Genre

ACTION, ROMANCE, MATURE AUDIENCE, DRAMA

Brief

A low-level criminal, Sheen is fed up with his life of crime but finds himself forced to carry a mysterious briefcase as the last wish of a longtime friend on his deathbed. Unintentionally, however, he ends up dragging his love interest into the middle of a deadly chase, in which nothing is as it seems. Did someone he used to trust set an ambush for him?

Overall Rating

FAIR

Point of View

THIRD PERSON

Narrative Elements

Authors Writing Style: FAIR

Characterization: FAIR

Commerciality: GOOD

Franchise Potential: FAIR

Pace: FAIR

Premise: GOOD

Structure: FAIR

Theme: GOOD

Accuracy of Book Profile

It is accurate.

Draw of Story

The book starts by throwing the reader straight into the action and immediately puts a series of doubts and questions in his head. This tactic ends up involving and interesting those who follow the story.

Possible Drawbacks

The narrative sometimes seems rushed, and all characters lack depth, including the protagonist.

Use of Special Effects

THE STORY DOES NOT RELY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Primary Hook of Story

The leading hook is the fact that it’s an old-fashioned gangster story, with a series of twists and turns, in which we confuse heroes and bad guys, and no one is entirely innocent.

Fanbase Potential

Fans of gangster movies will be delighted with the narrative line, but there is a lack of depth and development for the story to reach its full potential and impact the audience.

Awards Potential

Again, it could have awards potential by applying extensive edits and changes to the original story, as it lacks development for the characters and the narrative itself.

Envisioned Budget

MEDIUM BUDGET

Similar Films/TV Series

GOODFELLAS - INVOLVING GANGSTERS AND A BIG HIT THAT ENDS IN DOUBLE-CROSSES, DEATHS, AND ARRESTS, THE STORY HAS MANY POINTS OF SIMILARITY WITH THE BOOK. RESERVOIR DOGS - AS IN THE BOOK, TARANTINO’S CLASSIC FILM DEALS WITH CRIMINALS WHO TURN AGAINST EACH OTHER OUT OF GREED AFTER A MAJOR HEIST.

What’s New About the Story

The unique thing about this story is how fast the twists take place. In addition, it breaks the illusion that it is possible to totally root for someone, as both villains and good guys are violent criminals with a dark past.

Lead Characters

The protagonist is a criminal like all the others, but at least he follows a strict moral code and seems to be one of the only ones who really feel the tragedy of their crimes.

Uniqueness of Story

It’s not a rare gem. Although the general lines of the narrative are exciting and promising, the characters and situations need to be better developed.

Possible Formats

Film: Studio, Streaming

Analyst Recommendation

WORK IN PROGRESS

Justification

The book is a work in progress because, although it has excellent ideas, it still needs to be developed better and more completely. At the moment, the entire book is a bit too short for the complex story it wants to tell. Dialogues could be better written; we know little about essential and promising characters, and situations happen too abruptly and quickly. It seems to be more of a draft for a book than a finished one, which can be a problem for a film adaptation, which would need much more detail and information.

Tips for Improvement

Some revisions and rewrites may be necessary. It would be interesting to think about the characters’ personalities and backgrounds to create more compelling and impactful figures. One of the rare moments when this happens is during a flashback that shows details of the relationship between Sheen and Sketch. It is really possible to feel that we understand what brought them together and what kind of closeness they had. On the other hand, nothing of the sort makes us feel any kind of emotion towards the couple Sheen and Julie. This type of deepening also appears in rare moments concerning the narrative itself. Many of them have to do with the curious camaraderie between gangsters who, however, as we are reminded, are also longtime friends. This helps to humanize the characters and bring us closer to them, making us feel something even when the protagonist kills some of them. One of the story’s unique features is that the antagonists are not necessarily bad people. On the contrary, they were passed over by their partner and, within the outlaw reality in which the characters live, they are correct to ask for something they worked hard to get: the gem obtained in the robbery. It would be interesting to see this aspect explored more deeply and more often. Although the author makes an effort to include scenes in which the characters appear doubtful and reflective while smoking, some detail, and depth are lacking for these same thoughts, which often only repeat what we already know. It is possible that trying to better understand who they are and what drives these characters and their relationships will help make the script more intriguing and compelling to watch in a possible adaptation.