Prizzi's Honor
Charley Partanna is a hitman who works for the Prizzis, one of the richest crime families in the US. When he sees Irene Walker, it's love at first sight. But he soon finds that she, too, is a killer for hire. Charley can overlook his suspicions, but he can't turn off his heart. And the couple must remember that even if they love each other, the Prizzis love only money.
The film earned $26.7M at the global box office.
1 Oscar. 27 wins & 25 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%)
Prizzi's Honor (1985) exhibits carefully calibrated narrative architecture, characteristic of John Huston's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 4 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Charley Partanna
Irene Walker
Maerose Prizzi
Don Corrado Prizzi
Dominic Prizzi
Angelo "Pop" Partanna
Main Cast & Characters
Charley Partanna
Played by Jack Nicholson
A loyal Prizzi family hitman who falls in love with a fellow contract killer, torn between love and family honor.
Irene Walker
Played by Kathleen Turner
A beautiful, calculating contract killer who marries Charley while hiding her true nature and past crimes against the family.
Maerose Prizzi
Played by Anjelica Huston
Don Corrado's granddaughter, a sharp and vengeful woman scorned by Charley, who manipulates events to regain her position.
Don Corrado Prizzi
Played by William Hickey
The aging, calculating patriarch of the Prizzi crime family who values family honor and business above all.
Dominic Prizzi
Played by Lee Richardson
Don Corrado's son and underboss who manages family operations with cold business pragmatism.
Angelo "Pop" Partanna
Played by John Randolph
Charley's father and the Prizzi family consigliere, a wise counselor torn between protecting his son and serving the family.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Charley Partanna, a loyal Prizzi family enforcer, attends a family wedding in his role as dutiful soldier, representing his life of unquestioning service to the mob.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Charley becomes infatuated with Irene Walker at the wedding, a mysterious woman who captivates him completely, disrupting his focused dedication to the family.. 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 31 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Charley chooses to fully commit to Irene, proposing marriage and deciding to blend his personal life with his professional obligations to the family., moving from reaction to action.
At 62 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Discovery that Irene stole money from the Prizzi family and may have been involved in schemes against them; the family's suspicion of her grows, creating the first major crack in Charley's dual loyalty., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 93 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The Prizzi family orders a hit on Irene; Charley is devastated as he realizes he must choose between the woman he loves and his sacred duty to the family that raised him., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 100 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Charley makes his choice: he decides that honor to the family comes first, accepting that he must carry out the hit on Irene himself, synthesizing his professional skills with his grim duty., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Prizzi's Honor'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 Prizzi's Honor against these established plot points, we can identify how John Huston utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Prizzi's Honor within the romance genre.
John Huston's Structural Approach
Among the 8 John Huston films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.6, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Prizzi's Honor represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete John Huston filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional romance films include South Pacific, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and The Evening Star. For more John Huston analyses, see The Night of the Iguana, Escape to Victory and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Charley Partanna, a loyal Prizzi family enforcer, attends a family wedding in his role as dutiful soldier, representing his life of unquestioning service to the mob.
Theme
At the wedding, discussion of honor and loyalty to the family versus personal desire is raised, establishing the central conflict between duty and love.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to the Prizzi crime family hierarchy, Charley's role as enforcer, his relationship with boss Don Corrado and the ambitious Dominic Prizzi, and the world of mob operations.
Disruption
Charley becomes infatuated with Irene Walker at the wedding, a mysterious woman who captivates him completely, disrupting his focused dedication to the family.
Resistance
Charley tracks down Irene and pursues her romantically while simultaneously handling family business; he debates whether to follow his heart or maintain his single-minded loyalty to the Prizzis.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Charley chooses to fully commit to Irene, proposing marriage and deciding to blend his personal life with his professional obligations to the family.
Mirror World
Irene is revealed to be a professional assassin herself, creating a mirror relationship that reflects Charley's world back at him and complicating the theme of loyalty and love.
Premise
Charley and Irene's romance flourishes as they navigate being a couple of assassins; the fun premise of two killers in love plays out with dark comedy and passionate romance.
Midpoint
Discovery that Irene stole money from the Prizzi family and may have been involved in schemes against them; the family's suspicion of her grows, creating the first major crack in Charley's dual loyalty.
Opposition
The Prizzi family demands answers about the money; tension escalates between Charley's love for Irene and his duty to the family as evidence mounts against her and the family pressures him.
Collapse
The Prizzi family orders a hit on Irene; Charley is devastated as he realizes he must choose between the woman he loves and his sacred duty to the family that raised him.
Crisis
Charley struggles with the impossible choice, wrestling with his feelings for Irene versus his lifelong loyalty and honor code; he contemplates whether love or duty defines who he is.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Charley makes his choice: he decides that honor to the family comes first, accepting that he must carry out the hit on Irene himself, synthesizing his professional skills with his grim duty.
Synthesis
Charley and Irene face off in a deadly confrontation; Charley fulfills his contract, killing Irene and resolving the conflict between love and loyalty by choosing the Prizzi family.
Transformation
Charley returns to the family fold, having proven his loyalty, but transformed into a hollow man who sacrificed love for honor, mirroring his opening status but now aware of what he's lost.