Last Seen Alive
After Will Spann's wife suddenly vanishes at a gas station, his desperate search to find her leads him down a dark path that forces him to run from authorities and take the law into his own hands.
The film earned $6.0M 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%)
Last Seen Alive (2022) exhibits deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Brian Goodman's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 12-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 35 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.9, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Will and Lisa Spann pack for a tense road trip to her parents' house. Their strained marriage is evident through awkward silence and distance, establishing a relationship in crisis.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Lisa enters a gas station bathroom and never comes out. Will searches frantically but she has vanished without a trace, disrupting everything and transforming a marriage counseling trip into a nightmare.. 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 48 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Will discovers evidence that Lisa was deliberately taken by criminals operating from the gas station. False defeat: the conspiracy is bigger than he thought, and the police remain unhelpful or complicit., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 71 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Will is beaten and nearly killed by the traffickers. He loses Lisa's trail completely and collapses, physically and emotionally broken. The whiff of death: he may die, and Lisa may be lost forever., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 76 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The finale: Will assaults the trafficking compound, fights through criminals, and rescues Lisa. He uses every skill and ounce of determination to save her, proving through action what words couldn't in their marriage., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Last Seen Alive's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 12 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Last Seen Alive against these established plot points, we can identify how Brian Goodman utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Last Seen Alive 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
Will and Lisa Spann pack for a tense road trip to her parents' house. Their strained marriage is evident through awkward silence and distance, establishing a relationship in crisis.
Theme
Lisa mentions they need to "fix what's broken" between them, stating the film's theme about fighting for what matters most and not giving up on the people you love.
Worldbuilding
Setup reveals Will as a working-class contractor and Lisa as his estranged wife. They're traveling to her parents to discuss their failing marriage. The relationship is cold but not yet beyond repair.
Disruption
Lisa enters a gas station bathroom and never comes out. Will searches frantically but she has vanished without a trace, disrupting everything and transforming a marriage counseling trip into a nightmare.
Resistance
Will debates with indifferent local police who suggest Lisa left voluntarily. He resists their assumptions, searches the area, and realizes no one will help him. He must decide whether to wait or act.
Act II
ConfrontationMirror World
Will encounters a sympathetic clerk who helps him, mirroring the relationship he should have with Lisa—someone who believes in him and supports his efforts, showing what trust and partnership look like.
Premise
The "fun and games" of a man-on-a-mission thriller: Will follows leads, confronts suspects, breaks into places, and uses his blue-collar skills to investigate, uncovering a human trafficking operation.
Midpoint
Will discovers evidence that Lisa was deliberately taken by criminals operating from the gas station. False defeat: the conspiracy is bigger than he thought, and the police remain unhelpful or complicit.
Opposition
The traffickers close in on Will, trying to eliminate him. Police actively work against him. He's injured, outgunned, and running out of time as Lisa is moved further into the criminal network.
Collapse
Will is beaten and nearly killed by the traffickers. He loses Lisa's trail completely and collapses, physically and emotionally broken. The whiff of death: he may die, and Lisa may be lost forever.
Crisis
Will's dark night of the soul. Wounded and alone, he processes his failures—both in losing Lisa now and in failing their marriage before. He must find the will to continue despite impossible odds.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The finale: Will assaults the trafficking compound, fights through criminals, and rescues Lisa. He uses every skill and ounce of determination to save her, proving through action what words couldn't in their marriage.