Going by the Book
A string of bank robberies sets off a public panic. To appease the residents of the city and fulfill his own ambitions, the newly-appointed chief of police decides to hold an anti-bank robbery drill to demonstrate the effectiveness of the police. He secretly appoints a naïve traffic cop to disguise as a robber, overlooking the fact that the inflexible, by-the-book officer will go all out in accomplishing any assigned mission--even when it's a robbery.
The film earned $15.0M at the global box office.
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%)
Going by the Book (2007) demonstrates carefully calibrated dramatic framework, characteristic of Ra Hee-chan's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 42 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.2, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Traffic officer Jung Do-man meticulously enforces traffic laws by the book, stopping even police vehicles for violations. His rigid adherence to rules has made him unpopular with colleagues and earned him a demotion to a rural post.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when The police chief, needing someone to play the robber in a staged bank heist drill, reluctantly selects Do-man - the one officer he knows will take any assignment seriously, though he expects it to be a simple PR exercise.. 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.
At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat False defeat: The drill spirals beyond anyone's control as Do-man's perfect-by-the-book robbery becomes a real crisis. Media attention explodes, the chief's career is threatened, and what was supposed to be a simple PR stunt becomes a genuine standoff. The stakes are now real., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 77 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The authorities decide to end the drill by force, threatening to brand Do-man as having gone rogue and destroy his career completely. His reputation, the one thing his rule-following was meant to protect, faces total annihilation. The system he believed in abandons him., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 82 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The finale unfolds as Do-man completes the drill by the book, forcing the police to acknowledge their procedural failures. The media and public side with him, recognizing his adherence to protocol exposed real institutional problems. The chief and system must face their own shortcuts., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Going by the Book's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Going by the Book against these established plot points, we can identify how Ra Hee-chan utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Going by the Book within the action genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Traffic officer Jung Do-man meticulously enforces traffic laws by the book, stopping even police vehicles for violations. His rigid adherence to rules has made him unpopular with colleagues and earned him a demotion to a rural post.
Theme
A superior comments that "sometimes following the rules too strictly causes more problems than it solves" - establishing the thematic tension between absolute adherence to law and practical flexibility.
Worldbuilding
We see Do-man's isolated life in his rural posting, his strained relationships with fellow officers who view him as an inflexible nuisance, and the police chief planning a bank robbery simulation to improve his public image before retirement.
Disruption
The police chief, needing someone to play the robber in a staged bank heist drill, reluctantly selects Do-man - the one officer he knows will take any assignment seriously, though he expects it to be a simple PR exercise.
Resistance
Do-man hesitates and questions whether he's the right person for this role. The chief dismisses his concerns, expecting a routine drill. Do-man begins researching bank robberies with his characteristic thoroughness, though colleagues mock his seriousness.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
The "fun and games" of Do-man executing an impossibly thorough mock robbery - taking real hostages, making actual demands, exploiting every procedural weakness. The police are increasingly humiliated as their own officer outsmarts them at every turn using legal protocols.
Midpoint
False defeat: The drill spirals beyond anyone's control as Do-man's perfect-by-the-book robbery becomes a real crisis. Media attention explodes, the chief's career is threatened, and what was supposed to be a simple PR stunt becomes a genuine standoff. The stakes are now real.
Opposition
The police force turns against Do-man, trying everything to end the drill and save face. Pressure mounts from politicians, media, and the public. Do-man faces moral questions about his rigid adherence but continues following procedure exactly, revealing deeper institutional failures.
Collapse
The authorities decide to end the drill by force, threatening to brand Do-man as having gone rogue and destroy his career completely. His reputation, the one thing his rule-following was meant to protect, faces total annihilation. The system he believed in abandons him.
Crisis
Do-man faces his dark night, questioning whether his literal interpretation of duty has been foolish all along. He must reconcile his belief in absolute rules with the reality that the system itself is willing to break them for convenience.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The finale unfolds as Do-man completes the drill by the book, forcing the police to acknowledge their procedural failures. The media and public side with him, recognizing his adherence to protocol exposed real institutional problems. The chief and system must face their own shortcuts.