Christopher Vogler The Writers Journey
the decisive action; to deliver the death blow to fear or the Shadow; to be active
rather than passive, at this of all times.
SHOWDOWNS
In Westerns, crime fiction, and many action films, the Resurrection is expressed as
the biggest confrontation and battle of the story, the showdown or shootout. A
showdown pits hero and villains in an ultimate contest with the highest possible
stakes, life and death. It's the classic gunfight of the Western, the swordfight of the
swashbuckler, or the last acrobatic battle of a martial arts movie. It may even be a
courtroom showdown or an emotional "shootout" in a domestic drama.
T h e showdown is a distinct dramatic form with its own rules and conven
tions. T h e operatic climaxes of the Sergio Leone "spaghetti Westerns" exaggerate the
elements of the conventional showdown: the dramatic music; the opposing forces
marching towards each other in some k i n d of arena (the town street, a corral, a
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