Character arc

[Southern_land]

Does the protag have to have a character arc or can he or she reveal the truth of their character as the movie goes on?

I'm working on an idea where the protag is introduced doing some pretty evil deeds (multiple) but as the story progresses hopefully a more sympathetic view of him is presented even though he's still pursuing the same course. He is a man of black and white perceptions where good is good and bad is bad but he's willing to do a potential great evil to acheive a greater good.

Anyone know of any examples where this has been done before? All the examples I can think of have genuine character arcs, not reveals.

Thanks in advance
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[NikeeGoddess]

i don't know if you watch damages - but the glenn close character is similar to what you're talking about. she comes off as an evil, manipulative, and powerful b!tch - but she does it for the greater good... class action suits against big industries that poison and steal from the people. after 3 seasons she hasn't changed = no character arc

[Ronaldinho]

First of all, lots of great characters don't arc.

(There are lots of good discussions of this on wordplay. I'd advice you to check them out ... I don't want to repeat everything that's been said there.)

The challenge with the "arc of reveal" is that in a feature we're supposed to identify with the character, and you may have a problem with us identifying with someone who we don't like very much. You might solve this problem by telling the story from the POV of another character, or in other ways, but we're probably not going to enjoy watching a character for 110 minutes of being a scoundrel if that's how long it takes to realize he's really a great guy all along.

[Laura Reyna]

There are many threads on this subject. Use the SEARCH function to find them.

[Biohazard]

Your character has to change somehow. Nobody wants to see a stagnant character for 2 hours.

How does your character change from the beginning to the end? Not 'what do we learn about the character', but what does the character learn about him/herself?

[sumokurt1]

A lot of heroes in westerns don't arc. Does Will Cain arc in high noon? Au contraire, he stays true to his principles as everyone around him reveals their flaws. Clint Eastwood hardly ever arcs in his roles. Think Dirty Harry and The Man With No Name. Granted, Clint Eastwood roles weren't the most sophisticated, but they greatly entertained many people. Even in Unforgiven Clint doesn't arc, just reveals his terrible nature as a killer.

[WritersBlock2010]

Originally Posted by Biohazard

Your character has to change somehow.

The majority of iconic action heroes have no semblance of change, let alone arc.

However, we still root for them... Similar to the thread on sympathetic and likable characters... Because we admire & empathize with parts of them. Those parts are usually the things we wish we could be: Stronger, faster, more attractive, more decisive, braver, etc.

Who wouldn't want to be Rambo and take on a whole army of bad guys oppressing a people?

Who wouldn't want to be Arnie taking on island full of bad guys to get his daughter back?

Who wouldn't want to be Neo with the ability to dodge bullets and take on computer programs at the speed of thought?

Action movies tap into a more primitive aspect to our collective psyche that doesn't require change. In fact, change might be deadly in these circumstances because it means re-evaluating why you (a character) is killing, or instinctively reacting.... When the only way to vanquish the dragon threatening your village and family is to drive a lance through its heart and then chop off its head, no questions asked.

[Ronaldinho]

Originally Posted by Biohazard

Your character has to change somehow. Nobody wants to see a stagnant character for 2 hours.

This is categorically not true.

Lots of great characters don't change. They change the world around them, but they don't actually change. McClane in Die Hard, Ripley in the first Alien film, Sarah Connor in the first Terminator.

I've always called these guys "force of nature" characters, but Keith, over on Wordplay, had an absolutely fantastic post about this which I'm just going to link to:

http://www.wordplayer.com/forums/scr...gi?read=175787

So many of us are taught that "characters must arc" that we assume it must be the case, despite lots of evidence to the contrary.

(Incidentally, however, Neo in the Matrix does arc, as he learns to accept that he is the one, which allows him to become the one).

[Centos]

Originally Posted by Southern_land

Does the protag have to have a character arc or can he or she reveal the truth of their character as the movie goes on?

I'm working on an idea where the protag is introduced doing some pretty evil deeds (multiple) but as the story progresses hopefully a more sympathetic view of him is presented even though he's still pursuing the same course. He is a man of black and white perceptions where good is good and bad is bad but he's willing to do a potential great evil to acheive a greater good.

Anyone know of any examples where this has been done before? All the examples I can think of have genuine character arcs, not reveals.

Thanks in advance

I think the only way you can make people like protagonists who do evil things is to have them fighting people who are even more evil.

I think a good example of this is found in Mel Gibson's "Payback." There was almost *no* character arc, Gibson's character (Porter) had almost no redeeming qualities, yet you were on his side from the very start.

[Southern_land]

Thanks guys.

Yeah I have payback on DVD (not the long version unfortunately) and there are elements of that character in mine as well as elements of the lead in Falling Down in their single minded pursuit of a goal. I love the almost terminator-like remorseless drive they display.

And interesting about eastern Promises. I guess a cop undercover is the ultimate of a guy who's created a mask to hide behind. The antithesis of my protag but working with similar restrictions.


I think fictional characters with a single minded goal are somehow easy to admire because the rest of us are so conflicted with various wants and needs knocking us off course. Strange that in real life single minded people often a pain inthe a$$.

again thanks
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