Black and Blue
A rookie cop inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing that the murder was committed by corrupt cops, she teams up with the one person from her community who is willing to help her as she tries to escape both the criminals out for revenge and the police who are desperate to destroy the incriminating footage.
Working with a small-scale budget of $12.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $22.7M in global revenue (+90% profit margin).
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%)
Black and Blue (2019) exemplifies deliberately positioned dramatic framework, characteristic of Deon Taylor's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 12-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 49 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Alicia West
Mouse
Terry Malone
Darius
Smitty
Detective Lue
Main Cast & Characters
Alicia West
Played by Naomie Harris
A rookie New Orleans police officer who witnesses corrupt cops commit murder and goes on the run with incriminating bodycam footage.
Mouse
Played by Tyrese Gibson
A convenience store clerk and community figure who reluctantly helps Alicia survive the night in his old neighborhood.
Terry Malone
Played by Frank Grillo
A corrupt detective and Alicia's former training officer who leads the hunt to silence her and destroy the evidence.
Darius
Played by Mike Colter
A local drug dealer who controls the neighborhood and initially sees Alicia as a threat but becomes an unlikely ally.
Smitty
Played by Reid Scott
A corrupt cop and Terry's partner who participates in the cover-up and hunting Alicia.
Detective Lue
Played by Nafessa Williams
A by-the-book homicide detective investigating the murders who becomes suspicious of the corruption.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Alicia West returns to New Orleans as a rookie cop, trying to prove herself in her old neighborhood despite the community's distrust of police.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Responding to a noise complaint, Alicia witnesses her fellow officers execute several men in a drug house, and her body camera captures the entire murder scene including dirty cop Terry Malone.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Alicia decides she must get the footage to the authorities and expose the corrupt cops, actively choosing to go on the run through the dangerous streets rather than surrender the camera., moving from reaction to action.
At 55 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat The corrupt cops spread a false narrative that Alicia is a rogue cop who killed her partner, turning both the police department and the community against her, raising the stakes dramatically., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 82 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Mouse is shot and critically wounded while helping Alicia escape, and she believes he's dead, representing the devastating cost of her fight for justice and her darkest moment of isolation., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 87 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Alicia orchestrates a plan to publicly livestream the body camera footage, confronts the corrupt officers in a final showdown, and exposes their crimes with help from honest cops and the community., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Black and Blue's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 12 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Black and Blue against these established plot points, we can identify how Deon Taylor utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Black and Blue within the action genre.
Deon Taylor's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Deon Taylor films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Black and Blue takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Deon Taylor filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Deon Taylor analyses, see The Intruder, Meet the Blacks and Traffik.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Alicia West returns to New Orleans as a rookie cop, trying to prove herself in her old neighborhood despite the community's distrust of police.
Theme
Her training officer Terry Malone warns her about the thin blue line and loyalty, establishing the central conflict between doing right versus fitting in with corrupt colleagues.
Worldbuilding
Alicia navigates her first days on patrol, facing hostility from the community she grew up in, meeting her partner Deacon Brown, and learning about the tension between police and residents in the Ninth Ward.
Disruption
Responding to a noise complaint, Alicia witnesses her fellow officers execute several men in a drug house, and her body camera captures the entire murder scene including dirty cop Terry Malone.
Resistance
Alicia flees the scene with the incriminating body camera footage, debating whether to come forward while being hunted by her own police department who want to destroy the evidence and silence her.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Alicia decides she must get the footage to the authorities and expose the corrupt cops, actively choosing to go on the run through the dangerous streets rather than surrender the camera.
Premise
Alicia and Mouse navigate the streets together, evading both corrupt cops and local criminals, as she tries to survive long enough to expose the truth while gaining his trust and reconnecting with her community roots.
Midpoint
The corrupt cops spread a false narrative that Alicia is a rogue cop who killed her partner, turning both the police department and the community against her, raising the stakes dramatically.
Opposition
With everyone hunting her, Alicia faces increasing danger from all sides. Mouse's store is destroyed, innocent people are hurt protecting her, and the corrupt cops close in while she struggles to find anyone she can trust.
Collapse
Mouse is shot and critically wounded while helping Alicia escape, and she believes he's dead, representing the devastating cost of her fight for justice and her darkest moment of isolation.
Crisis
Wounded and alone, Alicia grapples with guilt over Mouse's apparent death and questions whether the truth is worth the cost, reaching her emotional low point in the darkness.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Alicia orchestrates a plan to publicly livestream the body camera footage, confronts the corrupt officers in a final showdown, and exposes their crimes with help from honest cops and the community.