Veteran
When an old collaborator gets severely injured, a veteran policeman tries to figure out the way to bring to justice the ultimately suspected aggressor, a spoiled young executive, heir to a mega corporation, who believes he is above the law.
Despite its modest budget of $7.5M, Veteran became a runaway success, earning $88.0M worldwide—a remarkable 1069% return. The film's bold vision found its audience, illustrating how 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%)
Veteran (2015) reveals strategically placed narrative architecture, characteristic of Ryoo Seung-wan's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 3 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Detective Seo Do-cheol leads his veteran crime unit in a high-energy truck chase, showcasing his rough-and-tumble, street-smart approach to justice. He's a scrappy cop who gets results through persistence and physical force.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Factory worker Lee Gwang-il dies after falling from a building under suspicious circumstances. Tae-oh is responsible but his family's influence begins covering it up immediately, creating an impossible case.. 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 30 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Do-cheol makes the active choice to pursue Tae-oh despite direct orders from his superiors to drop the case. He visits the victim's family and promises justice, crossing into a war against the system itself., moving from reaction to action.
At 61 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat False victory: Do-cheol successfully arrests Tae-oh with solid evidence. The villain is in custody, appearing humiliated. But this apparent win is about to unravel as the family's power fully mobilizes., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 91 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Do-cheol is suspended from the force, his case is officially closed, and Tae-oh publicly humiliates him. The detective's career, reputation, and sense of justice are destroyed. His dream of accountability dies., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 98 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. New evidence surfaces through citizen witnesses emboldened by Do-cheol's fight, combined with prosecutor Kwon finding a legal avenue the chaebol didn't anticipate. The synthesis: grassroots support + institutional integrity can challenge power., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Veteran'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 Veteran against these established plot points, we can identify how Ryoo Seung-wan utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Veteran within the action genre.
Ryoo Seung-wan's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Ryoo Seung-wan films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.7, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Veteran represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ryoo Seung-wan filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Ryoo Seung-wan analyses, see The Battleship Island, The Berlin File.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Detective Seo Do-cheol leads his veteran crime unit in a high-energy truck chase, showcasing his rough-and-tumble, street-smart approach to justice. He's a scrappy cop who gets results through persistence and physical force.
Theme
A colleague warns Do-cheol: "The world isn't fair. Money and power always win." This sets up the film's central question about whether justice can prevail against wealth and privilege.
Worldbuilding
Introduction of Detective Seo Do-cheol's team dynamics, their working-class methods, and the establishment of the corrupt chaebol world through Jo Tae-oh, a psychopathic third-generation heir who believes his wealth makes him untouchable.
Disruption
Factory worker Lee Gwang-il dies after falling from a building under suspicious circumstances. Tae-oh is responsible but his family's influence begins covering it up immediately, creating an impossible case.
Resistance
Do-cheol investigates the "suicide" and discovers evidence pointing to Tae-oh, but faces systematic obstruction from prosecutors, higher-ups, and the chaebol's legal team. He debates whether to pursue a case he cannot win.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Do-cheol makes the active choice to pursue Tae-oh despite direct orders from his superiors to drop the case. He visits the victim's family and promises justice, crossing into a war against the system itself.
Mirror World
Introduction of prosecutor Kwon, an ally within the system who shares Do-cheol's frustration with how the wealthy manipulate justice. Their partnership represents the possibility of institutional integrity.
Premise
Do-cheol and his team use creative, unorthodox methods to gather evidence against Tae-oh. Cat-and-mouse games, stakeouts, and confrontations deliver the action-thriller premise as the working-class cop outsmarts the privileged heir.
Midpoint
False victory: Do-cheol successfully arrests Tae-oh with solid evidence. The villain is in custody, appearing humiliated. But this apparent win is about to unravel as the family's power fully mobilizes.
Opposition
The chaebol family weaponizes their influence: lawyers tear apart Do-cheol's evidence on technicalities, prosecutors are reassigned, media spins the narrative, and political pressure mounts. Tae-oh walks free and becomes more vengeful.
Collapse
Do-cheol is suspended from the force, his case is officially closed, and Tae-oh publicly humiliates him. The detective's career, reputation, and sense of justice are destroyed. His dream of accountability dies.
Crisis
Do-cheol wallows in defeat, questioning whether justice is possible in a system designed to protect the powerful. His team consoles him, but he seems broken. The dark night processes the death of his idealism.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
New evidence surfaces through citizen witnesses emboldened by Do-cheol's fight, combined with prosecutor Kwon finding a legal avenue the chaebol didn't anticipate. The synthesis: grassroots support + institutional integrity can challenge power.
Synthesis
Do-cheol orchestrates a final operation combining street-level detective work with legal maneuvering. Public sentiment turns. The climactic confrontation forces Tae-oh to face consequences as the system finally bends toward justice.
Transformation
Tae-oh is led away in handcuffs as Do-cheol watches from the crowd. Unlike the opening where Do-cheol chased criminals alone, he's now surrounded by citizens and allies who fought alongside him. Justice required community, not just one veteran cop.