SIMON SAYS: DIE HARD III script - Save the Cat beat sheet analysis

McClane sits alone at his precinct desk before dawn, establishing his lone-wolf status.

Chief Cobb and Lambert discuss McClane’s behavior, hinting at his need to trust others and ask for help.

We meet McClane in the precinct, see his rapport with colleagues and his irreverent humor (bathroom surprise), and learn about his strained relationship with the force.

Only a quarter of the time, fellahs.

A hidden bomb explodes in Bloomingdale’s, jolting the city into crisis and introducing Simon’s deadly game.

Detectives debate Simon’s motives and the scope of his bombing campaign, questioning how to proceed and whom to trust.

By now the trucks are in California and the contractor's collecting theft insurance which he'll split with the...

McClane follows instructions to Harlem, leaving the precinct world behind and officially entering Simon’s deadly puzzle.

We meet Zeus Carver, McClane’s reluctant partner, beginning their buddy-cop dynamic that underpins the emotional core.

McClane and Zeus race through riddles—St. Ives, Wall Street bomb, taxi stunts—showcasing the film’s set-piece thrills and their growing camaraderie.

As I was going to St. Ives I met a man with seven wives Every wife had seven...

McClane hurls the bomb off the train just in time, delivering a false victory and raising stakes by showing Simon’s willingness to escalate.

Simon’s team infiltrates the subway vault, kills officers, and drills into the bank vault, tightening their grip on the city’s gold reserves.

The vault is breached and Simon’s team steals the gold—McClane’s worst fear realized as he’s outmaneuvered.

McClane and Zeus struggle with the water jug riddle as Simon mocks them, leaving them doubting their ability to save the city.

And I thought you were stupid, John. But then things are never what they seem, are they?

McClane hijacks the dump truck, turning the tables and committing to a final, all-out assault on Simon’s gold convoy.

A massive flood, drive-thru shootout, and the cargo-ship confrontation culminate in McClane’s single-handed takedown of Simon.

McClane stands alone on the ship as Simon is defeated, mirroring the opening image but now with McClane having trusted and triumphed.