Narrative technique · used in 3 films
Gathering a team of specialists for one dangerous job, each defined by a particular skill and their relationship to violence. Heist films, war films and superhero team-ups all follow this template.
Examples
John Huston · 1950
Doc gathers a safecracker, a driver and a hooligan, each hired for a specific skill. The lawyer Emmerich funds the job. The way the crew is built shows how each man will matter, and how each could fail.
Where to see it: The recruitment. Doc hires Ciavelli as the safecracker, Gus as the driver and Dix as the muscle.
Akira Kurosawa · 1954
Each samurai is introduced through 1 action that tells you who he is. Kambei improvises a rescue, Kyuzo is lethally still and Kikuchiyo is a desperate clown. The film builds the team in sequences that each work as a small character study, then brings the men together as a group.
Where to see it: The samurai recruitment sequence. Every character is introduced by a single action that sets up his whole arc.
Peter Jackson · 2001
The Council of Elrond scene introduces 9 characters from different cultures, each with distinct motivations, histories and abilities. It also sets up the political tensions that make the Fellowship's unity fragile from the start. The scene gets through a whole film's worth of background in 20 minutes.
Where to see it: The Council of Elrond at Rivendell. 9 characters are introduced as a group and as individuals at the same time.
Questions