARM. DO NOT BE THE IDIOT THAT’S GOING TO FORCE ME TO...
5

Debate

Scenes 12-16 / Pages 7-12 / 20% target

14%

The crew realizes the truck was empty and now they’re “cop killers,” questioning next steps.

... We’re cop killers now...
6

Break into Two

Scene 17 / Page 13 / 25% target

15%

Nick arrives at the donut shop, committing to catch the outlaws and enter Act Two.

I take it he’s a bad guy?
7

B Story

Scenes 21-24 / Pages 16-20 / 30% target

13%

Donnie’s undercover infiltration and interrogation by Nick’s team introduces personal stakes.

Fraulein! You’re up!
8

Fun and Games

Scenes 33-40 / Pages 25-32 / 40% target

16%

Flashbacks show how Donnie joined the crew and the technical heist planning unfolds.

9

Midpoint

Scene 41 / Page 33 / 50% target

14%

Merrimen reveals the target—the Federal Reserve—escalating from truck to bank heist.

That’s the Los Angeles Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank.
10

Bad Guys Close In

Scenes 52-53 / Pages 40-43 / 65% target

12%

Nick’s Major Crimes unit digs into Merrimen’s history as personal life unravels (divorce papers).

...guess ah...I’m getting divorced.
11

All Is Lost

Scene 75 / Page 50 / 75% target

11%

Nick crashes his wife’s dinner party, hitting a personal low.

What’s for dinner? ...relax! I already ate.
12

Dark Night of the Soul

Scenes 89-93 / Pages 58-62 / 80% target

13%

Merrimen leaves Holly, Nick weeps alone, both doubting their paths.

13

Break into Three

Scenes 95-96 / Pages 63-64 / 85% target

14%

Both sides gear up—Nick at HQ and crew loading into the van—for the final showdown.

14

Finale

Scenes 155-156 / Pages 96-100 / 95% target

15%

A massive shootout on Alameda Corridor culminates the conflict between cops and robbers.

15

Final Image

Scene 159 / Page 103 / 99% target

16%

Nick alone, staring at Donnie’s photo, mirrors the opening’s solitary crime fixation.