A Perfect World
After escaping from a Huntsville prison, convict Robert "Butch" Haynes (Kevin Costner) and his partner Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka) kidnap a young boy, Phillip Perry (T.J. Lowther), and flee across Texas. As they travel together, Butch and Phillip discover common bonds and suffer the abuses of the outside "Perfect World". In pursuit is Texas Ranger "Red" Garnett (Clint Eastwood) and Criminologist Sally Gerber (Laura Dern).
Despite a respectable budget of $30.0M, A Perfect World became a financial success, earning $135.1M worldwide—a 350% return.
2 wins & 1 nomination
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
A Perfect World (1993) exhibits meticulously timed plot construction, characteristic of Clint Eastwood's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 18 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Butch Haynes
Phillip Perry
Red Garnett
Sally Gerber
Terry Pugh
Main Cast & Characters
Butch Haynes
Played by Kevin Costner
An escaped convict who kidnaps a young boy but develops a protective father-son bond during their journey across Texas.
Phillip Perry
Played by T.J. Lowther
A sheltered 8-year-old Jehovah's Witness who is kidnapped by Butch but finds freedom and adventure he never experienced.
Red Garnett
Played by Clint Eastwood
A weathered Texas Ranger leading the manhunt who has a troubled history with Butch from his past as a prison supervisor.
Sally Gerber
Played by Laura Dern
A sharp criminologist assigned to advise the manhunt who challenges Red's traditional methods with modern profiling techniques.
Terry Pugh
Played by Bradley Whitford
An inexperienced but eager FBI sharpshooter who joins the pursuit team and becomes increasingly trigger-happy.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Texas, 1963. Eight-year-old Phillip Perry wakes in his modest home with his mother and sisters. As a Jehovah's Witness, he's forbidden from celebrating holidays or participating in typical childhood activities, establishing his sheltered, restricted existence.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 17 minutes when Butch and Terry escape from Huntsville Prison and take Phillip hostage from his home during the night. The boy's ordinary world is shattered as he's pulled into the car by the escaped convicts.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 35 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to After Butch kills Terry to protect him, Phillip chooses to stay with Butch rather than flee. He gets into the stolen car willingly, beginning their unlikely journey together. The kidnapping transforms into something more complex—a surrogate father-son road trip., moving from reaction to action.
At 69 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Butch reveals his plan to take Phillip to Alaska—his vision of a "perfect world" where they can live freely. This false victory represents the peak of their bond and Butch's hope for redemption, but it's an impossible dream built on a foundation of crime., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 104 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Butch violently threatens Mack at gunpoint for hitting his son, his rage spiraling out of control. Phillip, witnessing this violence, shoots Butch in the stomach with his own gun. The surrogate father-son bond is shattered—Phillip sees Butch is capable of the same violence he claims to protect against., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 110 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Phillip runs to Butch with the postcard of Alaska, wanting to return the symbol of their shared dream. Despite his wound, Butch protects Phillip one final time, understanding their journey must end. Red pleads for peaceful surrender, but the FBI sharpshooter has other orders., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
A Perfect World's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping A Perfect World against these established plot points, we can identify how Clint Eastwood utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish A Perfect World within the crime genre.
Clint Eastwood's Structural Approach
Among the 32 Clint Eastwood films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.5, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. A Perfect World represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Clint Eastwood filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional crime films include The Bad Guys, Rustom and The Whole Ten Yards. For more Clint Eastwood analyses, see True Crime, Million Dollar Baby and The Gauntlet.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Texas, 1963. Eight-year-old Phillip Perry wakes in his modest home with his mother and sisters. As a Jehovah's Witness, he's forbidden from celebrating holidays or participating in typical childhood activities, establishing his sheltered, restricted existence.
Theme
Butch's cellmate Terry comments on what a child needs—someone to look out for them, protect them. This plants the thematic question: what does it truly mean to protect a child and give them a "perfect world"?
Worldbuilding
We establish the dual worlds: Phillip's restrictive religious household where he watches other children trick-or-treat from his window, and the prison where Butch and Terry plan their escape. Red Garnett and the Texas Rangers are introduced as the law enforcement pursuing escaped convicts.
Disruption
Butch and Terry escape from Huntsville Prison and take Phillip hostage from his home during the night. The boy's ordinary world is shattered as he's pulled into the car by the escaped convicts.
Resistance
Red Garnett mobilizes the manhunt while revealing his complicated history with Butch—he once had the young Butch sent to reform school. Terry threatens Phillip, but Butch protects the boy and ultimately kills Terry when he becomes dangerous. Phillip must decide whether to trust or fear his captor.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
After Butch kills Terry to protect him, Phillip chooses to stay with Butch rather than flee. He gets into the stolen car willingly, beginning their unlikely journey together. The kidnapping transforms into something more complex—a surrogate father-son road trip.
Mirror World
Butch begins treating Phillip as a son, buying him a Casper the Friendly Ghost costume—the Halloween he was never allowed to celebrate. Their relationship becomes the thematic heart of the film, exploring surrogate fatherhood and freedom versus protection.
Premise
Butch and Phillip's road trip across Texas becomes an unconventional coming-of-age journey. Butch teaches Phillip to drive, lets him eat cotton candy, and gives him experiences his strict religious upbringing denied him. Meanwhile, Red tracks them in the mobile command unit, piecing together Butch's traumatic past.
Midpoint
Butch reveals his plan to take Phillip to Alaska—his vision of a "perfect world" where they can live freely. This false victory represents the peak of their bond and Butch's hope for redemption, but it's an impossible dream built on a foundation of crime.
Opposition
The manhunt intensifies as Red closes in. Governor Connally demands results. Butch's violent past catches up when he encounters Mack, a farmer who abuses his son—triggering Butch's own childhood trauma. Butch's unpredictable rage emerges, threatening the fragile bond with Phillip.
Collapse
Butch violently threatens Mack at gunpoint for hitting his son, his rage spiraling out of control. Phillip, witnessing this violence, shoots Butch in the stomach with his own gun. The surrogate father-son bond is shattered—Phillip sees Butch is capable of the same violence he claims to protect against.
Crisis
Wounded Butch and frightened Phillip sit in the field as police surround them. Red arrives and tries to negotiate. Phillip, confused and guilty, must process what he's done and what Butch really means to him. The dream of Alaska—the perfect world—dies.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Phillip runs to Butch with the postcard of Alaska, wanting to return the symbol of their shared dream. Despite his wound, Butch protects Phillip one final time, understanding their journey must end. Red pleads for peaceful surrender, but the FBI sharpshooter has other orders.
Synthesis
In the tense standoff, Butch makes peace with his fate. When he reaches toward Phillip in a gesture of farewell, the FBI sniper shoots him. Butch dies in the field with Phillip beside him, the Alaska postcard fluttering nearby—his perfect world forever out of reach.
Transformation
Phillip stands over Butch's body, transformed from the sheltered boy we met. He experienced freedom, loss, violence, and love. Red watches with the weight of his own failures. The perfect world remains a dream, but Phillip has been forever changed by this imperfect father figure.