The Three Acts:
The initial tableaux: The film starts with a short depiction of the abduction of a young girl by an out-of- focus kidnapper.
We jump forward a year to the present day on a rainy Christmas Eve night.
Desk Sargeant Gulloy is a fussy man who is the omega male of the group at the Sheriff's station. He does not care for the loud, foul, disgusting speech of his coworkers at the station, or their generally inconsiderate actions, like leaving the door open for the cold and rain to flow in, canceling the central heating. His passive aggressive approach clashes with the classless alphas early and often.
The interactions of the four deputies are primitive and adolescent. Evidently psych tests were not required to obtain their jobs. Detective Black is the father of Mary, the girl abducted in the first scene.
To complete the initial scenery, Mr Nobody enters the station, and tells Gulloy that he would like to confess to murder. The state cops come by to tell them that they are going to close down the off ramp from the Interstate due to a major accident. The station will be more isolated than usual, and many things are not working due to the holiday. That's where we are when the action of the story begins.
Delineation of conflicts: The deputies and the desk sergeant despise each other. The detective's wife is phasing into a breakup with him. The detective is held in contempt by the deputies since he was promoted over them to detective. The detective is in a depressed phase since he has not been able to solve his daughter's disappearance.
Mr Nobody is not especially compliant with the orders of the cops. Clearly, he holds them in contempt, and the cops are not happy with his lack of obedience.
Have they already met Mr Nobody? Will any of them get a bit of closure about their failed pursuit of Mary's murderer?
Resolution: The police think they have a confessed murderer. Only late in the film do they realise that his confessions are to their detriment.
The initial tableaux: The film starts with a short depiction of the abduction of a young girl by an out-of- focus kidnapper.
We jump forward a year to the present day on a rainy Christmas Eve night.
Desk Sargeant Gulloy is a fussy man who is the omega male of the group at the Sheriff's station. He does not care for the loud, foul, disgusting speech of his coworkers at the station, or their generally inconsiderate actions, like leaving the door open for the cold and rain to flow in, canceling the central heating. His passive aggressive approach clashes with the classless alphas early and often.
The interactions of the four deputies are primitive and adolescent. Evidently psych tests were not required to obtain their jobs. Detective Black is the father of Mary, the girl abducted in the first scene.
To complete the initial scenery, Mr Nobody enters the station, and tells Gulloy that he would like to confess to murder. The state cops come by to tell them that they are going to close down the off ramp from the Interstate due to a major accident. The station will be more isolated than usual, and many things are not working due to the holiday. That's where we are when the action of the story begins.
Delineation of conflicts: The deputies and the desk sergeant despise each other. The detective's wife is phasing into a breakup with him. The detective is held in contempt by the deputies since he was promoted over them to detective. The detective is in a depressed phase since he has not been able to solve his daughter's disappearance.
Mr Nobody is not especially compliant with the orders of the cops. Clearly, he holds them in contempt, and the cops are not happy with his lack of obedience.
Have they already met Mr Nobody? Will any of them get a bit of closure about their failed pursuit of Mary's murderer?
Resolution: The police think they have a confessed murderer. Only late in the film do they realise that his confessions are to their detriment.