Screenplay Structure Analysis

Vice

Written by Adam McKay · Political Biography/Dark Comedy · 106 pages · 175 scenes · 3-act natural structure · non-linear organization · Analysis confidence: High

The rise of Dick Cheney from a drunken Wyoming lineman to the most powerful Vice President in American history, chronicling his transformation and the far-reaching consequences of his political machinations.

Tone
Satirical, cynical, and darkly comedic with moments of genuine drama

Tension curve

Dramatic intensity across Vice from first page to last, sampled at 40 points on a 0–10 scale. Values: 7.3, 7.1, 6.7, 6.3, 5.2, 5.3, 5.6, 6.6, 6.7, 5.8, 5.2, 4.6, 4.8, 5.4, 5.5, 5.1, 4.5, 4.4, 4.9, 5.2, 5.2, 4.9, 4.5, 5.2, 6.3, 7.3, 6.9, 6.3, 5.6, 5.6, 5.5, 5.7, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 6.9, 7, 6.6, 6.7.

Structure at a glance

Inciting incident
Page 8, 8% of the script: Lynne furiously confronts Dick about his second arrest, threatening to leave him if he doesn't change his ways from drinking and fighting.
Act 1 break
Page 27, 26% of the script: Cheney enters the Oval Office under Ford, marking his first real taste of executive power and setting up his lifelong pursuit of it.
Midpoint
Page 52, 49% of the script: At Crawford Ranch, Bush directly asks Cheney to be his VP, and Cheney responds that while the Vice Presidency is mostly symbolic, it's also defined by the President and could be expanded.
Act 2 break
Page 68, 64% of the script: 9/11 occurs, providing Cheney with the crisis he needs to implement his vision of expanded executive power and launch the War on Terror.
Climax
Page 103, 97% of the script: Cheney dismisses public opinion about the Iraq War and addresses the camera directly, defending his actions and refusing to apologize for his decisions.
Peak tension
7.3 out of 10, reached about 0% of the way through; the script averages 5.9.
Average scene length
1.1 pages

Structural personality

McKay employs a deliberately fragmented, satirical approach that mirrors the secretive, compartmentalized nature of Cheney's career. The script jumps between time periods with theatrical flourishes (like the fake ending at scene 72) and meta-commentary from an unreliable narrator. This non-linear structure serves the film's thesis that Cheney's influence was often hidden and indirect, requiring a kaleidoscopic view to understand his true impact. The pacing accelerates dramatically after 9/11, reflecting how that crisis became the catalyst for Cheney's most consequential actions.

Pacing

The first act moves leisurely through Cheney's early years and political apprenticeship, with longer scenes establishing character. Post-9/11 (scenes 100-175), the pacing becomes frenetic with rapid-fire montages and shorter scenes, mirroring the urgency of the War on Terror era. The fake ending at scene 72 serves as a structural palate cleanser before the VP selection process accelerates the story toward its climax.

Themes

Similar shapes

Screenplays whose tension curve most closely matches Vice.

Scene summaries and structural markers are generated by AI analysis of the screenplay text and may contain minor inaccuracies. ScriptGraph analyzes structure and does not reproduce screenplay text.

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