Havana
Cuba, December 1958: The professional gambler Jack visits Havana to organize a big Poker game. On the ship he meets Roberta and falls in love with her. Shortly after they arrive in Cuba, Roberta and her Cuban husband, the revolutionary Arturo, are arrested and tortured. Arturo is reported "shot while trying to escape," but Jack manages to get Roberta free again. He can't, however, keep her from continuing to support the revolution. Jack has to make a choice between the beautiful woman who keeps putting herself in harm's way and the biggest poker game of his life; between the man he could be and the man he is.
The film box office disappointment against its respectable budget of $40.0M, earning $9.2M globally (-77% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its distinctive approach within the drama genre.
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 3 nominations
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%)
Havana (1990) exemplifies carefully calibrated narrative architecture, characteristic of Sydney Pollack's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 24 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.9, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Jack Weil
Bobby Duran
Arturo Duran
Joe Volpi
Marion Chigwell
Meyer Lansky
Main Cast & Characters
Jack Weil
Played by Robert Redford
A professional gambler who arrives in Havana seeking high-stakes poker games but becomes entangled in the Cuban Revolution and an impossible romance.
Bobby Duran
Played by Lena Olin
The wife of a revolutionary leader, torn between duty to her husband's cause and her passionate affair with Jack Weil.
Arturo Duran
Played by Raul Julia
Bobby's husband, a dedicated revolutionary fighting against the Batista regime in Cuba.
Joe Volpi
Played by Alan Arkin
A wealthy American businessman and casino owner in Havana with connections to organized crime.
Marion Chigwell
Played by Tomas Milian
An American expatriate and friend to Jack who helps navigate Havana's dangerous social landscape.
Meyer Lansky
Played by Mark Rydell
The infamous American mobster overseeing organized crime operations in pre-revolutionary Cuba.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Jack Weil arrives in Havana in December 1958, a professional gambler focused solely on making money at the poker tables, detached from politics and relationships.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 17 minutes when Jack meets Bobby Duran's wife Roberta at a party - an instant attraction that disrupts his carefully controlled, emotionally detached existence.. 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 36 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Jack actively chooses to pursue Roberta, beginning an affair despite knowing she's married to a revolutionary. He crosses from emotional detachment into vulnerability., moving from reaction to action.
At 72 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Bobby Duran is captured by Batista's forces. The personal becomes political as Jack must confront whether he'll risk himself for others or maintain his self-interested neutrality., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 108 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The revolution succeeds and Batista flees. Jack realizes he has lost Roberta - she chooses her husband and the cause over him. His dreams of love and a different life collapse., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 116 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Jack accepts that Roberta has made her choice and that he cannot return to his old life unchanged. He understands that love sometimes means letting go., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Havana's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Havana against these established plot points, we can identify how Sydney Pollack utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Havana within the drama genre.
Sydney Pollack's Structural Approach
Among the 13 Sydney Pollack films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Havana takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Sydney Pollack filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include After Thomas, South Pacific and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. For more Sydney Pollack analyses, see Bobby Deerfield, Sabrina and Three Days of the Condor.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Jack Weil arrives in Havana in December 1958, a professional gambler focused solely on making money at the poker tables, detached from politics and relationships.
Theme
A character warns Jack that "in Havana, nobody is neutral" - foreshadowing that his apolitical stance will become impossible to maintain.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of pre-revolutionary Havana: corrupt casinos, political tension, revolutionaries versus Batista regime, and Jack's world of high-stakes poker where he remains willfully ignorant of the brewing revolution.
Disruption
Jack meets Bobby Duran's wife Roberta at a party - an instant attraction that disrupts his carefully controlled, emotionally detached existence.
Resistance
Jack resists his feelings for Roberta while becoming increasingly drawn to her. He debates whether to leave Havana or stay, torn between his mercenary lifestyle and genuine emotional connection.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Jack actively chooses to pursue Roberta, beginning an affair despite knowing she's married to a revolutionary. He crosses from emotional detachment into vulnerability.
Mirror World
Roberta reveals her idealistic commitment to the revolution and her husband's cause - representing the passion and political engagement that Jack has always avoided.
Premise
The romance flourishes as Jack and Roberta navigate their affair against the backdrop of increasing revolutionary violence. Jack experiences genuine love while remaining conflicted about commitment and politics.
Midpoint
Bobby Duran is captured by Batista's forces. The personal becomes political as Jack must confront whether he'll risk himself for others or maintain his self-interested neutrality.
Opposition
Pressure mounts from all sides: Roberta needs Jack's help to save Bobby, the revolution intensifies, the regime becomes more brutal, and Jack's attempts to remain uninvolved crumble.
Collapse
The revolution succeeds and Batista flees. Jack realizes he has lost Roberta - she chooses her husband and the cause over him. His dreams of love and a different life collapse.
Crisis
Jack faces the emotional devastation of losing Roberta and confronts what his neutrality has cost him - the chance for genuine connection and meaning beyond self-interest.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Jack accepts that Roberta has made her choice and that he cannot return to his old life unchanged. He understands that love sometimes means letting go.
Synthesis
Jack prepares to leave Havana, helping with final arrangements as the new Cuba emerges. He takes action to assist others, showing how the experience has changed him.
Transformation
Jack departs Havana alone, forever changed. No longer the detached gambler, he's experienced love and loss - emotionally awakened but bearing the cost of caring in a revolutionary world.