In a pattern divergent from the classical tragedy structure followed most often by stories of moral questioning and life lessons such as Shakespearean tales, the structure of modern Hollywood's movies has fallen into that of a 3-act organization. Divided into portions that provide an introduction, a complication, and a conclusion as well as a powerful and pivotal moment called the climax, these movies provide well for scenarios where the stakes are constantly on the rise until, at last, that defining moment occurs.
One example of such a film can be seen in 2007's action-packed "Die Hard" sequel, "Live Free or Die Hard." In it, the crime-fighting protagonist John McClane is reintroduced with a host of new characters as well as one particularly formidable enemy.
The movie opens with a first look into the lives of the main characters, and also provides background on their lives and their plights. Then, it moves into a stage full of twists and turns, as new information is uncovered and unprecedented difficulties arise. Finally, a climactic moment precedes an ending marked by falling action and a resolution between the characters in the story.
The movie opens with a series of mysterious deaths occurring in the places of residence of several hackers, each occurring only after they have completed a deed for a mysterious, high-paying employer. From there, characters are introduced: Matt Ferrell, another hacker and secluded tech enthusiast, also fulfills the requests of the unknown entity, which is revealed to the viewer between close-up shots of details in his apartment, from the multiple monitor screens he uses to the screamo song playing in the background. Protagonist Detective John McClane is also given an introduction as he makes his way to Ferrell's residence as a favor to local law enforcement. The characters meet, followed by an explosive situation that forces them to stick closer together, as well as putting some faces to the antagonist shadow organization. The characters are forced to team up, and discover a pattern to the recent murders that reveals an even larger plan in the works to shut down the entire infrastructure of the United States through the use of a technique called a "fire sale," intended to shut down the nation's technological capabilities. Thomas Gabriel, the man behind the destructive plot, is revealed to viewers, as are those who work for him in his secret base. This takes approximately 30 minutes to unfold, an amount of time stated to be common for 3-Act structures by Professor Ramirez-Berg in lecture.
The plotline progresses with the second step in the sequence, which makes up a majority of the film to introduce some variety of complication or difficulty for the protagonists(s) to over. This occurs in "Di Hard" through a series of events that raise the stakes for each character. Though it was shown McClane was being targeted by Gabriel to be taken down as a threat to his plot, some of the biggest action sequences in the film as, after winning a battle against Gabriel's love interest and right-hand woman Mai, he decided to focus all of his resources on giving him the same pain that he's caused. In turn, a major step of the fire sale is completed, shutting down power to most of the Eastern seaboard, and a dangerous new move is taken when Lucy, McClane's estranged daughter introduced earlier in the film, is kidnapped to lure the protagonist to his doom. Furious, McClane goes on a full-out mission to destroy Gabriel and rescue his daughter as well as the country. As the FBI struggles to deal with the damages, other key explanations into the reason's for the antagonist's actions, however twisted, are revealed.
Now in its third and final act, the action rises as McClane infiltrates Gabriel's location to rescue Lucy and the now-kidnapped Ferrell. He and Gabriel come face-to-face and enter into the climax, a deadly shootout that concludes with the antagonist pressing a handgun into his shoulder, ready to deliver a fatal blow. From there, the remainder of the action occurs, and the events and end situations of each character are revealed in a "happy ending" suited for the 3-act structure, as explained by Ramirez-Berg. This final act is noticeably shorter than the practically 60-minutes act that preceded it at a length of thirty minutes.
Audiences are left not only with an explosive action thriller, but also with a prime example of the 3-Act structure as it functions in much of modern Hollywood's works.
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