The American
Dispatched to a small Italian town to await further orders, assassin Jack embarks on a double life that may be more relaxing than is good for him.
Despite a respectable budget of $20.0M, The American became a commercial success, earning $67.9M worldwide—a 240% return.
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%)
The American (2010) exhibits deliberately positioned plot construction, characteristic of Anton Corbijn's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 13-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 44 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Jack and his lover Ingrid in a remote Swedish cabin. He appears as a skilled assassin living in isolation, maintaining emotional distance while engaging in a seemingly peaceful moment before violence erupts.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Pavel contacts Jack with a new assignment: to build a custom sniper rifle for a female assassin named Mathilde. Despite wanting to retire, Jack is pulled back into his dangerous world, unable to escape his profession.. 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 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Jack meets with Mathilde and fully commits to building the weapon. He actively chooses to engage with the assignment, beginning the meticulous process of constructing the custom rifle, crossing into the world of this final job., moving from reaction to action.
At 52 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Jack tests the completed rifle with Mathilde in a remote location. The weapon works perfectly, but Jack notices Mathilde's suspicious behavior. False victory: the job is complete, but Jack's paranoia intensifies as he realizes he may be the target., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 78 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Mathilde attempts to kill Jack using the very weapon he built for her. Jack kills Mathilde in self-defense, confirming his betrayal. The whiff of death: Jack realizes Pavel has ordered his execution, and the life he hoped to build with Clara seems impossible., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 83 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Jack eliminates Pavel, ending the immediate threat. He races to meet Clara for their escape, but Pavel has shot him with a poisoned bullet. Jack drives Clara toward their new life, but his wound is fatal. The finale synthesizes his skills with his transformation., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The American's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 13 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping The American against these established plot points, we can identify how Anton Corbijn utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The American within the crime genre.
Anton Corbijn's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Anton Corbijn films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.6, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. The American represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Anton Corbijn filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional crime films include The Bad Guys, Batman Forever and 12 Rounds. For more Anton Corbijn analyses, see Control, A Most Wanted Man.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Jack and his lover Ingrid in a remote Swedish cabin. He appears as a skilled assassin living in isolation, maintaining emotional distance while engaging in a seemingly peaceful moment before violence erupts.
Theme
Father Benedetto tells Jack, "You cannot deny the existence of hell. You live in it." This statement captures the film's exploration of guilt, redemption, and whether one can escape their past.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Jack as a paranoid, isolated weapons expert and assassin. The ambush in Sweden kills Ingrid, revealing Jack's dangerous profession and his handler Pavel. Jack assumes the identity "Edward" and hides in the Italian village of Castelvecchio.
Disruption
Pavel contacts Jack with a new assignment: to build a custom sniper rifle for a female assassin named Mathilde. Despite wanting to retire, Jack is pulled back into his dangerous world, unable to escape his profession.
Resistance
Jack debates whether to take the assignment while building connections in Castelvecchio. He meets Father Benedetto who offers spiritual guidance, and begins surveilling the town. He resists forming attachments but is drawn to the local life around him.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Jack meets with Mathilde and fully commits to building the weapon. He actively chooses to engage with the assignment, beginning the meticulous process of constructing the custom rifle, crossing into the world of this final job.
Premise
Jack meticulously crafts the weapon while deepening his relationship with Clara. The film delivers on its premise of watching a master craftsman at work, intercut with his growing emotional vulnerability and the beauty of Italian village life contrasting with his lethal profession.
Midpoint
Jack tests the completed rifle with Mathilde in a remote location. The weapon works perfectly, but Jack notices Mathilde's suspicious behavior. False victory: the job is complete, but Jack's paranoia intensifies as he realizes he may be the target.
Opposition
Jack's paranoia proves justified as assassins close in. He discovers he's been betrayed, likely by Pavel. His relationship with Clara deepens even as his professional world collapses. Jack must stay ahead of killers while protecting Clara from his dangerous reality.
Collapse
Mathilde attempts to kill Jack using the very weapon he built for her. Jack kills Mathilde in self-defense, confirming his betrayal. The whiff of death: Jack realizes Pavel has ordered his execution, and the life he hoped to build with Clara seems impossible.
Crisis
Jack processes the betrayal and confronts his dark reality. He confesses to Father Benedetto, seeking absolution for his sins. In this dark night, Jack must decide whether to flee alone as he always has, or to risk everything for a chance at redemption with Clara.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Jack eliminates Pavel, ending the immediate threat. He races to meet Clara for their escape, but Pavel has shot him with a poisoned bullet. Jack drives Clara toward their new life, but his wound is fatal. The finale synthesizes his skills with his transformation.
Transformation
Jack dies in Clara's arms by a river, having achieved emotional connection and redemption but unable to escape the physical consequences of his past. The final image mirrors the opening isolation but shows transformation: Jack dies connected to another person, no longer alone.