They Call Me Jeeg
Exposed to radioactive waste, small-time crook Enzo gains super-strength. A misanthropic, introverted brute, he uses his powers for personal gain until he meets Alessia, a mentally ill girl who believes Enzo is the hero from her favorite anime, Steel Jeeg.
Despite its modest budget of $1.9M, They Call Me Jeeg became a financial success, earning $5.7M worldwide—a 201% return. The film's compelling narrative attracted moviegoers, confirming that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
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%)
They Call Me Jeeg (2016) demonstrates strategically placed story structure, characteristic of Gabriele Mainetti's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 52 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 Enzo Ceccotti, a small-time crook in Rome, lives a solitary, amoral life stealing from vending machines and avoiding human connection in the grimy underworld of the Tor Bella Monaca district.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Fleeing from police after a robbery, Enzo jumps into the Tiber River and is exposed to radioactive waste, which begins transforming his body at a cellular level, granting him superhuman strength and invulnerability.. 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 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Enzo reluctantly agrees to let Alessia stay with him and begins to cautiously explore using his powers for profit, crossing from mere survival into actively engaging with his new superhuman abilities, though still refusing the hero role., moving from reaction to action.
At 56 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat The Gypsy discovers Enzo's powers and becomes obsessed with capturing him, raising the stakes from petty crime to a life-or-death conflict. Simultaneously, Enzo realizes he's developed genuine feelings for Alessia, making him vulnerable for the first time., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 84 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Alessia is brutally killed by the Gypsy. Enzo arrives too late to save her, and the one person who believed in his capacity for good, who saw him as a hero, dies because of his hesitation and selfishness. His chance at redemption appears lost., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 90 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Enzo watches old episodes of Steel Jeeg that Alessia loved and finally understands her message. He accepts his responsibility and chooses to become the hero - not for glory or profit, but to honor her memory and protect others from monsters like the Gypsy., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
They Call Me Jeeg's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping They Call Me Jeeg against these established plot points, we can identify how Gabriele Mainetti utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish They Call Me Jeeg within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Enzo Ceccotti, a small-time crook in Rome, lives a solitary, amoral life stealing from vending machines and avoiding human connection in the grimy underworld of the Tor Bella Monaca district.
Theme
Alessia watches an old episode of "Steel Jeeg" and recites its message: "With great power comes great responsibility" - a hero must use their strength to protect the weak, not exploit them.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Rome's criminal underworld: Enzo's petty crimes, the violent psychopath Fabio "The Gypsy" who terrorizes the district, Alessia's troubled existence as an abused young woman obsessed with anime, and the corrupt ecosystem of small-time criminals.
Disruption
Fleeing from police after a robbery, Enzo jumps into the Tiber River and is exposed to radioactive waste, which begins transforming his body at a cellular level, granting him superhuman strength and invulnerability.
Resistance
Enzo discovers his powers gradually - bending metal, punching through walls, being impervious to bullets - but struggles with what to do with them. He meets Alessia, who recognizes his abilities and sees him as the real-life embodiment of Steel Jeeg, while Enzo resists any heroic identity.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Enzo reluctantly agrees to let Alessia stay with him and begins to cautiously explore using his powers for profit, crossing from mere survival into actively engaging with his new superhuman abilities, though still refusing the hero role.
Mirror World
Alessia and Enzo's relationship deepens as she tenderly cares for his wounds and shares her love of Steel Jeeg with him. She represents everything he's avoided - hope, connection, responsibility - and begins to awaken his dormant humanity.
Premise
Enzo uses his powers for increasingly ambitious crimes while bonding with Alessia. The Gypsy's violence escalates as he consolidates power. Enzo enjoys his abilities but maintains emotional distance, until he witnesses the Gypsy's brutality firsthand and begins to feel conflicted.
Midpoint
The Gypsy discovers Enzo's powers and becomes obsessed with capturing him, raising the stakes from petty crime to a life-or-death conflict. Simultaneously, Enzo realizes he's developed genuine feelings for Alessia, making him vulnerable for the first time.
Opposition
The Gypsy hunts Enzo relentlessly, kidnapping Alessia to draw him out. Enzo's selfish instincts war with his emerging conscience. The violence intensifies as the Gypsy's megalomania grows, and Enzo can no longer avoid choosing between self-preservation and protecting others.
Collapse
Alessia is brutally killed by the Gypsy. Enzo arrives too late to save her, and the one person who believed in his capacity for good, who saw him as a hero, dies because of his hesitation and selfishness. His chance at redemption appears lost.
Crisis
Devastated by Alessia's death, Enzo retreats into grief and self-loathing. He must confront whether her faith in him was misplaced or whether he can finally become the hero she believed him to be, even though she'll never see it.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Enzo watches old episodes of Steel Jeeg that Alessia loved and finally understands her message. He accepts his responsibility and chooses to become the hero - not for glory or profit, but to honor her memory and protect others from monsters like the Gypsy.
Synthesis
Enzo confronts the Gypsy in a climactic battle, now fighting not for himself but for the innocent people of his neighborhood. He combines his powers with newfound moral purpose, ultimately destroying the Gypsy and dismantling his criminal empire.
Transformation
Enzo, wounded but alive, walks through the streets where people now look at him with gratitude rather than fear. The isolated, amoral criminal has become a reluctant hero who understands sacrifice and connection - the transformation Alessia always knew was possible.