The King's Man
As a collection of history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them.
Working with a substantial budget of $100.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $125.9M in global revenue (+26% profit margin).
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 King's Man (2021) showcases precise narrative design, characteristic of Matthew Vaughn's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 12-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 11 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes 1902 South Africa. Oxford and his wife Emily work at a Red Cross camp with young son Conrad, representing Oxford's pacifist idealism and privileged humanitarian mission before tragedy strikes.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo despite Oxford's team's efforts to prevent it. The event Oxford feared most - the catalyst for world war - occurs, making his protective isolation impossible.. At 11% 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 66 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat False defeat: Oxford discovers Conrad has enlisted and is already deployed to the front lines. His worst fear is realized - he's lost control and his son is in mortal danger. Stakes raised; the personal and global missions collide., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 97 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Conrad is killed in no man's land delivering a message - a senseless death yards from safety. Oxford arrives moments too late, cradling his son's body. The "whiff of death" is literal: Oxford's pacifism killed his son by making him prove himself., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 105 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Finale: Oxford and team infiltrate The Shepherd's lair in Scotland. Final confrontation reveals the villain (Captain Morton, Conrad's superior). Epic fight. Oxford defeats The Shepherd. He proposes forming a permanent spy organization to prevent future wars - the Kingsman agency is born., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The King's Man'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 The King's Man against these established plot points, we can identify how Matthew Vaughn utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The King's Man within the action genre.
Matthew Vaughn's Structural Approach
Among the 7 Matthew Vaughn films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. The King's Man takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Matthew Vaughn filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Matthew Vaughn analyses, see Stardust, Kick-Ass and Layer Cake.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
1902 South Africa. Oxford and his wife Emily work at a Red Cross camp with young son Conrad, representing Oxford's pacifist idealism and privileged humanitarian mission before tragedy strikes.
Theme
Emily Oxford tells Orlando: "The powerful have a responsibility to protect the powerless." This thematic statement defines the story's central moral question about intervention and duty.
Worldbuilding
Establishing Oxford's world: Emily's death shapes Orlando's pacifism and overprotective parenting of Conrad. Jump to 1914 - Conrad is now grown, eager for action. Oxford runs an intelligence network (Shola, Polly) to prevent war while keeping Conrad away from danger.
Disruption
Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo despite Oxford's team's efforts to prevent it. The event Oxford feared most - the catalyst for world war - occurs, making his protective isolation impossible.
Resistance
Oxford debates intervention. He discovers a conspiracy (The Shepherd) orchestrating the war. Conrad desperately wants to enlist. Oxford uses influence to keep Conrad out of military while pursuing the conspiracy with his team. Father-son conflict intensifies.
Act II
ConfrontationMirror World
Conrad confronts Oxford about the hypocrisy of fighting the war while forbidding his son from serving. This B-story relationship carries the theme: Conrad embodies the duty Oxford preaches but won't allow his son to practice.
Premise
The "promise of the premise" - stylized spy action. Oxford's team infiltrates Russia, battles Rasputin in an outrageous fight sequence, and eliminates him. Meanwhile, Conrad secretly enlists using a friend's identity. The team pursues conspiracy leads across Europe.
Midpoint
False defeat: Oxford discovers Conrad has enlisted and is already deployed to the front lines. His worst fear is realized - he's lost control and his son is in mortal danger. Stakes raised; the personal and global missions collide.
Opposition
Pressure intensifies on all fronts. Oxford races to find Conrad at the front. The conspiracy deepens - The Shepherd's network is revealed. Oxford's team suffers losses. Conrad faces brutal trench warfare, proving his courage but moving toward tragedy.
Collapse
Conrad is killed in no man's land delivering a message - a senseless death yards from safety. Oxford arrives moments too late, cradling his son's body. The "whiff of death" is literal: Oxford's pacifism killed his son by making him prove himself.
Crisis
Oxford's dark night. He burns his peace credentials, embraces rage and revenge. He processes that his refusal to let Conrad serve honorably pushed the boy to enlist secretly. The pacifist dies with his son; something harder is born.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Finale: Oxford and team infiltrate The Shepherd's lair in Scotland. Final confrontation reveals the villain (Captain Morton, Conrad's superior). Epic fight. Oxford defeats The Shepherd. He proposes forming a permanent spy organization to prevent future wars - the Kingsman agency is born.