The Kitchen
The wives of New York gangsters in Hell's Kitchen in the 1970s continue to operate their husbands' rackets after they're locked up in prison.
The film commercial failure against its respectable budget of $38.0M, earning $16.0M globally (-58% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its unique voice within the action genre.
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 Kitchen (2019) exhibits carefully calibrated narrative architecture, characteristic of Andrea Berloff's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 43 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.3, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Kathy, Ruby, and Claire are mob wives in 1970s Hell's Kitchen, living dependent on their husbands' criminal enterprises and enduring domestic violence and second-class status in the patriarchal Irish mob world.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when The three husbands are arrested during a botched store robbery and sentenced to three years in prison, leaving the women financially stranded when the mob provides inadequate support.. 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.
The First Threshold at 25 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to The three women make the active decision to take over their husbands' protection business, going door-to-door to collect from local businesses and assert themselves as the new power in Hell's Kitchen., moving from reaction to action.
At 50 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat The women successfully broker a deal with the Italian mafia, solidifying their control over Hell's Kitchen and reaching the height of their power. They appear to have won, but this false victory threatens their marriages and creates new enemies., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 75 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Ruby's husband Jackie is killed in a violent confrontation, representing the death of the old way and forcing the women to recognize the deadly stakes of the world they've entered. Their unity begins to fracture under pressure., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 81 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. The women realize they must eliminate all threats to secure their position permanently. They synthesize their domestic skills with their criminal knowledge, using their underestimated status as women to execute their plan., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Kitchen's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping The Kitchen against these established plot points, we can identify how Andrea Berloff utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Kitchen 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
Kathy, Ruby, and Claire are mob wives in 1970s Hell's Kitchen, living dependent on their husbands' criminal enterprises and enduring domestic violence and second-class status in the patriarchal Irish mob world.
Theme
Ruby's mother-in-law tells her, "You're nothing without them," establishing the theme of women finding power and identity independent of the men who control them.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Hell's Kitchen in 1978, the Irish mob's protection racket system, the three women's marriages and struggles, and the neighborhood's economic structure under mob control.
Disruption
The three husbands are arrested during a botched store robbery and sentenced to three years in prison, leaving the women financially stranded when the mob provides inadequate support.
Resistance
The women struggle financially with the pittance provided by the mob. Kathy debates taking over collections herself. They face resistance and mockery from the male-dominated organization but begin to see an opportunity.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
The three women make the active decision to take over their husbands' protection business, going door-to-door to collect from local businesses and assert themselves as the new power in Hell's Kitchen.
Mirror World
Claire begins a relationship with Gabriel, a hitman who respects her strength and treats her as an equal, showing her a different model of partnership that contrasts with her abusive marriage.
Premise
The women expand their operations, proving more effective than their husbands by providing better protection and services. They gain respect, make alliances with Italian mobsters, and enjoy their newfound power and financial success.
Midpoint
The women successfully broker a deal with the Italian mafia, solidifying their control over Hell's Kitchen and reaching the height of their power. They appear to have won, but this false victory threatens their marriages and creates new enemies.
Opposition
The husbands are released from prison and demand their territory back. FBI begins investigating. Internal conflicts emerge as Ruby and Kathy clash over methods. The Irish mob bosses actively work to undermine and threaten the women.
Collapse
Ruby's husband Jackie is killed in a violent confrontation, representing the death of the old way and forcing the women to recognize the deadly stakes of the world they've entered. Their unity begins to fracture under pressure.
Crisis
The women face the consequences of their choices. Claire confronts the violence she's become capable of. They must decide whether to retreat to their old lives or fully commit to their new identities as criminals.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
The women realize they must eliminate all threats to secure their position permanently. They synthesize their domestic skills with their criminal knowledge, using their underestimated status as women to execute their plan.
Synthesis
The women systematically eliminate their enemies, including the Irish mob bosses who tried to destroy them. They secure their territory and transform from victims into genuine criminal power players in their own right.
Transformation
The women sit together in their new position of power, but the cost is evident—they've become the very criminals they once feared, having sacrificed their innocence and in some cases their humanity to survive and thrive.