The 3-Act Paradigm at Work: The Contender

written by Rod Lurie


The Contender is a political drama with very strong 3-act structure.

Structural Analysis

  1. Hook (1 min.)
    • A car crashes over a bridge and a governor, fishing nearby, fails to rescue the girl in the car. But he's a hero for trying.
  2. Complication (5, 10 min.)
    • But the governor is turned down as V.P. candidate by the President. A woman is nominated instead.
  3. Call to Action (17-8 min.)
    • The woman senator, our protagonist, accepts the nomination.
  4. Act One Plot Point (30-5 min.)
    • A smear campaign starts against the senator about her sex life in college, but she won't step down.
  5. Midpoint Plot Point (59 min.)
    • The story about her college sex orgy goes onto the Internet and becomes public.
  6. Act Two Plot Point (86, 95 min.)
    • She still won't fight back. The President prepares to drop her for the governor.
  7. Climax and Resolution (100-115 min.)
    • The governor's heroism is fraudulent. The senator drops out but the President refuses her withdrawal. Her time has come.


MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

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