The 3-Act Paradigm at Work: Dead Man Walking

written by Tim Robbins


Dead Man Walking is a rich drama about the relationship between a nun and a man on death row. It's about the growing human bond between two unlikely friends, about the healing power of love.

Structural Analysis

  1. Hook (2-6 min.)
    • Sister Helen replies to a letter from Matthew, a man on death row, by visiting him. She's never been in a prison before. "Do you know what you're getting into?" the chaplain asks. Clearly she doesn't.
  2. Complication (12 min.)
    • Matthew immediately claims his innocence and gets Sister Helen to file an appeal for him.
  3. Call to Action (16-7 min.)
    • Matthew needs a lawyer, more help from her. She decides to get involved in his case. "Try not to worry," she tells him. And she gets him a lawyer who will try to save Matthew from death row.
  4. Act One Plot Point (31-4 min.)
    • The appeal is turned down, clemency is denied. Now Matthew wants her to "ride into the sunset" with him, to become his spiritual advisor. She is more involved than ever and now will spend time with him right up to the end.
  5. Midpoint Plot Point (52, 60 min.)
    • Sister Helen visits the victims, parents of a girl Matthew raped and killed, and they think she has "changed sides." When they learn she hasn't, they are outraged and kick her out. Sister Helen becomes more and more isolated by her association with a killer. Morever, the stakes for her are raised when she learns he is a white supremist who admires Hitler. In a flashback (60 min.), we see Matthew reluctant at the crime scene, while his partner kills one of the two victims. Is he innocent after all?
  6. Act Two Plot Point (89 min.)
    • The time of execution approaches. All paths to save his life are closed now. In the bathroom, Sister Helen almost loses it and prays to God to give her strength to go through with this, with giving comfort to Matthew in his final hours.
  7. Climax and Resolution (94, 110-1 min.)
    • Before being led away, Matthew admits he killed the boy and raped the girl. He was too chicken to stand up to his older partner, the ringleader. Matthew's last words are to Sister Helen, "I love you," which she mouthes back. For the first time, he takes responsibility for his actions. At his funeral, one of the parents shows up, "I don't know why," and Sister Helen wonders if they can help one another find a way out of all the hate.

    Notes

    Dead Man Walking uses "the ticking clock" device as the execution draws ever near. As Sister Helen moves along her journey, the stakes keep getting raised, until finally she has to say in frustration, "You don't make it easy to help you." She and her faith are on trial as much as Matthew. Flashbacks are developed along the journey in a teasing way, at first suggesting that Matthew may be innocent after all, which of course raises the stakes concerning his appeals. The emotional tension in the story escalates throughout until the final resolution in confession, redemption, and love.


    MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

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