* Position on the Character Arc

* Position on the Character Arc
1. This is the endpoint of Rick's becoming a committed freedom fighter and patriot.
2. Structurally, the scene has a double reversal, a change of two characters, Louis as well as Rick.
3. This is the endpoint of Rick's relationship with Louis in which the two enter into a buddy "marriage"
* Problems
1. How do you give the final scene the most dramatic impact possible
2. How do you show big changes, in two characters, in a believable but not boring way
* Strategy
1. Hold off the reveal of Louis's change and the creation of anew buddy team until the very end.

39 2. Use a double reversal so that Rick and his equal both seethe light but
maintain their hard-nosed opportunism. What makes the scene is the return to the bet. This allows both men to make huge moral flips but still preserve their tough-guy quality and so avoid over-the-top sentimentality.
* Desire Louis wants to join Rick in the fight and begin what looks like a great friendship.
* Endpoint Rick welcomes him on the journey.
* Opponent It appears that Rick and Louis might still be opponents over Rick's escape and the bet. But Louis finesses that.
* Plan Louis hides his real intention, making it look like he could still give Rick trouble over the exit visa or the bet.
* Conflict The two men negotiate over Rick's escape and the money Louis owes Rick. But Louis comes up with a stylish resolution that ends in friendship.
* Twist or Reveal Louis isn't going to nail Rick he's going to join him. But it will cost Rick the 10,000 francs he won.
* Moral Argument and Values Both men accept the idea that it is time to become a patriot. But they don't entirely forget about money, either.
* Key Words Patriot, friendship. The last scene funnels down to a single point of the scene and the story friendship. Rick may miss out on truelove, but he ends up with a great and equal friend. The scene is constructed to lead to the big reveal, Louis's stylish way of joining Rick in his new moral action. The dialogue between the two men is just as snappy and sophisticated as ever. What makes it even better is that they're not even trying.
There's one last thing to notice about the dialogue. Though extremely witty, it is quite dense. The writers pack huge story flips into a few short lines, and this has tremendous impact on the audience. Rick does his noble deed. Theresa line of dialogue from each, and Louis does his noble deed, dumping the Vichy water. Louis proposes the deal concerning Rick's escape. Three short lines. Rick flips it back to the bet. Three short lines. Louis combines the escape with the bet. One line. Rick realizes what's happened. And the last line is eternal friendship. That series of combinations produces a big knockout at the very end of the final scene of the film. Clearly, these writers understood how to execute Chekhov's rule about the last ninety seconds of their story.