But am I mistaken, or did you just try to argue that Rae Dawn Chong was the main character in COMMANDO??? If so, I think you just fell on your sword.

Anyway, Main character is a person who usually has a dramatic arc of change as they go on a story of adventure which is the film. They usually experience the obstacles alongside the central character. the person who does all the action and conflict but in essence because they are a hero, they are usually unchanged.

Bruce Willis films are the best example of this theory, especially Die Hard. He enters the story sluggish but heroic. Going to be with his wife for the xmas. He’s a heroic cop who’s tired and flawed with personal issue. But when the inciting incident occurs, he moves in to action, saves the die and saves his wife. At the end he is merely bloody but still a hero. He proves it by making four more films. His character although a protagonist is considered a Central character. The person the story revolves around. And also who is important to the title of the film. One of the dead giveaways.

But who has the arc of change? The main character whom is usually the role for the hidden writer because as the author of this adventure, the writer tells the story of his paramour hero. His idol. So the person whop changes the most thru the arc of change is often the sidekick.

Look at sidekicks in films. The person who began the day like any other day until something happens. Rae Dawn chong in commando is a great example of this. She begins as a strong will stewardess preyed upon by David kelly. Schwarzenegger sees this and ellicits her help. At first she is reluctant, and then she goes along with shooting a bazooka at a police transport vehicle to free Arny. She has flying skills to fly him to the country. She is there at the end to take him and his daughter away. Not your usual girl in peril role. Centrally the film is about a commando who stops at nothing to free his daughter but viewed by our main character of the stewardess who is not just the girl but important to telling the story of this adventure.

Now back to Usual suspects. i agree with john Mc’s analysis on this basis. Verbal was never picked up in the roundup of the usual suspects. He is plopped in to the lineup like magic. Its more amazing that Palminterri doesn;t pick up on this. maybe he thinks, i’ll let this guy keep talking. But in main character style, Verbal does these different actions that john spoke of but they are all in reference to the main character of Keaton.

My interesting tidbit since the story is full of lies would be Verbal and keaton’s way of disguising Keaton by making up the character of Edie and Keaton is really… Koboyashi. (Probably spelled wrong) So how cool would it have been that when verbal reveals he could walk in the last sequence that it wa keaton behind the wheel as opposed to Postlewaithe?

Now that’s a thought?

You make some excellent points. If my MA screenwriting friend had articulated her argument in that manner, she would have been far more convincing.

Give me some time to consider what you’ve said, and I’ll get back to you with my thoughts.

Thanks!

Admittedly, structure wise, it is confusing and people can be forgiven for believing that Verbal is the protagonist. Remember, he is the unreliable narrator. Here is my supporting evidence:

Verbal has no inciting incident. He has no call to action and he does not refuse the call. The is no turning point where he is dragged into the action. Verbal does not have a mid point crisis. He has no dramatic climax. All these things belong to Dean.

Verbal may be the central character but he is not the protagonist/hero. The unseen Keyser is the antagonist, thus Verbal. He has no real story of his own, he just tells everyone else’s story. You may say that verbal is the one that changes the most but he does not. He starts off as a fake, lying, fantasist and in the end he is a fake, lying, fantasist.

And if you look real close, he does not drive the plot. If you took his character out completely, the plot would still continue with Dean leading the action. dean is the one we are really rooting for, especially after Keysers threat via Kobayashi to kill Edie. We don’t need to root for Verbal because we know he escaped from the ship. If we knew the secret, we’d be rooting for the detective to unmask him.

This is a tragedy where the flawed hero, Dean, fulfils duty/destiny/task but dies because of it.

A close study of the Hero’s Journey and Syd Fields three-act-structure compared with the plot of The Usual Suspects will confirm this.

Watch my blog for news of a published in-depth analysis, which I intend to publish within the next few weeks.

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