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The Patriot script analysis

The Patriot script - Save the Cat beat sheet analysis

The Patriot begins with Francis Marion’s peaceful life and family before British violence disrupts his world. He reluctantly leads a militia, experiences early victories, but faces personal loss and the brutality of war. Mourning his loved ones, Marion finds new resolve and joins Washington’s forces at Yorktown. The story closes with Marion returning home, changed by sacrifice but hopeful for peace.

85 Save the Cat fit score 23% analysis confidence / 47 parsed scenes

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1

Opening Image

Scene 1 / Page 1 / 1% target

12%

Introduces Marion’s tranquil workshop and family life.

2

Theme Stated

Scene 7 / Page 2 / 5% target

14%

Cornwallis declares this a civil war, hinting the conflict’s personal stakes.

Nonetheless, we must remember that this is a civil war...
3

Set-Up

Scenes 2-4 / Pages 1-3 / 10% target

15%

Establishes Marion’s role as father, craftsman, and his attachment to home.

4

Catalyst

Scene 6 / Page 3 / 12% target

16%

Tarleton massacres Marion’s farmhands and takes Gabriel prisoner, shattering peace.

Take this one to Camden, he's a spy. He will be hung.
5

Debate

Scene 19 / Page 9 / 20% target

18%

Marion wrestles with vengeance, debating killing Tarleton on the spot.

There will be a time and a place for revenge but killing Tarleton at the expense of your...
6

Break into Two

Scene 10 / Page 4 / 25% target

20%

Marion crosses into open conflict by planning an ambush on the British convoy.

Less than a mile. Forty-one wagons, a company of Redcoat infantry, horses at the rear.
7

B Story

Scene 17 / Page 6 / 30% target

13%

Gabriel’s flirtation with Anne establishes the romantic subplot.

8

Fun and Games

Scene 11 / Page 4 / 40% target

12%

The militia’s successful guerrilla ambush showcases their tactics and daring.

Epaulets first... Kill the officers.
9

Midpoint

Scene 14 / Page 7 / 50% target

17%

Marion discovers Cornwallis’s arrogance is his weakness, shifting strategy.

Lord Cornwallis is brilliant. His weakness is that he knows it.
10

Bad Guys Close In

Scene 24 / Page 11 / 65% target

14%

Tarleton’s men burn Charlotte’s house, striking at Marion’s family.

11

All Is Lost

Scene 36 / Page 16 / 75% target

18%

Gabriel is killed despite Marion’s attempt to save him, the worst loss.

12

Dark Night of the Soul

Scene 37 / Page 16 / 80% target

15%

Marion mourns Gabriel in his tent, doubting his purpose in war.

13

Break into Three

Scene 39 / Page 17 / 85% target

13%

Under the North Star, Marion finds renewed resolve to continue the fight.

14

Finale

Scene 43 / Page 19 / 95% target

16%

The climactic Yorktown battle begins, with Marion personally confronting Tarleton.

15

Final Image

Scene 47 / Page 21 / 99% target

12%

Marion returns home, working peacefully again and hinting at restored normalcy.

Two pounds, fourteen ounces.