Save the Cat rankings

Ronin script analysis

Ronin script - Save the Cat beat sheet analysis

Professional operatives Sam and Vincent assemble a team to retrieve a stolen briefcase, navigating betrayals and blowback on the streets of Europe. Along the way, Sam’s undercover status is revealed, tensions rise among the crew, and personal stakes come to the fore. After a chaotic midpoint betrayal, the partners press on through car chases and confrontations toward a final assault on a chateau. In the aftermath, loyalties are tested once more in a bittersweet coda by the riverside.

75 Save the Cat fit score 62% analysis confidence / 46 parsed scenes

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1

Opening Image

Scene 1 / Page 1 / 1% target

70%

The film opens with a brutal cathedral murder and the theft of the crucial briefcase, establishing the stakes.

But I don't think he's too fond of you...
2

Theme Stated

Scene 4 / Page 1 / 5% target

60%

Deirdre’s guarded answer hints at trust and deception as central themes.

I'm here... No, it was nothing.
3

Set-Up

Scenes 1-5 / Pages 1-2 / 10% target

65%

We meet the core team in Paris, learn their skills, and see interpersonal tensions surface over a bar argument.

This is not football...
4

Catalyst

Scene 9 / Page 3 / 12% target

60%

The park meeting explodes into gunfire, jolting the team into a lethal reality.

You told him I was a cop?
5

Debate

Scene 11 / Page 4 / 20% target

60%

Sam and Vincent argue over loyalty versus duty, questioning if they can trust each other.

You know, what you pulled back there, that was bullshit.
6

Break into Two

Scene 14 / Page 5 / 25% target

60%

Sam steps back into personal life with Deirdre, marking a shift from mission focus to personal stakes.

I feel as if I've wandered onto the set of Enter The Dragon. Could you teach me to...
7

B Story

Scene 14 / Page 5 / 30% target

60%

The Sam–Deirdre subplot deepens here, introducing emotional stakes.

I feel as if I've wandered onto the set of Enter The Dragon. Could you teach me to...
8

Fun and Games

Scenes 6-16 / Pages 2-7 / 40% target

60%

The team trains, conducts ops, and uncovers Gregor’s betrayal in varied set‐pieces across Europe.

All in the stomach, though. Your man might live.
9

Midpoint

Scene 25 / Page 11 / 50% target

65%

At the Roman Theater, Gregor exposes Sam’s identity, shifting the game from chase to personal peril.

You're a cop...you're a fucking cop...I should kill you.
10

Bad Guys Close In

Scenes 36-37 / Pages 15-16 / 65% target

60%

An intense car chase demonstrates the enemies tightening the noose.

What the fuck happened?
11

All Is Lost

Scene 38 / Page 16 / 75% target

60%

The compact car crash and explosion feel like utter failure for the pursuers.

12

Dark Night of the Soul

Scene 39 / Page 17 / 80% target

60%

Vincent’s apartment scene shows despair as they brace for their toughest mission yet.

This is my job, I have to do it.
13

Break into Three

Scene 40 / Page 18 / 85% target

60%

They resolve to infiltrate the chateau despite the risks.

If I'm going to die for the CIA, I'm going to go out smoking.
14

Finale

Scenes 42-44 / Pages 19-21 / 95% target

65%

Sam and Vincent race through the chateau, culminating in Gregor’s death and resolution of the briefcase conflict.

You might have made a good field agent you arrogant American prick, but you're not smart enough to...
15

Final Image

Scene 46 / Page 22 / 99% target

60%

The riverside cafe ending underscores the cycle of violence with Deirdre’s tragic death out of revenge.

Besides, I'm not IRA no more.